AN: This author's note I've have written may be blabbering, but it is IMPORTANT. The story includes not only the SessKag pairing, but also the stuff about the devil Satan and angels. While it includes it, it doesn't include too much religious beliefs but is slightly bloody and dark in some places. If you find that just the existence of Satan's name is disturbing, do not read this story. I have already warned you, so don't send flames saying how bad this story is. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: the characters do not belong to me except for Aiko, even Satan is described according to another anime. What I do own, is the story plot and Aiko.
Mother Nature
Chapter One
Unknown Lands
Sesshoumaru lingered in the theatre of war in the midst of the remains of four boar youkai. He lazily flicked his claws to get rid of the grimy substance still on his claws. Blood stained his previously snow-white clothes, pieces of intestines and body parts clung to his armor. There had better be a clear spring nearby so he could clean off all this muck. The fingertips nearly reached his tongue when he thought better. If the boars' scent was so indescribably nauseating, what would be the flavor of the blood? He decided not to go there.
The heir of the Western lands had been sent here to exterminate four boar youkai that had been rampaging through the villages under Inutaisho's protection. But at that time, Inutaisho had been out for business. As the next ruler of the Western lands, Sesshoumaru took the situation and decided to teach the boar youkai a lesson of intruding upon others' lands and property.
He took his time and leisurely strolled around the place, letting his guard slightly down to loosen up his nerves. A few minutes later, Sesshoumaru ended up in a forest he had never been to before. Snarls and furious growls sounded through the air as he got frustrated over himself. This was preposterous; he had no reason to get lost in his own lands!
Then again, was this really his father's land? The forest leaves had a more healthy and alive green shade than the ones in his father's forests. Chirping was visibly heard and there didn't seem to be any youkai. As the sun began to lower until it was nestled between two mountain peaks, he could see the faint outline of something. It was white, and was a round sphere. Were these…souls? If so, where did they come from? Sesshoumaru had never heard his father mention a forest full of souls.
He continued strolling around the place, hoping to return to the place where he had come from. His tries were all in vain, as the white lights grew brighter within every hour that turned darker. The darkness did not bother him, his youkai abilities gave him the advantage of being able to see in the dark as clearly as in the day.
What did bother him was the eerie silence of the forest except for the distant rustle of squirrels and birds. These two species were not rare in the forests he had been in, but here there were no creatures except for the two.
"Who is there?" a ghostly voice sounded throughout the whole area.
Immediately, Sesshoumaru's senses became highly alert of his surroundings and he searched the area for the scent or aura of any creature. He was certainly surprised when he sensed nothing, but a silhouette of someone appeared on one side of his view. The figure laughed quietly, musical yet mysteriously out of the ordinary.
"Who are you? Why could this Sesshoumaru not sense your aura or scent?" he snarled out with bleeding red eyes.
"Kagome, because I can hide my aura and scent. What are you doing here? This forest is forbidden to any creature of the outer-world." Her voice turned razor-sharp.
"This Sesshoumaru apologizes; I did not notice I was wandering into a place to which I am unwelcome." He spoke with politeness, knowing that being able to hide a person's aura and scent was only achieved by higher beings.
"Leave at once and I may spare your life. There is not a second time, do not enter here again. Next time you do, will be your last." She retorted coldly.
Right, and he hated to admit this. "I cannot, for this Sesshoumaru is lost. May you provide me with sanctuary and food? Tomorrow at daybreak I shall leave, but someone must guide me. This Sesshoumaru has tried many times to return to the 'outer-world' but has failed."
There was a moment of silence, before the voice spoke up again. "Very well, but if my father disagrees, there is nothing I can do."
Sesshoumaru nodded, and he stepped closer to the shadow. He would have gasped at the beauty in front of him if not for his unusual self-control. The girl in front of him was dead gorgeous.
A waterfall of wavy black dropped down to the side of her thigh. Cerulean eyes glanced warily at him. The girl called Kagome had one black stripe on either side of her face and on her forehead was a black crescent moon like his, except with white wings. One midnight blue tail curled around her form much like his did and her elf ears occasionally twitched with the faintest sound. She was clad in a black kimono with an azure obi. Both were made of silk and had simple designs, but there were swirls of silver on the black kimono. Under the flimsy fabric, Sesshoumaru could clearly see the solid silhouette of two samurai swords against her waist.
"What is your name, heir of the Western lands?" she spoke with a flowing accent that matched with royalty.
"Sesshoumaru." He replied.
