Unbeta'd
:: Tanuma ::
Kagome turned, and yawned, closing her mouth on an unexpectedly placed bit of fur. She blinked, and choked, coughing.
She poked at the fur sleepily, puzzled as to what it was and why it was placed there, and frowned as she encountered a shoe. Her half closed eyes traveled up, up, up…and then widened as she remembered where she was: On Sesshoumaru's personal marshmallow of a cloud.
"Bah." She blinked, and squinted against the predawn light. Her body ached, dully, and she gradually became aware of the fact that she was traveling at a great speed, and that she'd fallen asleep resting against Sesshoumaru's bony knees.
Kagome grimaced, and sat up. "Morning, all." She grinned tiredly as she said it, aware that she was inaudible. Good thing she was wearing the 'cloak of invisibility' too, or Sesshoumaru might have noticed her accidentally trying to swallow part of his tail. Kagome winced. He'd been…unusually nice over the past few days. Or at least not deliberately scathing and argumentative, which amounted to the same thing from him.
It was starting to really creep her out.
She was not used to a Sesshoumaru that actually listened to what she was saying with some vague amount of interest, and then answered. It was…disconcerting. She almost wished for a return to the old Sesshoumaru, but took back her thoughts immediately. Creepy it might be, but it was also better. She'd take the weird Sesshoumaru over the biting, sarcastically intractable one any day of the week.
Kagome straightened up a bit more, and peered at the lightest part of the sky. They were traveling just above the trees, and the sea was behind them. They must be on the northern shores of Kyushu, then. Almost there.
Squinting against the wind of their passage, bitterly chilled now that she was not protected by a fluffy tail, she pulled off the necklace, and tucked it away in her bag, watching as they descended in a gentle curve. It was getting to be far too light to fly openly. Kagome squinted at the reflection of sun on the water, and the far hint of green. At this rate, they should reach the large, southernmost island of Japan in only a few minutes, just ahead of the sunrise.
Soon enough, they landed on a beach. Sesshoumaru hovered a few centimeters above the sand in a nonchalant way. Kagome hopped off the cloud, stretching the kinks out of her system. "Oooh. I'm glad we're here. Trying to sleep on a cloud isn't very fun, once you actually do it. I wonder what those mattress companies would say if they knew…"
Sesshoumaru landed lightly beside her, and made the cloud vanish after concentrating briefly. He wondered what sort of modern drabble she was spouting this time. "Hush. We're not far from Buzen, now. That is the youkai capitol of the south. We must be wary."
He watched as Kagome nodded, and frowned. He couldn't tell what she was thinking now. He hoped she took the warning to heart; there were dangerous youkai around now. He didn't like the thought of them discovering they were here, and harming her.
He banished all thoughts of that, and concentrated on the immediate area. He had not detected any observation so far, but that could change. He almost wished Kagome had kept the concealing beads around her slender throat, though he couldn't say why. He knew how to act in a situation like this, while she didn't, perhaps that was it. It made him nervous.
Now that they were here, and so close to the southern capitol, the danger increased yet again. Nobody had cared to look for two lone travelers, out in the middle of nowhere. But he was sure that there were those watching the south, and who might see him as well if he was careless or unlucky. He'd have to remain concealed within this illusion for most of the time they were here, he suspected. There were too many eyes that might belong to someone who reported to Damia.
Sesshoumaru paused to get his bearings, matching the landscape against what he remembered from his last visit. Tanuma had said to meet him not too far from Buzen, 'in the clearing with "that huge waterfall."'
Of course, unless you knew that the clearing was actually home to a small waterfall, and that Tosa had been really miffed about that fact, it made no sense. It was a test, clearly. On that long ago hunting trip, only Tosa, Tanuma, himself and two others, now deceased, had been present. If he went to the clearing on the other side of Buzen, the one with the large falls, he'd have failed. Sesshoumaru smiled grimly. From here on out, he had to concentrate on everything.
He set off in the direction he remembered, Kagome following silently behind him.
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The bird watched the trees, flitting from side to side in the imitation of life. The small amount of intelligence it possessed urged it to follow the figure that had emerged from the castle, and record everything it 'saw.'
