Chapter 10: Watching From Afar

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

-x-X-x-

-Kagome-

After a week and a half of my stay in the Western Lands and a series of troubles I had made, the meeting with the Lord of the West cannot be avoided any longer.

"Today, you meet my son." Lord Toga informed me. "He has to meet every one of the demonesses personally to make a correct judgment of their character. Someday, soon, you will have to face him on your own but tomorrow, you will meet him with other people. Nothing to be scared of, fierce girl."

"I am not really scared," I replied. "Just a little nervous because as far as I know, he hates humans and I'm half of it." I'm scared. Scared of him provoking me and me fighting back. What if it escalated quickly, and I unintentionally waged a war with him? Father would kill me.

Lord Toga glanced away from me and stared at the sky above us. "Hmm…yes. He hated hanyou even more."

"Gee. Thanks."

"It is my fault." He confessed wistfully.

"Your fault?" I asked curiously.

He smiled sadly at me before patting my hair. "Sometimes, we make decisions without thinking of the consequences we might face later. No matter, you are a fascinating girl and my son is as curious as a cat. He will favor you."

I laughed and flicked his hand away. "Flatteries!"

"Well, would you not fix your hair?"

"Why? Is it that horrifying? Let it be," I said. "Let me go, too. I am going to be late for breakfast. See you later."

Lord Toga and I became closer and closer each day, he will come to my room early in the morning and we will walk in the garden talking quietly. Before parting, he will ask me to stay out of trouble. I will always promise not to. So, I will always go to the Middle Lands while the other demonesses were trying to learn the ways of the West.

Opening the door to the dining hall, the demonesses barely paid attention to me anymore unlike before where they always taunt me. Fortunately, there is Ayumi, Eri and Yuka from the Southern Lands who remained nice to me. I talked to them loudly just to get a rise out of the demonesses. Sometimes, I wanted them to lose control to reveal their true colors.

"Look who's here…what a dress. So…unattractive." Kagura mocked, her friends laughed.

So much for not paying any attention to me!

"Even if you dress her in the most expensive silks, she would still look unattractive."

"She acts like a savage, so not even her character can win her anything." Kagura continued to taunt me. "Look at this, this diamond is a gift from a Northern Lord," Kagura bragged with her followers. "Unlike some, I am given importance. Sometimes, even worshipped by High Lords because I am a high-born demoness." She glanced at me with a smirk.

"As if." I scoffed, unable to take the insults anymore.

Her ruby eyes snapped towards me in a second. "Did you say anything, hanyou?"

I shrugged, putting on my best innocent face and my most sarcastic voice. "Nothing, my lady. I am just wondering if the Northern Lord gave the diamond to you before or after he took you to his bed?"

Her chair flew away at the same time her control did. She growled at me, her aura glowing fiercely around her. "Watch your tongue, hanyou, or you might find yourself without it."

I gasped, feigning horror and fear. "Oh yes, a mighty full-fledge, high-born demoness like you can do that because you are oh-so-powerful!"

Baring her fangs to me, she crouched, ready to attack anytime. I smiled, taunting her, looking for a fight. Attacking another Chosen Demoness was forbidden, let me see what she would do after she defied that rule.

"Stop. You know the rules. No attacking of any of the Chosen, Kagura. Control yourself," Toran warned, her hand on her shoulders.

Kagura seemed to come back to her senses. She straightened and smirked at me. "Playing dirty, are we? You think I'd break a rule for you?"

I stood up from my seat, gritting my teeth. "I am not playing dirty." Not really. "Backstabbing is your thing, not mine. I am just trying to remind you that baiting me with insulting words is not working because I am not like you. By the way, your incessant insults to me make you look pathetic. The next time you throw an insult my way, think about another of your dignity lost and you don't have much of it to lose."

"Stop this," Lord Toga's voice stopped the growing murmurs in the dining hall. His eyes sharp and his posture stiff the way I had never seen it before.

He must have been this hard back in the days.

"Settle down, Ladies," he commanded, his tone gentler but still authoritative.

We sat down, Kagura and her company seething with rage. I sent my sweetest smiles to them.

"Lord Sesshomaru left a message that he would not be present today. He has some matters to attend to outside the palace. Before you eat your breakfast, let me inform you of what will happen tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I asked Eri who sat beside me. And thank Kami Lord Sesshomaru is a no-show.

"Do you not know?" Eri asked with a shake of her head.

"I wouldn't ask if I know, would I?" I replied, rolling my eyes.

Eri narrowed her eyes playfully at me before replying. "Tomorrow, we prepare for the Festivity in the coming week."

"Festivity?" I asked, still puzzled.

"Yes. It is almost like a competition that will take place between us all."

"Okay..." I leaned towards her slightly while Lord Toga was giving his instructions.

"In the festivity, we will be down to sixteen," Eri said, her eyes widening in fear.

"Eight of us will be sent home with our dignities lost forever," Yuka interjected, her voice shaking a little.

I smiled and rolled my eyes, hiding my own nervousness. "What are we going to do in the Festivity?"

"A competition of the mind, body and spirit," Yuka replied.

"Nobody knows how they are going to test these three. It will be revealed right in the moment. All we can do is to prepare by reading and making inquiries with those with knowledge," Ayumi supplied, joining the conversation.

"Lady Kagome," Lord Toga called. I looked at him. "Tomorrow, you and the other six I mentioned will be staying in the kitchen to learn how to serve your Lord. Lady Kagura, Lady Toran, and Lady Yuki will be sent to the Bones of the Fallen to inquire knowledge with the spirits. Do you understand?"

