The Assassin's Moon

CHAPTER 9

Eight Years Later

Once more, Kagome adjusted the veil covering the lower half of her face. Although her eyes were lined with enough kohl to ensure her own father wouldn't recognize her, she had to ensure the rest of her disguise stayed in place. A slip of the mask spelled the difference between success and disaster. This in mind, Kagome bent to pick up her tea tray and proceeded quietly down the hall.

She turned a corner and nearly crashed into another person. She barely managed to sidestep the figure, spinning in a half-circle to keep the teapot from flying off the tray. Cursing, she dropped to her knees and moved to collect the spilt tea leaves.

"Watch where you're going," she snapped without looking up. "You could get someone killed!"

Balancing the tray on one hand and managing her cumbersome robes with the other, she glared at the black boots in front of her face. Her words withered away on her tongue as her eyes traveled up from those boots, to an elaborate yellow-and-blue obi and white sleeves embroidered with sakura blossoms in royal red. Kagome didn't have to look further up to know her luck had finally run out.

….

"My most sincere apologies, Your Highness." Kagome injected an appropriate tremble and squeak into her voice. "I should've looked where I was going."

She lowered the tea tray to the carpet and prostrated till her head touched the floor. Kagome made herself shudder, as though suppressing tears. When there came no responding cry for her head, she peeked cautiously up through her bangs. Kagome had never seen this man up close before...

Crown Prince, Lord Sesshoumaru, cut a breathtaking figure. Aphrodite herself must have sculpted his face, for she found him so beautiful it hurt her to look at him. His royal blood proved itself in the burgundy stripes along his cheekbones and the crescent moon gracing his forehead. Sun-gold eyes regarded the world from a canvas of flawless, pale skin. For all his unearthly beauty, however, there seemed nothing soft about him.

Even from her position on the floor, she could tell he towered high over her own 5'5". He possessed a leaner frame than her father, but his fitted kimono revealed a well-muscled body. Kagome didn't doubt he lived up to his namesake, The Killing Perfection, though she had yet to witness his swordsmanship for herself.

Mentally, she told His Highness to enjoy the show. Kagome was about to give a performance that would shame the most experienced actress. She smirked beneath her veil and let the tears fall.

...

Sesshoumaru had never been chastised by a woman before. Even his nurse had been too afraid of the power her young charge would someday wield to scold him. He'd been prepared to condemn this termagant for her loose tongue when she flung herself prostrate on the floor.

Unconvinced that this foul-mouthed wench was truly so meek, he waited for her to squirm and beg for her life. Instead, she began to shake. He flinched inwardly at the sharp scent of tears. He hated crying women. They were more incoherent and than their usual silly selves, and Sesshoumaru forced himself to tame the urge to smack her silent. It wouldn't do for the Crown Prince to lose control and brutalize the servants. He took a deep breath and counted to seven until he was calm. Emotions did not - would not - dictate his actions. Reminding himself that he was the injured party here, Sesshoumaru gazed down at her and decided to wait.

...

Kagome was confused. What was wrong with this man? Her tears had saved her from the ire of dozens of others. By this time she ought to be sauntering free down the hall, with her victim feeling vile for injuring her so. What was she doing wrong?

"Please," she whispered, "don't kill me."

"Kill you?"

Kagome shivered at the low, melodious timbre to his voice. She thought she sensed a blend of confusion and disgust in his otherwise cool voice.

"You're not worth my time." His tone took on a hard edge. "Be on your way, and watch where you're going."

Kagome wobbled to her feet, swallowing a wince at the pain in her knees from her sudden descent to the floor. She'd probably pay for it later.

"Thank you for your mercy."

She curtseyed, gathered her tray, and walked away from Lord Sesshoumaru as quick as decorum would allow.

...

Who was she? When she lifted her head, Sesshoumaru realized that she wore the robes and veils of his mother's ladies-in-waiting. She'd burned him with her gaze as she fled down the hall, and he thought he'd caught a gleam of amusement in those watery blues.