Tanuma. That was the name of the darkly colored, whip thin youkai it followed. The bird had had the description burned into its mind from the moment it was first created from a sheet of paper. Every twist and fold of thin rice fibers had added more information, until the false crow could have picked the rake thin youkai from a crowd at a glance, or seen though most of the disguises the spymaster was wont to use. Today, there was no attempt to hide. Tanuma was simply emerging though the small gate, and headed off for a walk. He often did, and most times, he didn't even use the walk as a means of collecting information. It was simply...a walk. For now. A human observer might have become bored, lax in watching. It was a simple routine to watch.
But, not knowing anything else, the bird followed as though bound with a geas. Routine meant nothing to its endless watching. Much like an ancient's golem, the automation kept to its task. Crow eyes noted every stop to observe the forest with the same keenness they had watched secret meetings. The crow stayed just on the edge of vision, too far away to hear. Previous experience had shown that Tanuma had an unfortunate tendency to sense spiritual power, and Mesau had commanded her army of feathered underlings to stay on the edge of sight unless something of import came up.
Unseen, the crow followed.
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Kagome shivered as she followed Sesshoumaru into the forest that had closed in soon after the beach ended. Scraggly trees dripped water on her head, and soon, she was beginning to shiver. The water had begun to seep into her clothing, turning it into a heavy, wet mess. Something smelled faintly of damp dog. It was times like this that she missed her bright yellow raincoat. The feudal equivalent was doing zip for keeping her dry, or warm!
She glanced up through the trees. The sky had grown overcast, and she feared it might rain. She shook her head, and followed after Sesshoumaru, cursing as the undergrowth held her back and scratched at her exposed hands.
"Hey! Wait just a sec!" Glancing ahead, she could see Sesshoumaru flowing though the woods with ease, gliding though the growth as though it wasn't there, a piece of white, morning fog. He stopped and turned around, waiting patiently for her to catch up impassively. Kagome flushed silently as she came closer, feeling like she must be making enough noise to alert the whole forest.
Sesshoumaru said nothing, but she wondered what he thought. Had he lost patience at last? But he only turned away when she'd caught up, and continued. She wondered why he hadn't taken the necklace off, and shrugged. As they had grown closer to their goal, he had become more silent, until he was nearly the same youkai as he had been a week ago. Yesterday he'd been mildly chatty, and this morning, she'd dared to hope the nice streak might continue. She'd been far too optimistic, Kagome thought with a scowl. He had barely said five words to her after they'd landed on the beach.
Oh well. Kagome should have expected it wouldn't last. So why did she feel so... disappointed? She hadn't been hoping that he'd perhaps grown a little more friendly, had she…? Kagome grinned wryly. She had been, she realized. She'd reached out when she thought he needed a shoulder to lean on, and had been hoping…
She'd actually been hoping that the proud, I've-got-more-ice-than-a-glacier Sesshoumaru might unbend a little for her. Melt. What a strange idea. Kagome tried to tell herself it was only what she could have expected. Sesshoumaru needed someone to be there for him like he needed a…well, not a third arm, he might be able to use that since he was already down one…but…
Somehow, it didn't do much to ease the hollow ache that had appeared somewhere in the region of her stomach. She shouldn't have tried to do it, shouldn't have grown attached…
But she had. And she'd have done it again. Kagome hardly dared admit it, but she'd actually grown quite fond of Sesshoumaru over the months time since he'd fallen at her feet in a heap.
Of course it was nothing else. Nothing at all.
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Sesshoumaru didn't need to turn around to know exactly where the miko was. He stifled a sigh, and resisted the urge to turn around and point out that they were in unknown territory here, and shouldn't be making noise, but resisted the impulse. It had been like this all morning. She wouldn't be any quieter if he pointed it out, and there wasn't time for a lesson in deep stealth. He closed his eyes with a grimace, and kept going.
Not that she was actually loud, he admitted quietly. He was beginning to be impressed at how much she had managed to learn in only a months time. Kaede had at least taught her the basics of tracking, and movement in the forest. If they had been going against human hunters, she wouldn't have easily been noticed. But youkai... youkai would hear her, even if she was being quiet – for a human.
Sesshoumaru sighed, and decided that, if they ever had the time, he was going to teach her how to move through the world more silently than a youkai ninja, with less noise than the wind. She could use the lessons, and it might help pay her back for everything, teaching her what she ought to know to survive. Sesshoumaru didn't want to see Kagome die because she didn't know how to protect herself, especially if he could have taught her something that might have saved her life. Tracking...he might add his own knowledge to the lessons the tajiya had promised for hand to hand combat...or a sword...
