Two Demons of the Western Plains
By Jet
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I do not own any of the original Inuyasha characters, but the rest are mine, so stay away. Everything is fictional, story not based on anything except my own imagination, yatta yatta yatta...
Welcome to the Two Demons of the Western Plains!
The first thing you should know before reading is that this story is based off the ANIME – NOT the Manga! I never read the manga when I wrote this story, going only off what the anime gave me, and made up the rest however it fit my needs best. So! In that respect, we're going to assume a few things:
1 – It's been 2-3 years since the big adventure ended. Naraku is dead and everything/everyone is happy and settled. What happened with the Shikon Jewel? Don't know, don't care. But it's done.
2 – Inuyasha and Kagome are together in Kaede's village, Shippou is with them. Miroku and Sango are off on their lonesome, making babies or something, I don't know, they're not in the story.
3 – Sesshomaru's arm eventually grew back, and he, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un are living in a decent sized manor in the middle of an old forest, one of his father's old domains. Oh, and somehow, his fluffy/boa is detachable.
4 - (just added) Since Japan finally released the second half of the anime, which allowed the show to end, we now have to assume this is based off the FIRST half of the anime, not the Kanketsu-hen version (think of it as Naruto vs Shippuden). So, with all that said and done, read on!
One
It was a normal day on the Western Plains. It was in the late afternoon when the demon Lord Sesshomaru was making his last round in the southern tip of his territory.
Sesshomaru was walking in a small, open field, completely surrounded by trees, the rose bed nearby clouded his scent a little, but not enough to keep him from smelling and hearing a rabbit scurry to its hole a good 15 meters off. A tiny puddle, no bigger than Rin herself, was at the edge of the clearing, right next to the roses, which were blooming beautifully here in early spring.
Rin and Jaken came through the line of trees behind him, looking around as he merely stood there, using all of his senses to scout the area around them.
"We will camp here for the night," he explained just as the two-headed dragon, Ah-Un, came through the trees after them.
"Yes, my lord," Jaken said and began collecting sticks and other small pieces of wood that were nearby. "Come Rin, help gather wood!" he yelled at her.
Rin was now about 10 years old, not much bigger than when Sesshomaru resurrected her, only an inch or two taller, hair a little longer as well. She was wearing a new, dark green and blue-checkered kimono, light purple flowers scattered on the design, which Jaken acquired for her on his latest excursion.
She lazily walked around the clearing, her feet skidding across the dirt as she went.
Sesshomaru looked over, noticing her odd pacing. She looked as if she were in a daze, her arms folded tightly across her chest. She bent over slowly and picked up a few long twigs she found, and began looking around for more, her eyes clear of any real expression. We've been traveling all day, she must be exhausted.
Sesshomaru began walking towards the edge of the trees and vanished within the darkness that grew as the sun began setting faster and faster.
Sesshomaru was a good 100 yards away from the camp. He had stalked through the forest in complete silence, following a sound that he didn't quite recognize. Such a thing demanded his attention.
He slowed when he knew he was very close; there were no other sounds, just this weird... bubbly, almost fizzy sound, something that most certainly was not common in the middle of a forest. He tried to sniff the air, but the object was downwind of him, hindering his ability to sufficiently identify it at this distance.
His ears twitched as he could hear the starting of the fire back where Jaken and Rin were.
He snuck up to a large tree where he peered around the edge, his eyes scanning for the object, when his nose caught a whiff of human stench as he located a small abandoned barrel of some sort, leaning against a tree.
Humans? In my territory? But for how long? ... How much longer will they have their lives to continue to roam?
He stepped forward, unable to sense anyone nearby, and approached the barrel in which the bubbling came from. A foul stench filled his lungs, as the liquor was amazingly strong, and of bad taste as well.
Unable to sense the humans anywhere nearby, and knowing Jaken and Rin would be expecting him back soon, he stared down at the barrel with his usual expressionless face.
