Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; this is only a fanfic.

Authors Notes: Thank you all for the great reviews and wonderful comments, I hope to keep you interested.

Chapter 3: Suspicion

Kikyou followed in Jaken's wake as he escorted her to Rin's room. Walking down the corridors, the demon toad droned on and on about the grand residence of the Westernlands. He pointed out several articles and each seemed to have its own history representing the Inu no Taisho's reign.

"Sesshomaru's father was the greatest of youkai, but my master will be greater," Jaken announced. He looked over his shoulder expecting the priestess to be impressed; Kikyou's expression, however, was a stoic mask.

The demon toad turned back with a frown marring his brow; the woman acted like his master. Although Kikyou was merely a human priestess, her countenance was of royalty. She had bowed acquiescently to Lord Sesshomaru, but Jaken could tell it was an effort. Her attempt at civility had saved him from Sesshomaru's foreseen wrath. For the first time, Jaken experienced an urge to thank a human.

"It is not my intention to cause trouble for you, Jaken-san," Kikyou's soft voice broke through the demon toad's musings. "Once the child is healed, I will inconvenience you no further. Your master's residence is most impressive," Kikyou added. "Thank you for enlightening me on its history."

Much to his confusion, Jaken felt himself blush. Looking over his shoulder, her expression was neutral, but there was warmth in her eyes as she looked down on him. The demon toad was speechless as he stared at her. Turning back, he walked into the wall instead of the open shoji.

Kikyou stepped over the demon toad and entered the room. Rin was propped up in a sitting position as a young demoness attempted to give her water, but the little girl twisted her head away from the offering.

"No, Idzuna-san…" Rin pushed the kitsune's hand away, "no more, please," her voice was raspy.

"You must Rin-san," the demon child was persistent, "or else you will never get better."

"Idzuna gives good advice, Rin-chan. You would do well to listen to her."

"Kikyou-sama!" the child's face lit up and her weak arms reached for the priestess as she kneeled beside her. "Your're here; but why?" she asked as she was wrapped in Kikyou's arms and pulled onto her lap.

"I am here to see what ails you, little one," the priestess smiled.

"You… you came for me?"

"I did."

Rin blushed happily; she was both surprised and pleased that Kikyou still thought of her. The little girl had often thought of the priestess over the months; wondering where she was and why she had left so suddenly. She had even gathered enough courage to ask Lord Sesshomaru only to be given a grunt as a reply. Now, the priestess was here… she was with them again.

"All right, young Rin," Kikyou's face became serious as she pulled back from their embrace. "First… introduce me to your caretaker and then I need to know what has transpired the last few days."

If he were not disciplined, the majority of the meeting would have gone by without him noticing. No one in that room knew Sesshomaru's mind was on anything other than the business at hand. In truth, the taiyoukai found his thoughts drifting to a pair of hostile mahogany orbs, silky obsidian tresses and a creamy complexion that had no need of adornment.

"… if the clans in the Southern realm are allowed to continue their rebellion, war is imminent," Mouko, the elder of the tiger clan's announcement brought Sesshomaru back to the present.

"We have attempted several meetings with Shishi, the leader of the Southernlands, but our request goes unanswered." another of the elders spoke. "They have also refused to report before council."

"If war is what they are planning," Sesshomaru spoke, "who are the intended? If it is the council themselves, I doubt they have the resources for such an attack. However, attacking one of the realms is another matter."

"I have a suggestion, my lord," Kurokuma of the bear clan spoke. "Why not send in a spy to investigate and, if necessary, infiltrate their defenses?"

Sesshomaru's lip curled in disgust. He abhorred spying, in any form; you dealt with situations either directly or not at all. Discreetly observing Kurokuma, the taiyoukai lord sensed something unstable in the bear youkai's psyche. Instead of exposing this, he decided to keep close watch on him.

"We will consider that only if necessary," Jadoku spoke on behalf of Sesshomaru. The snake youkai sensed the suggestion did not set well with the Lord of the Westernlands and chose not press the issue.

Kurokuma appeared calm, but underneath he was furious. Who did the upstart think he was; dismissing his ideas as though they were nothing. He may be the son of the Inu no Taisho, but his absence from his domain showed what interest he held in his lands and its occupants. Had he stayed away a little longer, the council could have claimed this as negligence and would have denounced his title and confiscated his lands. As the time drew near, however, the inu taiyouki showed up and took his position as Lord of the Westernlands.

"I will make a request to convene with Shishi," Sesshomaru's low monotone echoed through the room. "I will dispatch my vassal in three days; this will be the final appeal to bring order and consult with the council."

"I realize Shishi's father, Mateisouka, and your father were comrades, Sesshomaru-san, but…" Mouko began.