He shook his head, and turned back to the present,mildly amused at the thoughts that had come from his musing. He would never have thought, once, that he would be contemplating giving lessons to a miko. Never...
He shook his head, still surprised. There would be no time for that later if they did not do something about Damia now. Focus on Tanuma. They were about an hour away from the cabin, at this rate. Good, that would be just enough time to see the there for noon, which was the appointed time. Sesshoumaru ran over what he remembered of Tanuma in his mind, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand.
The kitsune known as Tanuma was quite, reserved, a shadow that haunted the southern court, taking everything in and never passing it on. Tanuma never said more than a few words at a time if he could help it. It probably made it easier to keep the many secrets he held.
Sesshoumaru blinked the thought away, and paid attention to the surroundings. They, or he, would probably know Sesshoumaru was coming from a kilometer away because of Kagome's racket, but it couldn't be helped. Hopefully, any spies from the West would let them past without thinking them worth comment.
That was the real danger, now. Nobody watched the Nakasendou road. Youkai never used it, which was why they had used that way to travel here. Youkai especially never watched humans, which is what they had been pretending to be. The real danger was when they were closest to achieving their goal.
Grimly, cautiously, Sesshoumaru advanced, Kagome noisily bringing up the rear.
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Tanuma paused just outside the log cabin, frowning. Had something...? He paused, and didn't turn around, pretending to examine the door. Was someone tracking him here? There was a faint tingle at the back of his neck.
He hadn't said he was doing anything but going on a walk today. Normal enough. He often went on walks, and not all of them involved 'work' either. In fact, most didn't; he only took time out of his morning meditations for really urgent tasks.
Perhaps it had begun to create a pattern, a dangerous one. Had someone noticed...? He strained his ears, eyes, all his senses, waiting for something.
Nothing. He must be imagining things, the combination of nerves and disbelief creating sudden sounds out of thin air.
Tanuma shook his head after he entered the cabin. Nothing.
Could it really be Sesshoumaru he was meeting after all this time, when he was supposedly dead, or at least vanished...?
Tanuma had never been completely satisfied with the accounts he'd heard of Sesshoumaru's demise. All his information had come from Damia, and rumor, neither of which was a reliable source. The Taiyoukai had simply vanished one day, reported dead.
He'd known nothing of an affair with a woman, as rumors painted it, and surly there'd have been news of that before now! Popular story said a human woman was the reason, highly unlikely. And a sudden death followed by a change in leadership seemed just a little...suspect. But there was nothing to be done about it now; that was politics for you. Winner writes history, loser gets no say at all. Cynical, perhaps. But often the truth.
He narrowed his eyes, ears listening for anything out of the ordinary. He was probably worried over nothing. Nevertheless, Tanuma remained on guard, more so than before.
He loosened his sword in its sheath, standing in the center of the room. Just in case. One did not become a spymaster by practicing carelessness. He let his eyes take in the room, unchanged since it had been used as a hunting lodge years ago. It had fallen into disrepair, but it would serve for this meeting. He'd still be able to get out in a hurry if needed at least.
If his contact showed up, he would show up, Sesshoumaru or not. If not, it had been simply a waste of time, or the beginnings of a trap. But it had been worth the risk, so he'd come. Nothing was without risk.
Tanuma sat back, content to wait.
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Mesau started, as the bird she had set to tail Tanuma began to appear in her thoughts. Carefully, she dragged her materials over, and began to take control of the puppet bird, letting her thoughts travel down the island, towards the south, her hold tenuous over such distance.
She drew on the extra power Damia represented, and grinned as it was reluctantly given. Suddenly, the distance meant nothing at all. Damia had allowed her to borrow this power, for such an important meeting. But it was not lightly given, and Mesau knew she'd have one very angry youkai on her hands if she did not deliver.
Slowly, the image of a ramshackle log cabin appeared, and then she was in the false mind of the bird, looking though its eyes. Distantly, as though through a fog, she saw the opposite side of the workroom, the familiar tools of her trade overlaid on the image of greenery, a birds eye view of the world. In the center of the clearing, a worn down cabin appeared. Tanuma was inside. She knew it. And he was alone. Nothing had happened...yet. But it would. She need only wait.