Kagome nodded and started taking elegant steps to a direction Sesshoumaru had never been to. Who would? The trees there were so thick you could barely see through them and in the mornings it had not let even a small bit of light through. But as if it had a mind of its own, the trees spread and in between there was a narrow path in which Kagome entered. Sesshoumaru trailed behind. The white orbs, Sesshoumaru noticed, varied in sizes and color. All of them ranged from clear white to baby blue.
"Kagome-san, may I inquire what these orbs are?"
Kagome opened her palm, and a sapphire blue orb sailed down towards her hand. "These spheres are souls of both human and demon, of plants and animals. My family is responsible of purifying them after a person's death, preserving them, and then deciding which fits best with a newborn babe. Any other living thing entering here is categorized as an intruder, they are either killed or their memories will be erased. It depends; creatures reluctant to have their memories erased are slaughtered, the memories cannot be destroyed without permission."
Sesshoumaru was surprised; this forest had only been a legend to all living things until today. He was perhaps the only one that had came in here and had the privilege to talk to its owner and not get slaughtered and have a good reason not to.
"We have arrived." There was a hint of smugness in her voice in which Sesshoumaru later found out why.
They had arrived at a European castle. A road of colored pebbles was laid out in front of them and the surrounding area had no trees and had a small lake on the Western side in which a few black doves were drinking from. Those were obviously not ordinary birds, they had crimson eyes.
"What are those creatures?"
"Messengers of my father." She said casually.
The castle itself was made of heavy black stone and the gate was of pure marble, what surprised him was that there were neat cracks lined up neatly which created shapes that were the same as the gate, only getting smaller each time. In total, there were 10.
"What are the purposes of those lines?"
"Do you see the smallest door? That weighs 2 tons; it is for newborns that have just learned to walk who live in the castle. Each door increases by 30 tons. The 10th door is 272 tons. Quite heavy isn't it? My father is the only one who can only the 10th door, my mother can open the 8th door, I can open the 4th door, and the servants the 2nd door. You want to try?" two pearl white fangs glittered in the darkness as she let out a frightening grin.
Sesshoumaru stepped forward and nodded, he did not believe that the girl in front of him could open the 4th gate that would weigh 92 tons, which would equal 92000 kilograms. Who in seven hells would bother making such a door?
He laid his palm on the 5th door and pushed, nothing happened except for a slight movement of the door. Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth in anger that he would have to go to the door that the girl was able to open, the 4th gate. It was not easy; it even took a while before he fully opened it.
Kagome walked past him and told him to let go, stating that the gate would not slam down like most heavy doors would. Instantly, a female wolf stepped forwards and claimed the shoes Kagome and Sesshoumaru had discarded.
"Mika, where is mother and father?" she asked without even glancing at the wolf.
"Master and mistress have left to a gathering in the underworld, they will return when it is midnight." Mika kept her head down. "Is there anything Kagome-sama needs?"
"Yes, prepare dinner for the guest and me and organize one of the guest rooms for Sesshoumaru-sama of the Western lands." Kagome started forward as the lights lit up one by one wherever she passed.
Sesshoumaru used this time to take in his surroundings. There were numerous landscape paintings on the wall. Some included the castle and others included Western faeries, cupids, demons, devils, angels, and other beings which were only heard of in Western and European fairytales. It was surprising a castle like this should appear in an Asian country like Japan. Unlike the outside of the citadel which made it seem spine-chilling, the inside was made with smooth marble and was not as gloomy as most youkai thought European castles were. The hallways were spacious and there were a few staircases which were made of a dull type of gold and were decorated with carvings of oak wood.
The most fascinating thing about the place was the chandeliers. Unlike the ones made of crystal and glass Sesshoumaru had learned about, they were made of a type of rock awfully like crystal but a darker shade of navy.
Curious, he asked Kagome, "What is the age of this castle?"
"I don't know, but apparently it is about 1000 years old according to my father." There was pride in her voice when she mentioned her father.
Sesshoumaru didn't speak anymore, knowing that it would be a futile attempt to try and pry more information from her; she had already been gracious enough to let him breathe.
"We have arrived."
Now, they stood before double doors made of pine wood at least 70m high. It seemed that their house symbol was a black dove, as it appeared on various places on the double doors and were used as messengers. They also appeared along the linings of the hallways, Sesshoumaru noted. Other carvings on the doors were of Western myths and legends. The biggest object that stood out, though, was the form of a devil and a form of an angel, each on one side of the door. He would ask at a better time what the figurines meant.
The doors opened with an odd creak. When they opened up, beside each door there stood a female bat youkai. Like the wolf, they dared not speak with a loud volume and did not meet Kagome's eyes.
