A/N: Here's the next one shot. This one is very AU, it takes place in the second half of the nineteenth century in Europe (don't know why, but I was picturing London when writing). It's going to be a long one, so brace yourselves…
THE BIRDCAGE
"Come on son, let us hurry. I promised Izayoi that I will come home from the club early tonight." Touga said as he took off his top hat and stepped into the hooded open carriage.
"I still fail to see why you want me to accompany you tonight. You have never asked me to come with you to the club." Sesshomarou remarked dryly as he reluctantly sat next to his father.
Touga knocked on the roof of their vehicle with his ornamented cane, to signal their coachman to start going. As the horses picked up pace, the older man smiled before answering his son's previous question.
"Well Sesshomarou, you are no longer a child. You are now eighteen years old and they are some things you must learn about life. Also soon you will be married to the daughter of Lord Hyouneko, and as your father it is my duty to be sure that your complete education is taken care of."
"I fail to see the link between my impending nuptials with Touran and you taking me with you to the club. I also doubt that spending my evening watching old men drink expansive alcohol and smoking tobacco while playing cards is going to benefit me in anyway" an irritated Sesshomarou said.
"You would be surprised about how much a man can learn in an evening…" Touga trailed off with a knowing smile.
As Sesshomarou peered out the window he noticed that their carriage was not going in the direction of the upscale Lord's club his father belonged to. On the contrary it was as if it was headed in the complete opposite direction, towards the poor and vile part of the city: a place where no one would expect to see the wealthy Lord Inuyoukai and his oldest son especially at night. Sesshomarou was stunned, but as he took in his father's content facial expression, Sesshomarou decided not to comment
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Their carriage came to a sudden stop and their coachman Jaken hurriedly opened the door. Touga stepped out and put on his hat as he motioned with a cane gesture for his son to join him.
Sesshomarou looked at the shabby sinister looking building they had stopped in front of with uneasiness. But when he noticed the bright red lantern dangling over the door right under the large drawing of a spider, his apprehension turned to furry.
"You brought this Sesshomarou to a brothel!" He stated glaring at his father with blazing amber eyes darkened by anger.
"Do not speak to me on such a tone. As I said earlier I brought you here for your education. I can understand your anxiety, for I was felt the same way when my father brought me here all those years ago. But I can assure you, you will learn to appreciate this place as much as I have and you will have fun. God knows you need it…" The older man said as he entered the dark house.
Sesshomarou turned around and noticed that Jaken had already disappeared, no doubt to park the carriage in a dark place, as it just would not do if someone recognized the vehicle of Lord Inuyoukai in such a shabby place.
Reluctantly and sighing in defeat the future Lord followed his father and went inside. The inside of the brothel was the complete opposite of the outside. As much as the exterior looked tattered the interior looked lavish and luxurious. Heavy and heady aromas were floating in the well lit hall. Many exquisite and comfortable looking plush seats were scattered in the hall around the big staircase.
After taking in the surrounding it took Sesshomarou a little time to focus his gaze on the people present in the hall. There were obviously wealthy older men discussing with women wearing beautiful dresses and too much make up. The young man' amber gaze did not miss that many of the 'ladies' dresses had altered necklines which showed more cleavage than decency allowed. A group of younger men were drinking alcohol and playing cards with a 'lady' sitting on their lap while others were obviously smoking opium half hidden behind curtains at the end of the hall.
"Touga, my good friend such a pleasure to see you again!" said a man walking towards them. His familiarity with his father forced Sesshomarou to halt his scrutiny of the people around them and lay his eyes on the new comer.
The man was by all standards handsome and was smartly dressed, he had wavy and visibly oily black hair and cold dark red eyes. But there was something about his smile and the look in his eyes that did not bode well with the young Lord.
"Yes, Naraku it has been long. I would like to introduce you to my eldest son, Sesshomarou" Touga said as he generously shook Naraku's hand.
"Let me guess it is his first time? Oh the corruption of innocence…Welcome to the Spider Club!….I know exactly the woman for him" Naraku said as he smile grew impossibly larger. He then turned around from the father and son and motioned for one of the young women standing against the wall to come.
The girl looked really young, her skin was fair and she had hair the color of the purest snow and eyes of the deepest black.
"This is Kanna, an incredible lady, smart and beautiful and also very obedient. Of course she is a little more expansive than the usual girl, but then again I can assure you she is worth it" Naraku said intently eying the girl with a critical expression one might confuse for fondness.
"So what do you think of her Sesshomarou will she do?" His father asked him. But the young man was too busy looking at a red door at the other hand of the entrance hall to answer. He could not tell why but he was enthralled by the door and what might be hidden behind it.
Ignoring his father inquiry, Sesshomarou asked pointing towards the mysterious door "what is behind this door?"
Naraku turned around and once he noticed where Sesshomarou's finger was pointing his fake friendly face dropped and was replaced by one of anger and disgust.
