AN: While I realize there was no form of sign language (as we know of it today) in Japan until the Edo period, I figured since demons existed, I was sure they would have their own silent language similar to what we have now. While JSL is much more complex with their language and syntax, I'm basing this story off ASL which has a structure completely different than spoken or written English. So I kept the signing in the story simple which resulted in "broken speech" or "poor English/language skills".
Ex. I need to go to the bathroom. Or, Where's the bathroom? I need to go! (Both are perfectly acceptable English)
In ASL it would be the sign bathroom repeatedly. If it was me signing, I would sign bathroom and either make a pained expression and/or sign bathroom while doing the pee-pee dance.
I'm also aware that signs and gestures are/were different between languages, but for the sake of the story, just go with it. Same with the Latin. I'm aware Latin has a different structure, just for story read and enjoy. It's a work of fiction not historical accuracies.
And once again, thank you for all your reviews. I love and appreciate eah and every one of them. Now on to the story.
Part IV
It was nice to have a day off. As much as she wanted to get this done and over with, Kagome enjoyed the quiet respite of feudal life. Today she would go and find a bathing area. Her hair was starting to feel itchy and oily and she feared her deodorant wasn't working as it should. That's all she needed was for a dog demon to smell all of her; intimate parts and all. She shuddered at the thought, and felt her stomach churn. Sickening.
She grabbed her supplies and went to find someone who could tell her where she could get cleaned up. She came upon a young demon child and asked. The child stood staring at nothing, ignoring her completely. She asked again; nothing. A loud crash from the main housing unit made Kagome whip her head around and look for the sound. Not seeing anything, she was suddenly dawned on a realization: He didn't look.
Kagome decided to try something else. She tapped his shoulder. He whipped around to stare at her. It was like he was shocked she was standing right there. Was his nose not working? She didn't want to know if it was, she was just glad it wasn't because of his nose that he turned around. She decided to ask him a third time, he blinked not comprehending.
She didn't know if this would work, but she decided to try something that was out of the norm. Plus, there was no one around to make fun of her for trying. She tried sign language, and started with the sign for 'bathe'. His golden eyes grew wide and a huge smile lit his face. He made the sign for 'bathe' like she had just done and Kagome nodded in agreement. He turned and raced down a path too quickly for her to keep up.
Kagome wasn't fluent in sign language as she liked to be at this moment, but she was thanking her stars that she knew some words. When she was 11, almost 12, she started to babysit a deaf boy at the end of her street. It was frustrating sending letters back and forth to communicate, so she slowly learned JSL and ASL since his father was an American. She stopped babysitting on her 15th birthday when she was dragged down the well. But she was teaching Shippo the language so she wouldn't be rusty. If there was a sign she didn't know, she wrote it down and asked when she got back to her time, then would teach Shippo the sign. It was fun to talk silently to each other when Inuyasha was being intolerable. They could sit on either side of the fire at night and have a carefree conversation.
Kagome rounded the corner and watched the young demon stop to stare at her. 'You fast!' she signed, and the demon boy nodded. He stood outside the entrance to a hot spring. Kagome could smell the earth and the heated water from outside, it was amazing. The boy was about to leave when Kagome waved her hand in front of him trying to gain his attention. He stood waiting watching silently for her hands to speak. 'Thank you.'
'You're welcome.' He signed back.
'You, me, bathe. Now.' Kagome signed leaving no room for answer because she turned her back and started to walk into the hot spring entrance. She disliked bathing alone, especially in a spring.
The place was deserted, which Kagome was grateful for. The hot spring itself was co-ed, but there were separate changing rooms for men and women. It was silly because the wash areas were open to the co-ed spring.
Kagome slipped on her bathing suit, which she always made sure to pack, and took her supplies over to the other side. She helped the child demon remove his tightly wrapped clothing and sat him on a stool to wash his sin-worthy hair. It was matted slightly, but he was a boy with long flowing hair. It was only natural to get tangled. Boys never cared about taking care of their hair or the one thing Kagome was seriously jealous over: how long their eyelashes could get. They had no idea the product that went onto them to get them that long. It should have been a crime! She used her soft brush to untangle most of the mess. Kagome hummed to herself knowing the boy couldn't hear it and he wouldn't complain she was completely off key. Shippo never complained either, but Inuyasha always did.