"This is not about my father," the taiyoukai's voice left no room for argument, as he rose from the table. "Jadoku-san… Mouko-san," he addressed the snake and tiger youkai, "I will speak with both of you on my return."

The meeting was over. Sesshomaru stood and with an offhanded dismissal, he turned and left the room. The remaining occupants turned to each other and spoke in hushed murmurs.

The leader of he bear clan did not have much to say as he seethed with anger. Not only were his ideas not taken into consideration, but he was also excluded from the private sitting with the other elders. He would not allow them to ignore him; he would simply have to show the inu youkai of what he was capable.

As she crossed the palace threshold, Airasetsunyo noticed the atmosphere in the castle had altered. As usual, the servants were about their duties and she knew the elders were present, however, the demoness highly tuned senses told her something was amiss.

She turned as the shoji to the conference room slid open. Sesshomaru stepped through and proceeded down the corridor. Airasetsunyo rubbed her hands together with glee; her timing was perfect.

"My lord…" she floated towards him with her most beguiling smile, "… a moment of your time."

"Not now," he snapped; Sesshomaru did not spare her a glance as he continued down the corridor.

The demoness kept the smile plastered to face until he was out of view. To much was at stake to anger him, she would simply let it go… for now. Once she became mistress of the Westernlands there would be a lot of changes.

"Few youkai can truly appreciate a demoness of your stature," Kurokuma spoke from the entrance of the conference room; his eyes roamed her lithe figure.

Turning to the sound of his voice, Airasetsunyo preened under his assessment. There was nothing like masculine admiration and the demoness thrived off it. Smoothing the form-fitting tunic over her hips, she walked slowly towards the bear demon.

"Would you appreciate me, Kurokuma-kun?" the demoness said seductively.

"Of course," he spoke low, so only she could hear, "My duties may tear me from your arms, but never a human child or… a priestess."

Airasetsunyo, who had moved in close, suddenly pushed back and looked into the bear's eyes. "Priestess?" she questioned. "What priestess?"

"Didn't you know, my dear?" he continued; she shook her head. "Our lord sent for a priestess to heal the sick child. She is here now; I believe she arrived this morning."

Kurokuma smiled inwardly as he watched Airasetsunyo's onyx eyes glitter with awareness. Never one to miss an opportunity, he decided to do more damage. "Quite a striking being for a human," he looked thoughtful, "with her beauty it's hard to believe she's a priestess."

The demoness head snapped around and if looks could kill, Kurokuma would be a dead youkai. She knew Sesshomaru's father had a weakness for humans, but his son had never shown that trait. First, there was the child and now a priestess, no… a human woman and a beautiful one at that. As if, she did not have enough to deal with. Ignoring the smirk on the bear demon's face and with a toss of her amethyst mane, Airasetsunyo turned and exited the hall.

Turning down the corridor, Sesshomaru saw Jaken seated outside the room with the 'Staff of Two Heads' held tight to his chest. The demon toad straightened as his master approached.

"Sesshomaru-sama," Jaken greeted with a bow. Seeing that his master was about to enter the room, the demon toad hastily informed him. "Ah… my lord, the priestess asked that we remain out here until Rin's examination is over."

The look, the taiyoukai shot him, halted any further warning from his vassal. Jaken bowed low and stepped to the side, allowing his master entry.

Hearing the shoji slide open, a look of annoyance crossed Kikyou's face. She hated distractions, especially at a time like this. If her exam revealed what she thought it would, she would have to have sound proof before confronting the taiyoukai.

"I thought I asked not to be disturbed, Jaken-san," the priestess said, without turning from her assessment. Her hands glided slowly over Rin's form, her eyes were narrowed in concentration. "I pray this interruption is important?" she assumed she spoke to the demon toad.

"Have you finished your evaluation, priestess?"

Kikyou stiffened and her eyes widened as Sesshomaru's voice washed over her. Idzuna gasped and inched back, as neither thought the youkai lord would put in an appearance this soon. The priestess cursed that she was caught off guard; normally she could sense his aura.

Hesitating, Kikyou knew she could not reveal her theory just yet. She knew from experience that Sesshomaru dealt only with facts. She would have to stall until she could produce them.

"No," she answered, hoping that would suffice.

"No?" he questioned.

"I can hardly make a determination with these interruptions," her voice was curt.

Idzuna gasped again and Jaken groaned and slapped a hand to his head. No one, but no one, spoke to Sesshomaru that way.

"Must I remind you, woman, with whom you are dealing," his voice was dangerously low. "I want to know what ails her and I want to know now."