"Nothing to concern yourself with. Just some cheap girl, not worthy of the son of the great Lord Inuyoukai" the conniving procurer said.
"I believe that it is for this Sesshomarou to answer whether or not what lies behind the door is of his interest or not" He answered dryly.
"Sesshomarou be reasonable, if Naraku says she is far beneath our station, pick someone else. Besides you have not even seen the girl" Touga answered distracted as he was too busy looking at the women flashing him warm smiles as invitations.
"I shall have her or no other" the young lord said stubbornly. He really did not care for whoever was behind that door, but he just wanted to show Naraku that no one was to make decisions for him.
"Naraku give him the girl" Touga stated as he walked towards the pretty young brunette he had chosen for the night.
Not waiting for Naraku to answer, Sesshomarou went towards the red door.
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To Sesshomarou's shock the room was just a simple badly lit almost empty small bedroom. The major source of light was a small candle burning next to the bed. There was only a small window which was surprisingly and inconveniently placed high above the ground. It was so high that what could not watch through it. But it did allow a small sliver of moonlight to come through and bath the bed in an ethereal glow.
As he stepped closer to the bed, to his surprise Sesshomarou noticed that contrary to what he first thought, there was a woman laying on top of it. She was very still and was resting on her side, her eyes were glued to the small window.
"Hum, why are you here? I guess I'm resuming work today" the unknown woman said with a chuckle before sitting up on the bed.
With the help of the candle, Sesshomarou was now able to see her face. Half of it was bathed in the candles glow. She was a beautiful woman, that he could not deny, she had captivating magenta eyes, a lightly tanned skin and rich full red lips. But her beauty could not make him forgive her attitude.
"You can call me Kagura" she said flicking open a fan and getting off the bed but not before giving another wishful glance towards the window. With a deep sigh, Kagura stepped in front of Sesshomarou and tried to take off his jacket. He heard her mutter "let's do this, and get it over with".
"So much for romance" he said gently removing her fingers from his person and taking a step back.
"It ain't about romance lover boy" she said an amused smile on her lips.
"Lover boy?!" he exclaimed clearly not amused.
"Well, since you refused to give me your name…" she trailed off fanning herself.
"My name is Sesshomarou, eldest son of Lord Touga Inuyoukai and I am not a boy. And I am fairly certain that I am older than you" he observed dryly.
"Oh don't you know Sesshomarou age is nothing but a number. No, what really matters is life experience. Yes, life experiences define character. And no offense but I'm sure I beat you there." She said sarcastically eying his refined and immaculate clothing.
"And what do you know of my life Kagura?" he asked irritated by her blatant lack of respect.
"I just have to look at you, to know everything about you. That's also 'my job'. Reading people that is, and I'm pretty good at it." Kagura stopped fanning herself and tucked her fan away in her cleavage before resuming. "For example, you are a daddy's boy, you try so hard to show him you're the perfect son. You would do anything he asks of you, whether it is spending the night with a 'Woman like me', or simply marrying a nice and wealthy girl. I bet you have a nice and innocent fiancée waiting for you. Now, now Sesshomarou what would she say if she knew where you were tonight?"
"Do not take this Sesshomarou for an imbecile. Everyone in the city knows of my engagement to the daughter of Lord Hyouneko!"
"Oh so I failed to impress you? Then answer my question Sesshomarou. Why when I asked for your name did you give me your father's along with his standing? Could it be that poor little Sesshomarou needs to hide behind his father's protection? What are you afraid of…." Kagura started but was interrupted by Sesshomarou.
"Insolent wench! How dare you mock this Sesshomarou?" He then grabbed the front of Kagura's dress and looked deep in her eyes. A part of him wanted to kill her, for her impoliteness. But he saw something in her eyes that made him halt any movement: incredible sadness and despair.
"Why are you stopping? Go ahead, kill me. Kill the impolite wench! I'll take death over the life I have anyway, so go ahead, set me free of this prison!" she screamed tears of ager glistening on her cheeks.
Sesshomarou was so shocked by her sudden outburst that he let her go, he then quickly turned but just as he was about to leave the room she heard her say "Yes that's it flee!"
"This Sesshomarou does not flee nor cower. I just do not have any need for your company tonight, but I shall be back!" He exclaimed before going out.
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"So did you enjoy yourself?" Touga asked his son on the ride back home. Ever since Sesshomarou had come out of 'the red room' he had seemed extremely distracted and more silent than usual. His father did not know what to make of his strange behavior. Was Sesshomarou so shocked by having been close to a woman or did something go on behind the red door
"It was an intriguing and eye opening experience. I guess that… I shall visit again." Sesshomarou said ignoring his father's stunned expression.
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It was with apprehension that Sesshomarou made his way to the 'Spider club'. He had to wait for the perfect opportunity to slip out of the house. In other words he had to wait until his father went to the Lord's weekly meeting and bribe Jaken to accompany him. He really could not tell why, but he had to see the woman again. After all she had doubted his honor and called him a coward. And his honor was one of the things he valued the most. And to think that this woman dared mock and disrespect him so blatantly made his blood boil.