She could bake a mean chocolate chip cookie, could kill a demon, but couldn't carry a tune to save her life. Under Kagome's care, the boy's hair was smooth once more. She would have to apply so much product to her hair to get it this silky. Then she would take an hour with a flat iron to get it that smooth. This was the epitome of crime against nature! And she knew he didn't appreciate what he had. No guy ever did.
She took the washcloth and started to wash his back. She rubbed the foamy cloth over his skin and gasped as makeup was removed. His back was pure white as snow with a magenta jagged stripe. Shippo appeared to be 5 years old, and this demon wasn't much bigger. He was willowy like he should have been 10-12 by human appearances which meant he was well over a century old.
There were only two people with stripes. One was Sesshomaru's mother, and the other was Sesshomaru. She couldn't see Sesshomaru having another sibling, especially one Inuyasha wouldn't know about, so either he was a freak of nature or he was the true Crowned Prince and heir to the Western Lands. What the hell was going on?
Kagome continued to clean the child. Stripes appeared on his arms and legs. She took the cloth to his face and continued to remove the paste hiding his features. Why was he covered from head to toe in makeup? Why were his markings covered? The customary crescent moon glistened against his pale skin. She sat back and admired his true face, not the one he wanted people to see. He was the spitting image of his father. Kagome wanted to feel apprehensions about being so close to the demon child, but her heart was telling her to ignore them; this child needed her.
'Beautiful.' She signed, smiling down on the bashful demon and reached over to grab the bucket full of water to wash his hair. This was probably why he couldn't smell her. The paste covering him head to toe was probably covering up his demon senses too. That was just cruel. First his hearing and then his sense of smell, what bastards!
A short while later, Kagome and the deaf demon were soaking in the hot spring, both clean and relaxing in the cool morning's air. The warm heat of the water chased away the cold morning air. Every stress and anxiety from this mating game washed away with the slight lapping of the water. This was bliss.
The demon boy, who was enjoying himself up until now, caught a glance of his face in the water and started to freak out. Kagome had a hard time keeping up with his frantic hand gestures and his body trying to race out of the water. Finally after struggling and Kagome partially drowning, she was able to find out the story. Kagome cried and pulled the demon child into her arms and they stood that way until the demon gently made Kagome release him. He was Sesshomaru's son. Abandoned by his mother, deserted by his father, he was truly alone. At least Inuyasha knew the love of a parent. This boy was allowed to remain alive because he was part of Sesshomaru's pack; even if it was just in the shadows.
Why was this farce of a game going on if there was already an heir? How does being deaf equate to being inferior? Was he the "just in case heir" if Sesshomaru died? That would be like Kagome being the "just in case woman" if Kikyo were to have died before Inuyasha made her his mate. Kagome, for one, would have none of it.
She would play this game out until the very end, but she would not let the child cover up who and what he was. She would not stand for it. Her heart broke for the demon child.
They left the bliss of the hot spring in search of breakfast. They entered the dining area and sets of eyes were locked on them. The demon made a move to leave, but she blocked his way. 'No. sit. Eat. ' she signed, refusing to let him slink back into his previous routine of being cast into the shadows.
The demon slumped his shoulders and gave up, taking his usual seat. Kagome slid in beside him. 'Thank you' she signed as he nodded once and began to eat. Kagome felt weird trying to eat with eyes staring at them. How could this kid do it? It wasn't until another demon entered the room that all eyes stopped. It wasn't that he came into the room, more like he exploded into it. He was someone she would not like to cross in a dark alley all alone.
The demon signed so fast Kagome missed it. The demon child bowed low and started to gather up his unfinished food when Kagome placed a hand on him and looked at him questioningly. 'Breakfast over lesson now.' He signed without looking at her.
Kagome turned and glared at the teacher. She finally got the attention of the demon child and signed, 'Sit. Eat.' Kagome won the battle of wills because the demon sat down and finished his breakfast. The teacher sat across from him. Kagome could see the displeasure on his face, but paid it little regard and continued to enjoy her breakfast.