He took his foot and smashed the barrel into pieces, shards of wood flying all over the place, the small amount of liquor left soaked into the dry earth, absorbed like water. There hadn't been much rain lately and much of the area was quite dry.
At the sudden shift in wind direction, he was soon able to catch the smell of the humans who had trespassed, but it was very feint, meaning they were far away to the south and well out of his lands by now.
"Next time I won't be so lenient..." he thought aloud. For some reason, he just didn't feel up for hunting down a couple of worthless lives that had trespassed - and reeked with the foul stench of the horrible liquor no less.
By the time he had arrived back at the clearing, Jaken had already prepared their meal and were eating what vegetation they had picked up along the way.
Sesshomaru came over and sat by the fire, not far from where Ah-Un curled up for the night. He ignored them completely, merely staring into the fire, watching its every flicker, its very element of uncertainty and wildness. It seemed to captivate him, draw him into its silent spell of destruction, hidden by its beauty and grace.
But Rin came to his rescue.
Sesshomaru heard her approach, bringing him back to reality. He stared at her as she brought two roses she had collected from the patch over to him.
"Here, Lord Sesshomaru. I picked these for you while you were gone," she said sweet and innocently. She smiled up at him, but he only stared back. But she didn't take this personally, she was used to just getting stared down whenever she did something like this. She set the roses down next to him where she knew they would be safe.
As soon as she popped back up, smile still on her face, it quickly faded, an odd expression overcoming her face. Her eyes shut tight and she covered her mouth, unable to help but throw her head down quickly, letting out an odd sound: "Achoo!"
She wiped her nose with her kimono sleeve. "Excuse me..."
"You stupid girl!" Jaken screeched. "You sneezed on Lord Sesshomaru! You're getting your human germs all over him!"
Rin turned to Jaken angrily: "I am NOT! I covered my mouth!"
Sesshomaru ignored their bickering, like usual, and then caught a scent he was very familiar with while looking down at the roses. He noticed something on one of them before smelling the strange aroma elsewhere.
"Don't give me that! I saw you sneeze on him like he was the tissue!"
"I did NOT!" she yelled back.
To Rin's surprise, Sesshomaru grasped her left hand gently. She watched in bewilderment as he flipped her hand over. Jaken, too, was boggled as to why he was touching 'it'. Rin looked down at her hand and saw a small scratch on her hand where fresh blood was seeping through.
"The thorns on the roses were sharp..." she explained bashfully. She took a few steps back, "I'll go wash it off..." she said, looking at Sesshomaru shyly, as if she were embarrassed to have been cut on the thorns.
She turned and began walking over to the pond.
Sesshomaru's gaze turned back to the fire, the scent of blood fading except for the small drop on the rose's thorn.
"Unbelievable! First she gives him roses with thorns then sneezes on him! How disrespectful!" Jaken mumbled under his breath, but due to his dog side, Sesshomaru was able to hear it very clearly.
Later that night, Rin was already settled in and fast asleep. Sesshomaru was still sitting on the log, staring off into the fire, but kept all senses alert for even the slightest notion of something other than a normal animal being nearby.
Jaken was just coming back from behind a tree after having been woken up when Rin rolled over in her sleep and kicked him in the head. Since he was up, he went behind some trees to answer nature's call.
"Jaken," Sesshomaru called.
Jaken waddled over at his call, "Yes, My Lord?"
"Have you noticed anything strange about Rin?"
The imp tilted his head, curious of the question. "What do you mean?"
"... She acts strangely. There's something odd about her."
"It's probably just another human fault," he waved it off, hardly affected by such thoughts.
"Maybe... Make sure she's taken care of."
"Uh, of course my Lord," he said, bowing his head. He began waddling back when a thought occurred to him; "May I ask - huh?"
He had turned around to find Sesshomaru completely gone. "... Why...?"