Mesau blinked, and checked to see that there were no other entrances to the cabin, once the disconcerting feeling of being in two places at once passed. She circled at a distance, a far away speck. At this range she couldn't see much, and heard nothing at all, but it would suffice until Tanuma's unknown guest appeared.
Mesau settled down to wait.
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Sesshoumaru paused, and glanced up at the sun. He was sure they were almost there. He glanced back at Kagome, squashing the annoyance he felt at hearing the noise. To an inu youkai, she sounded like a bear in a teahouse. It continually amazed him that other youkai with lesser hearing, or humans, would not have noticed at all.
He shook his head, and continued, stopping just beyond the clearing, waiting for her to catch up. He caught a glimpse of weathered logs though the trees, and narrowed his eyes. They were here.
Kagome came up beside him wincing at the stinging scratches on her hands. She thought she'd managed to find every patch of nettles between here and the beach.
She looked over in the clearing, frowning. "Is this it?" Kagome kept her voice as low as she could make it, narrowing her eyes at the ramshackle log house. It looked like it had been abandoned for years...
"Yes. Hush, for now. It is time for the meeting." Sesshoumaru sent her a stern look, and Kagome got the distinct impression that he was to do the talking. Fair enough. She had no idea how to go about that side of things anyway. She was here for the ride, when you got right down to it, since with this, at least, she would be no help.
Sesshoumaru began to move forwards again, still wearing his disguise, and Kagome followed him, trying her best to remain quiet like Kaede had taught her.
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Tanuma frowned as he heard the noise. The loud crackling of branches couldn't be Sesshoumaru's footsteps approaching, could it? The aristocratic assassin, if this was he, had never been less than silent death. Tanuma listened, and positioned himself near the cracks in the logs, watching. This wasn't Sesshoumaru, surely...too loud. He couldn't see anything yet, but he heard the faint chatter of a female voice.
He felt a hot surge of disappointment run through him. It had been silly to think that Sesshoumaru was alive after all. But then... well... it would have solved a number of problems ...
Wishful thinking. He listened to the unknown voices, two of them, and straightened. He'd find out who had come soon enough, and what they wanted. If it wasn't Sesshoumaru, then who could it be?
Probably a trap. Tanuma's thin lips turned upwards in the barest hint of a feral smile. A poor trap, if they gave themselves away this early. So be it. One must go though the motions of civility, at least, before the trap was sprung. He moved into position within the cabin, a loaded spring.
He was good at waiting.
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Sesshoumaru stepped forwards, Kagome following behind him. He was a little apprehensive, but kept his emotions in check. Second nature, after more than a hundred years of fending off the intrigues of court with a mask of indifference. Bracing himself, he knocked.
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Tanuma's eyes widened a barest hint of a fraction, as he watched the unlikely pair leave the forest. A human, and a youkai. The girl carried a bow, and wore green and white. Not even a miko...they always wore red. What kind of human would dare be involved with youkai so casually? Even the people who lived in the south were never that flippant. He looked a little closer, and answered his own question. A beautiful woman...that was one possibility. He'd have to see.
Tanuma shook his head, and examined the taller youkai slightly in front of the woman. Cream, long hair, and the markings of some of the most minor branches of the dog clan... The armor was in the style of the west. A foot soldier in the army, perhaps? The particular family escaped him – there were so many minor clan branches, and nobody bothered to note them all. And it looked like the youkai was a mutt anyway. It would be hard to track him down, even if the spymaster knew where he came from. No information there for this meeting.
Tanuma stepped away from the door, into the center of the room, hand lingering over the katana at his side. Unless there were more youkai he hadn't sensed around, he should be able to take the pair easily. But appearance was deceptive. He himself was a very good example of that.
A knock. Tanuma didn't answer it. He watched the door open after a few seconds, and forced himself to relax. Tension slowed you down. Fluidity in a fight was far more important.
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Mesau's eyes, bird eyes, watched the pair leave the forest, and she frowned, noting the lone, unlikely human and the low level foot soldier. Either it was a spy dressed as a westerner, reporting directly to the higher ups ...which would mean she had a serious breach of security on her hands, if this was the first she knew about it...
Or it was something else. A traitor, perhaps. Mesau's eyes took note of every detail, and she started writing things down, the motions of brushwork overlaying the forest slightly disconcerting. She didn't know who this youkai was offhand, but the markings and cut of the armor she was noting should help trace him. Damia would know where he came from, if she did not.
