Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The story and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. All I own are the characters of my own creation including, but not limited to, Asami.

A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of the second part of Asami's story. Be sure to read Power of the Forest first or this one won't make much sense. Life has been hectic with my sports injuries leading to surgery, but I couldn't let her story go, so here we are. Please enjoy!

Chapter 1 –

Asami stared in awe at the grand palace and grounds before her. As the sun's rays peaked over the horizon, it glinted off the gilded roof tiles, making them sparkle and shine. The castle tower, an astounding 5 levels, was nested into the mountains behind it, the sheer crags rising in sharp contrast to the slopes and slants of the roofs. Sprawling across the land before the tower stood several smaller buildings, gardens, and thick, impenetrable walls.

"It's exquisite," Asami gripped Sesshomaru's kimono in wonder, "Is it really all yours?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her, "I am the Lord of the West." With a shrug he added, "We also have a summer palace." Asami snapped her attention back onto the amber eyes of her lover, her mouth falling open. His face lit up with laughter at the look of utter shock on her face. She took a breath to speak, but was immediately interrupted. "We seem to have a welcoming party, despite the early hour." His expression sobered, lips pressing into a thin line as he observed the awaiting crowd.

They landed before a huge gate, the only entrance to the castle grounds. Wood and stone blended together to form a fortress that could withstand any attack. The doors of the gate, which Asami guessed took twelve men to move, stood open in welcome. Soldiers in uniform, elegantly dressed courtiers, and servants pressing themselves against the wall all greeted the return of their Lord. A woman with long black hair and rich brocade clothing stepped to the front. The gatherers parted ways for her without a word or a glance. She stood tall and straight with a smile that could be warm or wicked depending on the angle. Velvety ears peeked out of her hair and a thick, sleek tail curled down to her toes. Calculating blue eyes assessed the two arrivals, but Asami only sensed warmth in their gaze. With a mere twitch of her ear, the rest of the assembly dropped to one knee as she bowed low.

"Welcome home my Lord," her melodic voice was deep and comforting.

"I am home, Reiko," Sesshomaru gave a small bow to his mate, "Let me introduce you to my bonded, Asami."

Asami froze next to Sesshomaru. She hadn't expected to see so many people right away, let along meet Reiko. The entire assembly held their breath and shifted their eyes to try and steal a glance at the small woman next to their Lord.

With a knowing smile, Reiko turned to Asami. "Yes of course! It is so good to finally meet you Asami," Reiko bowed politely, "I have heard much about you."

With a squeak, Asami started and rushed to bow lowly in return. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Milady. I too have heard many wonderful things about you." Soft, slender hands gripped her own and drew her back up.

"Welcome home Asami," Reiko said softly. A bright smile spread across her lips as she squeezed Asami's hands affectionately. "I am anxious to get to know the woman who finally melted this ice demon's heart." Sesshomaru growled warningly, but Reiko merely giggled as she flashed him a teasing grin.

"I see you have made quite the spectacle of our return, despite the early hour," Sesshomaru whispered to Reiko as his gaze scanned the crowd.

"Oh now you know this isn't even half the welcome I could have mustered up if you managed to provide me with adequate warning and arrived at a decent time of day," she hooked Asami's hand into the crook of her arm and began leading them past the crowd and through the gates. "One of my favorite pastimes," she said lowly so only Asami could hear, "is coming up with outlandish social events that my lord simply must attend; his ultimate nightmare." She let out another giggle and turned to look back at Sesshomaru's sneer, but Asami could see the respect Reiko held for him in her eyes. "Besides, if I had left it up to you," she continued, "You would have landed up at the 5th floor of the tower and I wouldn't have gotten to meet Asami so soon."

Upon walking through the enormous gate, the party turned immediately right. The path was narrow and snaked back and forth with garrison buildings and officer's quarters cropping up periodically. Asami, who had never been to a shiro nor to any city so structurally sound, likened the whole thing to a maze. With doe eyes, she kept looking here and there, trying to get her bearings. Sesshomaru noticed her unease and stole her away from Reiko, who had begun speaking with the head servant about preparations for dinner that night.