Sesshoumaru cast that thought away. Even noblewomen wouldn't dare laugh at him. Then again, no noblewoman should be given to such colourful cursing. Dismissing her from his thoughts, he carried on down the hall.

...

Kagome paused in her stride to regain her composure. She only had herself to blame for that close call. No highborn lady would've sworn like that - in fact, no highborn lady would've known how to! Kagome resisted the urge to bang her head against the nearest wall. She counted to seven instead, balanced her tea tray in one hand and knocked on the gilded door before her.

"Come in."

Kagome pushed the door inwards and curtseyed. "Your afternoon tea, Your Majesty."

"You're late."

"My apologies. I had a mishap in the hallway."

"Excuses, excuses." A note of disgust. "Prepare my tea, Evelyn."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Kagome's slippers didn't make a sound as she moved across luxurious carpets. Her robes trailed behind her and Kagome prayed she wouldn't step on them. Her Majesty wouldn't tolerate clumsiness, particularly in her ladies-in-waiting. Cautiously, she set down the tea tray and began to prepare its contents.

She counted to ninety as she prepared the concoction of tea leaves and boiling water. Then she reached up to touch her ear. In one swift movement, she unhooked the small sac of poison masquerading as an earring. She palmed it and poured the tea into a delicate china cup. While she stirred in the milk and sugar, she pinched the poison sac behind the handle of her spoon till its contents ran down the metal and into the cup. Once she was certain that it had diluted, she set down the spoon and brought Her Majesty her drink.

Her Majesty Queen Kaori reclined on a lounging chair, surrounded by cushions stuffed with the finest down. Fruit imported from exotic lands were washed and displayed in ornamented bowls for her dining pleasure. Servants fanned her with huge ostrich plumes, while vibrant silk hangings swayed in the breeze from the open terrace.

The queen herself was clad in the finest silks money could buy. The arrangement of her clothes barely managed to preserve her modesty. The thin, translucent fabric was perfect for these hot climes, though they looked as if a callused fingertip would tear them. For a banished queen, she lived in the lap of luxury.

Thanks to the aeonian beauty her kind possessed, Queen Kaori's age was indeterminable. A gold circlet gleamed atop her coiffed hair, a reminder that despite her disgrace, she was still the Queen of the Western Lands. Her harem and lifelong dedication to pleasure were legendary. Kagome never understood why King Inutaisho had never curtailed his wife. Any other man would've cast her off.

As Kagome drew near, Queen Kaori eyed the tea tray and waved it away.

Of course. The queen always insisted that Kagome sample the tea she made. Using a small spoon reserved for this purpose, she tasted the drink as per usual. Queen Kaori nodded her approval, relieved Kagome of the cup and sipped. And frowned. And sipped.

Fury contorting her face, she flung the cup at Kagome. She raised her long sleeve to shield her face from the scalding spray.

"You little bitch," Queen Kaori hissed. "You poisoned my tea!"

Kagome lowered her arm.

"Actually, I've been poisoning you since the first day I served you. You might have thrown away this cup, but the rest will see that you've no choice now but to die."

Queen Kaori snarled. "Have you forgotten that I'm immune to poison? But you should be dead, little human. You drank the same tea every time."

Kagome shrugged out of her robes to reveal the tight-fitting leathers worn underneath.

"Who says I'm not immune to poison, 'Your Majesty'?"

"And here I was wondering who among my servants was a spy." Her eyes narrowed into wicked slits. "I'll execute you myself."

Kaori sprung from the couch and threw off her silks, leaving herself clad in a chest-wrap and loincloth. The servants dropped their ostrich feathers and scattered as her eyes glowed and her jaw elongated into something canine. Kagome grabbed the sais strapped to her thighs and sank into a battle crouch. Kaori made as if to roar, but all that resulted was a gurgle and a trickle of blood from her mouth.

"W-What is this?"

Kagome smirked. "Demonsbane, with a touch of cocoa. It's specifically tailored for your kind."