Cautiously, the bird-that-was-not-a-bird drifted closer, leaving a single black feather hanging in the air, before it drifted to the ground like a lonely scrap of dusky paper.
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Behind the mask, Sesshoumaru's eyes remained steady. It was Tanuma, all right. And if he was to make a guess, that slightly too casual stance meant the other youkai was ready for a fight if they proved dangerous. Sesshoumaru almost smiled. Yes, they must look terribly threatening, disguised as an unknown mutt and a human, one who didn't even wear the colors of a miko! Kagome seemed nothing more than a frail human woman, like this...
Sesshoumaru stepped inside quickly. Behind him, Kagome frowned slightly, as though she had felt something, then her face smoothed. She stood just inside the door, giving them a bit of room.
"Tanuma." It was a statement, not a question.
A brief nod. "Indeed. And you?"
Sesshoumaru nearly grinned. He'd managed to fool the spymaster of the south, with Kagome's help. The master of a thousand faces himself! Kagome was more powerful than she knew. Should he tell her, after...?
"I apologize for the deception. It was necessary to come here unseen." Sesshoumaru inclined his head, and then removed Kagome's priceless necklace from about his throat.
He couldn't resist adding the flourish.
...But it was worth it to see the slight shock on Tanuma's face.
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So. This unknown youkai who'd just walked in knew who he was. Tanuma spared a glance for the human woman, and then turned most of his attention to the youkai. He watched the other reach up, and pull away a string of beads. What...?
...Sesshoumaru!
Tanuma blinked, shocked. And then he nearly laughed, putting the dog youkai together with the unknown woman behind him. "Don't tell me those stories about the human woman were true..." Was this woman with him...?
He kept his tone flippant, but underneath, Tanuma was beginning to become quite angry. If Sesshoumaru had actually wandered off for over a year with a human, and neglected his duty so badly because of it... eloping while the world went to hell in a handbasket was not going to win the aristocratic assassin any friends!
There had better be a damn good explanation!
He watched the woman by the door, her face becoming startled. "Of course not! You think I...!" She laughed, and shook her head, grinning ruefully. "Nope. Not even close. But before we get started, I want to put this ofuda up. It will keep away prying eyes and ears. I thought I felt something when we came in, watching the back of my neck, and I don't want to take chances."
Tanuma raised his eyebrows, but nodded. He watched her go to work, and then sit back on her heels, grinning. "There! I did it! Kaede has to hear about this..."
Kagome smiled brightly, proud of her achievement. She had actually managed to erect a ward without doing anything...bad. Like blowing them sky high...
"Alright! You can talk all about stuff now, and nobody is going to hear."
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The bird slowed, as Mesau directed it to fly lower down, close enough to hear what was going on. With nobody watching, she aimed for the roof. She should be able to sit right there, and...
Mesau's paper creation hit the unseen wall, and shock waves rippled through the bird, slamming into Mesau, so many miles away. A barrier...!
Where on earth had that come from? Mesau's face darkened, as she slammed up against the block once more. Nothing was getting out, or in. She couldn't see inside the house, and she couldn't hear anything. Furious, the bird settled on a branch, glowered at the ward with beady eyes. Should she take it out? Yes, that seemed a good idea. Mesau started searching for a way in, seething as it became clear that the barrier would not give way lightly, not without alerting everyone inside as clear as if she'd hit them over the head with a mallet.
Damn. Mesau decided to wait, searching for a hole, any hole that would let her in unobtrusively.
Why a spiritual barrier, though? Mesau observed it carefully. This was of the sort one could set up with an ofuda, without the aid of a priest or priestess, once it had been written. Were the youkai trading with a miko...?
Or was this the work of the same person, or persons, responsible for freeing Sesshoumaru?
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Tanuma raised his eyebrows another half notch as he finally placed what the woman was. A miko. Sesshoumaru was walking around with a miko. Even if she didn't wear traditional red, he knew her for what she was. "So. Rumor paints you as slave to a woman's beauty, a mortal woman, no less, and now you appear long after we thought you dead, with a miko." He turned back to Sesshoumaru, ignoring Kagome.
Kagome frowned. It did kind of seem that way, didn't it...? Oh dear... "Er...you don't want me to hear? I can go, it's no problem..." She shook her head, and sighed. Typical of her luck...