Again, Sesshoumaru was fascinated by the decorating furnishings. In front of him, there was a long table which at least 20 people could be seated on each side. At the head of the table, there was a large throne. Beside that coal black throne, there were two smaller ones. The guest chairs were more ordinary looking, but still pitch black. A large chandelier hung on the ceiling that was also at least 80m high in the air. This one looked more like the ones that he had seen on the scrolls.
The floor was marble, but most of it was covered with a red mat with designs of curling flowers and vines. The table foot was made of solid gold and the table top was a cream-colored marble. In the center of the rectangular table there were a few candles, fruits and flowers lined the rest of the way. If he were to measure it, Sesshoumaru would be sure that the table width was at least the width of a king-sized bed.
Behind the horizontal table there was a fireplace, higher than the table and a roaring fire was currently lit. On top of the fireplace there were various small flowers and decorations. Hanging on the wall was a large portrait, which Sesshoumaru assumed was the master and mistress of this gargantuan place.
The woman who was sitting in a golden throne was astonishing. She seemed youthful, but Sesshoumaru knew that an immortal's age was far from their appearance. And in this situation, he was positive that this family was not human. Like a white inuyoukai, the woman had waist-length white hair which was slightly wavy like Kagome's, probably one of the traits Kagome took after her mother. She had gentle cerulean blue eyes and her lips were in a slight curl of happiness. From her expression, she was joyous at that time.
The woman looked liked human, but she couldn't possibly be one. In her arms rested a baby which Sesshoumaru imagined to be Kagome. Kagome was wrapped up in a piece of black cloth and the woman was dressed in a simple white gown much like a kimono, but much looser and it seemed to be easier to move around in.
"What species does your mother belong to?" curiosity got the better of him at that moment.
"An elemental guardian angel, she is responsible for guarding the main five elements of nature and the gates which lead to heaven. In our family, she is in charge of deciding which soul matches with which babe. My father preserves and guards the souls, and I purify them."
Sesshoumaru nodded and continued studying the picture. A man was standing beside the chair with one arm protectively around his wife. He stood proud and arrogantly with a perfect 27.5 degree angle devilish smirk. He had horns on top of his head which were slightly curled backwards. The devilish smirk showed off his pointy fangs and the peculiar elf ears of his. Unlike his wife, he had waist-length, straight black hair and a pair of crimson eyes which seemed to be able to look right through your soul. This must be the dashing Lord of the house.
On his shoulder perched a black dove and his sleeveless black robes were tighter than the standard ones Sesshoumaru saw in the streets of the Western lands. He was the contrast of his spouse, and Kagome took after him a lot. The only way to tell she was part angel was the fact that the marking on her forehead had white wings and also her cerulean blue eyes. What confused him, were the little black wings on the back of Kagome.
"What are the black wings and what species is your father?"
"My father and I each have a pair of black wings; my mother has a pair of white ones as she is an angel. These wings can appear on our own will, but we hardly use them unless we wish to fly because they are too much trouble if they are dirtied and they often get in the way. As for your other question, my father is Lord of the underworld, Satan. Mother's name is Aiko."
"Then, what are you?" Sesshoumaru asked timidly.
"I am what the outer-world would call Mother Nature. Every living thing and everything that is part of nature is always under my control. However, I only have a minor control over the five elements, as they are my mother's priority." She grinned, showing off her razor-sharp fangs which gleamed under the dazzling light. "Come sit down Prince Sesshoumaru, you must be hungry."
She offered him a seat near the throne and she herself sat in the throne left of the center throne. Servants appeared, two of them carrying plates, bowls, knives, forks, and spoons while the other ones arrived with food. It was fresh raw meat, just as he liked it. On the other hand, Kagome was eating cooked meat, cut up into neat little pieces.
"Any drinks, Prince Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru shook his head, content with what he had. If he really wanted a sip, he could just drink the blood from the piece of meat in front of him. He watched as Kagome's lips twisted into a feral grin as she sent a servant off to get her a drink.
The answer came much sooner than he thought; he could smell the drink from if it were miles away. A strong scent of clean blood invaded his senses. He had to keep himself from rushing forward and dunking it down his throat.
A servant which Sesshoumaru recognized as Mika arrived with a cup in her hands. The contents could have been wine, but each passing second it darkened a little proved otherwise. Kagome looked at the blood within avidly, obviously she drank blood only occasionally or she would not crave it so.
"Thank you, don't tell mother of this or she will surely discipline me." Kagome winked at the servant with a grin.
