Part Two
Increasingly Divergent Vectors
Truth is subjective and reality based entirely on truth. If one's perspective of truth is shifted even marginally, their reality changes. One cannot remain the same in an entirely obtuse reality. A person faced with such a shift in the whole structure of their existence are given only the option of collapsing upon themselves or adapting, changing and becoming someone entirely new.
Before she had been taken or, rather, stolen into the care and protection of a certain stoic taiyoukai and brother to the man who was, at once, her savior and almost her murderer, Kagome had simply been a fifteen year old school girl. There was nothing particularly singular about her aside from the unique and rare shade of her eyes. They were the color of the sky at dawn between the aspect of the spectrum where the blossoming pinks were born and the black was banished along with the stars. She could not be considered classically beautiful in the standards of her culture. She was far too tall and her face too angular rather than cherubic. Her limbs were too long and her torso too short, her hips too wide and her chest too buxom. And then there was the matter of her hands. They were slender and proportionate with her body, surely, however their general size made them hardly dainty as tradition would have called a woman to be. She was not plain, however she was not beautiful. Kagome's existence was one caught between aspects and, as she was forced to adapt to her life in Sesshomaru's home, she found herself further caught between worlds. The world of humans and the world of youkai. The world of the past and the world of her birth. Inuyasha's world and Sesshomaru's world. The frightening truth was that she was beginning to see each side of each dichotomy with such a perspective that either one was desirable to her in one fashion or another.
In the few weeks that she had lived under the care of the Western Lord, Kagome had learned one very pertinent truth. She could forgive him as easily as she had forgiven Inuyasha for attempting to take her life. Both men were distant in their own ways. Both believed they were entirely correct the whole of the time and neither enjoyed backing down to anyone, especially not to the other. In fact, if she looked carefully enough, there was very little difference between the brothers aside from how they reacted to the world. Inuyasha's temperament was brash, unchecked and, often, uncontrollable. He was ruled by his emotions and impulses and instincts. His word was as unsteady as his place in the world, which the taiyoukai had explained to her, was not very much of a place at all. Sesshomaru was so incredibly in control of himself that it seemed he had no emotions at all. His silence, however, spoke volumes to Kagome. The longest conversations she had even had with him had been those which had taken place her first few days in his home and since then he had closed off very much verbally. When he did speak, she found that, while he often was speaking the truth of his perceptions or actions, there was always an aspect of joviality. While his words were always serious, his underlying meaning was never serious. She wondered if it was his way of surviving his obvious immortality to laugh at the world and how pitifully it faltered and changed while he remained unchanged.
Her world spiraled around the tutors that Sesshomaru had employed to teach her proper etiquette, manners and grace. When he had learned that she could read and write he had also ordered that her education be furthered in all areas she wished to explore. Her mind was thirsty for knowledge and he silently, but happily, obliged his new ward with outlets for her inquisitiveness and desire to learn. While she excelled academically, she faltered in every other way. It vexed her to no end, however Sesshomaru, with his seemingly eternal patience, took no note of her failures and chose to, instead, focus on her successes. Grace was not inherent. It could be learned in time and with enough practice and so he did not trouble himself with the reports of how hopelessly clumsy Kagome was or how her temperament was unruly. She could learn. He knew she could learn. It was vastly important that she acquired knowledge of both youkai and human customs and practices in court and daily life. She had to conduct herself as a proper lady whenever she was in public no matter how outspoken or fiery she was in private with him or whoever he found to take her once she was completely educated where her honor and virtue would be protected.
The taiyoukai sat in quiet meditation over his tea on the balcony of his personal quarters and had been there since dawn contemplating what Isamu had relayed to him upon his return from speaking to Inuyasha. The hanyou had been harder to find than they had anticipated and, once they had found him, he had been in the company of a monk named Miroku who, it seemed, was very powerful spiritually.
