I arose from a fitful sleep at the crack of dawn to find Junko scurrying about the room. She didn't seem as timid-looking as she had last night. In fact she looked almost serene; her cat ears flickered slightly catching little noises around the room. The hair surrounding them was rich honey-toned brown. Her face, just like the rest of her, was made up of delicate features. She had large almond-shaped eyes; that were a deep emerald color. Her thin lips were a soft pink color; they formed a kind smile when she saw me looking at her.
"Morning, milady, did you sleep well?" she asked as she folding different articles of clothing and putting them into various chests.
"Not really" I sighed. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't stop thinking about Sesshomaru. I felt like a drug addict in need of a hit, and Sesshomaru was my drug. Even now I was feeling sick with anxiety and longing.
"Perhaps Lord Sesshomaru will let you nap after breakfast; you are excepted in the dining hall in an hour. Would like me draw a quick bath for you?" she asked looking slightly concerned, her cat ears flickered back and forth nervously.
"Yes, please," I smiled at her. "Maybe a bath is all I need to calm down" I glumly thought to myself.
She walked to the left side of the room and opened a door that I hadn't even noticed. I followed behind her quickly to find a small bathing room. One side of the room had a small shelf carrying wash clothes and drying clothes. A large copper tub lay in the center, a petite table stood next to it holding small elegant bottles of soaps, and coming from the roof were a series of pipes. Junko pulled on the small chain on one of the pipes. The pipe slid down and steaming water poured into the bath. When it was filled she released the chain and the pipe snapped back into place.
I looked at the pipes in amazement. "They actually have indoor plumbing!" I thought to myself excitedly.
Junko noticed my excitement and giggled.
"This is my lords own design, a furnace in the kitchen warms up all the water in the castle, now everybody can have warm bathes whenever they please." She said happily. "But my lord still enjoys using the hot spring more, and has one house inside one of the yagura." I stared at her with my mouth agape.
"Sesshomaru invented this?" I exclaimed.
"Yes," she laughed, "my lord gets restless sometimes, and I suppose it will take some getting used to, having hot water at a moments notice, but you have to admit it is rather nice." She said wistfully. "If only she knew" I thought wryly. I can't believe Sesshomaru invented indoor plumbing. Well I guess he did have a lot of spare time in his long life span.
I quickly took off my clothes and entered the sweet smelling water. Junko laughed when I moaned blissfully. She took my clothes telling me she was going to wash them and that she had put another set of clothes on my bed. As I pulled the chain down to rinse the pear scented soap from my hair I couldn't help but think that I was starting to feel a little bit of worship for Sesshomaru. This was absolute heaven! Though it probably wouldn't be a good idea to inflate his, already mammoth sized, ego; the thought made me giggle as I got out of the tub and dried myself.
I near ran to my room to get dressed, but skidded to a halt when I saw the clothing I was expected to wear. Layer upon layer of brightly colored silk stood on a small wooden frame. I stepped forward and reached hesitantly to touch the fine fabric. I half expected it to fall apart at my touch, but the material seemed oddly sturdy for being so delicate looking. Junko entered at that moment,
"Is something wrong milady?" She asked worriedly. I looked at her in a slight panic.
"No, no, it's just that, I've never worn anything this fine before." I said staring helplessly at the robes. What if I tear it, or spill something on it? I didn't think I could handle destroying something so beautiful. Junko smiled kindly at me as she stepped toward the robe.
"You needn't worry my lady, the cloth is demon-made; it was made to withstand hurricanes-" She teased. "I'm sure that a bit of clumsiness wouldn't hurt it at all." With that she left no more room for argument and quickly helped me into the many layers of the robe. The long sleeves swelled around my arms gently, the bottom rested at my ankles, slightly swaying with each movement. The outer most layer of the outfit was a light violet color decorated with plumb blossoms.
Junko took a step back with a satisfied smile after I was dressed.
"It suites you very well. Now, lets get you to breakfast." She said ushering me out the door.
The anxiety I had felt since last night, slowly disappeared as I got closer and closer to the dining hall. The only thing that kept me from running the rest of the way was Junko's worried expression.
"Why are you so nervous? Is it that terrible working for Sesshomaru?" I asked. Junko looked at me in surprise.
"Oh, no my lady! Though my lord is under no circumstances easy to please, he never treats us cruelly. That is, except for Jaken." She smiled at me.
"Then why are you so nervous every time you're around him." That question made her blush a deep shade of red. Ooh, I think I see what's happening here.
"He is rather handsome isn't he?" I said grinning slyly. Junko stayed silent but blushed even harder. I giggled slightly. This was just too cute.
"Your secret is safe with me" I reassured with a smile.
"Thank you, milady." She mumbled, still a brilliant shade of scarlet.
By that time we had arrived at the door of the dining hall, Junko bowed and walked away. My stomach felt a flurry with butterfly's as I slid the door open. My eyes immediately landed on him and the anxiety immediately melted away. I noticed that his rigid posture also seemed to relax a little. I walked over and sat next to him, careful to place my robes so they wouldn't crease. Sesshomaru seemed pleased noticing the care I was taking.