Sesshomarou interrupted his reflection when he noticed that the carriage had come to a stop. He gracefully stepped out and quickly walked right to the shabby building. The red light had been safely put away, but the drawing of the spider was still visible.
"Ku ku ku what do we have here? Well, what a surprised I was not expecting you" Sesshomarou heard Naraku say as soon as he stepped inside the brothel.
As his amber gaze swiped the entrance hall, the young lord noted that unlike last time the place seemed completely empty: no customers, no girls. Only the scents of alcohol, cold tobacco and what he guessed was opium lingered in the air.
Unaffected by Sesshomarou's silence, Naraku added "let me guess, you came to see Kagura again? I did not fail to notice that she left you speechless last time…" he trailed off with a smirk.
Deciding to ignore Naraku taunting, and also since his father was not here and he had no idea of 'brothel etiquette' Sesshomarou went straight to the point.
"How much do I have to pay to see her?" he asked already taking out his wallet.
"Ku ku ku, no, today it's on the house. I will not have it any other way." Naraku chuckled shaking his head.
Resisting the urge to sigh in both relief and exasperation, Sesshomarou said "very well." Nodding slightly to Naraku, he then made his way towards the red door, unsure of what was awaiting him.
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Sesshomarou noticed that unlike last time, Kagura was sitting at a small desk in her room. He realized that last time he had barely paid attention to the piece of furniture placed in the small bedroom. But he then reasoned that it was so dark at night with only a candle and the soft moonlight sipping through the ridiculously high window that it was no surprise he had not been able to see much.
The red eyed woman slowly turned around to face the newcomer. Sesshomarou did not fail to notice that as soon as she laid eyes on him, her look of apprehension turned to a triumphant grin.
"I knew you would come back. And you did not even wait a week. I must say I am flattered, Milord" she said mockingly bowing her head to him.
Ignoring Sesshomarou's lack of answer to her teasing, Kagura asked "So, what is it that you want from me?"
The question took the young Lord by surprise; he himself did not know the answer. Ever since he had walked out the red door, his mind had been filled with images of the young woman. He saw her in his dreams at night, he remembered the sound of her labored and quick breathing when he had seized the front of her dress when he himself took in air, but mostly he could not forget the look of sorrow and despair in her eyes when she had pleaded for him to kill her. Tat was the image he wanted, no needed to get rid of, for it was haunting him.
He still could not tell whether she had been serious. Sesshomarou could guess that being one of the girls of the 'Spider club' was probably not one of the best things in life, but to the point of asking for death? To him the woman was a mystery, one that he wanted to solve…
"This Sesshomarou does not know…" he honestly answered her question.
Kagura suddenly stood up and walked to Sesshomarou she stopped only a few feet away from him and said with a smirk "could it be that you simply wanted to see me?"
Not waiting for his answer, she added "well, if you're waiting for an apology you're going to wait a long time. But to be honest I wanted to see you too. Oh and stop looking at me like that, you look like a lost puppy or something!" she teased and her smirk grew larger at Sesshomarou obvious upset.
"I'm serious I really wanted to see you, I don't know but there's something about you that's calling to me…Pfft I sound like one of those fortune tellers" Kagura then chuckled softly shaking her head.
The red eyed beauty then walked towards her bed and unceremoniously sat on it before taking out her fan and playing with it by flicking it open then close several times. She looked at Sesshomarou rigid posture and complete silence and sighed in frustration. The two of them stayed for a long time in complete silence, that is until Kagura could not take it anymore and said in a tone dripping in sarcasm "thank you dear friend that was the longest and most thrilling conversation I ever had with anyone".
Sesshomarou sent her a glare but answered "you are welcome". The young lord then took out his watch and frowned slightly at seeing that he had spent a longer amount of time than he had intended with Kagura. Therefore he decided it was time for him to leave if he wanted to go home before his father came back.
"I have to take my leave" he said bowing his head slightly in her direction before turning around. Sesshomarou knew he needed time to think, especially about how it was that he could not sense time fly, when he was in the presence of Kagura. He did not even need to speak to her, there was just as she put it 'something about him and her'
Feeling an uncanny and inexplicable sense of loss at the idea of Sesshomarou leaving her, Kagura quickly stood up and grabbed his arm before asking "will you come see me again?"
"Would that please you?" He asked back surprised. Usually women even if they loved his appearance rarely appreciated his presence. Sesshomarou figured is had something to do with the fact that he would rather silently observe them than engaging in their pitiful and shallow gossiping conversations. Even his fiancée Touran found it hard to spend an entire afternoon in his presence, Sesshomarou often caught her giving a sigh of relief as he left her side. Or it simply could be the fact that she loved another and did not want to marry the future Lord Inuyoukai.
