Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha in this, previous, or continuing chapters.
Kagome had decided that after the second day without food that she could literally eat a horse. Not that she had ever seen one in the feudal era that was not being ridden by a madman.
She had previously been running for two hours thirty eight minutes and ten seconds before she collapsed on the ground. Her instructor, the female demon named Ashes who previously threw her on her face when she tried to escape, had no remorse for her human body.
"If you don't get up now Miko your muscles will seize and I guarantee you will regret it tomorrow when you have to do this all over again."
Kagome answered this by mumbling curses into the ground. Hauling herself back onto her aching feet she began to jog lightly. "Why am I running anyways? Aren't I supposed to be learning how to fight?" she panted, sweat pouring off her body. "And why do I have to run in this outfit? Its 20 degrees outside! I'm boiling."
"I assure you Miko, I would be able to tell if your skin was boiling. Lord Sesshomaru informed you that your previous attire was… inappropriate correct?" Ashes was sitting by the tree, almost waiting for something. "And you will continue to do this until you learn the lesson behind it."
"How am I supposed to pass a test if I don't know what the test is on?!" Kagome fell to her knees again, panting. Her legs felt like jelly.
"I have told you, you are supposed to be running. And you are doing a dismal job of it." Ashes was beside her in an instant hauling her to her feet. "Common, walk it off. We eat after this."
--
Kagome spent another twenty minutes outside, much to her disagreement, before she was graced with the gift of food.
There were mountains of it; everything from pork to fish to boiled vegetables.
"Don't eat too much" Ashes informed her before they entered the dinning hall. "I guarantee it will make you sick, and you will have no food for tomorrow either."
She now sat with several servants, one of which was the axe wielding man that had pulled her from her very uncomfortable cell floor for the last three days.
"Does Sesshomaru not dine with his servants?" Kagome voiced her question, her mouth half full of succulent chicken breast.
Her words received a glare from almost all twenty of the table's occupants. The axe wielding man spoke. "Sesshomaru-sama has better things to do then to socialize with his employees. And I assure you we are employees. We serve him with the form of generous hospitality, food, and shelter that we work for."
Kagome's eyebrows rose in to her bangs in surprise. They worked for him willingly? The ice lord? How bizarre.
"Look" Kagome put down her fork to look at the group. "I am sorry if I seem impolite. I am not used to such customs where I am from. Besides, Sesshomaru-sama has tried to kill me on a number of occasions. I do not wish to be here, however circumstances permitted it so I will have to ask you all to be patient with me."
Even though her speech was formal and even embedded an apology they still glared at her. One woman stood, her long back hair almost touching the ground. Judging by her outfit she was either a maid or a cook. It was hard to tell. "Listen here little girl!" Kagome flinched visibly at the insult. She was twenty years old now. That's middle aged for this era. "You should be happy that Sesshomaru-sama spared your life at all. I would demand payment of such a horrendous act!"
Then another woman stood. "Katiana-san! Do not question Lord Sesshomaru's decision! I am sure that he was….."
Kagome lost sight of the argument as she walked out of the room seemingly to no ones notice and a half full plate of food occupying her spot.
This is how she came to be lost, two and a half hours later, in a room the size of the shrine.
Looking around at the perfectly hand carved banisters she wondered how many men helped build this place. There were bleachers, though they did not look very comfy, that spanned the entire left wall and high above that was a separate sitting area that was so intricately designed that it made the carvings in the banisters look insignificant.
She couldn't see the whole sitting area but it was clear there were soft blue cushions lying delicately on the chair. She needed a better look.
She climbed the finely polished wooden stairs her Miko garb trailing lightly on the floor. When she reached the top she nearly gasped. There were two chairs side by side. The highest chair donned a giant dog, his teeth bared, and his head tilted upwards towards the crescent moon that was painted on the roof. The crescent was surrounded by several stars and if they twinkled just right she would have sworn she sat under the night sky.
The smaller chair, the one not so intricately designed but stunning none the less came to her attention. It was covered in large carved sakura blossoms that were also found on Sesshomaru's haori. She ran her fingers over the silk fabric that covered the cushions and sighed. Her feet were sore and she wished only to sit on the chair but to no avail. She knew that this seat belonged to the house Lady. Vaguely she wondered if Sesshomaru had such a woman.
A light glint caught her eye. It was resting against the other side of the chair. She could see only the hilt but it made her heart skip.