They had approached the unlikely and, from all observations, mismatched duo with care before making their presence known. Isamu had reported that neither had openly threatened the taiyoukai's guards, though the monk had held his hand before him in a fist in almost an offensive way.
"What the hell did my brother send you here for?" Inuyasha had snarled. His palm was cut and dripping blood, no doubt in preparation for an attack.
Isamu stepped forward and bent to one knee, holding out the sword still wrapped in silk to the hanyou respectfully. He was not afraid of Inuyasha so much as had respected his father and so showed the hanyou what courtesy he could even if Sesshomaru did not. "The Western Taiyoukai sends you his father's sword so that you may strengthen its power and make ready for a duel with him to finally determine the validity of his claim to power. He wished that you be informed, Inuyasha, that if you do not do as he requests, the human girl, Kagome, who lives now as his ward in his care, will be killed."
The hanyou bristled. "The bastard knows I don't want his power."
"What you desire now does not end the stir within the land. It is what you might desire later that must be thwarted and your possible worth that must be assessed. It will be a duel to the death and so, it is advisable that you take the sword that has been offered and begin your quest to strengthen it as much as you are able. It is the order of your brother, the great Sesshomaru."
"Come off it, Isamu." He scoffed and reached out to take the sword from the inuyoukai with a harsh motion. "We both know that if the bastard thought I was a threat, he'd have killed me outright years ago. This ain't about me trying to take over. It's about him still hating me and my mother for what happened after our father died. Sesshomaru's had to scrape and claw for his power since he took our father's place and if he kills me, the only evidence of Inu no Taisho's weakness, he thinks that it'll make things easier for him."
Isamu smirked and stood, shaking his head. "Perhaps there is some of that to it, but do not forget that this is most truly about honor. Strengthen the sword. Face your brother and die with courage."
The inuyoukai turned and only paused at the hanyou's voice. His soul was stilled by his words. "I got an obligation, Isamu. Tell Sesshomaru I'll strengthen the sword, but in my own time. I gotta collect the shards of the Shikon no Tama for Kagome. And don't try to fool me. He's an asshole, but Sesshomaru won't kill Kagome. Even if I wasn't gonna face him."
He did not need to turn to see the cock-sure grin on the hanyou's face to know it was there. "What makes you so certain? When has your brother ever lied?"
"It's in his nature, Isamu. In both our natures. Dogs only bite when they've been hurt or scared and Kagome can't hurt anyone. It ain't in her nature. And I sure as hell know she doesn't scare him." Inuyasha turned to walk away with the monk following him. "And besides… If he was gonna kill her, he would have done it by now. He wouldn't be using her to bribe me into fighting him."
Sesshomaru scowled and looked down into his now entirely chilled tea. "Bribe him. Indeed." The sound of laughter caught his attention and he looked out into the garden. The girl, Kagome, was sitting on the lip of a fountain with her bare feet dipping into the cool, clear water. Her hair was free, though the combs she used to hold it up were laid neatly next to her sandals and stockings. Her chambermaid and personal escort, Miyoko, sat nearby watching the girl with a faint smile on her aged face. She was an inuyoukai and had mothered many pups. He knew she would care for the girl and teach her what she needed to know while still nurturing the fire he so cherished in her. He knew Miyoko would because she had been his own nurse centuries before. The old woman, even then, understood how to enforce the rules while still allowing affection and freedom of spirit in her wards. Countless millennia had taught her how to maintain such a precarious equilibrium without fear of tipping the scales.
The taiyoukai scowled as he noticed the impish countenance of Jaken approaching his ward and her escort. No doubt the toad would disturb the girl's reverie in the simple beauties around her and the innocent delight she seemed to take in bathing and splashing her feet during the warm summer day.
No sooner than his scowl was fully realized than he heard the awful green creature's shrill voice, though he doubted it could be called a voice, begin to howl and scold the raven haired innocent who had been taking so much delight in her reprieve from her studies.