Mika nodded and backed off, probably to her own quarters.
"Wouldn't your mother be able to scent it out?"
At that, Kagome chuckled and drank some of the blood and smacked her lips while muttering. "Blood type O is always the best, sweet and coppery. As for your question, she won't be able to tell. Let me warn you not to wander about this castle without supervision, some parts of it is extremely deadly and bloody. Take my father's bathing springs for example, though the scent is covered, it is full of blood. That is what he bathes in; heaven knows how he keeps clean without water to wash it away. My mother and I bathe in normal hot springs."
Sesshoumaru nodded at that, he shuddered at the thought of himself coming upon a finely decorated room, only to find that whole room was filled with crimson blood.
Once again, he heard the front doors release, the master and mistress were home.
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Sesshoumaru stood up and waited for the appearance of the owners. Kagome apparently did not mind, she sat stone-still in her throne and watched the contents of her goblet swirl. She seemed enchanted by the swirling, for her eyes later on were glazed over as if she were in a trance.
"Snap out of it, Kagome-san." Sesshoumaru hissed.
Kagome followed his instructions and snapped out of her dazed status. Just at that moment, her mother stalked in with a not-so-happy expression with her father. The lady's eyes were alight with fury and the red in her face proved her to be livid of what Kagome was drinking. Both she and her husband were wearing the same thing as when the portrait was painted.
"Young lady, you know very well that only your father drinks the stored blood. You are also half angel, which alone makes blood banned to you!" She angrily thrust a slender finger in her direction, the tingly sound of her bracelet sounding throughout the air as the servants off to the side cowered even more.
"Aiko, you must be proud that she took after me so much. After all, most angels were killed by devils were they not?" The man who was Kagome's father smirked.
"Shut up Satan! If it wasn't for you whispering to her since birth that she is also half devil and should act as a devil should, she wouldn't even be touching blood!" Aiko snapped at Satan.
Satan sighed and shook his head, holding his hands as a sign of defeat. His aura radiated annoyance and weariness.
To tell the truth, Sesshoumaru was highly amused by this threesome family. They evidently appreciated each other, but never spoke of it through words.
Kagome narrowed her eyes at her mother's words. She cherished her mother, but this time she had crossed her line by abusing her father verbally. Her claws closed around her cup and she smashed it into bits and pieces. Immediately, servants came forward and cleaned up the mess in a jig. Some of the blood mixed with her blood that had escaped from within the skin when the shattered pieces had cut in deep. She brought her fingers up to her mouth and licked all the red substances clean off.
"Never – insult – my – father." She spoke each word separately and dangerously, her narrowed black eyes trying to glare holes through her mother.
"Look at the daughter you raised, Satan! You spoiled that girl!" her mother visibly paled and whipped around, slamming the door behind her.
Satan winced at the booming sound. "Kagome, you overdid it. You know your mother gets over-emotional sometimes, she still loves you."
"I know, but she was the one who chose to walk down the aisle with you even after discovering the consequences of marrying the devil." She sighed as her coal black eyes returned to their typical color.
No more words were passed between the two, they both knew what the other was thinking, this wasn't the first time this has transpired in the family.
It was when the mood lightened a little that Satan noticed Sesshoumaru, who had all this time been standing off to the side to avoid the saliva flying from Kagome and Aiko's mouth.
"Who is this young lad here, Kagome?" he looked curiously at his daughter.
"Prince Sesshoumaru of the Western lands, he's next in line for the throne."
"Son of Inutaisho?" he questioned Sesshoumaru.
He could only nod, not knowing how to address the Lord of the Underworld in front of him.
"Ah, I knew him well. Excellent old friend of mine, but we never got around to be on familiar terms with each other. He was always at battle and I was always busy attending to my business." He put a curled clawed finger under his chin and looked at the chandelier thoughtfully.
"Was Inuyasha introduced to you?" Sesshoumaru asked cautiously, afraid that he would take offense in any of the words he spoke.
"That little twerp, he's grown into a boy now has he? Yes, of course I remember him, nearly pulled out my wings when he was an infant."
"Who's Inuyasha?" Kagome piped up.
"My younger brother, after my father passes away he will remain a prince unless I die and do not have an heir." Sesshoumaru replied with a slight glance in her direction.
"I need to go tend to my business now. It's a pleasant meeting with you, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru bowed, "It's all my pleasure."
Satan exited the room, the faint sound of him ascending the stairs were heard to Sesshoumaru's delicate ears.