Her sword was here, resting against the Lady of the house's chair. A part of her mind tried to rationalize why it would be resting in such a place as she hurried to pick it up. It was now covered in a sheath and its power hummed low beneath the surface. She could still feel the strong pull that forced her to pick it up but it was dampened dramatically. She almost caught herself frown in disappointment.
"You there! You are trespassing!" Kagome felt her heart stop at the voice that called from below. She was in huge shit now.
--
"For the last time, how did you acquire the sword!?" the axe wielding man bellowed at her while she sat on the floor at his feet. She could feel his frustration at the situation and wondered why. It was clear where she had gotten it, right where they had left it, next to the Lady's chair. However he was less inclined to believe her so for now she simply stared at him while he ranted about the severity of what she had done. It was only when the Taiyoukai entered that she began fidget.
"Leave" Sesshomaru ordered, his eyes never leaving Kagome's. Once the room had cleared he took the place of the axe wielding man. This was where she was forced to stay, on the floor at his feet as a form of submission. Her pride bristled at the surface. "Miko, how did you acquire the sword?"
"Right where I told the others where I found it!" Her temper was getting thin. Sesshomaru snarled, he may as well have slapped her in the face. "I- I was snooping around this theatre room and I went upstairs and found it beside the Lady of the house's chair"
If Sesshomaru could pale he would be doing it now. "That is not possible." Such a simple sentence for someone who has clearly seen proof and instead of arguing she once again sat there, looking up at him.
--
It seemed to be a daily reoccurrence for her to constantly find herself in a position and have no recollection of how it came about. She was facing Sesshomaru, her sword in its sheath at her hip, while he waited for her to attack him. Personally, she didn't know one person who was stupid enough to do so besides Inuyasha.
"Miko, do not test my patience lest I find the time you are wasting not worth my while." When she spent another two minutes looking at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face he pulled out his sword and charged. She had less that half a second to react and found herself firmly shoved, face first, into the very solid wooden wall of the dojo.
Kagome pulled herself, half conscious from the floor and turned to yell at him. "You didn't even warn me!" Sesshomaru was in her face again, his nose mere centimetres away from hers. She drew her sword so fast that he took a hurried step back. "I'm not stupid enough to fight you Sesshomaru! Back off before I-" She felt the tip of his sword slide through her stomach, it didn't hurt per say, but she could feel her stomach acid eating away at her insides. At least death wasn't unpleasant.
--
Sesshomaru watched in amusement at the Miko pulled herself to her feet. It took less time then he expected after a major wound. It was only logical that if this Miko could draw the sword and not be controlled by it then her resolve was to strong. Not unlike Inuyasha and his demon blood. He just needed a little push after he realized she had tamed the demon sword.
He was unsure if she would survive the attack to her person long enough for the sword to heal her however she managed to survive his poison claws so his assumed conclusion was correct. What a strange human.
But something was not right.
This was not human blood on the air.
Golden eyes stared into his own. The same woman who collapsed to the ground only moments before now bore the marks of the western house… and under those soft dark bangs was the crescent moon that signified her position…
as Lady of the Western Lands.
--
A/N I know it's a little confusing but I assure you my dear readers there is a REASONABLE explanation to all of this. If after reading this note some readers don't get it send me a review or message and I will answer as best I can without giving stuff away
READ ALL OF THE BELOW NOTES
NOTE: Kagome has possession of a DEMON SWORD, her personality changes because, if anyone remembers Kaijinbō they also remember something similar happening to the sword smith who is taken over by tokijin. This taints Kagome's pure heart, which causes her to feel possessive and addicted to this sword. Not only does it act almost like a drug and cause hallucinations but it makes her feel euphoric.
NOTE: Ashes is making Kagome run to test her impossible speed that she achieved while holding her sword without the sword. Kagome doesn't make this connection.
NOTE: The sword is found by the Lady of the house's chair. Whether there is a current one or not is yet to be revealed. Sesshomaru also claims that it was not supposed to be there.
NOTE: Sesshomaru very strategically played out the last scene. He knew that Kagome had some sort of connection to the sword since it had left its previous spot and sought her out. To see how much immunity she possessed over it he wanted her to unsheathe it. When nothing happened he attacked her, causing the sword to act out instinctively to protect its master. The last bit, however, Sesshomaru was not expecting.
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