Sesshomaru had leapt to a high branch in a single powerful bound, settling down on it easily, the high perch overlooking the entire clearing and able to see over the tops of many surrounding trees. He remained upon this high branch well into the night...
At one point he looked down at the three loyal followers: Jaken was getting kicked by Rin again, so he was cursing about the "stupid human girl" like usual. Rin seemed to be having a peaceful dream though - even if she was kicking around. Perhaps she was dreaming of kicking Jaken?
Ah-Un, whom they slept nearby, did not seem perturbed by any of this at all.
It was at that point that he remembered the two roses in his claws, both in full bloom, which seemed to radiate in the light of the full moon. He never really cared for the smell of roses, despite their popularity, and these were no exception.
He switched the roses over to his left hand and felt several small pinpricks against his palm and claws; the rose thorns had pierced his skin slightly, the dark red color starting to surface, but his body healed the wound up before it could get there. He then held the roses out at arm's length, grasping them firmly with his fingers, avoiding the thorns even though they did not matter.
He stared at the flowers, which he admitted were quite lovely, but ever since he was young, he had for some reason disliked all sorts of flowers. There was only one kind of flower he had seen that had survived his wrath, but hadn't seen it since his younger years.
Now he lifted his right hand to hover over both roses, the moon right behind them from his view. He hesitated only a moment before his hand became a fist, crushing the petals within his grip.
Sesshomaru's eyes flashed down in the clearing, distracted by Rin's coughing. He stared down at her as it got worse, and she began coughing violently. She sat up, wide awake, choking on air, unable to stop. She got to her feet clumsily and walked over to the small pond where she began drinking handfuls of water, calming her cough.
Once settled, she returned to her bed in no time at all, falling back asleep almost instantly.
Only after she was back to kicking Jaken did Sesshomaru return his attention back to the roses and the task at hand. He lifted his hand up, all the rose petals within his grasp. As if on cue, a strong wind started up. He turned his hand over and slowly opened it, letting the wind wisp the petals right out and fly in the air beyond even Sesshomaru's sight.
The wind died down again, just before the last two petals could leave his hand. Just as he was about to discard the stems, one of the petals fell off. He watched idly as it floated to the ground, landing just at the edge of the fire, making the petal look like fire itself.
He tossed the stems off to the side and held up the last, single petal by the tip of his claws, examining it.
Just like when the roses were full, the moon cast a sort of aura upon the petal, making it glow like a tiny white flame, with a red center.
Sesshomaru wasn't the superstitious type, but for some reason, this single petal felt forewarning, almost ominous to him. It was very rare when he got a feeling like this, but his deepest of instincts were screaming at him.
Upon making his decision, he closed his hand again, keeping the petal safe as the wind began to pick up again. He took the petal and tucked it into his sash, retightening it to make sure it did not go anywhere.
He would check to see if the feeling remained later.
Sesshomaru stayed awake the rest of the night, keeping watch over the area, constantly listening to Jaken curse at Rin for being so restless in her sleep. A few times did he hear her start to cough, but she was able to keep it under control without having to wake up.
After making a quick patrol around the area, the sun rising over the forest, he returned to find Jaken awake and starting to clean up camp, while Rin still snoozed away at Ah-Un's side; only one of the heads seemed to be awake and glancing around.
As Sesshomaru approached, he reminded Jaken to see into Rin's sickness.
As if upon hearing his voice, Rin popped up awake, rubbed her eyes, and beamed up at him: "Good morning Lord Sesshomaru!"
Of course, Sesshomaru did not reply so warmly. "We leave soon."
"All right." She stood up and stretched her arms out, coughed a couple of times, then turned to Jaken like it never happened; "What's for breakfast?"
"You can eat later, first we must continue on," Sesshomaru explained as he began walking slowly towards the forest.
Ah-Un stood while Rin and Jaken gathered what little they had and joined up, Rin taking a quick drink from the pond and rinsing her hands and face off, her cough disappearing for now.