"Hey, you didn't give me those formal bows!" Kagome pouted and crossed her arms.
"You didn't ask for it, and I was formal enough with a stranger. How was I to know you weren't just another ordinary youkai not worthy of my notice?"
"The crescent moon on my forehead proves me to be 'worthy of your notice'." she pointed a clawed finger towards her forehead, during the process nearly poking her eye out.
"Anybody can paint it on."
"It would mean a death sentence to be found out, and I am sure nobody wants to become a companion of the underworld at my age."
Sesshoumaru did not retort, but merely raised an elegant eyebrow, "Really? You were icy cold to me too, and you never gave me a formal bow either. The fact that you are showing another different personality irks me."
"Does it so? I was only being cautious with you, who knew what you might be here for? Many have ventured into our forests, seeking for powerful souls because they are weaklings." she replied sharply.
Sesshoumaru shrugged it off and continued his previous assault of the piece of uncooked deer meat. Females, you never know what they have in mind.
Kagome pouted when Sesshoumaru deliberately chose to ignore her and finish his own meal. Males, you never know how their stupid ego and arrogance will interfere with their mood. She huffed and went back to her own steak, now loosing appetite as some pieces of the goblet had flown inside it, though barely noticeable. A single hand waved slightly in the air, and Mika came and collected her unfinished meal.
"Would you like anything else, Kagome-sama?" she spoke softly.
"No thank you, just make sure some food is brought to mother and father's chambers. They must be hungry from the gathering."
After Mika left, the air was filled with ghostly silence in which Kagome grew uncomfortable with. It was Sesshoumaru who later on broke the stillness.
"You appreciate your mother and father don't you?" to Kagome, it sounded more like a statement than a question.
"Indeed I do, but sometimes I am rebellious against my mother. The fact that I adore my father a notch higher than my mother does not help." She laid her head sideways onto the dining table and looked at Sesshoumaru's striking features.
'Wait, backup, where did striking come from? Sure he's decent looking and somewhat handsome, but striking? I must be mad! He's only a guest for one night!' Kagome thought with a bewildered expression, which thankfully went unnoticed by Sesshoumaru.
"Why would you adore you father a notch higher than your mother? Lady Aiko seems agreeable enough if she is not angered." Sesshoumaru looked questionably at her.
"My mother…she was often not around me when I grew up. You know, most babies grow up with their mother taking care of them. It was my father Satan who took care of me since birth, mother was always guarding the gates of heaven."
"It's her job." Sesshoumaru stated.
"It's my father's job to take care of the underworld! Why can he fulfill his duties at the same time of taking care of me? His duties are far heavier than my mother's! He's the boss and she is only responsible for a fraction of heaven." black started to return to her cerulean orbs.
Sesshoumaru quieted, he didn't really have any say in this. He, after all, had also grown up under his father's care.
The rest of the meal passed in silence, with Kagome pondering to put Sesshoumaru in the pig pen, servant's quarter, guestroom, or perhaps in the dungeons. On the other hand, Sesshoumaru was wondering about what Kagome had previously spoken about.
Mika knelt down in front of Kagome, "Kagome-sama, the guestroom for Sesshoumaru-sama has been prepared accordingly."
Kagome nodded and demanded another frightful servant to clean away Sesshoumaru's plate. "Come this way, Prince Sesshoumaru, we shall set out for your short-term bed chamber."
Sesshoumaru gracefully and silently stood up from his guest chair, not bothering to push it back under the classy table, knowing that some servants would even be angered if you did their jobs for them. His personal retainer, Jaken, was a perfect example.
The hallways in which they were passing through were lightly decorated, but in a separate likeliness. Instead of the cool, slippery, marble floors, the corridors were fully covered with a maroon carpet with images which looked awfully like recorded history of the devils and angels.
There were less portraits and landscape paintings here, to be replaced by examples of early scrolls, conquests, and the remains of powerful and hazardous objects. One of them, Sesshoumaru noted, was the Shikon no Tama. Half of it was dangling on the sides of the walls while the other half was around the neck of Kagome, linked around her creamy neck with silken cloth.
The lights here were brighter and they started passing doors of heavy oak wood. These were decorated with parts of rubies, diamonds, gold, silver, sapphire, etc.
"These are the master bedroom chambers; the one with the family crescent is mine. My mother's bedroom chamber is the one with only the angel wings and my father's is the one with a pair of black wings. Their combined room is a black dove." Kagome offered.
Sesshoumaru inclined his head in understanding as they continued to tread on the supple carpet.
"We have arrived."
