Disclaimer: I do not have any ownership over the Inuyasha characters.
A/N: Alright I am so sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I kept becoming distracted by everything else, such as school and being sick. I do hope you all will forgive me for my lateness in exchange for this chapter. D.
Chapter Seven: A Change in Atmosphere
Ashia watched as Kai neared the dinning hall with a rather upset looking Rin holding tightly to his hand. Her features became etched with worry, "Kai what is wrong with Sesshomaru's ward?" She asked the fox general as she watched Rin staring back towards the western wing. Something was bothering the young girl she had always been so full of life and energetic. But now the young child lacked that energy and sparkle in her eyes that made her who she was, in truth Rin was the heart of the castle. Ashia's eyes studied the young ward closer, "She does not appear to be ill." She whispered to herself. She shook her head she knew something was terribly wrong she had hoped everything would turn out differently than how it was turning out to be. Kai noticed the look in the elder maids face she knew something she was not telling him or anyone else.
Kai sent Rin to wash for dinner then turned his attention to the elder maid, "She came to greet Sesshomaru, but the demon lord avoided her touch and went straight to his chambers. Rin looked as if she had something to tell Sesshomaru but has not spoken to me about what." The tone of concern was clear in the fox demon's voice he had played a large part in raising the child since she had arrived at the palace seven years ago. "Do you believe you can get the child to speak Ashia?"
The elder maid shook her head, "You as well as I know when the young child does not wish to speech she will keep silent. Do you not remember the first year she lived with the lord. She barely spoke two words." She finished preparing the center arrangement for the dinning room table that night. She turned her attention to the young demon general with a questioning look on her face she needed more proof that her dreams had been telling her the truth. "From the way you speak Kai it is safe to assume Lady Kagome did not return with you and the lord?" She asked with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
The fox demon leaned against the door frame looking defeated his mind could not wrap around where the girl had gone too. He brushed his fingers through his shaggy red hair, "Lady Kagome just disappeared. One moment Lord Sesshomaru and I are chasing after her and then the next she is gone. I do not understand it Ashia. I watched the girl jumping into this dried up old well then this blinding blue light caused me to shield my eyes from its intensity." He looked over at the older woman, "Then when I looked into the bottom of the well there sat our Lord clutching a piece of fabric that had been torn from her kimono looking as if he had lost something precious once again." The general's curiosity was peaked when he noticed Ashia had a cunning smile playing on her lips while shaking her head. "Ashia what do you know?"
Ashia laughed at his question, "It is not fun knowing the ending of a book before reading the whole story through, now is it Kai." She said smiling. Kai had grown to hate her little sayings especially in times like this where he was left in the dark he was suppose to be a cunning demon general but an old maid knew more about everything in the castle than he did. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he kicked himself off the door frame. "Keep your sayings to yourself old woman. They only leave this demon lost and defeated in the end." He said giving up on understanding the elder woman.
Kai's emerald green eyes shot up as he heard approaching foot to his surprise he saw a rather calm looking demon lord approaching the dinning hall with Kyra wrapped around his arm. Usually bright and cheerful emerald green eyes narrowed as they settled onto the demoness called Kyra. The woman was up to something but he did not know what the woman always left a sour feeling in any room she entered. He noticed his lord glaring at him for not paying the proper respect to him and the woman on his arms. The general snapped to attention infront of his commanding lord as a sign of respect. Kyra sneered at the fox general in her mind he was one of the firsts to go along with the little brat they all called his ward.
Ashia's keen eyes fell upon the demon lord and his 'mistress' something about her lord seemed odd and out of place. 'So you were right dear sister.' Ashia thought to herself as she stared at her powerful demon lord. His aura was fighting with itself which struck the maid as unusual in her lord. She bowed low to her lord, "Good Evening Lord Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru looked down at his faithful maid, "Are you to old to remember to address your future Lady of the West servant." He said in a harsh demanding bark. Ashia and Kai were shocked from the comment and tone in his voice. The elder woman held her tongue against her Lord "Good Evening my Lady." Ashia responded as if acid was rolling off her tongue when addressing Kyra. The Inu Demoness grinned at Ashia she then turned her attention to Sesshomaru, "My Darling I do not like this poor servants tone." She said in a sweet innocent voice her eyes fell back onto the elder maid, "Throw her in the dungeon to teach her the lesson of paying respect to your superiors." Kyra demanded as she looked at Sesshomaru. Pain crossed the amber eyes of the demon lord as his mind tried to fight the command it was just given. His whole body felt aflame with pain as he fought against the shard inserted into the back of his neck. "Do as I say." Kyra growled into his ear.
The powerful demon lord turning to Kai, "Take the maid to the dungeon lock her there for a week till she learns respect." Sesshomaru's eyes showed the shock in his own face as the words slipped passed his own lips. Why could he not fight the shared in his back? The piercing amber eyes of the lord fell upon Kyra who looked very pleased at the turn of events. Kai's expressive emerald green eyes widened as he began to protest. "My Lord –" he was cut off by Ashia who raised her hand to him as a signal to be silent. "Kai, I am fine with our lord's decision." Kyra grinned as she watched the elderly maid be ushered towards the dungeon by Kai. Things were going as planned soon she would be Lady of the West and no one can stop her. Not even the supposedly un-stoppable demon lord.
Kai glanced back towards Sesshomaru and Kyra as he and Ashia rounded a corner. "Lady Ashia I do not feel right locking you in the dungeon." He said turning his eyes to his most trusted friend. Ashia appeared extremely calm about it as she continued her course towards the dungeon without having to be forced.
"Learn well Kai as I have over these many decades. I have made numerous companions in this castle I will not be harmed or starved to death in the dungeons. I know I shall have warm food and clean blankets for my term spent. I have also learned I am safer among guards below than around the she-devil above. Kyra is playing her cards Kai and I warn you to watch yourself." She said with a smile looking back towards the young general. "Watch Rin and Shippo keep them close to you. Do not allow the succubus to get her claws on them."