For an hour Sesshomaru continued to head south and cover the border of his territory, following the scents of the humans that had entered.
He had found where they made a small gathering, possibly a dozen of them, their scents too closely related to the stench of musk and body odor to distinguish one from another.
Though their scents were semi-strong - perhaps pungent was a better way to describe it - he could tell they were well out of his domain by now. He heard a grumbling noise, almost like a growl, but he turned around only to see it was Rin's stomach growling of hunger. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and giggled at her tummy, even though she tried to act as though it wasn't her. She didn't want her Lord to be concerned for her if it was indeed possible.
He began walking northwest of the human's scent, knowing there was another small opening nearby where they could stop and eat, a large creek flowing close as well in case Rin wanted to get cleaned up, as she often did. "I like to get cleaned up in the morning so I'll look clean all day!" he had heard her yell at Jaken one time when he complained that she took too many baths. Sesshomaru didn't really care what they did during the breaks, as long as she didn't make his nose cringe, baths were fine. Now if only Jaken would take a few more baths himself...
They approached the next clearing, one they had stopped at a week or two ago, which was actually a normal stop for them. Upon entering, Rin began running to the spot she always sat in, Jaken and the dragon waddling behind her.
Sesshomaru stayed at the edge, watching them as they set up for breakfast, scanning the area for any demons or other dangers. He detected none.
Jaken, obviously just as hungry, went to scavenging in an instant, Rin assisting him shortly after, finding a berry bush that was ready for the picking.
Sesshomaru turned back into the forest and began scouting the area surrounding the clearing. He hadn't gotten very far when he was suddenly overwhelmed with a strange feeling. This strange sensation was new to him; it almost felt like eyes were watching him… but all he could find was a single dove sitting on a nearby branch, watching the white demon even as it stopped and stared back.
The bird cooed and cocked his head oddly before returning to the sky above. Sesshomaru eyed it curiously, but was certain the bird was just an ordinary animal, and still the peculiar sense lingered, beating in his head along to the rhythm of his heart. It reminded him of the petal tucked in his sash - not to recheck its 'power' as he had meant to, but of the feeling he received from it in the night. Similar, and yet very different.
Strange.
As his scouting continued, he came to determine that the further he got away from the clearing, the smaller the feeling got.
After covering the area twice, he returned in time to see Jaken lounging about, relaxing after a hearty breakfast, while Rin was nowhere near, probably off taking her bath.
He walked up to Jaken, silent as usual. "Jaken,"
"Ahh!" he squealed, turning around quickly to see it was only his lord, but so quick it made him lose his balance and fall on his bum.
Sesshomaru just stared as Jaken did this, "Have you spoken to Rin?"
"Yes, my Lord, while you were out. She claims it's just a common cold, so I gave her an herb that will calm her coughing. She'll need to take this medicine daily until the cough goes away,"
"Keep an eye on her, it might be something more than a cold."
"Yes, my Lord..." he bowed courteously, curious as to what his lord meant by that.
Not long afterwards, Rin returned to the clearing with damp hair. "Welcome back, Lord Sesshomaru!" she greeted cheerfully.
What gave the demon lord an uneasy feeling now was that the strange sense he was getting earlier, that had lingered in his mind throughout the rest of his patrol, vanished instantly as she ran towards him.
"We leave shortly," he said bluntly and began walking straight north, his mind determined to figure out what could have happened to that sense he got a moment ago.
It didn't feel dangerous or deadly, per say, but he didn't feel safe about it either. It was just… there, a foreboding that surrounded them from every direction. Yet as soon as young Rin came forth, it disappeared without a trace. He did not like it one bit.
Jaken and Rin exchanged confused glances, wondering what made him act so strangely. Something about him just then seemed a little off. All the same, they did as they were told and put everything away before following after him once again.
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Elsewhere...
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Eyes turned towards the front gates as hearty laughter filled the air. The mansion had been relatively quiet all morning, which everyone knew was because the Lord of the Manor had gone out with some friends and trusted guards the night before.
