Chapter 23

And the story continues. Thanks for continuing to read this story. I'm working on ways to continue the story with more time lapses. I don't want it to be "here's what happened today, and this is what happened yesterday".

Previously…

Kagome and Sesshoumaru finally reached the Western capital city.

Now…

Kagome and Sesshoumaru made their way down the paved road, getting ever closer to the Palace. You could see the 20ft stone walls lining the border, indicating that they were headed to the main point of entry. From what she could tell, there were three main wings consisting of tall building structures that formed the outline of a square, and all three wings opened into an enormous courtyard, similar to that of Japanese temples. The court yard contained several Sakura trees with stone benches nearby, to sit and enjoy the view. It was like looking at a square that was ¾ the way completed. The middle wing was the tallest structure. Kagome guessed it was about 4 story's high, so maybe close to 40 feet tall, with a large balcony opening on the top floor. 'I bet the view from there is amazing' she thought excitedly. The stone that forged the palace, 'fortress, was more like it', was of a silver tint, and appeared to have a surface as smooth as Jade. You could easily see the pride of the architect and the workers who helped build the palace, shine in every detail. Even the shutters of the inner, courtyard windows, displayed a brilliant dark blue, in contrast to the silvery stone.

But, before she could take in more and continue her perusal, the demon she noticed earlier had finally reached them. He was tall, as expected, but a little bulkier than Sesshoumaru. He had plenty of muscles to spare. His hair was red with black streaks, short and spiked, protruding three inches from the top of his head. He even had a little pony tail tied off at the back of his head, similar to Miroku. His skin was a very nice shade of light brown. The coloring could have been from a tan, but it looked natural on him. His eyes were sharp, lips full, and though he bowed to her and Sesshoumaru, she could see into his playful nature. 'Maybe Sesshoumaru had a friend after all'. As he straightened, Kagome noticed the gold glimmer of his earring and each gold bangle on his wrist. The demon looked like a different kind of royalty to Kagome, in his black hakama and matching black vest. Although she observed him thoroughly, she was not ogling him. It was just interesting, and part of her training included taking stock of your enemy, inside and out. This just became a new normal for her, when meeting new people. In the long run, she knew this would decrease her chances of getting kidnapped again. She'd had a lifetime of those instances already.

With a slight smirk upon plump lips, he looked from one to the other. "My Lord. It is nice to see you've returned…. With quite the lovely lady, I might add." He set his playful, dark colored eyes on Kagome, and she just knew this one was going to cause all sorts of problems in the future. She just wasn't sure what kind of problems. He continued to extend his hand to her in greeting, which she glanced up at Sesshoumaru, before placing her hand in his to greet him. To her surprise, he gracefully flipped it over and moved to place a gentle kiss upon the back of it, as he introduced himself. This action caused a slight blush of awkwardness from Kagome, who shifted closer to Sesshoumaru, and a low growl of a threat from Sesshoumaru.

"Miko-sama, I am Saku. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And you are?"

It seemed like his eyes that were darker than night, and pierced right through her soul, as if to intimidate her while he waited for her answer. Although she was not a demon, she could see the challenge in his eyes; and in the way he set his jaw. But she would not back down from this blatant challenge. So, she gripped his hand more firmly, as if to say challenge accepted, squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes slightly, and proceeded with her introduction.

"I am Kagome Higurashi, a Miko from Edo. The pleasure is mine, Saku."

Saku straightened, knowing the stuffy dog was nearing his limit with his actions, and smirked again. He stepped to the side near his Lord, so that they could carry on into the palace. While looking at Sesshoumaru, he noticed the tension in his shoulders fade, and commented "I like her. She's feisty!"

Kagome looked surprised by the demon making such a casual comment to Sesshoumaru, but was even more surprised when he did his customary "hn." The fact that he acknowledged it at all spoke volumes of the relationship this demon held with Sesshoumaru. 'It's refreshing', she smiled. As they continued on the smooth pavement, Saku felt the need to update his Lord on certain things. Though he was playful in nature, he was not a fool, and he could tell that the Miko beside his Lord would definitely be a firecracker. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Sesshoumaru-sama", he began, and his Lord's eyes cut to him in acknowledgment of the seriousness of his tone. Even Kagome was taken aback by how quickly he switched gears. But, she could tell Sesshoumaru was listening intently, so she knew whatever he had to say was important.

"Three remain. Polite threats failed. They are more….brawns than brains… and unless I divulged your intentions to Lady Mother, she refused to accept my "encouragement" for dismissal".

Sesshoumaru paused in his steps. Demons of all kinds flitted past him, bowing, just before reaching the palace gates. His mind was working at the speed of light, thinking of the best course of action to take. He intended on his palace being emptied of the foolish females vying for his attention. He intended on showing Kagome his home, and everything he had to offer her as a mate, ensuring she agreed to Mate him; not that he was worried, of course. He expected to come home and inform his lands and council, that the vile spider had been slain, leading to a night of mirth and good spirits – not that he would participate much. But, he also expected that his mother would not entirely cave into his demands, and this was a predictable outcome as well. Kagome's reaction was the only thing he couldn't necessarily account for. He knew with time, her confidence would rise and she would readily accept her position as his mate, his equal. But, Inuyasha's betrayal ran deep, and her self-worth suffered tremendously because of it. Not too long ago, she had confided in him her concerns over how he viewed her, knowing she was not a loose female. He could not, would not allow her to believe that she was the other woman, ever again. His decision made, he turned to Kagome and placed his right hand beneath her chin and gently lifted it to meet her eyes. He was not one for public displays of affection and the shock and surprise showed on Saku's face as well, but for other reasons. Kagome wanted to shy away and blush since they had an audience, but she kept her gaze steady and met his eyes as he began to speak.

