:: House of Lords ::
by Shadow.of.Illusion
Summary: Higurashi Kagome was an ordinary young woman… well, as normal as one could possibly be considering she is the Guardian Miko of the Shikon no Tama. Having received an invitation to appear before the Youkai House of Lords might just make her stand out a little more. After all, what has a miko to do with youkai affairs?
Okay, who decided that I didn't want to be normal?!
Disclaimer: Why on earth would I want to own Inuyasha (the series)? I'd probably mess it up and have millions of angry fans after me. :P Don't own, and don't want it. Now if I could own the characters...
WARNING! This is my first attempt at an Inuyasha fanfiction, so characters will sadly be a little OOC (not intentional). Also, OC's will be prevalent throughout this tale, but only to flesh out the chapters. Basically, they're needed filler. Any constructive criticism offered will be greatly appreciated, anything offered in a rude manner will be ignored. Just a heads up. There will be Japanese words sprinkled in this here and there, it helps to avoid using demon, priestess, etc. over and over. Usually it's fairly self-explanatory, but if it causes too much confusion, I'll include a list of definitions with the next chapter.
Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------xoxo
Prologue: House of Lords
Fortis Luna, the majestic palace of the Western Lands, seemed to know no such thing as silence. Chaos reigned within, as verbal disputes escalated to physical violence—the youkai contained by the sheltering walls of the indomitable fortress intentionally letting their control over their inner beast slip.
It had started off fairly peacefully, the Lord of the Inu-youkai mused silently, until someone growled out the fact that he could not be considered a true lord until he had claimed a mate. Someone that was fit to rule at his side. If there was possibly such a creature existing, he might consider it, if only to keep his father's lands and vassals under control. His honor required that much of him.
However… the powerful youkai's stare, twin piercing golden orbs hooded beneath long, dark lashes swept over the room, his disdain for the entire affair evident. Three other council Lords watched the spectacle before them with similar expressions upon their aristocratic features.
The Lord of the Northern Lands stood up regally, the Kitsune Daiyoukai commanding instant attention from his entourage. Eyes the color of dusk narrowed at those who would dare to continue with their relentless spats, causing the guilty parties to gulp quietly and cease. Ignoring the brief scuffles that still insisted on being heard here and there within the great circular space of the hearing room, he bowed slightly to the Lord of the Western Lands.
"It has come to our attention, Sesshoumaru-sama, that your vassals have begun to worry for your lack of a mate. Without a strong pup to continue your revered father's bloodline, we fear that perhaps those less loyal to you," the fox's almond-shaped orbs narrowed at a few youkai, causing them to squirm in their seats, "would try to take advantage of this fact. We have no doubts as to your competency for leadership, but the council would highly advise you to select a worthy mate soon."
"What about that human wench he keeps within his home?" A hiss of laughter greeted the remark of the Lord of the Southern Lands. The Sune-ku Daiyoukai's emerald eyes gleamed in mockery of the slight frown curling Sesshoumaru's thin lips. "Or is the wench just a cheap whore you keep around for laughs, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Silence, you fool!" A bright flash of fire forced the snake to swallow whatever retort had been upon the tip of his forked tongue. All eyes turned to watch the Fenikkusu Daiyoukai stand as well. "Have we not had enough to suffer through this ridiculous excuse of a gathering without your trite words to fan the flames?"
"Wouldn't you like that though, Hideharu-sama!" came an unnamed voice from somewhere in the gathering.
His flame-colored eyes crinkled at the corners as the phoenix allowed a booming laugh to ring through the room, "Where I live has nothing to do with the tone of this conversation."
"Is this a conversation?" His mate, known far and wide for her beauty and unparalleled wisdom, shrugged her slim shoulders underneath the gentle gold tones of her kimono that perfectly complemented the similar shade of her long, unbound hair, "I thought it an argument."
Her words caused many of the higher ranked youkai to laugh, jostling their seated neighbors at how foolish they had been acting. The lower ranked youkai, however, didn't quite seem to grasp the Lady's meaning but laughed heartily along with the rest.
Sesshoumaru held up his hand, and the silence could not come quickly enough. With a gesture for his compatriots to seat themselves, he rose gracefully from his seat to address the room.
"This Sesshoumaru will consider the council's advice. If there is no further matters to be attended to, let us adjourn."
As the creatures filed out of the room, dispersing to wherever they pleased, the four lords looked at each other and knew for certain this matter would not be considered over. Fortis Luna would not see peace for some time yet.
-------------------------------------------------------xoxo
"Wench!"
"Osuwari!"
The resounding thud shook the earth, and sent a youkai child into wild gales of laughter as bundles of snow fell from the trees overhead. A wide, person-shaped hole in the frozen ground let loose a colorful string of expletives towards the offending party, earning a free ticket to travel another couple feet into the earth.
Off to a reasonable distance, a female taijiya and a male houshi watched the all-too familiar scene play out.
"Perhaps Inuyasha should learn to treat Kagome-chan better before he ends up as a permanent part of the ground," the woman pondered aloud while polishing a giant boomerang, her favorite weapon—Hiraikotsu.
"Ah, but then there would be nothing for Kagome-sama to do to relieve our boredom." Her companion eyed her lithe curves with an appreciative gleam residing in his dark violet orbs. His wandering hand moved in for the kill, not of his own personal volition of course…
WHAM!
"Hentai!!"
The kitsune kit doubled over in laughter, his tiny frame shaking with mirth. His glee only served to further aggravate the hole's current occupant.