"That… has yet to be revealed," Kikyou's voice and manner matched his, as she stood to face him, "and must I remind you that you sent for me. If you believed me incapable; why did you do so?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to slits. To state he made a mistake would be inconceivable and the priestess knew this as well. Although outwardly calm, the taiyoukai's aura rose along with his anger.

The force emanating from his body caught Kikyou unaware. The intensity of it reached out to her and she found herself stepping away from him.

The involuntary movement seemed to settle him. Although foolish, he knew she did not fear him. At least now, she realized there were limits to his patience. Looking down on her mutinous face, his voice left no room for argument as he spoke. "I expect and answer by midday tomorrow; do I make myself clear… priestess."

"As clear as a mountain stream, Sesshomaru… sama," she said with emphasis and gave a mocking bow before kneeling to Rin's side.

Instead of leaving, the taiyoukai crossed the room and stepped out on the engawa. He looked across the expanse of land and stood still as a statue. Only his hair and the sleeves of his kimono rippled in the breeze.

To the others, it appeared Sesshomaru may be enjoying the late afternoon or the view of his domain, but nothing could have been further from the truth. There was a possibility of an impending war of the realms, there was unrest in his castle and he had Rin to protect.

Sesshomaru ignored the inner sensations when it came to the little girl. Having arrived at the Westernlands with a human child in tow, the majority speculated he kept her around as some sort of trophy; she was, after all, the first being he revived with the Tensaiga. Only Jaken might have realized the reason went much deeper than that.

The taiyoukai did not want to take the time to evaluate his motive, he simply allowed the child to stay. Rin was obedient, compliant and she held Sesshomaru in high regard. To him, that was enough; the priestess, however, was a different matter.

Kikyou's presence here was more of a disruption than Rin's could ever be, but he had allowed it, no… requested it, in order to save the child's life. Now that she was here, the taiyoukai felt something stirring within. He could not blame the Shikon jewel, as he had experienced the same sensation when he carried her from Midoriko's cave. It was something that had harbored and developed since that day and in her absence.

As Sesshomaru stared off in the distance, he thought of the priestess administering to Rin behind him. She was the only human that did not hold him in awe and challenged him on each encounter. Why was this mortal woman such an enigma to him, why did she affect him this way? The entire afternoon, her scent had clung to him after she left to attend to Rin.

At the river of miasma, where he last saw Kikyou, she had not yet completed her transformation. That and the toxic mist had prohibited his keen senses, but he had detected her human scent when she arrived today and found it pleasing.

She smelled of verdure with a subtle hint of floral. Nothing to overpower the senses, but one had to be close enough to her to be aware of it. That was not the case with Sesshomaru; he could smell her from here and he ground his teeth in annoyance.

He only wanted Rin healed and the priestess could be on her way. He had no time for these distractions. The woman was a nuisance and the sooner she left the better.

Closing his eyes, the taiyoukai levitated from the engawa and into the air. With a burst of his Ki, like a shooting star, he speed across the expanse of land and disappeared in the distance.

The occupants left in the room were silent. Kikyou and Idzuna continued to work on Rin and Jaken continued his vigil at the entrance. It was a moment before Rin's soft voice broke through the quiet.

"Please Kikyou-sama," the child pleaded. "Do not be mad with Sesshomaru-sama. He is very busy and has many troubles, but he 'is' worried for me."

"I know that, little one," the priestess smiled down on the child. "We plan to get you well, so he will no longer have a reason to worry."

Kikyou pulled the covers over the little girl, her prognosis complete. The results were alarming, but she kept her expression pleasant until Rin fell asleep. Turning to the fox demon child, the priestess voice was bland, but her implication was clear.

"Why did you volunteer to take care of Rin, Idzuna-san?" Kikyou's piercing stare had the young demon intimidated. "If there is something you know… or something you think you know, now is the time to tell us," she continued, making sure to include Jaken.

The demon toad, by this time, had come to stand beside Kikyou. Hearing the accusation in the priestess tone, he planned to intervene. However, looking at the child wringing her hands, there was a chance she knew the reason for Rin's illness.

"Speak up, child!" Jaken said with authority. "You will only incur the wrath of Lord Sesshomaru by withholding information."

The demon child's head swiveled in Kikyou's direction. The priestess face was impassive as if to confirm Jaken's words. Lowering her head, the child began to speak.

In a darkened corridor, two figures stood facing each other. They watched as Sesshomaru sped across the skies, before speaking.

"Are you sure?" the taller of the two asked.

"Quite," the other responded.

"Undetectable, you say?"

"Yes."

"I will hold you to that."

"Have I ever let you down?"

"No… you have not! Come to think of it, you never have."

The two figures separated and they both disappeared into the shadows.

To be continued…