White fur sprang from Kaori's pale skin, fangs sprouting from her monstrous jaw.

"You can force your transformation, but you'll die sooner for it."

Kaori's canine lip curled. "If I'm to die, I'll take you down with me!"

Kagome held her ground as Kaori lunged and knocked her off her feet. She rolled with her across the carpet and flung the dog demoness off her with a shoulder-throw. Kaori stumbled and crashed against a wall.

"Is that it, Your Majesty? You might as well be human yourself."

Quicker than Kagome anticipated, Kaori had her up against the wall hanging by her throat.

"Even in this state," she said, spraying blood and spittle, "I can easily snap your neck."

Just as Kaori began to squeeze, Kagome kneed her hard in the solar plexus. Surprise loosened Kaori's grip long enough for Kagome to drop and bring up her sais, though the dog demoness managed to block them with her partially-grown claws.

Slash, cut, block, strike. Kaori lashed at her head; Kagome evaded it with a crouch and took Kaori's feet out from under her with a sweep of the leg. Kaori fell the floor with a cry.

Kagome stalked forwards with her sais, twirling them in a slow arc as she approached.

"A wounded dog backed into a corner with her tail tucked between her legs." Her voice assumed a mock-sympathetic lilt. "How far you've fallen. Do you know why I'm here?"

Kaori only snarled, blood trickling now from a nostril.

"To kill me."

"Yes, but why?" Kagome let her veil fall, and Kaori's eyes widened. "Do you know who I am?"

"A whore."

"I'm not the one who spreads her legs for any man who asks." Kagome chuckled, then pressed her lips into a thin line. "No. I'm the daughter of a woman whose death you ordered."

"I don't know who you're talking about, but I admit it's a shame you weren't slaughtered along with her."

Kagome's eyes hardened.

"You condemned my father for honouring his vows of matrimony and refusing your bed."

Though her eyes were already glazing, Kaori began to laugh; a sharp, barking laugh punctuated with fits of bloody coughing.

"Oh! I remember. You're that bastard's daughter. It's a wonder that you're still alive."

"My hatred for you sustained me."

Kaori's laughter doubled.

"You should be begging for your life."

"Don't you know?" Kaori's gave a ragged chuckle. "I do not beg. I was born a royal and will meet a dignified end as a royal. But your kind... you are trash from the moment of conception to the moment you return to the dirt."

Kaori poured the last of her strength into a chorus of hysterical, shrieking laughter. Kagome's eyes narrowed.

"Then die."

She slashed at Kaori's right cheek; crimson bloomed along white fur.

"This is for my mother."

She laid open the opposite cheek.

"This one is for my father."

Kagome could hear her heart beating over the dog demoness' mirth. She raised her sais.

"And this one's for me."

...

When someone knocked on the door of his study, Sesshoumaru paused in his writing and automatically looked up. When he returned his eyes to the letter he was penning, he realized he'd lost his thought. Frowning, Sesshoumaru returned his pen to the inkwell and crumpled the unfinished letter that had been intended for the Minister of the Eastern Lands.

Making no attempt to disguise his irritation, Sesshoumaru growled, "Come in already!"

A messenger, flustered and sweating, crept into the room.

"Your Highness." The man wrung his hands and swallowed hard. "I have very bad news."

He trailed off. Sesshoumaru made an impatient waving gesture. "Out with it. I'm a busy man."

The messenger gaped like a goldfish, looking pale enough to expire where he stood. Sesshoumaru sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He ought to find out whose bright idea it was to assign rat demons to messenger duty and string them up from the castle parapets. Rat demons had brains and bravery equal to their rodent cousins'.

If he thought terrorizing the messenger would inspire him to speak, he would've already done so. Sesshoumaru, however, was rather fond of his study carpet and preferred not to replace it just because some demon couldn't hold his bladder.

"Queen Kaori is dead," the man finally managed to say. "She's been... assassinated."

"Where?" Sesshoumaru's voice remained calm.

"In her private rooms." The messenger looked ready to run for his life when Sesshoumaru rose behind his desk.