"Yes, it would" Kagura said with a small smile.
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"Oh the puppy is back!" Kagura exclaimed sarcastically as Sesshomarou sat on the chair of her desk.
"Woman do you have to say that every week?" Sesshomarou asked mildly exasperated. He then took out the papers he had brought with him and started writing. He had surprisingly found out that he was more than capable of conversing with Kagura while taking care of the boring paperwork his father often asked him to take care of. He found that for some reason her presence made working so much more appealing.
"Woman? Does that mean I grew since your first visit two months ago?" Kagura asked sitting up from her spot on the bed and intently looking at Sesshomarou's hand gliding elegantly on the paper.
"Do not be ridiculous." Sesshomarou scoffed before once more digging his hand in his pocket and taking out the gift he had brought Kagura. He threw the gift which happened to be a fan in Kagura's direction. Luckily she managed to catch it and with mesmerized eyes opened the red and white fan and gently hug it to her chest with a bright smile.
"This Sesshomarou is aware that you have a liking to fans, and this one matches you eyes. I found it laying around in the house. I think it belonged to my mother." He said with a dismissive hand gesture. Then as he noticed Kagura's softened eyes Sesshomarou added "what, no witty comeback today?" Even if he would never admit it, this fan had a great sentimental value to him, as it was the one his mother had the first time she had met his father. It was once of the only physical memories he had of the late Lady Inuyoukai, but somehow giving it to Kagura felt like the right thing to do.
"No. I don't have any today" Kagura said smiling brightly at him. It took Sesshomarou a few seconds to catch his breath, he had never seen her smile like this and it only made her all the more beautiful. "After all it's not every day I get a gift from anyone, specially a 'client'."
"Clients? Do you get many?" Sesshomarou asked forgetting the work he had to perform and focusing his entire attention on Kagura. He was hurt at the idea of other men touching her. Ever since the start of their 'friendship' two months ago, Sesshomarou had never touched Kagura all he wanted was to spend a few hours in her presence every other afternoon. Sesshomarou never asked her to perform anything that her other 'clients' would expect from her. He simply enjoyed talking to her, or rather having her talk to him. Even if the woman had not followed a traditional schooling, she was very intelligent.
"Hum, it depends. But since I'm 'so disobedient', I tend to get less clients than the other girls" Kagura reluctantly admitted, this was a subject she absolutely did not want to talk about with her 'friend'. "To be honest, father dearest has not been very happy with me lately, therefore I had not been able to have any clients for a while" Kagura said with a pained expression.
"Naraku is your father?!" Sesshomarou said horrified as he got up and went to sit next to Kagura on the bed. "I guess there are some common physical traits". He observed taking in Kagura's red eyes and black eyes. "But why would he do this to his own daughter?" Sesshomarou asked her.
"Because the bastard knows that I can't do anything to defend myself against his crap" Kagura said lifting her head to the closed and high window while she unconsciously ran her finger on one of her most recent scars on the back of her neck, the action caused her to slightly winced in pain.
"What is it?" Sesshomarou asked worried as he gazed followed Kagura's fingers
Kagura let out a heavy sigh "it's true that you never saw them". She then got up and quickly and effortlessly loosened her corset and slid off the top part of her dress. She then turned around and exposed her heavily scared back to Sesshomarou's horrified gaze. The entire surface of Kagura's back was marred with old, fading or fresh angry red scars.
She winced as she felt Sesshomarou's soft fingers running down the length of a few scars. "Did Naraku do this?" he finally asked.
"Yes. That's what happens when I'm not obedient" Kagura whispered choking back a sob.
"This Sesshomarou will not allow it!" he growled. "Such a despicable behavior…and to do this to his own flesh and blood…"
"Please stop referring to him as my father. And also there's nothing you can do. I am stuck in here…" Kagura trailed off as she hastily got dressed
"I shall put you under my protection." Sesshomarou vowed.
She let out a shocked gasp she was not foreign to the practice. If mind a certain amount of money Sesshomarou were to put her under his protection, it would mean she belonged to him and no other. And even if Naraku would still undoubtedly keep her locked up, he would have to stop hurting her. But Kagura was also aware that her status in the house was too far below and that if word got out that Sesshomarou had picked her, it could have disastrous consequences for him, especially if one also took his impending nuptials in consideration.
"You can't do that! You can only do that with girls that have a higher 'status' like my sister Kanna for example" Kagura protested weakly, the thought of freedom was already too tasteful to her.
"I have no interest in her" Sesshomarou objected.
"Does…does that mean that…you have an interest in me?" Kagura asked hopeful, with a shy smile which knocked the air out of Sesshomarou's lungs once more.
The young Lord smirked and said "If I did not I would not be here. Wasting my time on unworthy things is not a habit of mine".
Kagura smiled and quickly pressed her lips to the unsuspecting Sesshomarou's. He was so shocked that he did not respond. But before he could react Kagura had already removed her lips from his whispering a quick "thank you".
