Chapter Two
Prime Minister
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15 years earlier
A giggle could be heard in the otherwise quiet room. "Hmm… I thought my little dove came into this room…." A cheery voice said while moving throughout the room. In response to his statement a burst of laughter came from near the window possibly from under his desk.
"I think I heard some noise over here!" he exclaimed looking behind the chair in front of his desk. "hmm… I guess I was wrong…. Maybe…"
His face peered around the corner with a huge smile on his face as their eyes locked. A squeal escaped Kagome's mouth as she tried to get away quickly from the big father monster!
"No! I can't be captured!" she yelled trying to escape the bear hug her father was attempting to wrap her up in. He kissed her head with a loud muwah. "Daaad!" she whined as her father continued his doting on her.
"Alright," he replied, setting her free from his hold. "Let us settle down, we must start on our lessons, lest we make mother angry!" he said, feigning alarm at the thought of being disciplined. "She is pretty frightening you know."
"Yes father, lets start on our lessons." Kagome walked around his desk to her designated seat while he took his spot in front of his desk.
"Lesson one little dove. Always glance over the whole stack, we cannot trust that our advisors can tell us what is important all the time, we need to ensure our priorities are straight, for our people!" he said with pride as he pulled the folders in front of him to scan over them.
Sitting up on her knees in her chair as she tried to look at her fathers' desk, she asked. "What happens when we find something that should have been labeled important?"
He looked at her very seriously just then. "Then we raise hell and find out who was responsible!"
Nodding her head, she replied. "Does that mean someone gets into trouble?"
"Yes… Little dove, it does. If we do not see something that was critical, lives are lost, we must know who decided this because we keep our enemies closer and something darker might be behind this lapse of judgment."
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One Week Ago
Kagome sat at the same desk her father once occupied. Pulling the folders towards herself very much in the same way as her father did. She scanned them all, rolling her eyes when she found a file that should have been labeled critical and was at the bottom of the pile.
Pulling out the file to examine it further, it was information from one of their spies of disgruntled talk amongst her allies. It explained Naraku was gaining more forces by the day and seducing people to his agenda.
Naraku was appealing to demons and half demons to rise up to take control over the puny humans. Their country was in ruins from the first war that invaded the lands less than a decade ago. Bitterness amongst those who lost created a bubble under the surface which was about to burst.
She pulled out a stack of photos showing women and children in rags begging for food, while others appeared to have died due to a food shortage in Lysithea. Her heart broke at this, seeing these people suffer and put their faith in the wrong person.
Wiping away the tears that fell to her cheek, she turned around gazing out the open window to the woods behind the castle. Birds flew in the distance as she saw those in her employ bustling about the grounds in their day to day. She was trying to think of a way to keep this pain from reaching her people. The idea that anyone had to suffer like this was awful to think about. She wanted what was best for her kingdom and vowed to do everything within her power to keep her people safe. With this in mind she began writing notes of ideas she thought might help prolong the war from reaching their shores and minimizing the suffering her kingdom might be subjected to.
She was going to make sure she was heard! She would always know what was going on within her borders. Determination coursed through her as she looked at the newspaper headline once more. Sesshomaru Tenseiga: the only hope we have left in Europa. Kagome would make sure that this new Prime Minister knew who was really in charge. Surely he would be like the rest and deem her as incompetent. She snorted at the thought. She would prove to them all that she could do this, just like her father before her.
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Present Day
Pulling herself together, Kagome walked past the new Prime Minister to take her seat. He followed her toward the seating area, taking his stand opposite of her, a small table separated them. Kagome turned around facing him before taking her seat and nodded to him. Taking his queue he returned to his chair. Their eyes connected once more, calculating golden meeting curious cerulean blues. Both people examine each other in contemplation of how this introduction would go. They couldn't deny the electricity that had surrounded them the first time their eyes connected. The pair sat, wondering what it meant, and how they should move forward.
Licking her lips at the sudden dryness that overtook them, she began. "Prime Minister Sesshomaru Tenseiga, newly elected and eager politician."
He chuckled dryly at her statement. "Your Majesty… I may be young in demon years... yet over-qualified in human years."
Eyes never wavering, the hair began to stand up on Kagomes' neck. The pregnant pause seemed never ending before Kagome cleared her throat and continued.
"My people have elected you to help us through these troubling times."
"Our people," he firmly corrected, "They've entrusted their lives to me. War is inevitable and they expect me to lead them to victory."
"I am very much aware of what is happening within my borders sir Tenseiga." she replied venomously.
His arrogance and boldness did not make for a good impression. He was beautiful on the outside, but his attitude did not match. He leaned forward as if attempting to dominate her while sizing her up; in response she mirrored his actions. .
