Chapter Twenty-five - Strategy

Sesshoumaru breathed deep, willing his muscles to relax. It was no simple task; not under the present circumstances. Inside, his youki swirled and raged, agitated by the hum of holy power in the air, courtesy of the great barrier that kept all of them trapped. Around him were other youkai – several of them powerful – their faces grim, their eyes a little wild from their own struggles to maintain the control of their youki.

Sesshoumaru's instincts were screaming at him to keep vigilant, to poise himself ready for the perfect opportunity to strike back – but cold logic reminded him that he'd be no use to anyone if he drove himself to exhaustion.

Which meant he had to force himself to sleep, or at least rest.

He did not know what these monks were planning. He did not know how long they intended to keep them trapped inside their damned barrier.

Leashed like a dog, he could do nothing but wait, so he ought to at least conserve his strength. Somehow, someday, that moment would come and he would put these foolish monks in their place.

"My lord?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head towards his guard. Makoto had been silent for a long while, but he hadn't strayed from his side, not even once. Akie-san had named her son aptly.

"Yes?" he replied, keeping his voice quiet.

"Do you think Takeshi made it?"

"He was fast enough to avoid being trapped inside the barrier. That is all I know." Sesshoumaru paused. "But I have full faith in your brother."

Makoto nodded. "Then they will be coming." His eyes flashed.

Sesshoumaru wasn't so certain. Not that he doubted the loyalty of his people. But Tsumekiri was not a large clan. They alone could not do much against the monks. And with him gone, who was there to lead them?

Saburou was an excellent captain of guard, but his loyalty would be divided – between the lord taken captive and the lady tasked with the protection of the clan.

Hopefully, the word would spread. Sesshoumaru wasn't the sole visitor from an allied clan who had answered the call of assistance in the north-east.

And Lady Chiyo of Mikazuki would not take well the news of her son's capture. She would show her claws, and remind everyone just why she was the leader of one of the most prominent clans in the west – and that she'd been the mate of the Great General.

The humans might have forgotten, with the pitiful lifespans that they had. And the century and a half since his father's territory's collapse might have dulled the memories of some youkai, too. But even though the great Inu no Taishou had fallen, and his clan reduced to all but ashes, Chiyo had lived.

As had Sesshoumaru.

These monks might hold him for now, with the barrier they'd created from their combined energies. But they would not take him down.

Sesshoumaru took another deep breath.

Plotting vengeance didn't much help him to relax and rest. He tried to steer his thoughts towards something calmer, something more pleasant… and found Kagome.

The mating bond was a steady, soothing presence in his heart, although with all the distance between him and Kagome, the information the bond could carry to him was limited. There were no flickers of his mate's mood that had become so familiar to him – only the enduring knowledge that Kagome was alive and well.

Relatively speaking, at least.

Sesshoumaru frowned, speculating how Kagome would react, if – when Takeshi would arrive at Tsumekiri and relay the news of the monks' attack. Would she be angry? Would she be distraught? Would she be disappointed that he had been so easily captured? Would she despair?

Sesshoumaru folded his arms over his chest, let his eyes drift shut.

Kagome was strong. She would prevail.

His absence would be longer than intended, but Kagome would keep their clan safe until he would return.

Of that, Sesshoumaru had no doubt.

He only hoped she wouldn't be too upset.

She had suffered enough pain, and, as her mate, he wanted to shield her from any further grief.

But now that he was being held hostage by idiotic zealots, he could not protect her – and would only cause her more worry.

Even so, Kagome would endure…

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth, anger and frustration gnawing at him once again.

He did not want his mate to endure, he wanted her to thrive.

Stillness settled over Sesshoumaru, as he surrendered to grim determination.

He would conserve his strength. He would wait. The opportune moment would come – and the monks who had caged him would be hunted down like prey.

No matter what, Sesshoumaru vowed to return to Tsumekiri.

To Kagome.

L-A-L

Kagome sat near the wall in Sesshoumaru's study, watching the handful of lords debate tactics and strategy. Saburou and Lady Mother stood in the centre, both clearly in their own element. Miroku had got looks from the demons at first, but after a few careful comments here and there, most youkai were already nodding along.

Kagome sighed.