Sesshoumaru shook his head "I trust her, Tanuma. You will too, once you know the story. I have heard what lies Damia has been spinning after she tried to kill me. Make no mistake; they are nothing but stories. Kagome is an ally." His tone made it clear he thought Tanuma was an idiot for even suggesting the idea that he'd run off with Kagome, of all people, as a lover.
Although, the funny thing was, he did trust her, Sesshoumaru realized. He trusted Kagome completely, and with far more than the information in this room. Although Tanuma probably didn't believe it, it was the simple truth that had sprung up between the two of them, somewhere along the line. You trusted your friends, the people close to you. He had tried to keep himself aloof for so long, not wanting to be hurt again, but Kagome had shown him that that wasn't always a bad thing, that opening up had its good points, as well as bad. At least then, you had people to share both good, and bad, with. He had her now.
Kagome smiled, suddenly touched that he had actually said out loud that he trusted her. She knew he trusted her, knew it in her bones, but hearing it said in such lofty company made all the difference. Somewhere under all the layers, he must care about her just a little bit. Just a little caring for a friend, and comrade at arms. Kagome smiled to hear it.
"Alright. Fine. So tell me, what is the former lord of the west doing with a miko? Why haven't you come to us before now, to stop things before they got to this point?" It was almost an accusation, though he took care not to let the anger in his voice become visible in front of Sesshoumaru. Tanuma wasn't convinced the woman should remain, but let it be. If she was this deeply involved, it couldn't be helped.
Sesshoumaru grimaced. "Long story short, I could do nothing. Damia tried to kill me, but only succeeded in trapping me in one of Mesau's spells instead. Kagome freed me, and I have been walking the world again for only a month. I have been trying to piece together what happened while I was sealed. I came as soon as I could. I would not have abandoned my duty if I could avoid it, Tanuma. You know this."
"Yes, I do." He also knew that the Sesshoumaru he was familiar with did not walk around with humans, much less a miko, claiming to trust her. Rin was one thing, a child. Children were a law unto themselves, especially in a race that had so few offspring. But a grown woman, a miko...a miko named Kagome, no less. Was it the same one who had once traveled with Inuyasha...?
Perhaps it was a matter of convenience. Damia had Mesau. So Sesshoumaru had engaged Kagome. That had to be it. Tanuma couldn't imagine it was anything else. Sesshoumaru had to know that he could not hope to defeat Damia if he did not somehow match the power Mesau represented. Sesshoumaru had no room in him for anything but practicality. That resolved, Tanuma felt a little better about having the miko in on this conversation.
"I understand. What do you want me to do, then?" There had to be a reason the former lord of the West had come to him now, and he could bet he knew why...
"I want to talk to Tosa. This seemed the easiest way to go about it. I want him to call the council of Aizu. Damia will be forced to come, or risk war too soon, and she has a debt to pay. She cannot avoid a challenge there. That was the easiest way to get to her. With her gone, and Tosa and Satsuma's aid, perhaps we can, if not fix this, at least return to an uneasy truce. We cannot afford war amongst ourselves, not when the far west of Europe circles, waiting to enter a land ripe for the picking."
Tanuma nodded slowly. That seemed in order. He had often thought that, if someone like Sesshoumaru could just knock out Damia...then the remaining three more level headed lands might, with a lot of work, avoid conflict. If they did it soon enough, of course... "I see. A good plan. Something must be done, and we cannot be seen to change events. You, however, might be able to." Tanuma nodded.
"Give me half a day, less, to return to Buzen. I shall arrange for you to enter the city unseen." He smiled, slightly "Though with a disguise as good as that, you should be fine. Your work, lady miko?"
"Yes." Kagome's cheeks turned a delicate, seashell pink.
"You have some power, girl. I hope you continue to use it for our mutual benefit, for the time being." Tanuma nodded, impressed despite himself. Sesshoumaru hadn't been wrong; the miko was a powerful ally if she could manage feats of that sort.
Kagome smiled, pleased. "I want Japan to be safe. Of course I'll help."
"Good. You recall the back entryway into the castle, do you not, Sesshoumaru? The blue door?"
A brief nod.
"If you come just before sunset, bearing packages from town for delivery, you will both be allowed in." Tanuma frowned. "Pardon for not offering better hospitality, but I do not think we will put you in the west wing, in the rooms you once used as taiyoukai. Truthfully, they are not yours anymore. Damia did claim the west legitimately enough by defeating you, and holding her enemies at bay. Just as it would be yours if you defeated her and held it again. And something like cleaning out the apartment would spread. I shall have to see what can be done about rooms. Do not remove that necklace while you are within the city. Does the miko have some way of hiding? Humans are not unwelcome, here in the south, but they do cause comment."