We replied 'Yes' in chorus but I sent a glare to Lord Toga and he replied with a smirk.

The kitchen? Seriously?

-x-X-x-

-Sesshomaru-

The next day after the hanyou ran away from me, I tried hard to stay away but the idea that she might be in the palace attending to one of my demonesses nearly drove me mad with curiosity.

One look, I negotiated with myself. Just one look.

I sniffed my way around. Literally. Asking questions about her may create rumors so I took pains to avoid it.

I found her scent in one of the rooms, was even tempted to enter when I realized that she was alone, if not for the Northern Lady named Kagura.

She came around, greeted me exaggeratedly. She filled my day with empty flatteries, too much flickering eyelashes, and hidden agendas. I dismissed her when opportunity presented itself. If she were not an important guest, she would have found herself headless!

Absurdly, I found myself following the hanyou later that afternoon when she went out of the palace. I concealed myself so she would not see me following her around. I hid behind trees and tall grasses just to catch a glimpse of her.

I saw her smile, laugh, and joke with the people of the Middle Lands. I saw her treat the little kitsune named Shippou like her own son. I saw how she did everything in her limited power to help the helpless people of different species. She did not seem to care whether they were human, hanyou or youkai as long as they needed her, she would be there.

She disgusts me. I insisted with myself. She's too emotional. Too weak. She disgusts me.

But at the end of the day when invaders tried to raid the Middle Lands, I saw how good she fought. I saw the determination. I did not see a weak hanyou, instead, I saw a warrior. There was always that initial fear and the silly panic that would make her falter. But after she got through with them, she fought fiercely.

For three days, I had found myself following her to the Middle Lands, just watching from afar. One time, I showed myself to her. She just looked at me, her eyes saying what her lips weren't uttering, "What do you want?"

"What iss your name?" I asked her.

A little hesitation stopped her before she whispered, "Xiao. It's what these people call me, anyway."

"It's not your real name." I pointed out.

"I don't know." A shrug and a slight frown marred her face.

"Xiao." I repeated. It sounds foreign and a little odd.

"What's yours?" She asked.

"You will know. One day." I replied, hesitant to tell her my real identity.

She huffed and smirked. "Ugh. More riddles. You are strange, youkai."

I raised my brows at her. "Strange?" Undecided if she meant it as an insult.

"Yes. Sometimes, I don't know if that mask of indifference you're wearing is for others or for you."

I almost frowned at her words. She was strange herself. "You are in no place to criticize me."

She smirked again. "Same for you. Do you want something to eat?"

"No. I was hunting when I saw you." Nice, Sesshomaru, you just explained to a hanyou. You even made up stories. She's right, you are strange. "I am leaving."

"'kay. Take care!" She bid farewell before running off to her 'family' again.

Today, it had been a week and a half since the Chosen demonesses started living here in my lands in quest to be my mate. Yet, I had not known any of them that much to decide. The Festivity was also coming near. I needed to talk to them soon. It cannot be put off any longer.

Still, I could not resist the urge. I sneaked out of my own palace before breakfast could commence and was certain how mad my father will be. Hnn. Let him deal with them. It is he who wanted this after all.

Unfortunately, she was not in the Middle that morning. I flew up on my cloud and did not return until after dinner. In one of the dark hallways, I caught her scent. I felt…relieved. Odd.

I stopped walking and waited for her to see me. She bumped into me the way she did the first day we met. "Ow!"

She raised her gaze at me, the moonlight illuminating her eyes, it looked like they were glowing. "Oh. Hi there! What are you doing here in the dark?" She whispered as if we're in a middle of a sensitive mission. I almost laughed.

"What are you doing in the dark?" I asked back.

"Wow. Are you my echo?" She mocked, her eyes going huge.

"Hnn. You should go attend to your Mistress instead of making havoc in different places."

"I do not make havoc. Trouble just seemed to find me anywhere I go." She huffed indignantly.

"Go."

"No." She stuck her tongue out playfully before walking past me. "I wanna take a walk first, probably in the gardens. The smell of the kitchen seems to linger in my nose."

"What business do you have in the kitchen?" I asked, walking beside her.

"Learning how to wield a sword?" She replied sarcastically. "Of course I'm trying to learn how to cook, wise guy."

I glared at her but she just glared back. I stepped towards her, using my height as an advantage but she did not cower from me anymore, which was distressing, even if her head only reached my torso. "Your insolent mouth will bring you death, hanyou. Learn to control it."

"Your arrogant ass will bring you death, youkai. Learn to tone it down." She retorted, her eyes shining under the moonlight.

"Hnn. One day, I am going to kill you. We will see then how your insolence could save you."

"Why don't you kill me now?" She asked, her words whispered softly.

"You will die in my own terms, my own time, and my own will, not yours."

She smiled. A smile that would have brought any prince down on his knees but I remained in control of myself and my knees. She chuckled and hit me playfully on my chest. "No, youkai. I will die in my own terms. Rest assured that I'll be ready when you come to kill me."

She started to walk away but she gave me a last glance. "The Festivity is coming up, will you be there?" she asked.

I hesitated before replying. "…Yes."

"See you then!" She smiled her mischievous smile while I ascended in the sky with a smile of my own.

-x-X-x-

Word Count: 2230

Prompt: None

A/N: This chapter is too long but cutting it somewhere seemed impossible so I just let it be. By the way, did you have a nice time during New Year 's Day? :)