Everyone also knew they went out in order to have a drinking party.
The maids performing their chores in the front yard all stood to greet their returning lord as he stepped through the front gates, a cheerful grin on his face as he and his companions came waltzing through with smiles and laughs abound.
"Welcome home," the Lady of the House greeted as she came through the main doors of the mansion, two servants holding the door open for her, a maid and young girl at her back, also a maid of sorts.
"Ah… there's the woman I've been looking forward to seeing allllll night!" he smiled goofily as he approached his wife, nearly tripping on the stairs.
"How did your little party go?" she asked as he leaned into her for support, hardly realizing that she was leading him into the house, the two maiden girls right behind them. The rest of the party-goers eventually scattered, a few of them approaching some of the other ladies of the yard…
"It was great! Oh, you should have seen the place! One of the most beautiful forests I've ever seen…" he slurred terribly. "I'll have to take you out to see it sometime!"
"I'd love that," she replied simply, hardly paying him any mind as she led him to their chambers. As they approached, she turned to her two handmaidens with a serious face, "Come back later, there will be other chores for you in the meantime."
"Yes, My Lady…" the older girl bowed obediently, the smaller one bowing as well as the door was shut in their faces.
The woman sighed softly before gently leading the girl down the hall, "Come on, Kikka, let us see what else needs doing."
"Won't the others be needing their laundry picked up too?" she asked innocently.
"A few of them, perhaps, but we will wait a bit. It would be easier to collect them all at once," she smiled gently. Kikka is so lucky to be oblivious to the truth of this world… or at least this manor. And if I tampered with that innocence, her sister would have my head on a platter! She thought grimly, remembering a time when Kikka's sister had gotten into a brawl with one of the older servants. It wasn't pretty, to say the least.
"What should we do in the meantime, Shiko?" Kikka asked as they started down the hallway.
Shiko was an average girl with medium black hair pulled back neatly, soft hazel eyes, and wearing a simple, maroon kimono. She'd been with this family since before Kikka's time, practically born into it when her mother joined the crew shortly after her birth. She would be going on fourteen later this year, and already knew what her birthday wish was; it'd only been the same for the past ten years: Get me out of this place!
For whatever reason, she had a feeling this would be her year. They were in a new home, a new area - who knew what could happen?
"Oh… I don't know… I guess we could help up front since some of the others will have been called away on… other business…"
"Okay!" she replied and led the way back towards the front yard.
Shiko sighed, glad to have slipped past her limits unscathed. Kikka was so cute and innocent; even without Lenezma around she had no desire to ruin Kikka's purity… the protective older sister was simply incentive.
After the two girls helped with the cleaning chores, they slipped back into the house where they collected the laundry and slipped out to the back yard, where the laundry girl of the house waited.
She was not at her post when they arrived, however, instead sitting several feet away beside the flower gardens, tending to the plants. It was, after all, a side position of hers, as was cooking and, in rare cases, she would help with cleaning the house.
The masters liked to keep her out of sight as much as possible.
The young woman was about sixteen, with long black hair pulled back in a loose bun, her wild bangs fluttering over her eyes. Her dark eyes were peaceful as she sniffed at the roses and daisies.
She would have been one of the loveliest women in the manor if not for her current condition. Even at the young age of thirteen, everyone could tell that she was going to be exceptional when she matured into a full adult, and that she would have been if not for the accident a couple of years ago.
Lost in her own world, the scents of the flowers did not ease her soul like normal. Instead, she could not help but think on the strange dreams she'd had repeatedly.
The family was originally from further southeast, but the lord had inherited this new mansion from an uncle or some other rich relative. They'd moved in just a few weeks ago, and these dreams had been haunting her mind ever since.
"Leny!" Kikka cried joyously as she came running over, an armful of clothes. "Leny we came to see you!"