He growled and in a thick foreign accent said something to the servant who knew not what he said. Her blank look was a dead give away. She could tell this wasn't his first failed run in conversation. Kagome counted six sighs from the one sentence. He wasn't from around here. His skin was sun kissed naturally, not from actually working in the sun. His eyes were a sharp green, it sparkled intelligence and patience that was wearing thin each day. Why would a demon come to such an isolated country and not learn Japanese? His lips were slightly chewed, showing the mounting stress of his time here. Kagome suspected there would never be bags under his eyes.
His chiseled features reminded her of a Greek god. Then his thick accent clicked a light bulb in her head. He was speaking Latin. It wasn't all that uncommon to have a few people from the far west settle down and do missions work. There was a group of missionaries who had a shard fragment, and who willingly gave it up because she could speak to them not in a 'barbaric' language.
The only reason Kagome knew Latin was because her family owned a shrine. It was considered rude if she went to a ceremony and didn't know the language. There were many Christians in Japan, some Roman Catholic and their services were done in the mother tongue. Latin helped her with English, it was fun to see the connection to all the different words. No one actually spoke Latin outside of ceremonies, but while math wasn't her strong suit, language was a far better contender.
Kagome was brought back to the present when the bowl was thrown across the room, and the Greek man was ranting. "What is it that you want?" Kagome asked in Latin which caused both demons to stare at her in mild shock.
"Rice. Rice and fish. Nothing else. Rice and fish." He stated back almost at the end of his limits.
She relayed the message back to the servant who quickly ran to do her bidding. A few moments later the servant came out with just rice and fish. The demon was so thrilled, he took the servant by the upper arms and planted a kiss on either side of her cheek. Kagome laughed as the servant sputtered and ran. It was customary, not romantic.
"Thank you my divine angel. How is it someone so young and human knows my language?"
"My mother has made sure my education has not been lacking." Kagome raised the miso bowl to her lips and drank the liquid.
"But you are a native of this land. You should not know my language as well as you do. And you are far too young to have been to the west and back." He gave her a slow once over, making her very close to squirming under his stare.
Normally a journey to the west took an entire lifetime and that's if they made it there alive. "Rome is a beautiful city. But I'm a romantic at heart and much preferred the Grand Canal in Venice."
"You lie. You are much too young to have made the trip to the west and back." The demon looked for deception but wasn't able to find any. Kagome had been to Italy once when she was eight. She was too young to remember much, just feelings and images remained.
"You must be correct, because demons are never mistaken. Then again, we aren't having this conversation, and I'm not here to help you with the servants." Kagome stated smugly and crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged.
The demon laughed, no Japanese woman shrugged, that was a trait of the western women. "My name is Lupercus, and it's a pleasure to meet someone I do not have to play a communication game with. Woman or demon."
"So you're Roman and not Greek." Kagome nodded her head. "My name is Kagome, and unlike you I am not famous. I believe it was your mate Lupa who helped to found Rome."
Lupercus gasped at her knowledge. "How could you know? There are tales but none this far east." Kagome gave him a knowing smile and motioned him to eat. The deaf demon had finished his food and was waiting to be filled in our conversation.
Kagome watched as Lupercus quickly signed the story much faster than Kagome ever could. 'Him eat. We lesson. Now' Kagome signed and the small demon hung his head in defeat. Kagome giggled, he was so much like Souta when it came to school work.
"How is it you know the demon language of the silent?" Lupercus asked as he swallowed a large mouthful of plain rice.
"I'll tell you later, unless you choose not to believe me now, and not waste both of our time." Kagome winked and ushered the deaf demon out of the dining room.
All hell broke lose the moment the advisor took one look at the child's face and noticed all the markings. The boy's personal attendant came in with a large case and chastised the boy while trying to proceed in covering up his heritage markings
"Pathetic child," his attendant, another dog demon, stated out loud, "Why are you trying to dishonor your Lord? Come now, we will place the paste on your face and hopefully you will not get reprimanded for it."
Kagome stood in front of the attendant and blocked the young demon from scrutiny. "What would happen if you didn't cover his markings?"
"He could be thrown out of the pack. If that were to happen, no one would want to bear the burden and responsibility of taking care of a slow demon. He would be killed before nightfall. He should be grateful of the mercy his Lord bestows upon him."