But not satisfied by this chaste kiss, Sesshomarou encircled Kagura's waist and kissed her with all the passion he could muster, to which Kagura of course answered eagerly. Her hands slowly went up to tangle in his long silver hair, as Sesshomarou deepened their kiss. Kagura felt her heartbeat increase to the point where it almost hurt. She had never been kissed, at least not like this, and as Sesshomarou slowly broke their kiss to allow much air to fill their lungs, Kagura knew that he was her only way out and also that she loved him.
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"I was at the 'Spider club' yesterday, and Naraku told me you are still seeing this girl. It has been a couple of months now. You do realize that you are marrying Touran in just a few weeks." Touga told his son as the two of them were sitting facing each other drinking tea.
"Are you going to tell me that Naraku has a policy against married men?" Sesshomarou asked in a voice laced with sarcasms as he raised his white eyebrow and set down his cup of tea.
"Of course not, but it is expected of newlyweds to spend the first nights of their union together. I can understand your attachment to Naraku's girl, but son do not forget that these women are merely for enjoyment. Do not let her fool you."
"I will not stand here and listen to this. I am no fool I know what I have to do and I will honor the promises I have made. I will marry Touran, but my duty stops here" Sesshomarou said getting up to stare out the window of his father's study.
"Do not forget you are supposed to provide an heir too" his father said with a dry chuckle.
"I told you before, I know my duties. And I always fulfill my promises." Sesshomarou reassured him.
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"This is for you" Sesshomarou said as he laid a dress on Kagura's bed.
"You don't have to give me anything" Kagura said silently marveling on the fine and expansive cloth of the red and white garment.
"I thought you needed it" he said with a careless shrug.
"I needed it?" Kagura asked incredulously as anger shot through her body. "Do you think that dresses will make me feel better?"
"That is not what I meant" Sesshomarou protested.
"Of course not, you offer me protection that should be enough for me. But what I really want is freedom. I want out of this place, out of these four walls and this ridiculous window from which I can't see anything." Kagura said bitterly.
Remembering his earlier discussion with his father Sesshomarou breathed deeply and unwillingly muttered "I can not give you freedom, all I can offer you is solace."
"Solace? That is not enough for me. Do not get me wrong I do not want your pity Sesshomarou, but it is true that I envy you, I want what you have. Look at you, you are free to go as you please, to buy yourself the finer things. No one can tell you what to do, who to talk to, who to caress, who to lay with. But that, that has always been my life I am stuck in here, in this hell!" Kagura screamed pointing an accusing finger to the four walls of her bedroom which were smothering her.
She then pointed at the window which barely let any of the afternoon sun's rays inside before continuing "Do you want to know why Naraku put me in this bedroom? Simply because of this window. The sick bastard is taunting me, showing me what I am missing. I can see the rays of sunshine, and the moon's glow coming from the window, but I can not see the outside world. I am like a bird stuck in a cage. I am aware of the outside world of what goes on around me, but I can not go out. I can not fly away…" Kagura then let tears of anger and defeat roll on her cheeks.
"Kagura do you not realize that you are more free than I will ever be" Sesshomarou said with a heavy sigh before gently wiping Kagura's cheeks.
Seeing Kagura's incredulous stare, he added "What makes you think that I am freer than you are? You may be imprisoned in these four walls, but I am a prisoner of my name. Do you have any idea what it is like to be the next Inuyoukai Lord? The pressure, the expectations, the crushing roles and responsibilities thrust upon you at birth just because you were born first. No of course you would not…"
Hearing his words, Kagura for the first time really looked at him and took in Sesshomarou's appearance. Since she had laid eyes on him of course she had seen his incredible beauty, but she wondered how come she had not noticed the cold but sad eyes and somewhat worried lines hidden under his almost perfect mask of indifference. And she felt ashamed, horribly ashamed of herself for not caring more for her love.
Ever since their first meeting, all she had done was care for herself and complain about her lack of freedom, never the thought of inquiring about Sesshomarou's well being had crossed her mind. To her it was a given that a wealthy, healthy young Lord like him had to be happy.
But just as she thought the words, she realized that had he been truly happy there would have been no reason for him to come and visit her in her bedroom this often and only to discuss the most pointless subjects, ranging from politics to botanic. It then became clear to her that Sesshomarou was lonely, incredibly lonely just like her. Maybe it was the reason why they felt so connected…
"If I could offer you freedom I would, for it would please me greatly to know that at least one of us is free. But I do not hold that much power, the only thing I can offer you is protection and comfort" Sesshomarou said looking straight into Kagura's eyes.
"I am sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't really mean it. And I will readily accept your offer. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for, after all if it were not for your protection I would have resumed 'work' by now. But thankfully you will be my only 'client' from now on." Kagura said before hugging Sesshomarou tightly.