"Kagome has something suitable, and if it isn't, she can, I'm sure, make another."
Kagome nodded. "Yup. No problem at all. If you're done, do you want the ward to be taken down?"
"Yes, if you would. One last thing." Tanuma paused, and stared back at Sesshoumaru intently, still hardly daring to believe his luck at finding the former lord alive and well. There might be a chance, now. They might yet escape a civil war, if things worked out...
As long as Sesshoumaru realized how powerful Damia had become, and took steps to ensure that he wasn't taken by surprise, everything would work. Tanuma had heard only the faintest of rumors concerning the power of the dark miko, added to the ruler of the west. Damia kept that strength hidden, and it was only the careful, time consuming resources of a spymaster that had brought it to his attention He had to tell Sesshoumaru, later. When they went to speak with Tosa. They had to tread carefully. If Sesshoumaru failed... all or nothing. The west would turn against the south.
If they hadn't considered it already...
"Take care. I had almost given up on a way to take Damia out without starting a war. Do not fail, and do not underestimate her. She is much stronger than most know. If you do fall, I fear for what might happen..."
Sesshoumaru allowed himself a grim smile. "I do as well. But I will not fail." What did Tanuma know about Damia's strength...? Was there something he didn't know? He ought to be on nearly even ground with her according to what he knew, and remembered, but if he wasn't... Sesshoumaru had always known he might die, flighting her. How strong...? Sesshoumaru almost asked, but caught himself. Later.
"Good. I will go, and tell Tosa and Satsuma you are coming." With a brief bow, Tanuma turned, and waited for Kagome to take down the barrier.
Kagome swallowed, once, and gingerly reached over to the barrier, after waiting for Sesshoumaru to pull his illusion back into place. When there was no evidence that the taiyoukai had ever been in the room, Kagome lifted the edge of the paper, wincing slightly.
A shock sizzled under her fingers, and she jumped a bit, started. But the movement tore down the barrier, and Tanuma nodded, disappearing into the forest quickly. The late afternoon sun angled across the forest, and Kagome sighed, sucking gingerly on one burnt finger.
"Damn. I hate when it does that. I have no idea why I can't seem to do anything with wards...every time I try..." Kagome muttered, scowling.
Sesshoumaru shook his head, then stiffened, and gestured for silence. "Come, Amiritsu. We have till nightfall to return to the city."
...Amiritsu? What...? Then Kagome stiffened as well, as the sense that someone, or something, was watching them grew. It was a miko, she knew it, though the power seemed distant, as though someone was observing them from many miles away. She nearly rolled her eyes at Sesshoumaru's choice of fake name...did he have to pick the same one as the rambling authors friend?
Great; now she felt inadequate to go with the singed fingers...a barely half trained miko, young, though not wholly inexperienced, and terribly inept with barriers, as her burnt hands would attest...she was nothing like the knowing woman in the journal!
Brightly, Kagome nodded, and grinned, glad Tanuma had gone.
Sesshoumaru had picked that name, so he'd have to live with it.
In seconds, Kagome had decided on her new role. Boy, was Sesshoumaru going to regret picking that name...
"Alright! Oh, we have so much shopping to do! I need a new ribbon for my hair, and I'm hu-ungry!!" She whined, hoping Sesshoumaru played along. If he picked a name like that for her, she'd just have to give him one in return...and, in the meantime, he could deal with 'fragile, ditzy Amiritsu.'
"Oh, that reminds me! I heard that there's some person called Tosa around here...but that's the name of a province!! Silly youkai, naming someone after a human province..." Kagome let out a giggle, high pitched and as airheaded as she could possibly manage. Let the watcher chew on that, then! At her best, Kagome could make any air-headed teeny-bopper cry with envy of her complete lack of intelligent conversation. Kagome winced. It felt like she was choking on exclamation points! But if it worked...
She nearly giggled again as she watched Sesshoumaru's eyes widen in surprise, and then as he gave a thoughtful nod. Good, he understood what she was trying to do...