Kagome wanted to gag on the righteousness and the bullshit that was being spewed by the attendant. "He would not be killed, as the Alpha female of my pack, he would be welcomed into mine with open arms."
The boy tugged Kagome's shirt and asked, 'What?' His big golden eyes looking up at her questioningly, hoping this time he wouldn't be ignored anymore. He might not be able to hear, but he could read body language and he could tell both were fighting.
'Say no. They not like. They say paste or no pack. You mine. Enough hiding.' Kagome took a few slow calming breaths to calm her nerves. She wanted to turn around and snarl at the dog demon and it took all of her control not to.
No one was going to be oppressed on her watch—demon or not. She wasn't going to stand for it. The poor child. She would stand this alone if she had to. If her pack deserted her, not that they ever would, she would stand by this demon's side since everyone else in this world abandoned him.
The demon boy went and closed the wooden case and shook his head, finally taking a stand for himself. He wasn't going to be oppressed any longer, not when there was someone who would willingly take him as he was. It was a gamble on both their parts, but Kagome would be damned if she didn't try.
The attendant left in a huff, ranting about telling Lord Sesshomaru, and how Kagome was going to be punished for her insubordination. Kagome laughed and ruffled the demon's silky hair and nudged him to his lesson, where the advisor was standing with little patience remaining.
Kagome listened in on the young demon's class. She couldn't figure out what kind of demon he was. He wasn't an otter, he wasn't one of the many dogs, he wasn't anything Kagome could easily figure out. It really didn't matter, but she was curious. She shrugged her thought away and tried to listen back to what was being taught.
One of Sesshomaru's personal advisors was trying to teach the demon mathematics. The advisor didn't know sign language so there was a heavy communication barrier; then the advisor's back would be turned so even if the child could read lips, he couldn't read backs. Then he would proceed in a manner that confused Kagome, and she got simple math!
Math was an easy to teach, but a hard concept to understand until it clicks. Kagome could see the young demon struggling and he gave up when the advisor screamed out his name and threw down his abacus and stormed out. Leaving a frustrated and confused child in his wake.
Hiroaki, the demon child's name, looked up and stared at Kagome with a frustration that broke her heart, silent tears were threatening to spill. She walked over to the bowl and grabbed a handful of stones and placed them on the table. She started to count with her fingers up to ten. Hiroaki understood the concept. Kagome would count again with her fingers just this time she would have the amount of stones in one hand to the number on her fingers. She repeated the count; finger to stone until the light bulb flashed and he understood. Kagome started signing random numbers and left Hiroaki to place the correct amount of stones.
Once he got it, the kid was smart as a whip. Kagome started to add numbers and left him to figure it out. He got frustrated at first until he realized that adding the stones together and counting them equaled the number. Then the same for subtraction. Then the same for larger numbers higher than ten. When it clicks, it clicks. Hiroaki was proud of his lesson and his progress. Kagome noticed that several hours passed, and they had probably skipped lunch, but it was worth a shot to see if the kitchen was still opened. They walked down the hall and Kagome was intrigued by the different sounds she heard.
The advisor was speaking to Sesshomaru and Lupercus in what seemed to be a dog language, a series of growls and barks. "The boy doesn't understand, he's too slow. There can be no teaching of anything for one who can not hear." The advisor switched to Japanese to keep Lupercus out of the conversation.
Kagome's head whipped around and venom dripped from her lips. "Excuse me. Say that again?" She demanded. She didn't care who she was addressing. This was probably not the most diplomatic way of dealing with things, but Kagome was never one to just sit around and wait, or let anyone be spoken badly about.
"This is not your place, woman. Leave and let the demons speak." The advisor dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Kagome choked back a heated remark, trying her best to bite her tongue. She was trying…
"What did he say Kagome?" Lupercus asked in Latin. He broke away from the pack and stood in front of the advisor, blocking the murderous rage that was building upon sight.
"He claims Hiroaki is too stupid to comprehend mathematics. He understands it just fine. The advisor is the one with the problem. Hiroaki is smart, test him, he knows his numbers. I bet you Hiroaki is smarter than the old buffoon." Kagome stood straight and crossed her arms. This was a subject she wasn't going to budge on. She was given a quizzical look by Sesshomaru. Was knowing more than one language another test? She gave him a righteous smirk back.