Lenezma - or 'Leny' as Kikka called her - turned to the approaching girl, a smile spreading across her disfigured face, pulling her away from the dreary thoughts that plagued her mind. "Hi, Kikka," she replied gently.
Kikka dropped the clothes carelessly next to the washing bin before running at her sister, hugging her upon impact.
Kikka was only about nine years old with brown eyes and long, loose black hair; she was the lone sibling of Lenezma and the only family they had left. Kikka bore several similar facial features as Lenezma, both resembling their mother, but they received completely different aspects from their fathers - they were only half-sisters, after all.
"We brought clothes!" she announced.
"Did you? Well, thank you… Have you been behaving, today?"
Kikka nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh!"
"Well, of course!" Shiko added as she also set the clothes down. "When hasn't Kikka been on her best behavior?"
"Oh, she's had her moments," Len smiled before her fingers immediately sent Kikka into a fit of giggles, tickling her sides.
Shiko stood to the side easily, laughing at Kikka's struggles to escape the tickle attack. Lenezma had such a good soul… she was the best sister anyone could ask for, and the accident had done little to alter her personality. At times, it seemed that Lenezma was actually glad to have the horrible scar - it allowed her to escape many of the horrors the rest of them still faced.
Kikka slowly sat up, catching her breath as she watched Lenezma go over and sit by the washing bin, warm soapy water already in wait. She was good at guessing when clothes were coming, so often had the water ready by the time the laundry arrived.
"So the lord returned, I take it," Len started, glancing up at Shiko as she started to scrub one of the kimonos.
"Yes, about half an hour ago," she replied before settling next to the bin as well. "They went to the great forest north of here. He said it was very lovely…" she faded as she began rolling up her sleeves, a melancholic expression in her eyes as she spoke.
Len noticed it easily. "I bet it is… But don't worry, knowing the lord he'll want to take the lady and a lot of you out there for another party. And with the lady there, it'll be a decent party," she grinned lightly, knowing Shiko would catch her understanding.
"I still feel bad that you don't get to come with us," she spoke gently as she finished scrubbing a shirt, dunking it in fresh water before handing it to Kikka where she went to the line and hung it to dry.
"Oh, please! I'm grateful more than anything! It's so nice and peaceful here without everyone bugging you…"
"But they're usually pretty fun! They have music and dancing and…"
"And sake?"
Shiko nodded her head to the left and right, "Well, yeah… but…"
"Don't worry about it, Shiko. I appreciate your kindness, but I'm really not worried about it. Kikka's still too young to go, so she gets to stay home with me and some of the other maids. Trust me, we tend to have our own bits of fun without that whole mess involved!" Lenezma smiled as she also handed some clothes off to Kikka.
And suddenly Shiko grinned wickedly: "But Master Dolce is at the parties…"
Len hesitated for a moment.
Dolce was the only son of the Lord and Lady, just a year younger than she. He'd been taken with Lenezma ever since she and Kikka first came to the manner five years ago, and had done just about everything to show Len just how much he liked her. Even after her accident, he was the only male who still showed her fond attention.
But there was one thing wrong with this whole scenario.
Despite all of his efforts to woo Lenezma, she did not like him in return. Besides, his parents would never let him marry a servant girl, especially the scarred one that they rarely let leave the manor - they had a reputation to protect, after all.
Len grit her teeth as she scrubbed at the kimono roughly.
"All the more reason for me to stay away,"
Shiko blinked oddly at the woman across from her. "You know, I just don't get it… Master Dolce could be the key out of here! He could get you away from all of this and give you a comfortable life, but you still reject him… I don't understand this."
"It's… complicated," she replied vaguely with a sigh. "For one, his parents would never allow it, and two… he's just… not my kind of man…"
Shiko stared with wide eyes. She side-glanced at Kikka, making sure she was out of earshot, and then leaned in to whisper: "You say that knowing what kind of place this is?" she asked, almost incredulously.