Sesshoumaru glanced up and saw a majestic sight. On the double oak wood doors, there was a white inuyoukai in its true form, howling to the pale moon at night. The silver handles of these doors were in a crescent shape, both curling inwards.
Kagome smirked at the facial expression of Sesshoumaru. Who wouldn't? To think that a person other than the Noble Four (I know it sounds lame, bear with me) would have such a magnificent castle containing rooms perhaps better than their own.
"Open the doors and then you may return to the servants quarters, be careful not to disturb mother or father." Kagome spoke to two falcon youkai who had trailed behind them.
The sight that met Sesshoumaru's eyes were enough to make his knees buckle, he was currently extremely thankful for his self-control.
The wall was painted a vanilla white, with a few more landscape pictures of the Western lands hanging on the western wall of the room. There was a wardrobe at least 10 times his size, no doubt including plenty of hakama and haori and other clothing. The curtains were double layered, with one black sheet of silk and the other was white linen. When the doors were opened, they led to a spacious balcony big enough to fit 3 of his youkai form.
The canopy bed was higher than his youkai form and wider than four of his youkai form and was made of sturdy wood with carvings which seemed like blossoms. The hanging cloth was a warm sea blue of satin. The bed covers were cream-colored with careful stitching of golden thread. There was a desk in a corner where a few scrolls were neatly laying upon and there was a quill, ink, and blank scrolls. The floor was also covered with a royal blue carpet.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, "Where do your parents get all this money with their type of…business?"
Anybody would be curious, being the Lord of the Underworld didn't really have any benefits besides being the rex. The most important thing, however, was the fact that the Noble Four had fought down other young Lords to gain the lands, power, and wealth they now possess. Where Aiko and Satan could get their wealth from, Sesshoumaru did not have a hint.
"Sometimes, other devils and angels ask my parents to do certain tasks or to lend them a hand. The jobs father is offered are mostly highly hazardous, so the payment is also high. Other times, people rent the other estates we own on earth or they borrow our money. Every week that they do not return the money, 5 percent is added to the original price."
Sesshoumaru could only nod and continue scanning the room, noticing a mini double oak door, which obviously led to the hot springs and changing room. In front of that stood a bronze mirror with emeralds embedded inside as the shape of a crescent moon.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, I advise to rest early, getting out of this forest is not effortless, especially the fact that the time we leave there shall be beasts." She smirked.
"This Sesshoumaru had checked when he first entered the forest, there are no such creatures other than squirrels and birds in the forest."
Kagome shook her head, "That is where you are wrong. The beasts of the underworld and heaven are quite different from the ones on earth. They do not have a scent or aura. They are more like animals in a ghost form, but still solid and able to shred a living creature with their fangs and claws."
If possible, Sesshoumaru paled even more. How was he to fight that type of creature when he had no idea where they were? So, he wisely decided to follow Kagome's advice.
"Very well, I will retire early." Sesshoumaru nodded at the door, clearly wishing the departure of Kagome.
Kagome pouted, it wasn't exactly considered polite to tell the princess of the lands you were standing on to kindly invite herself out of the door. Yet knowing the next day there would be enough payback time, she left with a devious smirk on her face.
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Bright and early in the morning, Sesshoumaru felt the weight of a light person on his left. His right eye cracked open and adjusted to the light shining from the sun. There sat Kagome with an 'I'm so innocent' smile on her face, big eyes, and her posture telling everyone she was completely guiltless of the present situation.
"Rise and shine, Fluffy!" she giggled and tore the soft, warm blanket out of Sesshoumaru's hands.
He groaned, then realized the situation and snarled at the insolent girl who dared invade his privacy. Yesterday night, knowing that there was no one here who would harm him, he had allowed his guard to drop and undressed so that he could sleep more comfortably. Which dog do you see usually sleeps with clothes on and actually seems content? So here he was, as naked as the day he was born.
Kagome gasped and whirled around with her face scarlet, buried in between her two hands. Half of her felt like laughing at the humiliation of the prince, the other half knew that one half of her was going to become a corpse before taking Sesshoumaru out of her forest.
Sesshoumaru tried desperately to restrain himself, red was starting to bleed into his eyes and he felt like tearing the girl apart. What kept his beast at bay was the mere fact that he was the guest in this domain.
"Get out of here, girl!" he harshly bit out Kagome.
Obediently, Kagome hurried outside and closed the double doors behind her back, her face still an obvious crimson. Too bad her father chose this moment chose to walk past these doors.
"What's wrong, Kagome? You look like you've been in a 50 degree Celsius room." A slight twinkle danced in his wise eyes.