Lupercus relayed Kagome's message and challenge to Sesshomaru and to the advisor. The advisor huffed and accepted, his pride was bruised at the challenge. Lupercus went back into the room and retrieved the abacus and the stones. Sesshomaru asked for a sum of 14 and 12. Hiroaki quickly counted and had amassed a handful of stones, placing them into his father's hand. Kagome already knew the answer was correct. The advisor was still figuring it out.
'You hungry?' Kagome signed and the boy nodded. Without waiting for a count verification, they made their way into the dining room to see if there was any possibility of lunch left. They finished their meal and were sitting back relaxing when the advisor and Sesshomaru waltzed into the room.
"How did he get the correct answer so quickly?" The advisor demanded.
"Because you suck at teaching so I taught him myself. I did tell you I could do math, if you weren't listening, that's not my problem." Both were taken aback. Hiroaki was confused at their expression and asked what's happening. "'They think you stupid. They wrong. You smart.'" Kagome spoke what she signed to the young demon who was close to laughing.
"How is it you are able to do math?"
Kagome smiled. "I was taught by better people than your advisor. Oh while we are doing mathematics, does this mean I pass another test? You're making this way too easy, there's no challenge. I don't think you're trying Sesshomaru. Of course, why would you, you have a very smart heir right here." She smiled brightly at the young boy who beamed right back.
Kagome choked on the lack of air. Sesshomaru had her pinned against the wall in an attempt to crush her wind pipe. Kagome couldn't be mad at the situation, she knew better than to egg on an egomaniac, self absorbed, ice prince. Instead, one of the rules popped in her head and she laughed. "You can't kill me." His eyes flashed a dark gold tempting her to push his buttons. "Your rules not mine." She whispered out before succumbing to the mirth dancing in her eyes.
He released her immediately. "The next test you will fail." He turned and strode out.
"You won't be able to lift the next challenge." The advisor smirked and followed out after his lord. Kagome laughed as much as she could before she choked on the air.
"So the next one will be heavy, huh? Guess it means I should come ready." She told herself as she rubbed her sore neck. Why were dog demons so bloody temperamental? Even PMSing females weren't this bad! Of course Kagome knew better than to poke hormonal females with ego sticks—dog demons? Not so much.
'You hurt?' The demon child asked her when everyone had left the room.
Kagome shook her head to quiet the silent concern of the boy. 'Fine.' She signed. Kagome wondered how she was supposed to lift something heavy, then it came to her: a lever. She grinned, why couldn't they make it a little more challenging?
A human girl from the future was totally kicking ass at this mating game crap. Apparently they were 500 years too early to compete with her. She just needed to find a board and a possible stone and she would be set.
An announcement was made some time after the early dinner that everyone was to gather in the main courtyard to start the next challenge. Kagome was excited. Inuyasha wasn't back yet so he couldn't have another heart attack on her. Kikyo stood by silently watching and encouraging Kagome to succeed. Girl Power.
"Next challenge is simple. Move this boulder." The advisor smirked in victory.
That was it? Nothing about with your own strength, or with your bare hands, or in 5 seconds? Kagome hung her head. It wasn't in shame, it was because the advisor was more of an idiot than she gave him credit for.
Some tried and failed. This was a competition to weed out the ones weak of heart, mind and body. When it was Kagome's turn, she grabbed the plank resting on the ground beside her and made her way to the boulder. She didn't need the stone because the crater was deep enough not to need one. She felt eyes staring at her from the back of the room. She turned and noticed Lupercus and Hiroaki staring at her. "Archimedes once said, 'Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth.' So I am doing as he taught." She spoke to him in Latin, very much enjoying the 'secret' language.
Lupercus was busy translating what Kagome said and trying not to laugh at her ingenious idea. Kagome was probably going to flash everyone with this next move, but the crow they were about to eat would be well worth it.
She placed her board under the rock, creating a wedge and nice lift once she placed some weight on it. She examined everything and was about to lift when she noticed the advisor was standing in her trajectory. "You might want to move unless death by boulder is your salvation." She didn't wait any longer and she used her entire body weight and sent the boulder up in the air about a foot before having it roll quickly towards the advisor. Had Sesshomaru not stopped it, it would have crushed the aide.