"Kagome, you insolent girl! No lady would be caught in such a precarious position without shoes or her hair kept! If my Lord Sesshomaru even heard a whisper of such an outrage he would have you thrown out, or worse, give you to a dragon youkai for their supper!"
She trembled and fought shrinking away from the toad. She knew Sesshomaru would not send her away, she was sure of it. The reason she trembled was more because she was trying so desperately to control her temper and the little toad vexed her beyond words most of the time.
"Jaken." Miyoko's voice was even but firm. The toad abandoned his scolding and turned an incredulous gaze onto the elderly inuyoukai who was approaching her ward in a very protective manner. "You should know better than to take the care of Sesshomaru's ward into your own hands. She is my responsibility and mine alone. Would you question my decision to allow her to be the child she still is for a few moments a day knowing how many pups I have raised including the taiyoukai of this land? To question my decisions is to question his."
Her voice had never risen even slightly in timbre or volume, however, her eyes had become fierce and her stance one of challenge. Jaken took a step back and bowed lowly to the female. "Forgive me. I would never question the taiyoukai."
"Perhaps you should continue on your business, Jaken. I believe you were going in the direction of the concubines' quarters behind the gardens." She said, softly, relaxing slightly and allowing her challenging gaze to fall.
"Yes…" He stammered slightly and then turned on his heel to return to his trek to the far ends of the gardens.
Once he was out of sight, Miyoko sat beside Kagome and pushed her hair back behind her ears before speaking lightly with a smile on her face. "You are doing better, you know. I could smell your rage at his annoying impertinence and I want you to know I am proud of you. Even Sesshomaru might have harmed the toad after his little rant had he been near."
"Why does he keep him around?" She asked with a faint scowl that faded when the elderly inuyoukai kissed her cheek and chuckled.
"Such a pretty face shouldn't be marred by a less favorable expressions. Hide your pain and hurt and anger, Kagome. Subversion is your greatest asset and I am certain that if you try, you might use such a skill to your advantage."
Kagome smiled and her eyes lit up with mischief. "So why does he keep him around?"
"Because he is very good at completing the tasks that the Taiyoukai does not wish to dirty his hands with."
"Like handling his concubines?" She asked, trying to practice subversion by fighting the sour expression threatening to capture her face.
"And visiting emissaries and other such things. Sesshomaru dislikes useless people or those with very little use he might use them for. Jaken possesses the unusual talent for making the very unimportant feel large and the entirely important feel very small. Such a skill, in many instances, is entirely useful to our taiyoukai and so he is loath to dispose of him." She said with an affectionate emotion overtaking her features. She had always thought of Sesshomaru as her own son, especially after his own mother had opted to return to her own lands on the continent and had left her son's rearing to his father and to Miyoko herself.
"So who does he entrust to your care, Miyoko?" She asked with a faint, coy smile kissing her lips.
The old woman chuckled and embraced the girl before her that she was rapidly claiming as another of her pups. She ran a hand through the long ebony tresses of the girl and sighed. "Come now. It's time for you to meet with your academic tutors and we will need to pull this lovely hair of yours back up where it belongs."
Kagome laughed and pulled back from Miyoko before nodding. "Alright. Thank the kami that I started having my 'lady' lessons in the mornings. I might go mad if I had to deal with them this late in the day."
Miyoko smiled and turned a knowing gaze up to the taiyoukai's balcony, clashing amber gazes together knowingly before returning to Kagome, helping her place her hair back up in the fine combs he'd had made for her.
Sesshomaru sighed lightly and stood after setting his cold cup down on the sill. He walked to his door and into the hall, intent on finding Isamu. Kagome's question touched the back of his mind and he suppressed a smile. Why had he called Miyoko out of her retirement in her country home with her countless descendants, both hanyou and inuyoukai, only to be the chambermaid, escort and nurse to his human ward? She was the only motherly figure he had ever known. Even his own mother could not be called a mother more than the bitch that had born him. Miyoko was precious to him. And he had asked her to protect Kagome and teach her and love her. He had watched the girl and realized that she was just that. A girl. No matter the fact that, in the human world, she would have already been wed and well on her way to becoming a mother. Kagome was only a girl and she needed her mother. He could not return her to her true mother. That would risk her purity and honor and he had claimed the right to defend her in both such aspects. However, that left him with the dilemma of a girl, his ward, who seemed lost without a loving, maternal presence.