Kagome's blush darkened until you could barely see her features, Satan leaned against the opposite wall with his arms crossed and an amused smile on his lips.
"What did I tell you? All royalty sleep naked." He smirked at the obvious discomfort of his daughter.
"I don't." she hotly muttered.
"That's because you're an exception, even your mother obeys that rule."
"That saying of the perverts is not a law of royalty!" she glared daggers at her father.
"We'll see about that when you get hitched," his expression serious.
Sesshoumaru came out, well dressed and still muttering about impudent women forcefully entering his chambers. He was dressed in same clothing as yesterday, except the patterns were black instead of red, his obi was red and black, and he did not wear his armor.
"Ever heard of knocking?" he glared down at Kagome who blushed furiously.
'Dang it Kagome! Get a hold of yourself! You've been blushing too much in one day!' she mentally scolded herself.
"Well excuse me! I would have thought you would rather keep your clothes on when you're on another's land. How do you know I might not kill you in your sleep?"
"The fact that your parents are honorable people and the fact that you are too puny to compete against me makes me perfectly safe in this place." He snorted when she claimed she could even kill him.
Kagome raised a pointed finger and her heels departed the floor; she was now 5cm taller. Before she had a time to give Sesshoumaru a lecture of his life, Satan interfered.
"Now, you two, doesn't breakfast sound pleasant?"
As if her stomach had its own mind, Kagome's stomach growled, giving its owner the worst humiliation in her life ever. Kagome's hands flew to her stomach and she covered it with her hands while blushing furiously. Sesshoumaru was staring at her with pure amusement and Satan was quickly glancing between the two.
Sesshoumaru only stopped staring after Kagome snapped her fangs at him and bared them to him. Not only was that a sign of anger, it was also a sign of the two youkai involved to dance on the battlefield. Usually, the ending was not pretty.
Kagome whipped around and stormed down the hallways to the dining-room.
"Follow Kagome's scent if you wish to eat breakfast, you'll get lost alone."
With that said, Satan disappeared into the shadows as if he had never been there, not even his scent was lingering in the air. Sesshoumaru looked around and noticed the hallways to be much brighter than yesterday night when he had first came here.
Sesshoumaru had a hard time falling asleep yesterday. The first reason was that he did not need much sleep, but the other reason was that he did not wish to leave this place anymore.
Here, the surroundings were quiet and peaceful except for the occasional chirp of birds, which stopped the fact that the place was dead silent and gave it life. He need not fear the thought of enemies invading the place and slaughtering him. The strongest lands in the country always come with problems, always.
Sighing, he shook his head, chastising himself. The Western lands needed him, so did his brash younger brother. If his father passed away, he was the only hope for the Western lands to stay upright. No matter what people say, Inuyasha had always been a soft-hearted youkai listening to the ones closest to his heart even if they were lies.
He clearly remembered the time which his father had been giving those lessons on who to listen to and how to make the correct decisions when their people came for help. Inuyasha had made little progress; the question had dealt with his fiancé, Kikyo.
Flashback
"Sesshoumaru, if I were to slaughter two villagers without reason and was put on court, you would have to take up the responsibility of being the judge as the heir. Tell me, would you let me run free again and let the villagers become restless souls or would you execute me?" Inutaisho spoke in a serious dark tone, as if the situation was true.
"I would execute you."
"And why is that?"
"The villagers were slaughtered without reason; they were innocent of the situation. Most likely, you would have lost yourself to your bloodlust to lose control. A ruler who cannot restrain his own beast is not worthy of the title of Lord."
Inutaisho nodded with a happy smile, satisfied with the knowledge that his country would be in safe hands if he were to perish in battle. He turned to Inuyasha, who had been twiddling with his brush and making childish drawings on his scroll.
"What about you, Inuyasha?" his eyes darkened when he asked Inuyasha, this was the son he had the most problem with.
"Of course I would choose you! I mean, who would want to kill their own father? Sesshoumaru is just jealous that father has all the power and Sesshoumaru wishes to override you and take over the Western lands!" he raised his hands and his volume got louder by the second.
Sesshoumaru was off to the side with a smirk, barely containing his laughter and mirth. Inutaisho, though, was having a dreadful moment. He rubbed his temple in frustration. Truly, if his lands were to fall into the hands of this youngling one day, he would surely destroy the works of his ancestors.
"Okay, try this one Inuyasha. If your fiancé, Kikyo, had slaughtered everyone in the Western palace including me and your brother, would you kill her or mate her?"
