A/N: Written for dokuga_contest's biweekly oneshot contests. The prompt for this particular chapter was 'foundation.' I am most pleased to say this won third place! :)
Word Count: 1,813.
This oneshot was originally posted on December 16, 2010.
Discoveries
"What was that?" The question was legit, but Sesshoumaru was surprised. Not at the question itself, but at the fact that his brother had actually managed a whisper…and that he had known that being quiet was actually necessary in this situation.t
"I have only one guess," he murmured just as quietly as Inuyasha, though his voice was not a whisper. Golden eyes slanted towards Inuyasha after sparing a glance at the two sisters still quietly coinciding. "The Shikon no Tama is the only thing I've ever heard of with that kind of power." The power had called out to him in that brief moment Kikyo had allowed it to go unmasked, and he suspected that every other youkai in the dungeon had felt it, as well. He only had to wonder if this bit of information might change their attitudes towards the two caring women; he knew as well as anyone that one could lose one's values in the face of immense power.
Pausing, Inuyasha considered that possibility. In truth, he wasn't sure why he hadn't come up with this explanation himself—it had always been something he'd been curious about. Through taunting and teasing, sparring and battling, he'd picked up a few things. The jewel was powerful enough to grant a wish—powerful enough to make him either human or youkai. Other than that, though, he didn't know anything about it.
"Good guess," Shippo interjected quietly, his eyes never leaving the two sisters. This was the longest they'd ever been allowed to interact…and it was probably because Miroku had yet to come back. He was the only guard allowed to roam about freely, but most of the time he was either here or with Naraku. And usually he didn't just leave the two mikos to exact their punishments; he'd always escorted them back out immediately.
"Yeah," Inuyasha admitted, and then he shook his head. "But what's the thing doing here?"
Sesshoumaru lifted his shoulder in an elegant half-shrug, his eyes on Kagome once more. "In the presence of two priestesses, it is not the most outrageous thing to happen."
Kagome couldn't keep herself from putting her hand over her heart as soon as she saw the jewel. The Shikon no Tama was the foundation for everything she'd been taught. It had been in her family for centuries, until the day she was born. Her family had been rather occupied with her birth, and her mother just couldn't protect it after being so weakened.
The duty had been passed to her father, just for one night—and before they knew it, both he and the jewel were gone. Kikyo had only been three at the time, but she had sensed the demonic aura, not knowing what it was. By the time she had alerted their grandfather, it had been too late. It was nearly twenty years ago, and they still hadn't found out exactly what had happened to their father.
It seemed like the twenty years without the jewel had been more important than the centuries with the jewel. She couldn't help but feel it was entirely her fault, either—of course, she couldn't help when she was born, but it had been her birth that had started the downfall.
And one thing kept repeating itself in her mind—if Naraku had given Kikyo the jewel, then he might have something to do with the disappearance of her father. But…he didn't seem to be old enough to have taken part of it. Still, if anyone here had something to do with it, it was certainly him: he was ruthless.
Brown eyes danced across the dungeon, and she noticed how uncharacteristically quiet it was. The guards didn't seem to notice anything; but then again, they were humans. Monks, but humans all the same—they probably had no idea what was going on. It didn't escape her attention that the youkai had probably noticed the jewel; her only hope was that they couldn't tell what it was.
As she looked to her sister again, she knew there wasn't much she could say. She had so many questions that would just have to go unanswered, at least for now. Before they'd been captured, it had always been their plan for Kagome to overtake the care of the jewel, but here—with all the youkai, their powers concealed or not—it wasn't safe. She understood that much. What she was afraid of, though, was Naraku taking advantage of Kikyo somehow now that she had it—not that he wasn't already doing so.
Letting out a sigh, Kagome placed her hand on top of Kikyo's and offered a small smile. "Do you think we'll be allowed to see each other again anytime soon?"
Kikyo's eyes fell to the ground, her head shaking softly. "I have no way of knowing." Her answer was honest, and Kagome knew she wouldn't be one to give out false hope. She was glad, in a way: whenever Kikyo told her to have hope, she knew there was something worth hoping for. Now that Kikyo had the jewel, she could start to hope again.
When the door to the dungeon finally creaked open, Kikyo and Kagome were startled out of their peaceful silence. They'd been sitting against the stone wall of the cell, arms interlocked—just sitting, nothing more. No talking, no 'catching up' as one might expect from two sisters who hadn't seen each other in months. But for them, it was enough—they were completely satisfied with their time together.
