Chapter Nine ─Taisho Period (1914)
"Damn Germans are taking advantage of the division in China," Hisa cursed beneath her breath. Watching her country fall apart in the hands of the Westerns tore her. Staring out at sea, she struggled to conceal her emotions. Several of her soldiers passed by on deck, and she could not appear weak in their eyes, least of all the one standing in front of her. Reporting the latest news, Hisa steadied her voice and informed, "The Germans have controlled the city of Tsingtao for several years now. They've been able to increase the economy in that city. However, they've used our people for labour in order to enhance their weapons and machines. Anyone can see by the machines they make that Germany is prepared for war."
Once she finished speaking, a silence settled. The sound of waves splashing against the ship echoed. A cool wind whipped past them, causing short silver strands to rustle. Cold eyes stared at the endless span of the ocean and answered, "You should fix the division in China."
Hisa snorted before saying, "The youkais are more than willing to cooperate. It's the damn humans who choose not to listen."
Hisa glimpsed towards Sesshomaru and saw his expression remain stoic. He no longer expressed any emotions like he did during their first encounter. No matter what she did, she couldn't faze a single change to his hardened mask. She could only assume that the Miko's death was the cause of this lifeless Inuyoukai. Hisa's lips curled into a small wistful smile. Though she had been by his side for decades, he didn't seem to notice her...
'One day,' she whispered to herself. 'One day he will start noticing me.'
"Taisho-sama! The headquarters phoned," a soldier approached the two Generals. Positioned in a respectful bow the soldier delivered a folded piece of paper to Sesshomaru. Clawed hands unfolded it and scanned the message. Knowing it was none of her concern, Hisa was about to leave when she caught sight of Sesshomaru's reaction. A flicker...she had seen a flicker of some sort of emotion finally melt past his cold eyes. The flicker was only brief before he looked composed as usual.
"Turn the ship. We are returning to the headquarters," Sesshomaru said coolly.
"What of the plans to patrol, Taisho-sama?"
"It will have to wait," he replied curtly.
Curious and still shocked, Hisa blurted, "What did the headquarters say? Did the Emperor arrive earlier for the meeting?"
Completely ignoring her questions, he ordered instead, "Prepare for landing."
##
The chain that controlled the battle ship's anchor jangled down. Slowly lowering its plank, with a thud the ship landed on Japan soil. Soldiers scurried in and out of the ship unloading weapons and bags. In the midst of a sea of men, Sesshomaru swiftly walked towards his carriage.
"Hey Sesshomaru, where are you going? You need to regroup your men!" Hisa hissed at him. Calling out on his actions too late, the carriage had already left the port. She let out an irritated growl while mumbling curses directed towards him. His rushed actions to get to the headquarters made her even more curious to know what the message was about. Snapping orders, she rushed her men to get the job done so that she could see for herself what was causing Sesshomaru's odd behaviour.
##
Adjusting the stiff silver collar, Kagome glanced at her reflection through the window. The dark green uniform hugged her curves along with the pants that were tucked in by the army boots. Badges that she hardly owned were pinned on to reveal the status of second in command. Recalling Shin giving her this uniform, a small smile brightened her expression.
-Flashback-
Finally arriving at the headquarters, irritation towards her corset and dress began to appear on her face. She did not care if society had yet to accept females wearing pants. She was most determined to wear pants even if she had to pass as a man. Huffing, she blew away the strands of hair that fell to her face.
"Miko-sama, here is the uniform you will be wearing during your stay," Shin said while holding out a uniform.
Her eyes twinkled in delight to see the elegant designs and most of all...pants!
"Please do not tell Sesshomaru-sama I informed you, but...he had this uniform customized for you."
-End of Flashback-
Fidgeting with the top silver button, her eyes stayed glued to her reflection. How did Sesshomaru know she was going to pop up from the well in this time period? To be prepared for her return and customize a uniform meant he knew...right? Unless...he prepared her clothing every decade or so. Just in case she returned. Her heart swooned with warmth at the thought that there was at least one person who waited for her.
Alerted by the vibrations of footsteps, Kagome turned her gaze towards the door. It slid open to reveal the only constant person in her life. Hesitating for a few seconds, she then smiled and said warmly, "Hello, Sesshomaru."
"Kagome," he responded gently with a nod.