"If you are as attentive as you say, then you would know that the people need their leaders and need to feel secure. If you were to walk the streets right now, you would know that they are filled with turmoil." he finished leaning back into his chair; brushing her off. "Maybe if you got out more, you might realize that."
Her jaw dropped at the audacity the onerous male across her had. Taken aback she moved to the defensive.
"I know my people." she said staying in her seated and forward position. "They understand that I have important tasks to perform to ensure that my country runs as smoothly as possible. I was raised through a war, and I know what it entails."
"Your majesty… we are on the same side. Our people need reassurance… they need leadership, encouragement and safety!" he reiterated smugly.
She sat in silence taking in what he said. He had said our people and stated that they were on the same side. But were they even on the same page? She had fought since the beginning of her reign for her people to be heard. Inuyasha, members of Congress, and at times even her own advisors seemed to be against the peoples' best interests. What made him so different? So far she couldn't tell what his ulterior motive was, so she decided to play into his hand. For now...
"I agree... They also need to see a united front from us." she said, finally leaning back in her own seat.
Silence fell once more between them, allowing them to reassess the situation.
"If we are both in agreement for our people, we should discuss the dealings with Naraku and his Onigumo's. They have already attacked our base at Thebes in Himalia."
She frowned. "That is not possible. My advisors said nothing about this." she said barely above a whisper.
"I assure you it did." he stated, "It was attacked last night... We lost 20 good men."
"I had no idea." she trailed off looking out the window lost deep in thought.
"To be fair, it happened less than twelve hours ago…" he said as if that would make it better.
Moving her attention back to the prime minister, she sat in contemplation. "That does not matter, when my people are suffering I am to be told. I want them to know that I care for them. Their lives mean everything to me."
It was Sesshomaru's turn to consider her argument. "They have not lost faith in your majesty. You still hold our peoples favor." he said, not completely comprehending why he felt the need to reassure her.
One of his reasons for running, and his desire for winning the election was to bring the monarchy to reality. He felt they were too isolated and not well connected enough to the people. Doing what he can to ensure the least amount of loss during this wartime was his number one priority.
"What do you propose Prime Minister?"
"Naraku is looking for weakness, he is testing the waters. We need to reinforce our troops in Alexandria on our southern borders." he said moving forward in his seat to pull out a map and tiny statues. He then began to lay it flat on the table between them placing the statues in the center. "His forces have moved to station here and here." he said pointing at the northern borders of Himalia. "We also have intel that he has plans on moving into Metis…"
"As you can see, stopping this is not possible at this point, all we can do is react." he said as he laid the last statue representing the Onigmos', in the country Metis to the east of them.
"We must show a united front and bring optimism to our people, these are trying times that we are about to endure." she stated looking over the map between them. "We are on the same page for my people and we need to be in constant open communication." Observing him push a piece to the eastern border of Himalia she continued. "I would like to know what is going on within our borders when it happens, not after the fact. I require updates to what takes place and in return I will reciprocate, should I find something out before you."
He quirked an eyebrow, before moving his gaze to her. "I concur." he stated cooly as she locked gazes with him.
With the introduction coming to an understanding, they continued perusing the map and offering suggestions for the future. The end of the meeting came with conviction and hope for the future.
"Well Prime Minister, this was an educational meeting, I await our next interaction in a weeks time." She said raising up from her position on her chair nodding in acknowledgement that their meeting was over. "If anything arises please contact me immediately." she stated not leaving any room for argument.
Tension settled around them as she made her way to the door. The hair on her neck standing to attention, she readily ignored it. Missing the small smile that rose to his lips as he bowed, "Your Majesty."
Wanting the last word, she paused before shutting the door behind her. Once again electricity surrounded them. She smiled darkly. "Prime Minister."
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Authors note:
Geography for those who need a visualization of the layout of the main lands.
Their country of Europa is a small continent separated into several states. Europa is surrounded by seas on all sides. Metis is connected by the southeast part to Lysithea, with a sea to the south of the border between the two. The country of Callisto is south and connected to Metis; they are separated by sea from Lysithea. Metis is part of the mainland as a country to the east of Europa, while their closest ally and closest country geographically is Himalia. Himalia is a medium sized country that is known for their agriculture. To the south and east of Himalia is Lysithea. The last major war had all three countries dragged into it, with Himalia taking the biggest hit with a large loss of crops and livestock.
To the far west is Ersa, separated from everyone by an ocean, they are a big distributor and supplier of manufactured goods, such as steel, oil and gold. They have a big army but take a while to make decisions and take action. Ganymede is on the same continent as Ersa to the south and is on good terms with Ersa. They are known for their nature and wildlife, along with their vast forests and conservation of life; they have heavy tourism traffic and welcome people with open arms.