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It took several days for Sesshomarou to come to a decision, but now he knew what he wanted, what he had to do. That particular afternoon Sesshomarou had purposely shortened his visit to Kagura, as soon as he left her he went down the corridor next to the red door. He did not bother knocking before entering the room, where he was told he could find him. The young lord marched straight into the small office, which reflected the taste for luxury of its owner.
"What a surprise, I would never have expected seeing you here." Naraku said as he put down the book he had been reading. "How can I help you today milord?" he added with sarcasm.
"How much?" Sesshomarou asked fixing his cold gaze on the dark haired man. Noticing that Naraku had failed to understand his question, Sesshomarou added "how much money do you want to set Kagura free?"
Naraku laughed loudly as he mercilessly pounded his fist on his desk. "Do you think I would let you…buy my daughter?!" he asked as he calmed enough. "Now, what kind of father would that make me?"
"The kind of father who would let his daughter work in such a place. What has Kagura done for you to be heartless enough to torture her? Do not look so surprised I saw her scars". Sesshomarou said with a disgusted frown.
"Ku ku ku I do not make any favoritism. Both of my daughters have to work. They need to learn that nothing is free in this life. And if Kagura behaved like her older sister Kanna and listened to me, she would not need to be punished so often. Foolish girl."
Anger rolled and churned inside of Sesshomarou, he was not sure if he would be able to resist wiping Naraku's grin with his fist.
"Tell me what would your father say if he knew of your plan? Are you not supposed to marry the Lady Touran in a few days? Not even married and already being adulterous? What kind of example are you setting?" Naraku asked still grinning.
"That is of no concern of yours. This Sesshomarou shall do as I please!"
"Well, I am sorry but Kagura is not for sale. And I am sure your father and would agree that it would be in your best interest if the two of you did not see each other anymore. Now Mr Inuyoukai, how about you leave my establishment? I really would not want to have to throw you out" Naraku said sternly before picking up his book.
Understanding that the owner of the 'Spider club' would not listen to him, and angered by the way he had been dismissed, Sesshomarou scoffed and went out of the room. But it was of no matter after all his plan was already in the works...
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Kagura was laying in her bed, she could hear the sounds of the party Naraku was throwing tonight. At hearing the squeals of happiness of the many guests Kagura could not repress a shudder of disgust to run through her body. But she was immensely grateful, that for once her father had not forced her to attend the festivities.
All of a sudden Kagura heard a crashing sound, she barely had time to register what was happening that she felt something heavy fall on ground next to her bed. The red eyed woman looked up and realized that some sort of object had gone through her hated window and had landed on the ground. She quickly stood up and looked at the object in question, which to her astonishment consisted of nothing other than a heavy rock with a piece of paper attached to it.
It was with fingers shaking with excitement, fear and apprehension that she managed to open the piece of paper on which was written:
'Wednesday at 4:30'
Kagura could not suppress a smile as she knew exactly what the mysterious message was referring to. Knowing that she could not let any evidence behind, she quickly burned the piece of paper and laid back in her bed, for once a large smile adorning her lips. Only two days before she would be ready to taste freedom…
Flashback
"Sesshomarou you're late!" Kagura exclaimed a small scowl on her face as she looked at her lover.
"I do not have time for your berating today" the young lord said as he hastily walked over to her. Kagura was not surprised by his retort, but ever since they had started their afternoon meetings, Sesshomarou had never been late. And the fact that he seemed to be in a hurry scared her.
"You know that my marriage with Touran is supposed to be this coming Saturday?" Sesshomarou asked, but Kagura did not answer, her crestfallen facial expression told him all he needed to know. He smirked at seeing that he indeed held her heart and continued "you have no reason to fear we will be long gone by then".
"What are you talking about?" Kagura asked careful no to raise her hopes up, the idea of her and Sesshomarou leaving was so appealing…
"You and I are leaving. My younger half brother Inuyasha has a priest friend named Miroku. He and his wife are leaving in the following days and we are going with them." Sesshomarou said looking straight into her ruby eyes.
"But…us leaving? When? Where?" Kagura asked dumbfounded only thinking about the two of them running away was making her dizzy in happiness.
"I do not know the exact date as of yet, but it will be in the days to come. We will go to America. I have a friend in New York who will help me get a job" Sesshomarou said.
"America?!" Kagura screamed in surprise… "Are you sure we can leave like this? I mean I for one will not be missing anything, but it's not fair to you. You are your father's heir and you will be giving up so much…" Kagura whispered a cloud of sadness in her eye.
"That is nothing for you to be concerned with. I will find a way to tell you of when we shall be leaving and at what time you shall come to the port. Your only worry is to find a way to slip out of here and come to the port" Sesshomarou said.
"But that's a long trip, I need clothes, money and other things" Kagura said shaking her head at realizing that she was not ready to leave. Thinking about what to bring with her over powered her realization that she had yet to formulate a plan on how to slip away from Naraku.