A muffled threat arose, but the young miko paid no attention to it as she stalked away in high dudgeon. Her shoes, an odd spectacle in sight of the footwear mainly worn by the average human, made a definitive clomping sound against the snow-covered ground.
"Kagome-chan…"
A bright, cheerful smile was sent her way in response to the worried tone of the taijiya's voice. "Nothing to worry about, Sango-chan. I just need some downtime, that's all." Not like I can ever get any anyway.
A silver head poked out of the hole, large amber-gold eyes spitting furious sparks. "And I'm sayin' you don't need time off! We've got to finish collecting the shards! Unless someone happened to forget whose fault it was to begin with!"
Twitch.
The two tiny silver-white puppy ears on top of Inuyasha's head flattened instantly at the look on Kagome's face. He knew instantly that he shouldn't have gone there. Too bad hindsight's 20/20, and payback is…
Blue eyes, normally a calm and lively color, now gleamed with an odious grey sheen—like smoke upon the sea.
"Osuwari."
THUD!
Flocks of birds, startled from their mid-morning song, winged upwards in a frantic pattern to escape from Inuyasha's Forest and the irate miko within.
Honestly, it's bad enough to finally figure out that your first love will never return your feelings, and to know that you're not considered half as good as their first love—but come on! To just blame me like that… again!
Ignoring the worried looks her friends shot her, Kagome marched past them to the lonely part of the wood where her path home lay. An ancient dry well stood by the even more ancient statuesque Goshiboku, the Tree of Ages. Running her calloused fingertips, rough from years of archery, across the worn, dark wood, she prepared to leap.
A sharp pulse of magic burst across her miko senses, causing the woman to pause and tense. Her blue eyes flitted about the forestry about her as if trying to spot the unseen opponent.
She could feel it. The bleak atmosphere that chilled the air now turned nature's pleasant song to an odious cry; souls that should have been allowed to depart in peace were being drawn in by the now-visible soul collectors, the Shinidamachu. The long insect-like beings glowed with a pale blue sheen against the backdrop of the dark trees, announcing the un-dead miko's presence.
The musical call then drifted to her, a pure call of power to power that overrode the dark chill of the Shinidamachu. Kagome almost sighed with relief—the shard was still untainted. She lifted a hand to cradle the small bottle containing the few shards she possessed, the light weight of it soothing against her neck. Soothing, and at the same time a heavy burden.
The Kami of Fate seemed to think she was her personal playtoy. The woman huffed at the stray thought, sending a few of her short ebony bangs upwards. It was unfair, but really, what could she do about it?
"Kikyo-san?" Opting to err on the polite side, just in case the other miko was in a not-so-pleasant mood, Kagome stepped forward and away from the well.
With nary a sound, save the brief rustle of leaves underneath a frosty blanket of powdered snow, the older miko stepped out of the shadows to greet her reincarnation. The dull gleam of a shikon jewel in her hand made her reason for coming all too clear.
"You found it!"
Kikyo shot her a brief look that stated more than words could ever.
"I mean, of course you found it!" Good grief…
Taking the offered shard, Kagome watched with a small measure of exhilaration as the shard became completely purified and began to glow a soft, pale pink. She slipped it carefully into the container housing the other jewel shards.
"The youkai are restless."
Startled out of her brief reverie induced by studying the shards that had made her life difficult, Kagome looked up. Blue orbs met brown and held their stare, the girl's confusion evident.
Kikyo looked up toward the darkening heavens, almost completely sheltered from view by the canopy of entwined leafy branches above. "Something is amiss, perhaps the youkai lords have begun to fight amongst themselves."
"But—but why?" The younger miko stuttered, trying to figure out where on earth she was going with this or why she would even care about youkai matters.
"Prepare yourself, Kagome." She owed it to Inuyasha to warn his friend of the possible danger that lay ahead. She owed it to Kagome to help her protect herself. The excitable miko's blessing on her and Inuyasha's relationship had not gone unnoticed or ignored, despite the others' opinions.
She was honorable, and she would repay her debts.
"The miko of the Shikon Jewel might be called upon to assist in their disputes, as an unbiased judge. You might also be called upon, by your position as a miko, to eliminate the youkai causing mischief within the courts."
"H-hey! Don't I get a say in any of this?!"
Kikyo continued on, ignoring the comment, "Prepare yourself. To be called upon while weak would inspire little respect for your position."
Heat flared upon Kagome's face, her pale skin suddenly flushing a scarlet red. Before she could manage an intelligible response, however, the older miko had departed.
Seeing that any chance to retaliate, if it were possible to do so without seeming like an idiot in front of the other woman, was gone—Kagome's mind began to try to wrap around the new information she had received.
"What on earth is a youkai court?" Images of regal looking youkai in judges' wigs popped up, and she squashed that idea flat. Nope, probably not it. A vision of Sesshoumaru wielding Toukijin, permanently removing any offending youkai seemed to be more in order. Right, so there's probably a lot of guys like him, and they're fighting each other? Great.
She clapped her hands together in an effort to banish all thoughts of the matter, "Right, first things first!" Spinning on her heel, she vaulted neatly over the side of the well and let the bright blue light of the portal's magic whisk her home.
A long bath and a huge bowl of oden was most definitely in order.
-------------------------------------------------------xoxo
:: End Notes ::
Hope you enjoyed it! I will update every two weeks, so do send me a review or message if you like the story:)