Unable to look away, she took in his different appearance. Gold badges of status pinned to his dark green uniform. A stiff gold collar reached halfway of his neck as gold decorated the tip of his shoulders. Chains curved from his badges to his shoulders. His swords attached to his hip. His short silver hair had remained the same as his golden eyes looked at her with familiarity. Her gaze softened into a wistful look. Everything and nothing had changed.
"Lavender pink," Sesshomaru finally spoke. Tilting her head to the side she silently asked him what he meant.
"Your eyes have changed into a lighter shade."
Reaching a hand to hover over one eye, she said, "It changed again? Lavender pink..."
Dropping her hand, she whispered hollowly, "It's almost the colour of the Shikon no Tama."
"So you know the reason to why your eye shade changes," Sesshomaru said in more of a statement than a question.
Forcing a smile, she lied, "No, I don't know why."
Noting the way his brows slightly furrowed, she knew he caught her lie. Kagome quickly switched the topic to distract him away from prying any further. "I do know that there is a meeting with the Emperor today. Shin told me."
Sesshomaru knew she had purposely changed the topic, but decided to let his curiosity go this time. Instead, he updated her on the recent news. "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated a few months ago by a Serbian group."
"Do we know who the assassins are and their reasons?"
"Austria accused the assassins to be youkais, even though all evidence point that they were framed," Sesshomaru replied. Kagome stifled a gasp and said, "Yamamoto."
"There is no proof that Yamamoto is involved, but if he did he has successfully launched a global war. Austria has allied with Germany and declared war on Serbia. Britannia and France have allied with Serbia for other reasons. So, the meeting with the Emperor is to decide which side we are to take," he said.
"World War 1 has begun," Kagome whispered to herself.
"You know of this war?"
"Yes," her voice strained at the thought of this long and bloody war.
Suddenly, the door slammed open as Hisa yelled, "Sesshomaru! You left me to do all the work!"
Surprised to see the Chinese General on Japan land, Kagome greeted her, "It is good to see you again, General."
Shocked to see the Miko she thought was dead standing before her very eyes, Hisa froze.
"Miko..." she finally managed to breathe out. "You are alive. How?"
"Ah," unable to tell everyone her secret, Kagome pursed her lips in discomfort. Noting this of her, Sesshomaru interrupted, "The Emperor has arrived."
Hisa watched as Sesshomaru patted Kagome on the head as if reassuring her that it was fine not to explain anything. While the Miko returned him a sweet smile, his usual stoic mask softened as if there was no other in the room. Even by his side for so long, Sesshomaru never spared her such an expression. Only during their first encounter with the Miko by his side did he drop his stoic mask.
'I see...He could only ever feel when the Miko was near,' Hisa thought sorrowfully.
"Sesshomaru," Kagome continued as she placed a hand on his arm, "we need to side with Britain."
His gaze steadied towards her as he studied her sincere eyes.
"Trust me," she said softly. Just as he was about to respond, the door had slid open and entered the Emperor.
"Sesshomaru-sama, it's been a while," The Emperor greeted cheerfully. Extending his hand out, Sesshomaru acknowledged the human by shaking his hand. As the Emperor seated himself in a chair, the rest of the guests followed.
"So, you've probably heard the news of war, and I want our country to be involved. Now I know the youkais were being framed by Austria, but many of my people do not wish to go against Germany. If only Germany didn't go and ally with Austria," The Emperor exclaimed.
The bald human who happened to be the Prime Minister spoke up, "Germany supports many of our research and experiments. The consequences of going against Germany can threaten our economy."
As the Foreign Minister nodded along with the Prime Minister, Kagome felt cold sweat forming on her forehead. The sensation of dread filled her stomache. The Emperor had already stated his interest in siding with the central powers.
"You forget the benefits our Country will gain by siding with Britain," Sesshomaru said stoically. Noting the interest peak on the Emperor's face, he continued, "Germany has possession of many Islands, not to mention authority over many cities in China."
He did not need to explain any further for he knew the Emperor understood his point. Should Japan ally with Britain and win the war, Japan would gain the much sought after land that Germany possessed. He was well aware of the Emperor's interest towards ruling a part of China. Sesshomaru saw greed twinkle in the Emperor's eyes and knew he had won him over. There was still hesitance, so he added, "Also, the 1902 Anglo-Japan Alliance with Britain should be honoured."
