Hi guys! I'm actually really proud of myself for updating so well! ;) I'm kinda stressed for finals, but oh well, we get cheat sheets for most classes.
CH 4
Sesshomaru rolled up the scroll and secured it to the bird's leg with a strip of leather. Walking to his window, he tossed the demon bird outside and watched it fly away with brooding eyes. His mind was occupied with only one person as of late. Turning from the sill, he fixed his gaze on the object of his consternation.
The miko was curled up on a pile of cushions in the corner. He had set before her a tray of sticky rice sweets and a chalice of chilled tangerine juice (both approved by that snarky healer, of course), but they had gone untouched. Her eyes were closed. It seemed that she slept a good twenty-three out of the twenty-four hours in a day, and Sesshomaru couldn't figure out for the life of him why. Some demons were like that, particularly cats, but he knew humans to be fairly industrious. He would especially have expected more of someone like the miko. And not only was she constantly sleeping, she still hadn't said a single word, nor had she shown a spark of interest in her surroundings. This morning he had had to force feed her again, her lying limply in his arms like a rag doll. It was wholly discouraging, and Sesshomaru was at a loss for what to do.
He had to wake her up from this stupor. He didn't even know what her name was, dammit!
He looked out his window again, looking at his manicured gardens. And then a bright idea occurred to him.
Dashing to where the miko reposed on his pillows, he picked her up gingerly. When she was nestled safely in his arms, he leapt straight out the window, foregoing the halls. He made an impeccable landing on the perfectly trimmed grass. Noting his staff looking on curiously, Sesshomaru quickly found a spot that was particularly aesthetic.
Walking with a speed and dignity that was appropriate for his title, he set down the miko gently under the heavily flowering boughs of a young apple tree.
"When you are ready to come inside, call. I will hear."
There was no response from her, but he sensed a faint shift in her aura, and knew she had heard. He turned and walked away, giving the gawking staff a warning glare, making it clear she was not to be approached. They scattered like fish under his gaze, and satisfied, he returned to his study, choosing to go by the hallways this time. The moment he was back inside his sheltered alcove, he went straight to the window. The positioning was such that he could look upon her with ease, but it was highly unlikely she would happen to see him.
It didn't take long for a reaction to occur, but to his impatient heart, it seemed centuries. Ten minutes passed with the miko sleeping away under the apple tree for all intents and purposes.
Then to his triumph, the miko's eyes gradually opened, blinking repeatedly as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Slowly, her head turned to the side as she took in her surroundings, and her chest rose almost imperceptibly as she took in deep breaths of the delectable aroma of fresh apple blossom combined with the surrounding scent of his famed gardens. A passing breeze toyed with her hair, and as those dark locks swirled around her face, they concealed her sickly pallor and sunken cheekbones, reminding Sesshomaru what a beauty she had been- -still was, under all those layers of torture and abuse.
Just then, the sun came out from behind a cloud and filtered down on the miko through the delicate pink foliage. The boughs of the tree swayed gently in the wind, shifting the dappled pattern of the sunlight on her figure. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes again, but Sesshomaru knew she wasn't going into another stupor. She was drinking in the sunlight like a starved man drinks from an oasis.
It was hard to tell, with the distance and angle, but he thought he saw muscles he hadn't known to be tense relax. She leaned back into the trunk of the tree, kissing the bark with her spine. Her eyes opened again, and she looked around with more energy, even reaching out with a skeletal hand and combing through the grass with her fingers.
Satisfied that she would be content and pleased with himself for thinking of the idea, Sesshomaru left the window and returned to his desk. Staring down at a stack of reports and papers to sign, he suddenly found it much easier to concentrate. A faint smile playing around his lips, he set down to work.
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Inu no Taisho, Supreme Lord of the West, was working at his desk when a messenger bird landed on his window sill. With his next inhale, he knew it had come from his son.
"Come here, bird."
It fluttered to his hand, and submitted to being relieved of its burden. "Stay," he commanded. Being demonic, it could understand simple orders. With the bird perching meekly on the corner of his desk, Inu no Taisho opened the letter and began to read.
When he was finished, he set it down, a prominent smirk on his ruggedly handsome face. "Ah, Sesshomaru, why do you ask this of me?" He leaned back in his chair, pushing it onto its back legs. Chuckling, he righted his chair and languidly reached for a pad of paper. "Well, ask and you shall receive, my son. However," he added with a sudden malevolent gliny in his eyes, "I cannot promise you will like what you receive."
He scribbled off a hasty note and ripped the sheet of paper off the pad. "Not for you, bird," he playfully scolded the messenger when it leaned forward, bright eyes alert. "Page!"
A young inuyoukai hurried forward from his unobtrusive position next to the door. "Yes, my Lord?"
"Give this paper to the Captain of the Jail Guard and return to me with what he gives you."
"Yes, my Lord."