Sango, sitting beside her, turned towards her with a worried frown. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Kagome said, her reply as unenthusiastic as it was rueful. "Just wondering what I'm even doing here. I know nothing of battle tactics so I'm no help."

"Leave the strategy to those who're suited for it," Sango said firmly. "You have done your part."

Kagome frowned at her friend. "But I haven't done anything."

"Nonsense! You invited your allies here and they came. You spoke to them and made them commit to taking action. You've brought everyone together and that's everything."

"Thank you," Kagome said, and squeezed Sango's hand.

She squeezed back. "Really, I should be the one asking myself what I am doing; I've spent all my life training how to best kill youkai and now I'm rushing over to save a bunch of them."

Sango's voice was so wry Kagome couldn't help but laugh.

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence, watching the strategists in the room argue about how to best circumnavigate the barrier.

"Could you do something about it?" Sango asked.

"I doubt I have enough power to break it, not when the monks have united to hold it. I might be able to slip through – for all the good that would do to me."

"What about Tessaiga? Could you use it to break the barrier?"

Ringing silence met Sango's question.

Kagome turned once she realised everyone had stopped talking – and found every single demon in the room staring at her.

She got a dreadful urge to squirm.

"Tessaiga?" One of the lords repeated, as if he could scarcely trust his ears.

"You have the Great General's sword?" Another asked, a hint of awe in his voice.

Kagome swallowed. "Ummm…"

"As I understand," Miroku cut in smoothly, "the General left Tessaiga to his younger son, Inuyasha."

The statement was met with nods and scowls alike.

"Inuyasha was Lady Kagome's first mate, as I'm sure you know. After he passed, the sword came to Lady Kagome." Miroku paused, gave Kagome a quick wink. "As is only right, since it was Lady Kagome who presented Tessaiga to Inuyasha in the first place after she had released the sword in the General's tomb."

Kagome fought not to blush under the intense scrutiny and incredulous stares of her allies. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lady Mother's smile and Miroku's grin. Saburou stood a little taller, pride in his dark amber eyes.

Kagome licked her lips. "I have Tessaiga, yes. It knows me and recognises me. But it does not transform to its true form for me; I don't have the youki to wield it in full like Inuyasha and Inu no Taishou did."

"May we see it, Lady Kagome?" One of the lords asked, his voice respectful.

Kagome blinked in surprise – everyone had been accommodating and polite to her so far, despite her being both a human and miko… but respect?

And the lord was not alone; many of her allies now gazed at her, with considering looks in their eyes.

Kagome swallowed down her nervousness. "Of course, my lord."

She pushed up to her feet, walked a few steps closer towards the group.

She eased the sheathed sword off her hip where she had tucked it under the sash of her hakama. She gripped both the hilt and the scabbard, bringing the sword to eyelevel. Then, in a smooth, practised motion, she unsheathed the blade.

Tessaiga pulsed, and Kagome felt the stirring of familiar youki emanating from the sword. The blade glowed when she pulled it free from the scabbard.

Tessaiga transformed, from an old tattered thing to gleaming perfection – but like before, it did not become the mighty fang of old. It looked much like any typical katana. Only the remnants of Inuyasha's youki prickling at her fingertips revealed this was a youkai weapon.

"It is different," one of the allied lord's admitted. "But there is no doubt of that being the Great General's sword."

"Indeed. Thank you for showing it to us, Lady Kagome. You have honoured us." The lord who'd asked to see the sword bowed his head.

Kagome blushed. Her fingers trembled as she sheathed Tessaiga and tucked it back to rest on her hip.

"Thank you, my lord," she managed to reply. "You are most kind."

"We have debated strategy long enough," Lady Mother announced. "Let us take a break."

Glad to finally have something she could do, Kagome clasped her hands, her shoulders slumping in relief.

"I'll go and see to the refreshments," she said.

Then, with a quick, polite bow, she swept away from the room.

L-A-L

Dinner had been held in the main hall; a formal affair with Kagome all alone at the front of the room, playing her part as the lady. It was harder, without Sesshoumaru by her side, to remember that she belonged there with all these people in the room, high-ranking demons from allied clans.

That was why she had retreated to her rooms as soon as she had finished eating, bidding her esteemed guests good night.

