The hall was busy that morning. The respective ladies were flitting from table to table to find their group for the games. Nasty insults flew between the quickly forming cliques as they fought to have the best seats in the hall. That way, when the males walked in, the at group would be the first to be seen.
It was rather sad to see the females like this, Kagome thought. Why bother doing all that when there would be a chance for the females to speak to the males after breakfast was eaten.
She stifled a yawn. Kagome had woken up early that morning and had sneaked into the hall before the demonesses began their drama. She believed it to be useful to study the women before hand. At least, that's what she told herself. The true reason she was there was because her friends were getting debriefed on her new situation, whatever it was. She knew that Toga-sama would tell her after he retrieved her; he was the one to suggest to her not to attend the meeting.
Blue eyes tracked Aya as she made her way around the room. She seemed to be trying the best seat in the room so that the suitors would notice her, especially Sesshomaru. She wore a light pink kimono that hugged all her curves and generously displayed her chest. Aya wasn't the only one wearing that variation of the kimono. Actually, there were those who had skimpier. A giggle escaped her lips as she remembered when Natsu thought her this.
...888...
"Alright Kagome-san, to become the perfect sbinobi, you must learn this important lesson."
"Which is?" She said distractedly as she picked up another skirt to inspect its price.
Earlier that day Natsu had asked to be taken to "a place that has all the trends." So, she took him to a mall. Now they were picking their way through her favourite all-purpose clothing store. It was a strange yet popular store that was sectioned off into different categories for different tastes. She stood in her usual 'safe' side and was moving towards the athletic side.
"Fashion"
She dead panned.
He ignored it.
"In youkai culture, as you would soon learn in depth, sensuality is key. Looks, smell, and if you get there, taste are important to youkai. Unlike ningens in my time, modesty is not the pinnacle of beauty."
"I've noticed"
"We tend to mix fashion from the mainland with our own. While demonesses may cover up they highlight their assets. However the same rule for youkai applies to ningen: the more you show the easier you appear to be."
A silence passed between them. She wondered if not to ask a certain question.
"As a shinobi, wouldn't that be ideal?"
Her head jerked forward and she lost her balance.
"As a shinobi, you must be a coquette. Dance around them, flirt with the idea of sex. Give them a little and then pull back. Only ever give sex when absolutely necessary. Because shinobis..."
She gave a long suffering sigh.
"Because shinobis are first and foremost information gatherers"
"Right... Now try this on."
...888...
That's why he ensured that her Miko garb fit closer than traditional ones. He wanted to hint, not give away.
Growing bored of the quiet, she returned to her adjoined room to Toga-sama. Her room faced was positioned in the northern-most room of the western wing.
She began to change into an extravagant version of her Miko wear. Forgoing the hakama that poofed similar to Sesshomaru's, she wore thigh high boots to cover her legs. Her white kosode was done in her era's style of Lolita kimono while the sleeves had the traditional Miko slit on the shoulders with a blue string that tightened the fabric to her wrist, a slightly slimmer version of Midoriko's sleeves. Over that she wore a white outer kimono, it stopped above the Lolita kimono skirt in shades of blues and dark purples, with long butterfly sleeves that fell right above her calves and the same slit in the shoulders. The purple obi tied in the back with a traditional knot. She decided to leave her hair out, believing it best to keep it free. As an after thought she picked up the dead bauble, tucking it into her kosode until she found use for it
A knock sounded on the door joining her room to her new sensei's.
"Come in."
"Come little one. The official breakfast will begin shooting shortly".
She hurried over to the adjoining the door, opening it.
"Hai, Toga-sama"
He took a moment to peruse her outfit before making a decision.
"You look beautiful little one. Although, I may prefer you in my house's colours rather than the north's"
Her face filled with one of his house's colours as she placed her hand in the crook of his outstretched elbow
"While the red looks well on your face, I didn't quite mean it like that"
She blushed harder at this statement, a short squeak of laughter escaped her lips.
"Toga-sama, my sensei is from the north. It is an honour to wear his house's colours. "
Toga couldn't help but give a small smile at her words. Whoever her teacher is, taught her well in youkai ways. However he noted the smallest scent of a lie waft up to his delicate nose. If he was not as powerful as he was, he would have missed it.
"You'll be able to meet him today"
"Really? Did he tell you he would?"
She shook her head, raven locks being displaced from its previous resting place.
That made Toga have more questions about her teacher. If he was coming, he must be of some royalty or had to be part of the guard allowed to partake in the games. If he was coming here on the day of the competing males after sending her on the day for the females to compete, it could mean he is looking to win her hand. Alternatively, he may be looking for a fortuitous match for her. She had been trained as a spy and while his instincts tell him it may be okay to keep her close, until he met her teacher he would not be able to make an assessment.
They continued their light travel to the dining room at a sedate pace with continuous chatter. He informed her of the earlier meeting she missed filling her in with all the details. She weakly tried to pry into the events of the year she missed. This resulted with Toga giving a brief overview of the last year teeming with funny stories.
"It was at that moment I found Inuyasha hog tied and hanging from a cherry-blossom tree without his hakama and a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth"
Laughter bounced off the hallway walls from Kagome. Suddenly, she stopped laughing as hard as she was and brought it down to a maintainable level. Toga did not need to ask why she did that, as the reason made herself known .
"Kikyo" Kagome said in hushed voice.
The woman before her seemed... different than she remembered. In truth, there wasn't much difference between what she wore prior to this meeting and now in Kagome's eyes. She continued to wear her red and white miko garbs and her hair was styled the same way. However she clearly indulged in youkai fashion. She now wore a hanfu styles skirt with a slit coming up the left leg up to her hip instead of her flowing hakama.