Len's washing slowed a moment at her words, considering them, but unable to deny her true feelings and thoughts. "He is indeed a saint among sinners," she replied thoughtfully, "but I know what I feel to be true… There's a better life out there, Shiko, and it's not far away, I'm sure of it…"
Again, the older maiden cocked her head oddly at her friend. "You sound as if you know something…"
"… Maybe I do…? I don't know, I just… feel something…" she faded, thinking again of the dreams she'd been having, remembering the fields of white grass, of the ashes that burst into flame, and the song… the bird's song that she'd wake up to every time, leaving her full of hope… and fear.
"Something is about to happen, I'm sure of it! And when it does, you'll know it by the crisp sound of birds, singing of peace and freedom! It's not far off, I'm sure of it."
Shiko continued to eye her friend, considering her words and thoughts, reflecting and comparing them to her own.
Perhaps this will be the year for my wish to finally come true…
-/\-\/-/\-\/-/\-
A few days passed and manor activity went on just the same as always: Kikka worked at Shiko's side, assisting the Lady in any way possible, while Lenezma tended to her chores out of sight of any guests.
That evening, when Lenezma returned inside with freshly laundered clothes, she could instantly tell something was up: there were more guests than usual hanging about the front portions of the house, many of the maids and servants with them as well.
"Lenezma! There you are!" a male's voice called as he approached. He was a young man around Lenezma's age, smaller in height with short, wild black hair and dark brown eyes. "I've been looking for you!"
"Forgive me, my lord, I was finishing up the laundry," she replied with a curt bow. This was Dolce, the son of the Lord and the man who'd had his heart set on Len for the past five years.
"Don't even worry about those!" he pointed to the basket of dry clothes. "Go and get ready and meet up front!"
Her brow raised slightly, "Your pardon?"
"My father is taking practically everyone into the forest for a big party! You and Kikka are invited to come with us!" he replied excitedly, staring joyously into her eyes, paying no attention to the jagged scar that crossed her face so cruelly.
"… Oh…" was all she could say amidst her astonishment.
"Isn't it great? So, come on! Go get ready and I'll meet you in the front!" he grinned before turning to head back out to where the guests waited.
Her eyes closed as her heart sank painfully.
This was Dolce's doing. It had to be, the Lord wouldn't allow her to come of his own free will, and the Lady liked her even less than him so it had to be Dolce who managed to persuade them.
Len returned to her room and set the basket of clothes down to deal with later, moving towards the small, flimsy chest where Kikka's and her clothes were stored.
She could tell that Kikka had already heard the news, her best kimono was missing, the pale yellow one with pink flowers and small blue birds.
Len then sorted through her sad pile of about five different options, four of them faded and worn with little color. She went ahead and grabbed her best one as well, a dark green kimono with red lining and small red berries.
As she finished, she fixed her hair in the tiny hand mirror, a simple bun with the ends hanging out from the bottom, and some hair falling down the side of her face, always ensuring that her ears were mostly covered; it was annoying, but she was very self-conscious of her ears, a little big and awkward looking. As she gazed at her appearance, however, she faltered at the vision of her own face:
A thick, jagged pink line of sensitive flesh cascaded from her forehead to her jaw bone, right to left, slipping down the side of her nose beside her left eye. There was also a shorter one just below her right eye that stopped just before her lips, and a third one beneath her other eye, but more to the side.
Her hands gracefully caressed the wounds, feeling the smooth and sickly pink skin that marked her face, destroying most of her beauty… but it did not hurt, and it saved her from so much harassment… it was welcomed.
As she turned away to glance around their tiny room, a strange sensation overcame her.
The room was made up of five small beds, a changing curtain, and a tiny chest for every girl that shared the room. The room was quite pathetic, small and cramped with room for only two small pots of fresh flowers for which the other girls were often thankful; it was the one bit of life and beauty they had, they often told her. And now, as she stared, something bothered her… she could not figure out why, but suddenly the room seemed very distant from her…
Shaking her head free of these strange thoughts, Lenezma rushed out in order to join the gathering crew. As she passed the other rooms, it seemed that the lord was leaving behind only the oldest and youngest maids with a measly five guards - men who were probably being punished for something.