"This is a castle and a fortress," he explained as he guided her along. "My ancestors designed it this way to force any enemy forces daring enough to siege the castle, to wind their way through a preplanned path, lined with archers and other warriors; making it nearly impossible to reach the castle tower itself." They came out into a clearing that was used as training grounds and Asami could see that the tower was still some distance away with several walls in between. "Although a few armies have tried, none have ever succeeding in taking the Western citadel." Sesshomaru's gaze, ever stoic, beamed with pride at what his ancestors had built and passed down to him.

As the party progressed through the barracks, a large man in a fully decorated uniform crossed the training yard and called out. "My lord! My lady!" he raced over and took a knee before Sesshomaru. "Urgent news from our scouts to the North," he said as he rose to his feet.

Reiko joined them, her brow creased and her warm smile tightened down into a thin line. "Is it the dragon," she asked. The general nodded curtly and everyone in listening range audibly gasped.

Sesshomaru stepped forward, "Let's take this to my briefing room. I want to hear all the information our scouts have learned." Turning to one of the nearby courtiers, he added, "Gather all the counselors and have them wait in my study. We may need to devise some battle strategies if that beast has finally decided to act."

Suddenly the courtyard was a flurry of activity as the welcoming committee dispersed to see to their individual tasks. Asami, who had become used to battle in their search for Naraku, followed after Sesshomaru, ready to lend her assistance.

Sesshomaru turned and looked down on his little Kodama. He had longed to give her a quiet reception and peaceful time here in their home after facing so many struggles. Slender fingers reached out to caress her cheek and Asami leaned into his hand. "Leave this one to me," he said quietly before leaning down and kissing her gently on the forehead. Her whole body tingled from his touch, settling a warmth deep in her heart. Asami longed to face any challenge head on with her love, but before she could voice her opinion he had turned and walked away.

Asami watched him go until the last strands of his long white hair had disappeared behind the corner of the nearby watch tower. Sighing, she turned to set off towards the castle tower only to realize that she was quite alone except for two small, mousy looking servants huddled against the nearby wall. She looked left and right, searching for the crowd that had just been by them, utterly confused with how quickly everyone seemed to have disappeared or what she was to do next.

"Um-," one of the mousy servants squeaked at Asami to catch her attention, "If you'd like my lady, we can take you up to the castle and show you your rooms." The young girl's voice was quiet and she kept darting her eyes around sheepishly. "Lady Reiko gave us strict orders to assist you with anything you need before she left to help her soul-bonded attend to counsel matters."

Asami nodded, "I guess you'll have to, seeing as I don't even know how to get to the castle tower – though Sesshomaru did make it seem like it was a straight shot down this winding pathway." Both servant girls started, eyes wide at her familiar use of their master's name. Recovering quickly, the older of the two bowed and stepped forward.

"If you would just follow us, my lady, we can get you to your rooms and prepare your bath." She turned and started walking down the dirt path away from the training courtyard. Asami looked back over her shoulder at the archway Sesshomaru had disappeared into before turning to follow the servant girls.

Asami stared at herself in the mirror with a mixture of awe and horror. Following a dizzying climb to the top floor of the castle tower and a splendidly hot bath in the private natural spring she apparently shared with only Sesshomaru, the mousy servants had begun to dress her. First they piled her hair up into an elaborate twist on top of her head. Then they added a layer of make-up to make her look pale with rosy red lips. Then the clothing came out. It had started out well with a lovely, simple, tangerine kimono. Although it didn't match with her auburn hair very well, she wasn't one to complain. However, the layers and colors kept coming, one after the other tied with simple sashes until the final green layer was tied with a gleaming silver obi and topped with a maroon brocade haori. Asami blinked again at her reflection. She had lost count along the way, but she was pretty sure she had 7 layers wrapped around her. The servants looked at her in awe. Asami didn't have the heart to grimace at herself when they had worked so hard to get her so completely put together. "This is –, "she paused, desperate to find the appropriate words, "certainly something." The servants beamed at her meager praise. "Do all the ladies here get to wear quite so many layers?" she asked tactfully as she tried to move her arms in an arc and failed.

"Oh no, my lady," the older girl, Niki, assured her. She came up and adjusted the sleeves a bit more so each and every layer would show through, "Only the top ladies of the court get to wear such regal kimonos."