Tapping a finger against his pursed lips, the Emperor appeared in deep thought. After a few seconds, he answered, "Hm, indeed. I guess we have no choice but to side with Britain in this war,"
Much to Kagome's relief, she saw the other Minister's nodding their head in agreement. He then stood and headed for the door before stating, "I will inform my people the decision we've made."
The sound of the door slide shut was heard. Kagome released a relieved sigh. Slumping against her chair, she was reassured that history was flowing according to what she had learned. The only difference was that youkais were still alive.
"That was easy," Hisa murmured. Turning her gaze towards Sesshomaru, she snapped, "I hope you weighed the lives of millions as you made your decision and not blindly trust the words of a human miko."
Not wishing for Hisa to misunderstand Sesshomaru, Kagome tried to explain that she knew of the future, "General, Sesshomaru wasn't blindly trusting me...you see-"
"We will win this war, so how I make the decisions is none of your concern," Sesshomaru interrupted as his voice laced with acid.
Fed up with this unrecognizable Sesshomaru, Hisa snarled and turned to leave. Never had she seen him make such decisions so irrationally. She knew that he had been uncertain to pick sides before the Miko said anything. It drove her crazy to know that Sesshomaru could trust the Miko's decision so easily.
"I should have told her..." Kagome murmured dejectedly. Gazing out the wide opened door, Kagome heard Sesshomaru say, "She would not have believed you."
Kagome winced at the truth of his words. Who would believe her when she told them that she could travel through time? It was hard to believe. Anyone would think she was crazy.
Lonliness pooled in her eyes at the realization.
"Where are the others?" Kagome asked to shake off the sinking feeling. She hadn't seen her friends last time. How had they changed? How had they spent their centuries?
"Shippo and Inuyasha have gone to Britain."
A heaviness weighed on her chest as she breathed in deeply to heal the discomfort. Fixating her gaze towards the floor, she hoped Sesshomaru didn't notice her pain.
"Researchers found out about Shippo's experiment and offered more resources, something Japan lacked to provide. As for Inuyasha, the British youkai military offered a high position for him."
Time was indeed cruel to her. Though time granted her the chance to see her friends again, it was too short. She would be cursed the cruel one if she deepened any relationship for she would leave them soon. It was as if Time knew her character, for she couldn't be selfish and ask anyone to wait for her. No, she could never blame Inuyasha or Shippo for moving far away to pursue their dreams. She would blame Time instead for the heartache and loneliness she suffered.
Even though Kagome hid her face from him, Sesshomaru could sense her distress. He reached to brush her hair away from her face before realizing what he was doing and paused all motion.
Kagome looked up at him, wondering why he stopped. Sorrow etched on her expression, he said soothingly, "Both Shippo and Inuyasha declined the offers for years and worried over it before finally leaving."
She could imagine the crazy methods the British used to make her stubborn friends cave in. She no doubt knew Sesshomaru's words were true and felt comforted. Her only constant friend. A watery smile lightened her face though drops of tears fell from her eyes. Carefully trailing a finger after the tear drops, Sesshomaru gazed at her with adoration.
"How have you been, Sesshomaru?" she asked with a caring tone.
Slowly retracting his hand away from her, his form tensed. How had he been? All signs of comfort disappeared as a stoic mask seemed to harden his features. How could he forget. 'Hell,' the word echoed in his mind.
"Sesshomaru?" Concern filled her voice at the blatant change in his aura. Catching sight of someone entering through the door, Kagome heard Shin inform, "Sesshomaru-sama, the Elders have arrived."
'His busyness had not changed, that was for sure,' Kagome thought sadly. Nodding her head, she silently told him she would wait for him.
Sesshomaru left with Shin and headed towards his study. Walking through the hallways, Sesshomaru muttered, "The Elders had arrived an hour ago."
"Yes, but I thought now would be a good time to tell you," Shin answered honestly. He had sensed the sudden change to his Lord's aura. Being the only one to witness the pain his Lord suffered after the Miko's disappearance, Shin worried for his Lord's reaction to her return.
Sesshomaru halted in front of his study. "Hn."
Sensing that he had done the right thing, Shin bowed and left.
Entering his study, Sesshomaru noted the three elders sternly gazing at him. Already aware of what they wanted, he resisted a tired sigh. Elder of the South spoke up, "Sesshomaru, we know a great war is to come. With human made weapons that can even kill a youkai, we fear for our race."
Persistent and stubborn were the elders as each decade passed by. Golden eyes frosted in ice bore down at the elders with indifference.