"Glad you could join us," the lord, who just happened to notice her entrance, growled impatiently.
"My apologies, my Lord… I was only just informed," Len bowed, keeping her face down and hidden from others, fighting back a retort. She hated the lord even more than he hated her.
"Hmph!" He turned to the rest of the crowd, an equal number of "honored" guests and house slaves in attendance. "I have called all of you here to tell you that in just a few short minutes, we're heading out to the forest for a huge celebration!"
Almost all of them, guests and servants alike, broke out into cheers, glad to hear it… all but Len, who had decided long ago that she would rather stay home.
She glanced around to find Kikka at Shiko's side, Shiko clapping softly at the lord's words, while Kikka bounced up and down, holding onto Shiko's sleeve with a grin. This was her first party… and she was holding on to Shiko for support.
Len's eyes fell to the floor before forcing them back on the lord and lady, unable to help but glare at them as her natural instinct told her to. Oh well, I guess it was to be expected she'd be at Shiko's side… She's been a constant companion for some months now, after all… while I hide out of sight… she thought miserably, her fists clenching tightly as anger built up within her, a ferocious power that rarely escaped her but wreaked havoc when it did… what she wouldn't do to release it on these idiots…
"Some of the servants have already gone ahead and prepared the site, so if the rest of you could carry the condiments we'll be on our way!"
The guests cheered loudly as they followed the Lord and Lady out of the front gates, the servants a little less enthused.
Begrudgingly, Lenezma turned towards the kitchen where she found the items to be taken out to the forest. She grumbled angrily, her fists clenching again.
There was not nearly as much food as there was alcohol being taken.
She watched as Shiko and Kikka took platters of food, talking excitedly amongst themselves, and as she watched, she felt the anger inside swell… and then forced herself to accept it.
Kikka and Shiko were the only ones she liked, and to be left out of their group kind of hurt her. Jealousy is a bitch… she mumbled before accepting a tray of dishes to be used for the food and drinks.
She followed the ranks and headed into the dark forest as she was told… she just hoped this night would go by fast - she had no desire to be stuck with these people all night.
Her eyes wandered towards the evening sky, seeing the thick gray clouds loom overhead ominously… Especially if it rains…
-/\-\/-/\-\/-/\-
"Hmm?" Rin wondered as Sesshomaru suddenly stopped. Her feet continued to kick idly from Ah-Un's back, all three of their heads watching their Lord as he looked towards the south. Perhaps he heard something?
Even Jaken waddled up beside him curiously; "Uh, My Lord?"
Sesshomaru stared in silence, unmoving…
"Rin."
Her head perked up at his calling. "Uh, yes, My Lord?"
"Stay here with Ah-Un," he ordered her before slipping through the trees, heading back to the south.
"Ah! Wait Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken cried helplessly as he ran after the white demon, realizing a second late that he did not order Jaken to stay - he wanted him for something.
"Okay, come back soon!" Rin waved him off, but he did not notice nor look back at her as he disappeared into the darkness. "Come, Ah-Un! Let's find some place to hide while we wait for Lord Sesshomaru to return!" she smiled cheerfully at the two-headed beast, knowing that the storm would soon break overhead.
The dragon growled his agreement before turning back towards a thick patch of woods that they'd passed earlier.
"My Lord!" Jaken cried in between pants as he struggled to keep up with Sesshomaru's brisk walk. "Might I ask… where we're going?"
"They're back," he replied callously.
"Uh… 'back'?" he eyed him curiously.
"Humans."
And there it was - Chapter One!
Hopefully this got you interested and you will go on to read more. If not, at least read chapter two and then decide (two helps to draw you in). Thanks!