"But I saw Lady Reiko today," Asami turned to the girl a bit too fast and had to rebalance her hair to keep it from toppling. "She wasn't wearing anything like this."

"Ah," the younger girl, Miku, stepped forward, "that is because Lady Reiko rarely comes to the court in the castle tower. She manages the entire estate from her compound on the Eastern corner of the fortress. She has her own private living quarters, gardens, and watch tower there where she lives with her soul-bonded and her son, the young lord."

"Oh," Asami looked down at the folds of fabric, a bit dejected. "So this dinner that you are preparing me for?"

"A small affair, with just you, my lord, and about ten of the highest ranking courtiers," Niki explained.

Asami gulped audibly as sweat started to drip down her spine. She took a step forward, tripping on the folds of the fabric puddled at her feet and nearly smashed her face into the mirror. "Okay," she panted, "how do I walk in this thing?"

The servants looked at each other quizzically before nodding. "With very small, dainty steps my lady," Miku said as she modeled tiny, shuffling steps. "Lady Reiko mentioned that you are used to battle and walking through the forest, but this is court and requires the utmost poise."

"Poise," Asami muttered, "I can do that." She shuffled her feet, kicking at the fabric as she took tiny steps. "I think I've got it!" she declared before promptly falling flat on her face.

The room was dark and Asami was glad for it as she sat upon her futon crying. Memories of the evening flashed through her mind, each one causing her to wince and shed more tears.

The dinner she had been so elegantly dressed for was a total disaster. Somehow, Niki and Miku had gotten her down the stairs in her 7 layers and to the door of the common room. Asami opened the doors to find that she was facing the courtiers completely alone; Sesshomaru was still in his counselors meeting. A table had been set up for her at the head of the room and all eyes watched her keenly for any small breach of decorum. Asami promptly tripped, with arms flailing, into the room.

Dinner proved to be just as complicated as Asami worked her way through unfamiliar dishes and utensils. Worse, there seemed to be some social cue she was missing as it didn't matter if she spoke up or stayed silent, someone glared at her with derision. Once she was done eating, Asami froze when she realized she couldn't get up in her 7 layers without assistance. She glanced around at the servants in panic, but none came to her aid. Bracing herself for the faux pas of getting up using her hands, Asami leaned on the table to get up – only to have the whole thing flip towards her, dumping the remnants of her dinner all over her kimono.

A fresh wave of tears washed down her cheeks as she recalled the harsh whispers muttered behind kimono sleeves as she ran, tripping from the room. "That is who Sesshomaru-sama made his soul bond?" "Worse than a commoner!" "How could the lord think she was worthy to be here?"

When the tears finally subsided, Asami gave a hiccupping sigh and wiped her face. Niki and Miku had cleaned her up after the dinner and dressed her in a simple, double-layer, kimono. They had offered to stay with her through the evening, but Asami had refused, wishing for nothing more than to die in a hole and forget the shame of the night. Her only comfort was that Sesshomaru hadn't been there to witness her disaster. She longed for a dry forest clearing, a warm campfire, and his strong arms wrapped around her as he nuzzled her cheek. Looking out through the open doors onto the balcony, Asami could see bright stars and silvery moonlight. She knew it was late, but Sesshomaru still hadn't returned from his meetings. The night breeze was crisp and cool on her tear streaked cheeks as she grasped the balcony railing and looked down onto the castle grounds. Lights and campfires dotted the multitude of buildings and courtyards far below her. They were a part of her new home and so close, yet to Asami they may as well have been the stars in the heavens. She hugged her arms as feelings of loneliness washed over her. What could be keeping him? Asami heaved a deep sigh, turning to walk back to her empty futon.

"You don't belong here," a deep voice spoke out from the nearby shadows. Asami stopped, a chill settling in her stomach upon hearing the voice. "You belong in the forest; with me." She knew she had heard it before. Turning, she saw piercing red eyes that almost seemed to glow in the darkness. Light from the moon shifted with a cloud and he was bathed in a pale blue light that glistened upon his long, ebony hair.

"Ha-Hakuto!" Asami gasped, taking a step back. Her hand reached back for her Bo staff, but swiped only air as she realized all of her weapons had been secured away.

Hakuto smiled maliciously as he stepped out of the shadows, "Hello, Asami."