He had traveled to Miyoko's home and had found her in her garden, gathering herbs and vegetables. She spoke without pause even before she turned to look at him.
"Ask me what it is you are going to ask me, Maru. I have supper to begin." She said with a warm but proprietary tone that was only enforced by the urgent look she gave him.
He smirked and leaned on the fence to the garden lightly. "How do you know I am going to ask you for something? Perhaps I missed you."
"If you missed me, you would have sent for me for a visit. Only requests on my person warrant you coming yourself. No more of your little games, Maru. Why are you here and what do you want from me?" Her words seemed harsh, but her tone, her gaze was warm and understanding. She could not abide useless prattle and preferred the heart of any matter presented to her.
He chuckled lightly and nodded. "Alright, Miyoko." He took her basket from her and walked with her into her home. "I have taken a human girl into my home as a ward. She claims to be fifteen but is pure though, from the clothing I found her in, she could have been no better than a whore. That aside, I took her honor as my particular priority and she is now mine to care for."
Miyoko cast an incredulous look onto the tall inuyoukai beside her. "What happened to your quest to find your father's sword and to best Inuyasha? You have never backed away from something once you have declared it your purpose."
"And I have not. I will have both objects of that particular desire in good time… Kagome is my concern at present." He sighed and shook his head at the tisking sound Miyoko was making.
"My, my, Maru. What a change in priorities." She stopped and met his gaze with one of her own piercing ones. "What aren't you telling me?"
He quirked his brow. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play me for a fool, Maru. I raised you."
He looked away in defeat, bowing to her lightly in acquiescence. "She was with Inuyasha. She pulled our father's sword from within his belly when I could not even touch it and Inuyasha could not make it budge. I… I tried to end her in my rage. I have never seen Inuyasha so… Overwhelmed. He was deadly for a moment. A man with nothing to lose. And then she stood and was alive when she should not have been. I do not know why, but I felt as if she was important. One who could claim my father's sword and was immune to my attack… I took her from Inuyasha to keep him calm and, because she was still holding the sword, to ensure that I was able to claim the weapon. I returned it to my brother on the caveat that he strengthen and master the weapon so we might duel and end the question of rulership once and for all."
She raised a brow and walked past him into the house and then into the kitchen. "You are playing a dangerous game, Maru."
"No, I am playing a very simple game with simple rules that will end in my favor."
"With Inuyasha, perhaps, but with this Kagome girl… Maru, have you even begun to consider why you have come to me to help care for her? I am assuming that is why you have come. You want someone to be her surrogate mother while you tend her, is that not so?"
He scowled. "Yes, but I do not see why…"
"Any number of others could have been chosen for the task, Maru. When I left, I told you the only reason I would return to your service was if you took a mate and she needed a chambermaid, midwife and nurse to your children." She said, taking the basket from him and began cleaning the vegetables and herbs within.
His scowl deepened to a furrowed frown. "She is not to be my mate."
"Then why have you come here?" She did not pause in her task even to meet his gaze.
"You do not believe me?" She would not acknowledge his presence, causing his temper to rise suddenly. "Look at me!"
She paused and fought back her smile before returning her gaze to the taiyoukai. "Yes?"
"She is not to be my mate. She is in need of one who can be a surrogate mother to her as she adjusts to life in the court. She is human and you are the only one I trust with her." He said with force as well as a control that sounded entirely strained.
Miyoko breathed out a long sigh and shook her head, smiling finally. "How much would you wish for me to protect her?"
"I do not understand." He replied, feeling his ire slowly dying away.