"I will take care of you. I will provide you with money, clothes anything you want" Sesshomarou explained before giving Kagura a chaste kiss on the forehead and turning around to leave. "I have much to take care of and must leave. But tell me where can I find Naraku?"
"Why would you want to talk to him for?!" Kagura exclaimed, but deciding that trusting her love and his plan was the best course of action, she sighed before giving him the directions to Naraku's study where Sesshomarou was sure to find her father reading.
End of Flashback
'Only two days my love' Kagura thought happily as she let sleep take over her.
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"Enter!" Naraku screamed as he heard a light knocking at the door of his study. The dark haired man smiled broadly as he saw that none other than his 'dear' daughter had decided to pay him a visit. The only times Kagura set foot in his study was when he forced her.
"Naraku, I wish to speak with you" Kagura said sniffling. She had done her best to look as if she had been crying. She had figured that maybe if Naraku thought that she was truly miserable he would be more inclined to listen to her.
"What is it Kagura?" Naraku asked the amusement in his voice masked in fake concern.
"I know that you do not like it when we ask you for something, but I would like to go out this afternoon." Kagura said
"And where would you like to go?" her father asked surprised by her request.
"I know that he will not be coming for me anymore and that he is getting married this Saturday, I still would like to see him one last time" Kagura said trying to force a tear or two to come out, it had taken her so long to learn how not to cry in front of Naraku despite all the horror he was putting her through that it took her a while to be able to leak a lone single tear.
"I assume you are speaking about the young Sesshomarou. To think that after all my efforts he would be the one to break you. So be it, but you better be home by six, there will be no more slacking off from you, you're resuming work tonight. Am I clear?! And of course you are to bring your dear brother with you this afternoon." Naraku said.
"Yes, Na…father" Kagura quickly corrected herself. She knew that for some sick and twisted reason Naraku just loved it when she called him 'father'. Bringing Hakudoushi along at the meeting point had not been in her plans, but Kagura was sure that she would be able to make it work.
"Now leave!" he ordered her. As she walked out to her bedroom Kagura could still make out the roaring laughter of Naraku behind her.
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"How long are we going to turn around? We've been walking on this pier for too long. And what exactly are we doing at the port?" an exasperated Hakudoushi asked his sister cringing his nose at the pungent smell of the port. Not that he was eager to go back 'home' but he hated doing Naraku's errands.
"No one forces you to stay by my side" Kagura said as she once more nervously played with the red and white ribbons of the bonnet adorning her head. She had purposely borrowed )with no intention of returning it) the red bonnet from her friend Yura so as to match the dress Sesshomarou had given her. Once more her red eyes looked around, as much as she tried Kagura had not been able to find Sesshomarou.
"And let Naraku kill me because I left you out of my sight? I am not that stupid Kagura. See, I am a businessman and you have nothing to offer me for my silence." Hakudoushi said with a smirk.
"Maybe I could offer you something you would want" a deep voice said behind the twosome. As soon as she heard him Kagura smiled brightly, a part of her still had doubt on whether Sesshomarou would come for her.
"And what is it you could offer me?" Hakudoushi asked after turning around to face the new comer.
"How much do you want to leave us alone for a few minutes?" Sesshomarou asked.
"A few minutes? How stupid do you think I am? I would bet everything I own that as soon as I will turn around you will board one of these ships and we'll never hear of the two of you. As I said I am no fool". Hakudoushi said with a knowing smirk.
"Just spit it already what is it you want?!" Kagura asked her brother.
"Ku ku ku we all want out don't we? All I want is to own my own business but as long as Naraku is in the picture I won't be able to. And see that's my problem…" The young pale skinned man said.
Sesshomarou closed his eyes for a few seconds and breathed deeply before speaking. "Go see old man Toutousai, he owns a very lucrative trading business. Tell him you are coming in my name. He is an old childless widower and he is in need of a second in command". The young lord then took out his wallet and handed the young man a few bills.
"There, there was it so hard? Now if you will excuse me Kagura I have some business to conduct. Have a safe trip" Hakudoushi said with an exaggerated bow as he quickly stuffed the money in his vest pocket
As soon as her younger brother was far enough Kagura took Sesshomarou's hand in hers and squeezed it to reassure herself that they had been successful.
"How did you know that Hakudoushi would come with me?" Kagura asked, she was surprised that Sesshomarou had been prepared to bribe her brother.
"You are not the only one who knows how to read people. I know how Naraku thinks, he would never risk letting you out alone. And one look in Hakudoushi's eyes told me that there was nothing he wanted more than to also be free from Naraku. Not to mention that I saw him gamble and greed is a powerful force" Sesshomarou said as he hooked Kagura's arm under his and walked towards the boat.
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"You must be Kagura. Sesshomarou was right you are a beautiful woman. My name is Miroku and this is my wife Sango" A young dark haired man said before pressing his lips to Kagura's hands.
"Miroku, stop fooling around. Did you bring all the baggage inside the boat?" Sesshomarou asked as he pried Kagura's hand free from the priest's lips.