"I will look into the matter personally."

Sesshoumaru approached the door, causing the messenger to back straight out of the room. The rat demon actually squeaked under the scrutiny of his gaze.

"Go," Sesshoumaru said. "Inform my father of what has happened."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"

The messenger fled down the hall with a bow. Sesshoumaru didn't bother watch him disappear round the corner. He'd already turned, now headed for his mother's suites.

….

Sesshoumaru regarded his mother's body with cool detachment. Both cheeks had been laid open with something thin and sharp; further assessment revealed her left knee had also been shattered. The cause of death, an ugly slash to the throat, stood out against the lifeless white of her skin.

The royal coroner dipped a finger into the pool of blood surrounding the corpse and sniffed it.

"She was poisoned prior to assassination. The poison prevented her transformation. Whether or not she survived the assault, the poison would've killed her."

"My lady mother should have been immune to poison."

The coroner lapped at his fingertip and shivered.

"This is nasty stuff. It's demonsbane, touched with the essence of cocoa. The assassin responsible for Queen Kaori's death must have tailored the poison specifically for her."

"What does it do?"

"As far as I know, it prevents demons' transformation, leads to paralysis and eventual death. It's a relatively new substance with little documentation to go by."

"When did she ingest it?"

"The poison must have been in her system for months." The coroner lifted one of Queen Kaori's hands, revealing dark smudges in the beds of her half-transformed claws. "One can tell by the scent of her blood that it's been a part of her for some time. She should've died much earlier. I don't know how she managed to survive for so long."

Sesshoumaru walked over to his mother's lounging chair, its cushions disarrayed by the struggle, and caught sight of a tea stain. The responsible cup lay on the floor nearby. He picked it up and inhaled the rich scent of tea tinged with something extra.

"I think you can find your answer here."

He handed the teacup to the coroner. The man ran a finger round the bottom of the cup and sucked on it. He grimaced at the bitter taste.

"You're right, Your Highness. This is the antidote to demonsbane."

Sesshoumaru's cool voice took on a note of disbelief. "Do you suggest the assassin kept my mother alive all these months?"

"It appears so. When your mother refused to drink it, she unknowingly condemned herself to death." He shook his head. "Our assassin must have an exemplary knowledge of poisons to time and prepare the doses required to achieve this effect."

"How long do you suppose my lady mother has been dead for?"

"The body is cool to the touch. Queen Kaori has been dead for at least an hour."

"If she's been taking the poison for months, her murderer must be someone she trusted." Sesshoumaru turned to the guards that had accompanied him into his mother's suites. "Were there any witnesses?"

"The room was completely empty when we discovered Her Majesty," one said with a shrug. "The slaves and ladies-in-waiting had disappeared."

Sesshoumaru cursed. His mother's killer would be long gone by now. His gaze returned to where his mother lay, eyes glassy with death. Kaori might have made mistakes in her life, but she'd still given birth to him. He crouched to draw shut her eyelids. As he straightened, he noticed a hint of black cloth peeking from his mother's makeshift bodice. Gently, he tugged it free.

The handkerchief unfurled in his hand like a flag of death. A scarlet emblem depicting crossed sais behind a sakura blossom and sprig of nightshade decorated the fabric, encircled by ivy. A line of Latin waltzed beneath the crest: Revenge will be had.

A hint of floral perfume wafted from the handkerchief. Sesshoumaru remembered the woman in the hallway; her mocking blue eyes, robes of a lady-in-waiting and… tea.

She was the assassin.

Sesshoumaru whirled towards the guards. "Track down every single lady-in-waiting that's ever associated with Queen Kaori. I don't care how far they've gone or how long it'll take to find them. I want each one back for questioning."

Sesshoumaru unfastened his obi and slipped off his outer kimono. He covered his mother's body and clenched the black kerchief in his hand. This was a blatant challenge.

An eye for an eye, Sesshoumaru thought. Royal blood had been spilt and now there would be hell to pay.

…..