"She is on the cusp of womanhood, Maru. She will need to learn manners, poise, everything of youkai culture as well as how to maintain composure in any level of society if she is to be known as your ward as well as have her mind furthered academically and spiritually. I could keep her focused entirely on such pursuits, or I could also allow her some freedoms. Freedoms to discover herself. Freedoms to discover what she wants, even if that is not what you want. As your ward, she is subject to whatever pairing with whoever you choose once you feel she is ready. I could nurture such a future in her mind or I could allow her to decide her own fate."
"You speak of love." He murmured, feeling some bitterness rise. "Woman, such a thing is a fairy tale in this world."
"That you believe such a thing doesn't matter. What matters is that she might and I can either foster it or foster her priorities toward her duties to your will." She watched his features soften and smiled. "What is the taiyoukai's will?"
He felt something tighten in his chest momentarily and closed his eyes as he willed the pain away before he spoke again. He opened his eyes slowly and nodded to Miyoko. "Let her have her dreams and let me know of them so that, when I make a match for her, she might have what she wishes for."
Miyoko had arrived two days later and had not been separated from Kagome except when she slept and even then he wondered if she had not slept in the girl's room the first week in order to be there when she'd woken from the horrible nightmares that had begun to plague her in those first few days.
He found Isamu in the stables tending one of his horses that had hurt his hoof. They were youkai horses, capable of flying short distances and possessing great reserves of strength and stamina. Isamu bowed to the Taiyoukai.
"I have a request of you. I wish for you to teach Kagome to ride. She is to be taught on a human's horse and is not to leave the walls of the castle. I wish her to begin her training in the late afternoons before her supper and after her academic lessons."
"Pardon, my Lord, but is not your ward already burdened with her studies? She has very little time to herself as it is."
"Are you questioning me?" He asked with a quirked brow and an amused expression.
"Not you, Sir. I only worry for her."
"Do not worry yourself too much on it. She has expressed a desire to learn and the diversion might do her some good."
He nodded. "Yes, Sir."
Sesshomaru nodded and walked back to the gardens and the castle proper. Once he was within sight he saw Kagome and Miyoko waiting for him. He frowned as he noted the worried look on the old woman's face. "What is the trouble?"
"No trouble, Sesshomaru." Miyoko said, waving her hand slightly. "My great grand daughter is going into labor and I was sent word. Before I left, I told her that when she was due, she was to send for me so that she could have my expertise, for she is small and the labor will most likely be hard on her."
"How long would you need?" He asked, noting the sad but excited glint in his ward's gaze.
"A few days at most. She is nearby."
"Isamu is in the stables. Have him escort you there and take one of my horses so it will be a faster trip." He said casually, though his eyes sparkled slightly.
Miyoko smiled and turned to Kagome, brushing a stray lock of hair from her brow behind her ear. "You will be fine for a few days, little one. I will make sure your tutors are kind to you before I go and make sure that you do not trouble anyone."
She nodded and smiled, glowing slightly before embracing Miyoko gently. "I'll miss you."
The elderly inuyoukai chuckled and kissed her brow before pulling back. "Now I must go to my great grand daughter and you two should make your way to supper." She nodded to Sesshomaru and then patted Kagome's cheek before walking in the direction of the stables.
The girl sighed and he turned a sideways glance onto her. Her eyes were transfixed on Miyoko as she was walking away. 'Shall we in to supper, Kagome?"
She looked up suddenly and smiled a small, gentle smile that was both warm and sad. "Yes."
He turned and walked into the castle, knowing she would follow him directly. The entered the dining hall that had already been set for them, though a steward was removing Miyoko's plate from its place on Sesshomaru's right. The meal was eaten in relative silence for the greater part of it until the taiyoukai decided to speak.
"I have spoken to Isamu. He will be training you to ride on horseback in the next few days each afternoon before supper."
She looked up from her meal with a smile that was warmer and less sad than the one who had graced her lips in the gardens. "Thank you… I hope I am a better student to him than I am to my other tutors."