But she hadn't gone to sleep, not yet. Instead, she was having tea, delighting in the company of her friends and her mother-in-law.

Kagome sipped her tea, closed her eyes, both relaxed and relieved. This here was more familiar, the mood cosy and intimate, a world apart from the dinner earlier.

When she opened her eyes, she met Miroku's gaze.

"May I say," he began, amusement twinkling on his face, "that you looked very striking tonight, Kagome."

Kagome shrugged, mumbled her thanks.

"This is so much better," Sango sighed, sipped her tea. "I could hardly eat a bite. Being in a room with so many powerful youkai just had me all tensed up…" She sat a little straighter, shot a glance at Lady Mother. "No offense, of course, Lady Chiyo."

"None taken," Chiyo agreed, her golden eyes dancing, her red lips up-tilted.

Kagome set down her tea and leaned towards Sango, gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I was a nervous wreck too. All these high-ranking demons from allied clans… Without Sesshoumaru, it's hard to remember I'm supposed to be one of them."

"You are one of them," Chiyo said, her tone cool and firm. "You are one of us."

Kagome picked up her cup, stared down at her tea.

"It's a relief to see that they seem to have accepted Kagome as well as they have," Miroku commented. "I thought some might have objected to her being a human – and a miko."

Chiyo shook her head. "They have no cause to object, when her mating bond was wrought with respect to our tradition. And after that little display with Tessaiga this afternoon, none will dare to oppose her. That was a stroke of genius, I should have thought of it myself."

"Inu no Taishou must have been very impressive, for everyone to still have such respect for him, even after all this time," Sango said.

Lady Chiyo sipped her tea and smiled, a faraway look in her eyes. "He was a legend," came her simple answer.

Kagome's heart stuttered in her chest, recognising that touch of wistfulness Lady Mother's elegant voice betrayed. "I wish I could've met him."

Lady Mother met her gaze, reached across the table to cup her cheek. Her claws cradled Kagome's skin with both delicacy and gentleness. "He would have adored you, little one."

A hush fell over the group, until Lady Mother broke it again, skilfully switching the topic by politely enquiring after Sango's and Miroku's children. The conversation bubbled easily from there, and Kagome loved to see Sango glow with pride and warmth as she talked of her family.

Too swept up in the women's conversation, it took Kagome a moment to realise that Miroku had fallen silent. She looked at him, found him staring down at the teacup in his hands.

Kagome bit her lip, scooted closer.

"What is it?" she asked, worry creeping into her voice.

Miroku straightened himself, a quick and easy smile appearing to his lips. "Just deep in thought."

"About?" Kagome prompted.

The question filled the sudden silence – Sango and Lady Mother had stopped their conversation and turned their attention to Kagome and Miroku instead.

Miroku shook his head. "I don't want to spoil this evening. We've talked enough about strategy today, we all need to unwind."

Lady Chiyo was instantly on the alert, her golden eyes sharp as they honed in on Miroku. "Have you come up with some idea?"

Miroku shrugged. "I was thinking of the barrier the monks have erected."

Kagome set down her tea. "Go on. If you have come up with something that could help Sesshoumaru, help us…" She swallowed, the gnawing worry choking the rest of her sentence.

"Maintaining a barrier strong enough to contain youkai of Sesshoumaru-sama's calibre is going to take energy," Miroku said. "It must be a joint effort."

Kagome's hands twitching in her lap. "That's why it would be so hard to break through it. My powers alone are no match to the powers of the many."

Miroku nodded. "But fusing your energy with someone else's is also very difficult. Unless these monks have had a lot of practise of joining their respective powers together, I think they'd need a medium."

"A medium?" Lady Mother asked.

"An object, most likely," Miroku explained, frowning to himself. "Something through which they can channel their powers, perhaps even amplify them."

"You're saying they're all pouring their energy into the same object to keep the barrier up?" Sango's eyes brightened, a slow smile bloomed on her lips. "Then, all we would need to do to free Sesshoumaru is to break the medium."

"I can't know for certain they're using one, dear Sango. But if they are, breaking it would certainly work."

Hope bubbled in Kagome's chest. She clutched at it with both hands, held it close to her chest as she clung to it.