"There are three females vying for this Sesshoumaru's affection in the palace. This one's mother wished him to take a mate and have brought them here. You are my intended and there will never be another. They will be removed once introductions are complete," Sesshoumaru said as his gaze softened at the end. He was willing her to understand now, because once he entered the castle, he would be briefed with numerous missives and reports, since being away from the castle for so long. He didn't want her to feel pressured and any more out of place than she would already be, as a Miko and a human, in a palace surrounded by demons. Fortunately, the look in Kagome's eyes let him know she understood. He had taken the time to explain the possibility of an unpleasant encounter, to help avoid any misconceptions. If nothing else, she knew Sesshoumaru was a man, er demon, of honor, and that she could trust his word. He was not his brother, and he would not make those mistakes. There was only a small flicker of worry in her soul, but not enough to deter her.

She gently grabbed his wrist. "Thank you for telling me." She sighed. "I'm sure I would have come up with some terrible scenario. Is there anything I should be concerned with? I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Kagome glanced nervously over her shoulder, which Sesshoumaru noticed. He deduced that she was concerned about her place beside him.

Saku mischievously interrupted. "If someone challenges you for what is yours, kill them. When someone tries to take your mate, you either make them submit, or kill them. I've already warned them personally, that My Lord would return with an intended, but they each said the same thing "I'll just kill the bitch!"". At that, the two slowly pulled apart and scowled, Kagome more noticeably than Sesshoumaru. Hopefully, submission would work. Just because she was a full-fledged Miko now, didn't mean she wanted to go around flexing her powers on every demon that was foolishness enough to encroach on something she finally wanted for herself, and was more than willing to take. She wouldn't be foolish or easily swayed 'not any more than before at least', but she would keep her eyes open and hope they would see that Sesshoumaru didn't want them, and reaffirm that he wanted her.

"Saku will escort you, as others are not aware of this one's intentions."

She sighed again and looked towards the palace entrance. "Ok. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

And from there, they proceeded through the palace gates. Eyes were upon them as soon as they crossed the threshold. The courtyard seemed more royal as she stood within it. Saku watched the many emotions play upon her face as she eyed everything visible. It was interesting for him to see a human's view on a demonic society. Servants were flitting about all over, until one approached Sesshoumaru. The blue-haired servant came from the western wing.

"Sesshoumaru sama. Lady Mother wishes to speak with you. She asks that you bring the female with you."

As the servant bowed, Sesshoumaru considered his options. He didn't want to visit his mother this soon after his return, and he definitely didn't like being summoned, though he knew he couldn't avoid her for long. As the eve neared, he formulated his course of action.

"Prepare a bath in this Sesshoumaru's quarters. Saku, escort the miko and when she is finished, bring her to dinner. Ensure there is food adequate for human consumption." Looking back to Kagome, he said he would see her at dinner.

Kagome nodded and proceeded with Saku and the servant towards the other end of the western wing. A bath was just what she needed to relax, as she felt stifled with all of the new and different demonic auras tingling her skin. She had to be more conscious of herself, keeping her reiki wrapped tightly around her body as they proceeded through the halls. She noticed the plethora of demons among the halls who worked for Sesshoumaru. Although the servants' eyes would never make contact, she could feel a couple of auras brush against hers, seeking to uncover her story. They would get nothing from her, but because of it, their curiosity was peaked even further, but they would not try again. That would be like an invasion of privacy to prod even further. Saku noticed, but allowed her to handle it on her own.

"Tell me, my Lady. How does such a powerful Miko capture the Western Lord himself?" Saku asked playfully as they continued down the corridor. She was aware of his mirth and thought it was actually a legitimate question.

"Honestly, I've no idea. I keep wondering what I did to garner his attention and still can't believe it," she said with a sigh. "You'll have to ask him."

"Hehhh… I think you have an idea though. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

"Oh yea? And what's that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps another time. We have arrived. Once you are finished, I'll be here waiting for you. We'll head to dinner then."

"Ok. You don't have to wait here the entire time. I can call for you, or have someone show me the way. I don't want to inconvenience you."

"On the contrary," Saku said with a smirk.

Kagome proceeded into the hot spring and was amazed at the mini oasis; how some of the vines lined one of the walls, with a small waterfall pouring into the pool. It could easily fit 15 demons comfortably. Stones lined the edge of the pool for sitting. For a second, she wondered how the water managed to stay pristine, but the thought slipped her mind as she disrobed with anxiousness, looking at the inviting, steamy water. As she stepped down to test the temperature, her mind went blank and she dipped under the pool in bliss.

Had to find a good spot to stop. The next chapter will introduce InuKimi into the fray, and we'll see what happens. I already have an idea on how it's gonna go, but feel free to message ideas on what you'd like to see. Maybe I can add something in the story.