His stoic gaze did not falter but within he was nearly over brimming with mirth. "Kagome, you cannot expect to learn a life time of poise and etiquette in a matter of a few weeks or even a few months. It is true that your tutors are not as impressed with you in that area as you might wish them to be, but academically you have surpassed their expectations and with that I am quite pleased. You might even find Isamu to be a more patient teacher than your others."
"So… You aren't upset that I'm not…"
"Grace can be learned if practiced. Anything physical can be taught and learned if the pupil is willing to devote some effort to its mastery." He raised a brow slightly. "Not even this Sesshomaru was born with a working knowledge and proficiency with the sword or in battle. Patience is an important thing and, while your tutors show little in an effort to speed your learning, you will find I have an overabundance where your progress is concerned. If you were not so intelligent and well educated or showed no ability to learn whatsoever, such would not be the case."
"I see." She smiled a bit more brightly. "Sesshomaru?"
He studied her for a moment from the corner of his gaze before placing it entirely on her in question.
"When do you intend to find me… When do you intend to send me back to the human world?" Her voice was tenuous and trembling.
He fought back the smile that threatened to form. He honestly hadn't thought of who or where or when for a while. "When I see that you are ready and proficient. And when I am convinced you will not run back to the place whence you came from."
"Don't you trust me?" She asked, her eyes shimmering and her lip threatening a pout.
He'd seen this expression on her face before. She had used it on both Isamu and Miyoko at least once and both had folded to her whim. With Isamu, it was to meet his human mate. With Miyoko, it was so she could have a walk in the outer gardens. It had been the day she'd discovered his harem of concubines and they, in turn, had discovered her. Since that day he had found nothing but trouble with the females he called his property. In truth, he cared little for them and only visited them when his needs called to him more loudly than his duty to his land. They were gifts from visiting nobles or tribute and he had kept them out of obligation than any real desire to own them. All were skilled, beautiful and of some noble blood, but they annoyed him after a short span of time and so he had ensured they had adequate living quarters and servants at the far ends of the gardens where he could keep them out of sight unless he wanted or needed their company.
Kagome had said nothing of her little adventure in the gardens. Miyoko, however, had reported that once his concubines had finished their taunting of her and teasing her about her appearance, the girl had singed several of his concubine's hair clean away with her purification powers before running away in tears. He had sent Jaken to them every day since to appease them enough until he found time and desire to visit them. The thought was distasteful for him considering their actions toward his ward. He was displeased more with their actions than hers even though he had warned her about turning her powers against his staff, but in her defense, she had only been protecting her pride and he could not fault her for that. More than anything, he was afraid her fire had been dimmed. Her attempt at manipulation proved otherwise.
"I will trust you so far as you are able to prove that I should trust you. So far I trust you to practice and learn and to attempt to manipulate others into getting what you want." He noted the pout fade and quirked a lip as she fought to hide the building anger that flooded her aura with red. He stood and bowed to her slightly. "I have certain things to attend, Kagome. You should return to your room to rest."
She stood, her anger suddenly gone. "Where are you going?"
He did not respond but stared at her with a sharp gaze.
She shuddered but did not back down. It was the part of her that intrigued him most. Her spirit and fearless gall. "Did you forget how to speak?"
"Have you forgotten your place?" He asked in a level tone and noticed with some amusement that her temper flared again, but that she was hiding it well. He turned to look to the outer door. "You are here because of my will and desire. If it so pleases me, you will stay. If your presence ceases to bring me pleasure, Kagome, do not question that I will dispatch you either to another youkai or to death."
She blinked twice and then turned her gaze away from him. Her rage had died as quickly as it had flared. "I'm sorry… Excuse me." She murmured and left the dining hall before he gave her permission to leave.
He sighed deeply once she was gone, then exited through the outer door and began the short walk to the far edge of the gardens. He had a group of unruly, though beautiful women to tend.