"Had you taken up the offer to become leader of the British Youkai Military, we would have stopped our pester for you to mate."
As the elders shook their head in disapproval, one said, "Instead you made Inuyasha go in your place."
##
Tilting the chair back, Kagome balanced on two legs as she gazed at the ceiling in bordeom. What mission was she here for in this time period? Would she be here for a longer period of time since the war lasted for four years? Where was Yamamoto this time? Her thoughts then wandered to replay the encounter with Sesshomaru. He treated her the same; gentle. She knew that Hisa had been wrong about Sesshomaru being in love with her. She blamed herself for taking Hisa's words seriously. Scoffing at her own silliness, she buried the swelling feel of embarrassment.
"Um, excuse me, is Taisho-sama here?" a voice asked.
With a thud, Kagome planted all four legs of the chair onto the ground and looked towards the stranger. "He left to meet with the Elders," she informed.
A deep sigh escaped the messenger as he mumbled, "I really need to deliver this message immediately."
"I'll deliver it to him for you," Kagome offered.
"Really!?" The messenger hurried and placed the letter into her hands before running off with a 'Thank you'.
Scanning the letter, she noticed it was from the British Embassy. Getting up from her chair, she exited the room in search for Sesshomaru.
##
"Your Father would have wanted the last of your kind to continue down the line."
They cared not whether he was alive or dead. The Elders only lived to ensure that his pure blood be passed down to a heir.
"How long will you take to accept a mate?"
Golden eyes dulled as his ears blurred out their words. He could almost memorize the words the elders repeated every visit. Out of respect he listened, but he was not obliged to obey their requests. He would choose his own mate and when to mate.
"Well then, it's decided. We will host an event next month and gather all the candidates we believe are acceptable." Hearing this, Sesshomaru's attention snapped towards the elders. With an immediate response, he stated, "No."
The three stubborn Elders puffed their chest as one spoke out, "Shikon Miko, we know you are there."
Sesshomaru caught sight of Kagome at the entrance with a nervous grin on her lips. While the Elders exited the room, one said, "I hope you will convince Sesshomaru-sama to attend, for pure bloods are becoming extinct."
The sound of their retreating footsteps faded. Her thoughts lingered on the Elder's words before realization sank in. They did not care for Sesshomaru's happiness, but was she any different from the Elders? Had she not requested Sesshomaru to find a mate for her own purposes? No, she was no different. Struggling to voice an apology, she quivered, "Sesshomaru..."
"I know," he snapped. Kagome glanced up to meet his eyes when she saw his expression harden as if trying to conceal something. He said sharply, "I remember what you last said. Don't you dare repeat it."
"I hope you have a mate to introduce to me the next time we meet."
His shoulders stiffened as his fingers curled into a fist; a habitual reaction to a stored away memory.
Why did he choose to stay and wait for her?
-Flashback-
Dear Sesshomaru-sama,
Our Youkai Captain of the British Military has recently passed away as you may have heard. We are certain that our Captain was assassinated, yet we have not found a single proof to prove so. Rumors of your strength and leadership has reached our lands. On behalf of the Youkai race, we plead that you will take over the position as Captain of the British Military.
Lieutenant General M.K.
Lowering the letter in his hand, blank eyes stared at the ancient well. A howl of wind echoed down the empty hole.
Had this opportunity been given to him when he was younger, he would have immediately accepted. When had supreme conquest no longer become his ambition? Had he lost his way?
A flash of blue swelled from the well causing golden eyes to widen as his body moved unconsciously closer to the ancient structure. A searing sensation of heat over flooded his senses. But alas, gazing down the empty hole his eyes returned blank.
A hallucination?
Scoffing at his foolish behaviour, clawed hands fisted causing the letter to crinkle. Even though it was a hallucination, his unconscious reaction answered everything. No, he had not lost his way. She had simply become more important. His only importance.
Slowly, a glow of green illuminated as the letter sizzled into acid.
-End of Flashback-
He had waited for her, yet he was just now realizing his mistake.
In the end, no matter how long he waited... she would never be in his grasp.
Author's Note: How do you like the twist I wrote on the cause of World War 1? History does not focus a lot on Japan's involvement in World War 1, but this country did have an important impact during the war. The next chapter will focus on the most famous battle Japan has participated in during this war. I would love to know your thoughts on this chapter!
Thank you for reading,
Your reviews are cherished.
