The sun was blazing unnaturally bright in the sky, heat burning into her neck through the silk of her kimono. The air was still and stifling.
Kagura longed for the strong winds of the sea, and as she supervised the positioning of the combined war fleets, she consoled herself that they would be sailing for rougher waters soon enough.
She spied her Master from afar, floating among the thunder brothers, and drifted her feather downwards to hover beside him. "Naraku."
"Kagura, my dear," he turned to acknowledge her, red eyes gleaming. "Things are coming along nicely. There are more than I hoped for."
Kagura snorted. "Yes. They're all competing, posturing like hounds after the choice scrap of meat."
"Ah, yes," he seemed amused. "What a pity they vie in ignorance. And speaking of, your efforts proved fruitful after all, it seems." His eyes and smirk were fixed on a point behind her, and Kagura looked over her shoulder.
Though his ship was still distant, her sharp eyes picked out a flash of silver, and the flag boasted stylized blossoms in red.
Her heart stuttered that obnoxious tune, and Kagura's face snapped back to Naraku's. "You convinced him?" She did not sound breathless.
His smirk deepened. "It almost sounds as if you have no faith in my abilities, dear Kagura. However, if you want the truth, he seemed to require very little convincing. I didn't have to tell a single lie."
She scoffed. "Naraku, he's Inu Youkai. You wouldn't have been able to tell one lie."
"A lie; the truth - they differ little if you know how to tell them," he rejoined. "But I did say I would reward you, and my victory will also be yours."
She blinked, uncertain of his meaning. "My lord?"
"Queen Consort of the West; Prince Consort of Hokkaido. However you want to sort it between you," Naraku smiled, pleased with himself. "The point stands, your prince has agreed."
His meaning hit her like a blow, and her feather shuddered beneath her before she caught herself. Kagura stared at him, speechless.
He mistook her expression vastly, and his smile deepened. "Am I not generous, my dear Kagura?"
Paling, she remembered herself and her head dipped. Satisfied, he spoke no more and wandered off to inspect another ship.
Gritting her teeth, Kagura bit back tears as she glared at the shimmering down of her feather. When she had finally composed herself, she lifted her chin and stared across the sea, grimly considering the billowing flag of his ship. As he grew closer and his features sharpened in her eyes, he didn't look up or even seem to consider anything but that human boy who was steering his ship.
She was grateful to Naraku, but though her master knew much about using people's feelings, Kagura reflected bitterly, he knew little about sparing them. As little, it seemed, as Sesshomaru did.
Pressing her lips together, she carried herself upwards with a sharp gust. He could find his bloody place in the armada on his own, since he could apparently decide everything else that way too.
~Sesshomaru~
He cared little for the stink of the various youkai and humans that made up Naraku's army, but his ship would outstrip them in any case, once they set sail and the vast expanse of sea stretched before them.
Jaken was screeching (as usual), barking orders at Kohaku who steered the youkai powered boat with a patient but strained expression. Sesshomaru had intended to leave the Kappa behind, but Inu Kimi had insisted -Really dear, leaving the water youkai behind on a sea voyage- and he had capitulated, knowing she was as like to kill the lesser demon as not if he was left behind to annoy her.
Kohaku's sister, Sango, was busy checking that Ah-Uh was securely attached to his post - again. Though the beast was biddable in battle, the two headed dragon had been tugging discreetly against his ropes, loosening them every few hours. Her firecat, Kirara, mewled scoldingly at the dragon who huffed snootily in response.
Kohaku, whose eyes had followed Sesshomaru's line of sight, frowned even as he manned the tiller. "Why are we sailing at all, Lord Sesshomaru?" He asked curiously.
"Because though we would arrive fresh for battle, our mounts would tire from the flight," Sango saved Sesshomaru from having to answer. "And Lord Sesshomaru has possibly many mighty battles ahead. It would be foolish to deplete his yokai flying."
Kohaku nodded in understanding, and Sesshomaru let his gaze wander over the gathered armies. Insect though Naraku was, he was also effective at building empires, it seemed. These forces were vast, far exceeding the typical conquering force Naraku usually leveled against an enemy...but that was rather the point, he considered. The west had stood unconquered for generations of Inu yokai, going back thousands of years, and the spider seemed intent on his revenge. Intent enough to recruit him, the only yokai with more than half a chance of actually defeating the Inu no Taisho. And defeat him, Sesshomaru would, though not for Naraku's benefit.
As he was considering possible strategies, a flash of white caught his eye and he turned, watching Kagura as she tersely argued with another yokai - Touran, he recalled, of the panthers. A nettlesome bitch, by any means, but Kagura silenced her effectively, and he watched in amusement as the woman stalked off and Kagura swallowed an annoyed sigh.
As she steered her feather northwards her ruby eyes caught his and widened in surprise - at finding him watching her, he presumed - and then narrowed in scalding anger that left him the one shocked. Abruptly she veered away, turning her back as she disappeared into the mass of flags and Sesshomaru was left blinking.
Realisation dawned, and chagrin curled his fists. He was not one to make mistakes often, but the glaring error before him was quite obvious, in retrospect. Not an auspicious beginning.
Kagura would never have asked Naraku to intercede on her behalf, not in this. The spider had acted alone, no doubt informing her afterwards. That she had so long pursued him and been denied her own answer was an insult to her pride. He admitted that he too would have been offended, even lacking the attachment to the idea that Kagura had.
His eyes and nose queried the sky, but she was not to be found again within his immediate senses. Regretfully, he turned his attention back to his ship. He would no more make a scene chasing her through the sky than she would confronting him, but this matter would have to be rectified. Offending his future wife to such crossness had not been on his agenda this afternoon.
As the last remaining stragglers filtered into the ranks of Naraku's fleets, the air cooled into comforting darkness. Stars began to shine in the cloudless night, and the orders to sail quieted the caucus of voices squabbling among themselves.
The wind picked up - Kagura, filling the sky with her will - filling the sails that would, at long last, carry him home.