Shippo couldn't help but smirk when he saw Miroku's disheveled appearance. He seemed distracted, and very happy. Of course, even if none of this had been evident, it was very obvious from his scent exactly what he'd been up to. It now made sense exactly why Miroku had been gone for so long…and deciding he couldn't let the opportunity pass, he decided to have a little fun.
Suddenly Miroku's world was black and white. He stopped mid-step, looking around in utter confusion. "What's going on?"
A pair of green eyes appeared, and then the body materialized—and Miroku thought the kitsune looked fairly familiar. "Who is she?" The teasing lilt in his tone was undeniable, but Miroku was ill at ease knowing that he was in unfamiliar territory.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he interjected smoothly, but Shippo only shook his head.
"You've been gone a few hours; don't deny it!" He walked over and winked at him, arms crossing as his tails swayed.
"Alright, so there's no use in denying it. What does it matter, then?" Miroku raised a brow, and this change in tactics seemed to work, because Shippo only shrugged. "What's your name, kitsune?"
"Name's Shippo. I'm in one of the cell's across from Kagome-sama's."
Miroku's eyes widened slightly before his expression became smooth again. "Aren't your powers supposed to be sealed?"
Shrugging, Shippo shook his head. "Most abilities are unaffected as long as it's not coming in contact with the bars. This ain't gonna help me escape or anything, but it's good for private conversation."
"Private conversation?" Miroku echoed, head cocking to the side. "And what might we need that for?"
"I can smell 'er on you. Kagura, right?" After a moment, Miroku nodded. "I just wanted to tell you to be careful with her. She's Naraku's second-in-command, and something smells…off about her. I dunno what her intentions are, but just be cautious. You're one of the few on duty here who aren't slaves to Naraku—I'd hate to see that change."
Pausing, Miroku thought back to his conversation with Kagura in the room she'd prepared for them—and, honestly, he couldn't think of anything he'd said that could be used against him. Then again, he hadn't exactly been level-headed during their conversation.
"I'll take that into consideration," he conceded, and Shippo could tell that it was actually true. After a moment, he took a step closer. "Can we really not be heard by anyone right now?"
Shippo nodded. "Only those that I allow can hear; and I have given that right to no one but yourself." He gave a shrug. "I have a question for you, too." Miroku patiently waited, and Shippo only shook his head. "Why do you work for Naraku?"
Miroku's mouth formed a thin line, and he let out a gust of air. "I answered the ad in the paper, and when I discovered what all this was, I was prepared to quit," he answered honestly, but then he shook his head. "Then, I got attached."
"To Kagome?"
Giving a single nod, Miroku looked down. "It did not seem fair that I could just up and go, and others are forced to stay. I've been trying to figure out a way to stop him for awhile now."
"If Naraku gets wind of it—get the heck outta here. There's no telling what he'll do if he finds out."
Miroku gave a wry smile. "That may be easier said than done." He glanced to the side where Kikyo and Kagome should be, even though he couldn't see them. "I really should get Kikyo back to Naraku, though. I suspect he will be less than pleased at how long I've taken." Shippo nodded, and as quickly as it had appeared, the illusion disappeared and Miroku was staring at the dungeon again.
When he realized just about every pair of eyes in the dungeon were on him, he felt only slightly uncomfortable. To everyone else, it had appeared like he'd just stopped and was staring. Clearing his throat, he made his way to the cell and unlocked it, and when Kikyo stepped out he put the necessary chains on her.
Turning to the cell where Kagome was still locked inside, Kikyo gave her sister a small smile. She placed her hand over her heart where the Shikon no Tama was hidden. "Soon," she murmured quietly, and with that Miroku took her chains and guided her out.
Sesshoumaru eyed Shippo as Miroku and Kikyo left. He inclined his head slightly, and spoke in a low, smooth voice. "I know what you were doing with the monk."
"Oh really?" Shippo raised a brow, but really—he wasn't surprised. Sesshoumaru was very intuitive, and even his illusionary magic had a scent that a trained nose could pick up.
Golden eyes flicked to Kagome before refocusing on Shippo. "Does your magic extend to others as well? I have a few questions for the miko."
It took everything he had not to smirk at Sesshoumaru's words. Even the strongest-willed youkai couldn't resist Kagome's charm, and he only suspected a few minutes alone with Kagome was all it would take. "You're asking for my help?"
His eyes narrowed only slightly before he inclined his head. "Perhaps."
Shippo did smirk at this. "Well then, perhaps I can be of service to you."
End Note: Reviews give me motivation to write! Just sayin'.. ;)