She slipped into her room after nearly running down the halls and falling twice before pulling her kimono up to her calves. Once there she closed her door and tore the beautiful combs from her hair, letting them drop to the floor before removing the many layers of fabric except for the silken yukata that clung to her form suggestively. She fell onto her bed and pressed her face into the thick comforter, shaking in rage and sadness. After a moment she turned her head and let her tears soak into the fabric beneath her with her hair pooled around her in strands of liquid night.
It was hard enough being away from her mother indefinitely and then for Miyoko to have left her, even for a few days, but Sesshomaru's words had hurt and frightened her. What was more, she knew where he was going. To those awful women who had been so cruel to her. He'd not even said a word about her actions against them. She could only guess why and she guessed that it was more because he hadn't decided how to dispose of her yet… Now she figured that to be a truth rather than a supposition. But Miyoko wouldn't let him send her away or give her to some other youkai that might eat her, would she? Maybe that was why he'd allowed her to leave. So that she wouldn't be around to object.
She sat up slowly and pushed her hair away from her face and walked to a mirror and began scrutinizing herself. If she were home in her time she might have been considered exotic with slightly European features. It was true that in her family history there was at least one member that was not Japanese or of any Asian descent. That was how she accounted for her differences. Even for the strangeness of her eyes. However, five hundred years in the past, she was only strange and different, not exotic. Not even remotely beautiful compared to the women she'd seen at the furthest boundaries of the gardens. His women.
"I don't understand." She whispered and sighed as she returned to sit on her bed. She looked at her hands and then closed her eyes only to lie back entirely onto the soft mattress. "He won't keep me here even once I have learned what I need to learn and gained his trust enough that he feels he can entrust me to another. So why does it bother me? Why does it bother me that he has concubines and can so easily… Discredit me and disregard me? I'm not some sort of spoiled child… But aside from Miyoko, he's the only one steady in my life here. Not even Inuyasha was so steady in the short time I was with him." She opened her eyes and looked to the beautiful planked ceiling, focusing on the grain of the wood. "Maybe that's it… He's the only one I have to hold onto. Even Miyoko can be sent away at his whim… And so when he isn't steady, my whole world feels like it's toppling down. And there's no escaping his world…" And I am afraid because I don't think I really want to… I only miss my family. Not the world they live in.
He paused while he was still a distance away from the concubine's house and looked back to the palace with a faint scowl. For the first time in a solid century, he regretted his words and actions. He'd frightened her and, instead of a fiery retort, she had folded and retreated. He shook himself internally and returned to his trek to his desired course. His mind should be on anything else. Anything or anyone but her.
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She scowled and looked at the clay husk that sat before her. She was hollow. Hollow and alive but without a soul. She stepped forward and scrutinized every aspect of the recreation. "You should be here… In this clay form. Where are you, Kikyo? You should have been centuries from rebirth and yet I cannot call your soul."
She stood and left the cave where the living clay creature sat naked still within the fires and turned an aged eye to the skies. She sensed her servant, Enju, approach. "Did it not work?"
Urasue did not respond at first. "Go and summon Kawaramaru to me. Tell him he must be ready for a quest."
The girl nodded and turned to find her mistress' clay general. Urasue sighed and looked back into the cave at the glowing, living clay golem of the priestess, Kikyo, as the fires heated her so much that she began to crumble away. If she was able to locate her reborn soul, she would create another body to house her soul, however, until then, it was not necessary and she would harvest the burnt clay from the fires later for reuse.
Miles away, an elderly woman knelt at her sister's grave, praying for the girl, Kagome. That she was safe. Inuyasha had not returned once since he had lost her to his brother. He had become a man possessed. Perhaps it was best that he never know that Kikyo's grave was disturbed. Perhaps it was the best thing. In the morning, she would have some of the men from the village resettle her grave and ashes as well as they could be. The soul had been reborn and knowing this, Kaede found that the grave was less important than the life that her sister had gained in her reincarnation.