"Yes all is in order. But we have to hurry the ship is leaving in just a few minutes" Sango said as she glared at her husband.
"In that case, the three of you get on board. I shall join you soon enough. Unfortunately there still is some business I have to take care of" Sesshomarou as he pressed Kagura's hand affectionately and mindless of the stares of the outraged people around them tenderly kissed Kagura's lips before turning around. She barely had time to register that he had left that Miroku and his wife were dragging Kagura to the gangway of the 'Shikon', the boat that would bring them across the world.
Minutes passed and Sesshomarou's absence started to worry Kagura. But she trusted her love and knew that he would join them soon enough. Despite that she could not shake her feeling of unease, after all she was sure that Sesshomarou was no fan of public displays of affection and the oh so improper kiss he had given her felt like a goodbye. Shaking her head to rid herself of those ridiculous thoughts, Kagura took out the beloved white and red fan Sesshomarou had given her and smiled awaiting her love.
But when she noticed that employees of the port were removing the gangway from the 'Shikon' and that she realized that their departure was imminent, Kagura's worry turned to full blown horror.
The red eyes beauty turned towards Sango and Miroku and as she noticed that their friendly smiled were traded for look of apologetic sadness she felt her heart sink.
"We are truly sorry, we never meant to deceive you." Sango said a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Sesshomarou asked us to. But I guess this letter would explain things to you better than we could" Miroku said as he fished out a piece of paper from his vest.
With a trembling hand Kagura reached out and pressed the paper to her face, she could still make out the scent of Sesshomarou on it. She quickly opened it and read:
Kagura,
You must hate me and I will not blame you for it. I even hate myself for putting you through such a deception. Do not blame Sango or Miroku they were simply complying with my wishes.
As you know I am a man of honor, in my life I have not made many promises, but once I give my word to someone I do not take it back. This is the very reason why I am going to marry Lady Touran Hyouneko. I am not one who cowers or runs away and for thie reason I could not board this ship with you. As you said I have a duty to my father and my name, a burden I can not selfishly lay on my younger brother's shoulders.
As I promised I have set you free. You can now start over and lead a new life. You do not have to worry as Sango and Miroku know nothing of your past life. The two of them are trustworthy and they will help you during the travel and once you arrive in America.
I am sure I have hurt you more than I could ever imagine and for that I am sorry. But it pleases me greatly that at least one of us knows the taste of freedom. I have opened your cage and you are now free to fly away.
Hoping that we will meet again, Your love Sesshomarou.
After she finished reading all Kagura could do was desperately look at the docks, wishing to see a glimpse of silver white hair. She had yet to fully register that Sesshomarou had decided to stay behind, which was why her tears could not even come forth. But just as the people on the docks started turning into smaller figures as the Shikon started gaining pace, Kagura saw him: he was looking in her direction, his hair dancing in the wind and his amber eyes hard and cold.
Kagura held in her trembling hands both the fan he had given her and the last letter he had written to her, and clutched them to her aching chest. Not able to hold herself right anymore she slowly fell to the floor as tears fell from her eyes. As soon as she started sobbing, Kagura felt two pair of arms drag her from the public eye to a more private place, but she could not care less as her heart lay broken into pieces.
'What good is it to be free if you are not by my side? I would have kept the birdcage if it meant you would still come and visit me' Kagura thought bitterly as she let Sango and Miroku take care of her.
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As soon as he had made sure that she was on board and that the ship had left the docks, Sesshomarou wanted to turn around and leave. But a part of him wished to see Kagura one last time. He knew that in his mind she would always look like the beautiful women beaming at his arm as they walked towards the boat that would bring them to a new world of freedom. Realizing that he would not get a last glimpse at her mesmerizing red eyes, Sesshomarou walked towards his carriage.
Once Jaken opened the door Sesshomarou quickly stepped inside and sat his face still turned towards the sea.
"I suppose she left." Touga told his son.
"Yes" was all Sesshomarou managed to choke out. For some reason, hearing his father speak those words gave it a sense of finality that he could barely stomach.
"Son, you have made the right decision. It is better for the both of you." Lord Inuyoukai said trying to comfort his heir as best as he could. Of course he rejoiced that his son had made the right decision and decided to stay behind, but as any father would he ached at seeing his son in so much pain.
Sesshomarou sat back against the cushion and closed his eyes. He did not need to look at the road to know that his father and him were going to pay a visit to Lord Hyouneko, after all they had a wedding to take care of.
'The right decision indeed…At least Kagura is free and happy' Sesshomarou thought sadly as he once more remembered her bright smile.
The End
A/N: Wow that was long. I know some of you hate me right now. But they can't always have a happy ending… . Also I'm not a history genius or anything, so if I made some anachronism or if something seemed weird, I am truly sorry.
Blanket disclaimer for all the one shots: I do not own Inuyasha even if I wish I did. All characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.