It didn't take long for the page to return, and when he did, he presented Inu no Taisho with a tiny red silk purse.
"Very good, Page."
"Thank you, my Lord."
Inu no Taisho opened the purse and took out the narrow shard of black crystal it contained. Ah, what a marvelous invention this was. It was a recording device with eyes as well as ears, and this particular one was a copy of the experiences of a very special prisoner. He twirled it, pressing against the smooth, faceted stone with the rough pads of his fingers. He chuckled and replaced the shard, securing the purse.
"Ask and you shall receive," he repeated jovially as he tied the purse around the bird's eagerly offered leg, not bothering with an accompanying message. "Oh, my son, who am I to deny you?"
When the bird had disappeared behind a cloud, Inu no Taisho leaned back on his chair again and roared with laughter.
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The day passed with the miko in his gardens, and Sesshomaru checking up on her periodically from his window. Sometimes she was awake, sometimes she was not. As he had desired, his staff left her alone as they performed their duties, skirting around her carefully.
Hours ticked by, but as night fell with the miko showing no sign of wishing to come inside, he began to worry. Should he bring her in? Perhaps it would be better for her to sleep outside? But she could get sick from the cold. Besides, the damp wasn't healthy for her. But she needed the fresh air… Sesshomaru weighed his options and made his decision.
He left his study and headed for the gardens, going by way of the hallways. He didn't want to startle her by dropping out of the sky, after all. He stepped outside and began to retrace his steps from the afternoon. As he got closer, he began to wonder if she would speak to him. He hoped so, but if she didn't, he wouldn't be surprised. Years of torture couldn't be undone by a single day in the gardens. He planned to have her spend the majority of her time outside from now on.
Sesshomaru was making good progress despite the darkness. The only thing between him and the miko now was an ancient maple, and he prepared to step around it- -but he halted. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and without quite knowing why, he peered cautiously around the wide trunk. His eyes widened.
Around the miko were gathered a number of ghostly silver deer. In the night they shone without corporeal form, simply moving forms of moonlight and stars. Their eyes, a pure gold, glowed with a brightness to rival the moon itself. They moved gracefully around the miko, who gazed upon them as if it were a daily occurrence- -yet it was anything but.
The celestial deer were legendary, appearing in the night to troubled innocents. They visited only the purest and kindest, and imparted their chosen with the spiritual strength they needed. They were the stuff of bedtime stories, of myths. To witness this happening… Sesshomaru felt incredibly blessed.
Hardly daring to breathe, he watched as one by one, they stepped forward and bent their slender necks to touch their noses to the miko's forehead, glowing briefly before disintegrating into silvery dust that spiraled up high into the sky until they were indistinguishable from the stars.
At last, there was only one left, and he almost gasped to see the miko lean forward and wrap her arms around the ghostly deer, burying her face into the misty form. It calmly allowed it, radiating moonlight. Finally, she leaned back against the apple tree, and by the light emitted by the deer, Sesshomaru saw that a single tear was rolling down her cheek. The deer leaned down and licked the tear from her face before touching its nose to her forehead like the others. Sesshomaru waited for it to disappear, but to his shock, it turned its great transparent head and looked straight at him with its luminous golden eyes.
They locked gazes, and Sesshomaru felt a questioning attitude from the deer. Serenity flooding him from head to toe, he stepped forward, revealing himself fully. Squaring his shoulders, he said softly, "I will protect her. I swear it." Then, driven by an unidentified urge, he bowed.
He sensed satisfaction from the celestial animal. After a moment, the deer dipped its head to him, then finally released its form, disintegrating into stardust.
Awed, he could not move for a moment. Then, breathless, Sesshomaru walked forward and knelt so he was level with the Shikon Miko. Reaching out, he caressed the side of her face. "Tell me… Was that quite real?"
She did not reply, but she met his gaze, and he saw in her eyes a clarity that hadn't been there before.
Knowing he would not receive an answer but the one in his heart, he gently cradled her to his chest and rose to his feet, painfully aware of the treasure he was holding.
And right then and there, Lord Sesshomaru, the Killing Perfection decided- -no matter how long it took, no matter how much of him it took, he would see to it that the Shikon Miko would laugh again.
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The next morning, his messenger bird returned.
Day Three of 12 Days of Christmas, during which I update one of my stories or post a oneshot every day up until and including Christmas Day!
Previously, we had A Sea Maiden's Song: Mermaids are hunted mercilessly for their beautiful song, which is said to cleanse even the filthiest soul and heal the gravest of wounds. And that is how Kagome came to be dragged from the sea, entangled in a net, and hauled off to Sesshomaru's court.
And next, we'll have Blue-Eyed Songbird: an Inuyasha re-imagining of the classic tale Helen of Troy. Kagome, renown for her beauty across the lands, is stolen by Lord Sesshomaru of the West on the eve of her wedding, sparking a huge war.
Cheers!
Philosophy Blue