"Kagome, I must admit that I'm surprised to see you here."
"I'm just lucky I was able to arrive in time"
Kikyo gave a small smile at that.
"I hope we'd be and to speak soon. There is much that I have to say. "
With that she floated off in the way that she always did.
"Toga-sama, shouldn't she be heading to the dining room like us"
He gave an acquiring shrug before guiding her to the hall; worries over his new charge filling his mind.
...888...
Kagome often wondered how she managed to find herself in strange situations.
At this point in time she sat next to her new sensei as he began to load her plate with food. Around her, her tachi (minus Miroku) began questioning her. She had no problem answering, but right now was not an appropriate time to speak. She tried to tell them just that. Along with that, many demonesses were glaring at her unashamedly. It most likely had to do with the fact that she was sitting on the said and was clearly favoured by her Toga-sama.
The slamming of the hall's door was as though Tue fat lady had sung her first note, signaling that the opera had only just begun.
With a whoosh, Kagome found herself being spun around, caged within steely muscular arms. A happy howl sounded right before the words she was dreading to hear:
"My woman"
Kami, it was Koga.
"Hi, Koga."
"How has my woman been doing?-" he continued on without waiting for an answer- "if you're here, that means you want me to prove myself to you. You've finally began to accept my suit? Gotten the dog-turd out of your system and now want a real male"
"Koga I-"
"Oye! Who you calling a dog-turd, fleabag." Inuyasha jumped down from the dais, his fist gripping his untransformed sword's handle.
"Stay out of this. This is between me and my woman"
Kagome felt herself pulled away from the wolf's hands. She rolled her eyes at their mounting antics. She hardly had been back a week and this was happening. She considered her options. She could leave them, or, she could sit Inuyasha. It was too early to sit him. She also didn't want to embarrass him. Maybe Toga-sama would part them. When she turned to look at him, she got the answer she needed: he found it enjoyable.
Kagome huffed.
"They just couldn't wait could they?"
"Seemingly not."
Kagome whipped around when she heard the new voice. Her face lit up.
"Fubuki!" she said excitedly jumping on him. The snow wolf caught her with ease. She sat comfortably in the crook of his arm, gazing into his slightly hypnotic silver eyes. Realizing what she was doing, she tore her eyes away from him. A wonderful shade of red coloured her cheeks before running down her neck in a way that Fubuki couldn't help following.
"Do you greet all males like that, or am I just special" he flashed her a toothy grin that succeeded to add more red to her complexion.
"N- I mean yes. Ummmm. "
He gave a deep chuckle before setting her down.
"I'm simply just excited to see you again and be able to get to know you better." She said with a huff, turning away from him crossing her arms.
There moment was interrupted by Koga.
"Cuz, get your hands of my woman"
"Cousin? You're related to the snow ookami?"
"Hai, Kagome stop talking to him"
"'Gome come over here and forget those smelly wolves. Let's go back and eat"
"Don't tell my woman what to do, dog turd"
"Your woman? Kagome I could've sworn you told me that she never accepted," ignoring the two loudmouthed canines, Fubuki turned his question to the miko, "Have you?"
"I have not. I am certainly no one's anything other than friend and student. I've hardly been back two days and you both already are acting like you own me. I have my own autonomy. So I will stay right here and continue speaking with Fubuki. Unless Toga-sama calls me back"
Looking at her teacher, she saw him laughing.
"Come on Kagome." Koga and Inuyasha whined simultaneously.
She let out along suffering sigh.
"When is Natsu coming, Fubuki?"
She wasn't looking at him seemed she missed the small frown that formed on the wolf's face. He opened his mouth to answer when the devil himself arrived.
"Kagome, hi. We need to leave for a bit." Natsu said grabbing hold on to her arm.
"What's he doing here?!"
"Natsu, what did you do?"
"Get away from my woman!"
"Spend a year with you, training you without telling my father anything and now he wants to kill you"
Her eyes widened at this. She held his hand preparing herself for what he was about to do as he pulled out Mōfusupia before addressing her new teacher.
"You two be quiet! This is serious!"
"I'm older than you Fubuki! You can't tell me what to do
"Toga-oji, I need to borrow my pupil for a bit. In my absence can you please talk down your friend. I think he's overreacting."
"NATSU!" A strapid figure burst through the doorway throwing a guard into the wall.
"Lord Harou, please compose yourself" a belligerent female voice said trailing behind him. Kagome did not need to be told that was Sesshomaru's mother.
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
Toga chose that time to intervene. Jumping down to land in front of the fuming fox
"Harou, my friend, what's wrong? I haven't seen you like this in years."
"Hi Otosan"
The dark colored kitsune turned deep purple eyes towards his son before locking on her. His face morphed from anger to being haunted.
"You look so much like her..."
He trailed off before trying to jump around the wall that was Toga to get closer.
It was at this moment an oppressive aura began to stifle the room. It felt as if everything was freezing over.
"Sesshomaru" she whispered.
Said demon Lord walked in quietly, letting his aura flow out in waves. His coldest glare passed over everyone, with her being the last one. She gave a weak smile and wave in his direction. He was not amused.
They were royally fucked.
"It seems we just got our cue to leave." Natsu said with a grin. He struck the ground twice and the pair disappeared into the shadows.
This left the others to deal with Sesshomaru as the fat lady sang her last note.
"Explain"
Unbeknownst to them, this was only the first of several arias she would sing.