Kai groaned, "Why do you continue to torture me with answers that leave me with more questions. How do you know what is going on with Sesshomaru and Kyra?" He asked in a pleading tone wishing and wanting to know the answers behind all his questions.
Ashia chuckled, "A little birdie told me." Was the elder maid's only response to frustrated demon general.
A cool breeze played with the onyx hair of a miko dressed in traditional garb. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood and dirt. The miko stood watching the horizon the western horizon was clouded over with a maroon red color clouds. She brushed her bangs from her eyes, her hands were worn and the tips had calluses growing due to the string of her bow. The faint scent of blood danced across the breeze dancing around the senses of the miko. "Sesshomaru" was the only word that slipped past the pale pink lips of the miko. The young woman's face turned away from the west in the distance the faint calling of a child's voice could be heard. But the words of the child were lost to the wind.
Kagome was jolted from her day dream as birds took flight from beside her startling her she shook her head as her mind focused in on the present. Her large hazel nut eyes scanned the area of the shrine. "Another dream." Her attention fell upon the bracelet bestowed to her by the former western lady the little charm danced in the wind. She sighed softly it had been a week since she had returned from the feudal era to get away from the demon lord that caused her so much emotional confusion. During her time home she had taken up doing chores for her grandfather around the shrine, such as sweeping the hundreds of stairs leading up to the shrine. Many times while performing the mundane chores she would zone out and begin to day dream they all seemed to be connected some how but she could never remember the dreams long enough to understand them completely.
The young woman sank down to sit on the steps she stared blankly at the busy street below. "I don't understand these dreams. I don't understand why I no longer feel connected to Luna." She let out a frustrated scream throwing a little tantrum as she sat there. "This is not fair!" She screamed.
Souta was coming up the shrine steps coming from school when he noticed his sister sitting on the steps throwing a tantrum. He laughed shaking his head as he got closer. "And I thought you were supposed to be the older more mature one. But as we can see you are still just the immature little school girl you were before you left." He said walking past his sister he knew he had pushed her buttons when he said that. Kagome grew rigid as the words sank in his words resembled what the two demons who gave her the most trouble would say. The miko's cold hazel eyes came to rest on her little brother she threw down the broom she had previously been using He laughed as he took off running up the stairs with a fuming miko behind him. "How dare you speak to me in such a way Sesshomaru!" She yelled at her little brother as she chased him up the many flights of stairs, she had obviously finally snapped. Souta looked back towards his sister his dark brown eyes widened at the sight of pink flames dancing about his sister. "Ka-Kagome?" He asked in awe.
Kagome did not miss a step nor did she notice her powers were dancing around her in an intricate dance her hazelnut eyes were a pale glowing pink. "Mom!" Souta yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran as fast as he long legs could carry him. "Mom hurry something is wrong with Kagome!"
Aleena, Kagome's mother, rushed outside hearing her son screaming for help. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes settled on her daughter. "Souta go find your grandfather, tell him to keep all guests away from this area. Go now!" The young man opened his mouth to ask question but saw the determined look in his mothers face knowing his mother did not have time for his many questions he quickly ran to go help his grandfather occupy any guests. Aleena watched her son disappear around the corner then turned to the Miko's whose powers were running wild much like the miko's emotions. The elder woman approached her furious daughter; Kagome froze as she saw her mother approaching her. Aleena's eyes changed from their normal warm light brown eyes to a pale amber color. The woman grabbed her daughter by the chin instantly Kagome's purification energy lashed against the skin of Aleena's hand. "Kagome I need you to listen to me." The woman said as kept a firm grip on her daughter's jaw forcing her to continue focusing on herself and nothing around the two. Kagome's energy became stronger as she began to feel threatened. The pink flames of her energy danced around the two continually lashing out at Aleena leaving behind burn marks on her smooth skin. Despite the fact her own daughter's energy was attacking her she did not release her. "If you do not calm yourself down now you could damage the shrine and everyone around you, especially yourself and your family."
The last statement caught the Miko's attention drawing her out of her trance like state. Her pale pink eyes slowly faded revealing her gorgeous hazelnut eyes to her mother. The young Miko sank to her knees feeling drained from the activities her own body put her through to protect itself from this potential 'threat'. "How can my powers harm my family?" She asked as her eyes fell upon the wounded form of her mother, yet her mother showed no pain on her face. The only emotion the young woman could find on her mother's face was concern for her daughter. "We have no demon blood in us. We are a family of priests and mikos, mother." Kagome began to feel panicked as she saw the purification burn marks on her mother's skin. She knew she had caused the burns subconsciously. The young miko latched onto her mother's legs as tears began to run down her cheeks nothing made sense anymore her mother was attacked by her own purification powers.
Aleena smiled sheepishly at her oldest child she knelt down infront of her daughter. She caught her young daughter in her arms holding her close as she gently stroked her fingers through the long onyx hair of Kagome. "Kagome these are things about our family that you do not know." The elder woman's blue gray eyes landed on the bracelet around the young miko's slender wrist. "But now it is time you learned the true history of our family." She said gently as she raised Kagome's face to look at her. Aleena whipped the tears from her daughter's cheeks. The older woman reached into her kimono as she pulled her hand out it held a silver chain with a pendant hanging from delicate chain.
"Why do you have this mother?" Kagome asked shock evident in the young miko's voice.
A/N: The next chapter will explain the story of Kagome's family History. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Oh and for all you wondering who this little birdie who tells Ashia everything that is happening within the castle think back to one of the flashbacks of a certain Inu demoness' funeral and what Ashia 'mentioned' to herself.