"I thought I was failing this one?" At his cold death glare, Kagome knew she passed. "The least you could do is make it challenging. I'm bored. Maybe we should have you compete for our attention. At least then we would come up with something a little more stimulating." Kagome was walking away when something clipped her shoulder and bounced in front of her.
She blinked and turned sending a death glare to everyone behind her. The advisor jumped, squeaked and hid behind his lord. Kagome turned back and bent down to open the scroll and read:
The village at the South Eastern border has four apple trees that produce a total of 8 buckets. Each bucket contains 15 apples. The village at the Northern border has three apple trees that produce a total of 12 buckets. Each bucket contains 14 apples. How many apples should they give to their Lord at harvest time to keep both sides fair?
"Really? This is the test you want to give me to stimulate me?" Kagome wanted to bash her head in the courtyard ground.
"If you can't figure it out, then you shall be disgraced." The advisor chuckled and waited for his Lord's approval to continue.
She sat down and wrote small on the ground. 8*15 = 120. 12*14 = 168. 4x+120 = 3x+168. 168-120=48
She quickly wiped away the answer from the dirt and called out to Lupercus at the back. "Quickly grab Hiroaki's stones." He quickly dashed into the compound to retrieve the stones. Kagome beckoned the deaf boy forward. She turned to Sesshomaru and the advisor. "I've already figured out the answer, but because you failed to stimulate me, I'll teach your son to get the correct answer."
The advisor was cut off by Sesshomaru. Hiroaki came up and timidly looked up at Kagome. She signed, 'Show you smart.'
The boy nodded and took a deep breath and semi straightened his shoulders. Lupercus returned with the bowl of stones and Kagome set to work. '4 trees' Kagome signed and then wrote 4T on the ground. 'Total 8 bucket 15 apple' She signed then wrote (8 x 15) on the ground. Hiroaki looked at her confused. '8 groups 15.' She signed for further clarification.
Hiroaki understood and started to set up eight groups with 15 in each. After that was done, he counted 120 and signed his answer. Kagome wrote overtop of the bracket, 120. '3 trees' Kagome wrote 3T on the ground. 'Total 12 bucket with 14 apples' She wrote (12 x 14) on the ground.
Sesshomaru and the advisor looked on at the weird writing on the ground: 4T+120=3T+(12 x 14)
The boy quickly came up with the correct answer of 168. So Kagome placed it above the brackets. 'We isolate now.' Kagome moved the 120 under the 168. 'Difference.' She signed leaving him to do the subtraction of both numbers.
'48.' He signed. Kagome placed the 48 under the 120. Kagome moved the three under the four and was about to sign to Hiroaki who gave her a pointed look. Without even being asked, he placed a single stone down.
T=48
'What T?' Kagome signed and Hiroaki pointed to the 48. Kagome smiled at him and nodded. "Your answer is 48." Kagome informed the hearing crowd as she rose and dusted off her white socks. "Since this scroll is pretty worn, you're welcome for doing your job for you." She handed the scroll back to the advisor, gathered the stones and left with a proud Hiroaki.
"For future advice, next time, ask if you're having that much of a problem. I'm sure the lowly human or the deaf demon could help you figure it out. After all, that problem was child's play." Kagome laughed as they left the courtyard. She could feel the heated daggers flying into her back.
A few minutes later, Kikyo took Kagome aside and gasped at her display. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Kikyo shook her head thanking every deity that Inuyasha wasn't present.
Kagome took a deep breath and confided, "This is why I don't play games and don't participate in sports. I play to win and obliterate the opposition while doing so. Plus, they have Hiroaki, why are we even here? There is nothing wrong with him, his ears don't work. That's reason enough for me to win."
Kikyo nodded. Kagome had the courage to display what Kikyo wished so desperately to be (even on the inside.) "Then I think you are accomplishing your task wonderfully."
Kagome smiled brightly at Kikyo. "Thanks, but we'll leave out most of the details when Inuyasha asks."
"Agreed." Kikyo nodded and walked away towards her room to have a cup of tea and relax her fragile nerves.