Sesshoumaru growled at that, how dare his father think that a puny wench could send him to death? Her miko powers were weak beyond words, it was simply hilarious.
Inuyasha's brows knitted together as he dived into bottomless concentration. He crossed his arms and tilted his head towards the wall, still thinking hard. After half an hour, his head was buried against his chest. After the next hour, Inutaisho got tired of him and told him to give an answer.
No sound came from the immature inuyoukai; it was when both Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho noticed Inuyasha had fallen asleep.
"Sesshoumaru, cover your ears. INUYASHA! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO SLEEP AND DANCE AWAY IN YOUR DREAMLAND!"
The bubble coming from Inuyasha's nostrils popped and his eyes sleepily opened. "Huh? Is someone talking to me?"
Sesshoumaru looked at his father, who seemed ready to explode any second.
"Inu-ya-sha!" Inutaisho roared.
"Yes?"
"Your answer." He spoke.
"What answer?"
"The answer to my question." He was getting more irritated with each passing second.
Inuyasha seemed to be thinking hard. After a while, he put his fist in his palm with a happy smile as if he had just found out he ruled the whole galaxy.
"I would mate her!"
"And why is that, INUYASHA?"Inutaisho yelled straight into Inuyasha's puppy ears.
After he recovered from the yelling in his sensitive ears, he replied, "Love is more important than family."
"And where, pray tell, did you receive all this information?" kami save the person who did, he would surely slaughter that person.
"Umm…it was Totosai and Myoga, but they were only talking about stuff related to it. Oh yes! It was Jaken! He said this to me!" his eyes brightened at his own discovery.
Inutaisho sighed and slapped his forehead with the other hand against his waist, what has he done to deserve this?
End of Flashback
Sesshoumaru had remembered that moment for a long while, it was, after all, one of the precious memories he saved. It had been quite a while since his whole family could relax and actually enjoy themselves.
His stomach protested to his thoughts, so he had no choice but to trace down Kagome's scent to the dining room they had previously been in last night. He saw the difference immediately. Like all the other hallways and corridors he had previously passed through, the room was brighter. The roaring fire simply did not appear and the portrait above had changed, this time to the picture Sesshoumaru knew all so well.
It was a picture of the Noble Four, of course including Inutaisho. Since young he had always been confused, if the Noble Four only consists of four people, who was the fifth person? His father had rubbed his head with a hearty laugh, saying that in the future he would discover the secret himself.
Kagome noticed him approaching, but merely twitched her pointed ears to show him she knew he was there.
Sesshoumaru suppressed his anger and stalked over to the girl, efficiently cutting off her source of sunlight.
"Princess Kagome, it is rude not to properly acknowledge the presence of another person standing in the same room as you, especially when they have higher power than you." He hissed with narrowed golden orbs.
She finally turned around to face him, but his triumph expression darkened immediately. "Excuse me, higher power? Maybe my ears informed me wrong, or do your brains provide you with the wrong information? Our family practically controls the life and death of all living things. Now, who made the rule that I can't take your life away with a snap of my fingers?"
"Let's leave, I wish to return early." Knowing he could not win this verbal battle, he would rather change the subject than waste his spit trying to succeed something Kagome was literarily correct.
Kagome let out a joyous grin, knowing that the prince had silently admitted defeat. She was the dominant one between them two, simply because she could control life and death and he could not.
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"How long?" Sesshoumaru asked for the umpteenth time of the morning.
"Would you rather take the longer route or take the shorter route and let me retrieve your soul for you? I cannot participate in battle, for it would not be fair to the living creatures, yet you do not have the power to fight them." She spoke simply and jogged ahead, making sure to keep her footsteps light so to not attract unwanted visitors.
She peeked ahead and noticed something. Hah! Now she could get rid of him and her stupid blushes altogether with a reasonable statement!
"I can only go this far, it is against our rules to beyond this place. Walk straight ahead and you would return to your own world. Bear in mind, never revisit this place, it is forbidden to all living things. Even one of the previous Noble Four was slaughtered by the beasts lingering in this forest. Be gone!"
Sesshoumaru watched as the half angel half devil departed gracefully, not once creating a small sound except for the occasional brushing sound of her silk kimono.
AN: So, what do you think about it? Is it too bloody? If it is, don't worry, this will be the only chapter that has too much blood in it. I know Kagome is a bit out of character, but I don't know any other way she would fit into this story like her usual self…please cope with it. Also, please deal with the fact that I jump between the honorific titles in English and Japanese. Sorry about that. Review and review!