"Break the medium?" she repeated.

Miroku nodded.

"This changes things," Lady Mother muttered, half to herself if the distant look in her eyes was any indication. "A task like that needs to be handled by covert means, not with an army. A small group of skilled people, to slip past defences without raising alarm…"

Chiyo's claws clicked rhythmically as she drummed her fingers against the tatami matting. Her gaze snapped to Miroku and Sango.

"Something you two could handle, I imagine?"

Sango smiled, looking confident and perfectly relaxed. "Without breaking a sweat."

"I believe we could," Miroku replied after giving it a moment's thought. "The barrier's likely only keyed to demonic energy."

"They want to keep their hostages in and their rescuers out," Kagome said slowly, thinking out loud. "And bigoted as they are, they wouldn't think some of those rescuers are human."

Miroku nodded again. "It would be easier for them to maintain a barrier keyed to youki alone, than one able to block against anything and anyone."

"Excellent." Lady Chiyo's eyes glinted.

A smile curved on her red lips, a smile that jolted Kagome. She had seen that same dangerous, predatory expression before, on Sesshoumaru.

"It is certainly something worth considering," Lady Mother decided. "Would anyone like more tea? Tell me, how is young Rin faring?"

And just like that, Chiyo deftly steered them back to more casual topics.

Kagome sipped her lukewarm tea and slipped back into the conversation with ease, while in her heart the flame of hope flickered, small but strong.

L-A-L

The next day, they were once again packed in Sesshoumaru's study. Kagome stood between Miroku and Lady Mother, and eyed the gathered high-ranking youkai with renewed appraisal. The plan had begun to form last night, and with it had come the hope.

Once more, Kagome had faith, and that was enough to keep her warm and tethered, to cast her insecurities into shadow.

"Last night, we had a private, casual discussion between friends," Lady Mother began, addressing their guests. A slight smile quirked her lips. "And somehow, we managed to turn it to strategy, when Lady Kagome's trusted friend gave us some insight to how the mind of a monk works. Miroku-sama, if you please."

Miroku bowed. "Thank you, my lady. I suggested that as the monks holding our friends hostage must combine their powers to maintain their barrier, and because fusing energies with someone else's is a highly particular skill, they might have opted to use an object."

He paused, glanced around the room.

"This object would combine their powers, potentially even amplify them, and then feed the energy to the barrier."

"This is all speculation, of course," Lady Mother pointed out, "but the probability is very high."

Miroku nodded. "It's a logical assumption."

"And if they are working through a medium, like Miroku and Lady Mother believe, we only need to break it to bring down the barrier," Kagome added.

Murmurs broke out in the room. Spines straightened, a few grins flashed. But some faces remained grim and unconvinced.

"I am guessing this medium would be safely tucked away inside the barrier?" One of the lords asked, his voice sceptical. "If so, we can hardly get close enough to break it."

"If we presume the medium exists, we may also presume that their barrier would only reject those with youki signatures," Lady Mother said, sounding cool and calm. "Which means our human allies would be able to just walk in."

More murmurs rose at that. Kagome tried not to squirm as long, considering looks were cast towards her, Sango and Miroku.

Miroku cleared his throat, and the room fell silent again. "Theoretically speaking, it could also be possible for youkai to pass through the barrier."

Lady Mother raised her eyebrows, ignoring the storm of mutters and whispers that swept through the study once again.

"How?"

"If we erase your energy signature, the barrier would likely not recognise you as youkai."

"Erase how?" Several voices called.

"We could try sealing your youki," Miroku clarified. "Temporarily."

"Seal our youki?"

"Is that even possible?"

"Could it work?"

"Would that be harmful?"

Kagome held up her hand, and was mildly surprised how quickly the youkai quieted.

"It's not quite the same," she spoke, a little hesitant at first, "but Moriyasu, Lady Chiyo's retainer, sealed my reiki at her behest. It did not harm me in any way, and since the seal was broken, I have recovered my powers in full." She looked at her audience, let the holy energy spike a little in demonstration. "So it should be possible, to find a way to seal youki as well."

There were nods, now. Some smiles. Murmur of agreement.

"Well then." Lady Mother smiled. "It seems to me we have a plan."