"How did you sleep Kagome" He asked gazing at me with those beautiful golden orbs of his. What am I thinking? Bad Kagome! Bad! Bad! Bad!
"Not too well," I mumbled looking down. I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks. I heard him sigh, and looked up to see him eyeing me curiously.
"I had trouble resting as well" he reached down and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, then lightly cupped my cheek making me blush even more.
"And it's entirely your fault; you refused to leave my thoughts last night."I turned my head quickly down to the table thinking of earlier anxiety; he chuckled.
"It seems you had the same problem, perhaps if we slept together we would rest easier." He said, eyes glowing with amusement.
"What!" I snapped.
"Miko, you are jumping to conclusions, I am not suggesting we mate."
"Oh," I said stupidly. Sly dog, very sly dog. "Well I guess that's alright then."
Not being able to think of anything else to say I looked at all the food at the table. There seemed to be just as much as yesterday. All of it smelling delicious. I turned to him raising an eyebrow.
"Still feeding me I see, and now clothing me. This is beautiful and all but this robe alone is probably worth more than my house" I said gesturing down at myself, his eyes followed my hand, but somehow I got the feeling he wasn't looking at the robe.
"Kagome, you are my intended, and as such I will provide for you" He rumbled smoothly. The stern look in his eye seemed to be saying "don't even think about arguing" In his own way, this was actually kind of sweet. Pushy, but sweet.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru" I smiled up at him, momentarily forgetting the honorific. With that we began eating in a comfortable silence.
After lunch Sesshomaru got up without a word and walked up to one of the doors. "Is he leaving already?" I thought sadly. Sesshomaru paused and looked back at me.
"Are you coming?" he asked looking amused again. I jumped up and practically skipped to him.
"Where are we going?" I asked beaming a smile at him.
"It was this Sesshomaru's understanding that you wished to see the garden."
"How did you know?" I asked curiously.
"You smelled of disappointment last night when I entered without pausing."
"You could smell that?" I asked astonished. "I thought you could only smell strong emotions like anger or d-um-desire." I said, stumbling over the last part.
"Those scents come easiest, but inu-youkai are quite sensitive to smells, especially ones having to do with emotion." He informed me, looking at me intently to see how I would take the news.
"That's so cool!" I gushed. He smiled and slid open the door, taking my hand and leading me outside. For a moment all I could think about was his hand around mind, but I gasped in amazement when I saw all the gorgeous blooming flowers. He let out a low quiet laugh and led me forward.
Hydrangea, Azalea, pincushions, peonies, and anemone created intricate patterns on the ground. Their colors ranged from white, yellow, red, red blue, and every shade in between. The walls of the garden were lined with small camellia trees.
He led me down a small pathway that was shaded by tall weeping cherry trees, and blooming magnolias. Hundreds of delicate pink blossoms cascaded down gently. Everything was so beautiful that I felt I had to be dreaming.
"How are all of these flowers blooming at the same time?" I asked noticing a few buds that should only have been blossoming in the winter.
"The gardeners keep this garden blooming year-round with youki. The youki also protects the more delicate flowers from harsh weather, but they only use very small amounts, or else the flowers might decide they have a taste for the flesh of anyone passing by." He said smirking at my wide-eyed stare.
"That's probably why you can't detect it." He looked at the blossoms with an odd expression in his eyes.
"This is my favorite place to be" He said so quietly I almost didn't hear him. "He likes flowers!" I realized with a start. I smiled up at him warmly, thankful that he shared this with me. He squeezed my hand gently and said nothing else.
The path ended with a small peaceful looking pond. The surface was sparkly sprinkled with lotus flowers, and a symphony of crickets could be heard chirping softly in the lush grass that surrounded the water. Nearing the pond I could see that it was filled with brightly colored koi fish. Sesshomaru led me near the edge and sat down, crossed leg, and gestured for me to sit in front of him. We sat with our knee's nearly touch, as he looked at me intently.
"Don't move." He commanded quietly. Filled with sudden curiosity, I obeyed without argument. His youki flared softly, and passed over me in warm soothing waves. Sesshomaru grasped the sides of my face lightly and leaned in, my eyes shut automatically. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. He exhaled softly on my forehead sending a small shiver down my spine. Then I felt him pull away.
Confused as to what just happened I opened my eyes slightly annoyed to see him looking at me, or rather my forehead, proudly.
"Look in the water." He directed. Still having no idea what was going on I complied. The fish swam back and forth lazily in the water. Then I noticed something odd about my reflection; on my forehead was a blue outline of a crescent moon. I traced it in awe and looked at him in askance.
"My mark, to let everyone know that you are being courted by the lord of the west; when we are fully mated it will fill in." He said still looking pleased with himself. He leaned in and whispered huskily in my ear:
"And I look forward to the day when you finally agree to be mine"
Woo, over 2,000 words! :D hope you guys like it. Please review and if you would like to see anything happen let me know and I will try to make it happen.
Many thanks to ScarlettLioness for giving me the idea for a mark. I love you!;)