"Silly youkai? I do not think so. Humans named the provinces after important youkai." Sesshoumaru bravely attempted to smile, feeling his face nearly crack as he did so. All well and good for Kagome to chatter away like a pretty doll with not a thought in her head but clothing and food, for the benefit of their watcher, but he could not so readily pretend. He had no idea how to act like that, nor did he really want to! Luckily, Kagome was chatty enough for both of them...
"Really?! Oh, I never knew that! That's so exciting! What else was named after youkai?! Were there really famous ones? You promised to show me everything! Can we get chicken?" Kagome bounced along beside him as he headed towards town, taking a different route than Tanuma had.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. She actually bounced. Any moment, he expected her to start jumping from tree to tree like a deranged, caffeine fueled squirrel. She was acting like a little girl. He could not understand how such a huge change could have occurred! Now, Kagome looked like nothing so much as a pretty woman, brought along as an ornament and without any really understanding of what was going on.
Kagome gleefully abandoned any attempt at making her way quietly through the woods, and blundered about like a lady unused to being more than a few feet from the attentive hands of servants. Someone wanted to watch her, did they? Chew on this!
She could still feel the watcher on her back, and she was careful not to lay the act on too thick. It felt like whoever it was, was loosing interest ...just a bit more..."Ouch? It stung me! Joseibi... Joseibi-i" Kagome grinned. If Sesshoumaru could have fun with names, so could she!
Sesshoumaru nearly laughed as Kagome thrashed through the bush. He took back everything he had ever thought about her ability to walk quietly in a forest – that might have been loud enough for an inu youkai to hear pretty well, but this...! It was like someone had set up a pair of drums in the forest, and was banging them together for the hell of it!
And that name...was she trying to be funny? Kagome and her warped sense of humor... 'feminine beauty' indeed...
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Mesau nearly groaned as Tanuma left, forcing her to choose between following him, and tracking the two newcomers. He looked as though he was headed towards the citadel, so Mesau let Tanuma go – for now. There were other watchers in the capitol. Now that the ward was gone, she hopped down closer to the unlikely pair, grimacing as she heard the chatter of the girl.
Mesau took one look at the vacant stare, and winced at the way the idiot woman tripped over the most ridiculous things. The youkai beside her looked distinctly ruffed, and put upon. Mesau, for once, felt a small amount of sympathy for youkai. How on earth had they ever gotten together? The girl was pretty, she'd admit to that, yes, even a little envy. But the mind behind it...! There was nothing! Mesau knew some males preferred beauty without brains, but this was ridiculous!
Mesau followed, wondering how on earth the youkai put up with the mindless prattle, and grew disgusted. Chicken? What on earth did chicken have to do with Lord Tosa? (the idiot didn't seem to know he was a lord!)
Eventually, Mesau grew bored, and, seeing that the two were headed for the city, where she did not care to follow so openly, she got ready to leave, relinquishing active control of the birds mind, setting it to follow without her guidance. There was a small chance the woman was acting to throw her off, but Mesau doubted that the wench had even heard of the word 'deception.' It was probably too long for the lackwit to comprehend.
Paper feathers were told to follow, and report. Mesau pulled herself away from the fabricated crow, and felt her mind settle back into her own body, felt the cool breath of air from the window and the cramps in her legs.
She hadn't gotten much, for all the power spent today. But Tosa was up to something, something big. Mesau had to check the markings on that mutt of a soldier, and search for the woman. There was that, at least. If there was a traitor, or a spy, she'd know. Damia would probably be mad she hadn't gotten anything else, but there were limits to what Mesau could do. The crows would follow the pathetic twosome into town, as far as they could, and pass along the description. There were a few operatives she could trust to find out information, where her crows could not go. She would have to depend on them for now.
Mesau stood up and winced, stiff after sitting for so long,and turned away from the window. Damia would want to know, wouldn't she? A soft sigh, and a weary hand brushed back her hair. The things she did to save Japan from the far west...
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Apologies for this being a little late, once again. And after all those lovely reviews, too!(feels slightly bad) Thanks so much, guys! Guess the only thing in my defense is general busyness of relatives coming to stay...lol.
Again, this chapter is unbeta'd as well. I'm not sure how that part will work, actually. I seem to be able to write much faster than she can edit for the time being...
lol. This seems to be a day of updates – First a site overhaul gets started, now this goes up. Anyway, hope you all had good holidays, and wish you well in the new year. Adieu, until next update!
Don't forget to review! (grin)