Inutaisho paced the length of the veranda, golden eyes flashing as his features pinched in concentration. His empire faced a threat of unknown proportion from an elusive adversary, who seemed to prefer the shadows of manipulation and sabotage to open confrontation. The threat may be connected to either Miyamoto Kikyo or Higurashi Kagome; he currently held no evidence of either woman's treachery, yet with his sons assigned to quietly investigate and observe them both, he would know soon which one of the two posed a threat to his empire.
Inutaisho had barely finished speaking with Kitayama Kouga, the wolf yokai having only just returned from his patrol with the rest of the guard. The remaining soldiers in his regiment followed, only a day's journey away from the palace. Kitayama, among other skills and qualities, was exceptionally fast, and the captain had nearly flown across the land to inform Inutaisho of his gathered intelligence. As they had suspected, their enemy was strategically circling, looking for something unknown to them. Their skill at interpreting their enemy's movement was a double-edged sword, however, as misfortune had struck the regiment. The location of that small village, where they had anticipated an attack on the human villagers, had been a ploy, a trap for the emperor's own yokai soldiers.
When the soldiers had arrived at the village, it had been deserted. The troops had searched each dwelling for signs of life, of a struggle, or for any indications of what had become of the residents. As they neared the local shrine, a thick miasma poured forth, burning some, choking others. A few had not survived. Kitayama himself had the remnants of burns running up his arms and down his legs, still-healing scars from repeatedly running in and out of the fumes to locate soldiers lost in the dense smog. The finest of the regiment came away from the assault with, at most, a few scars from the sting of the miasma, but some of the weakest yokai had succumbed to a strange affliction, falling near comatose. It could have been much worse, and the regiment could have suffered even greater losses. Thankfully the human soldiers had not been present. He grimaced at the thought of how many casualties their ranks would have sustained.
While Kitayama had recounted his tale, Inutaisho's perceptive gaze caught the sight of two riders crossing the plains, heading straight to the palace from the dragonlands. One of the riders bore distinctive silver-white hair; one of his sons. The other, with a mass of wild dark hair, was unidentifiable at this distance. Their pace was steady, yet their direction piqued Inutaisho's curiosity– What was his son doing with the dragons? And what was a woman with him? He would have to inquire later, after speaking with Kitayama.
When Kitayama finished, Inutaisho dismissed him with a wave of his clawed hand. Kitayama bowed, then left the room. Inutaisho looked out over the palace grounds once more; his son and the woman must have already stabled their horses, for he saw her walking the grounds, her dark hair hanging freely. Now that she was closer, Inutaisho could see her features, and recognized her as Higurashi Kagome. Good. At least Sesshomaru is following orders. Though I wonder why he took her to the home of our advisors… It seems a questionable mistake to entrust her with such powerful members of our court. I will remind him of that later. As Inutaisho speculated about Sesshomaru's actions, he watched as Kitayama exited the palace and, upon seeing Higurashi himself, headed straight for her, wrapping her up in an enthusiastic hug. The pair broke apart, wide smiles on their faces as they struck up an enthusiastic conversation. Higurashi's jubilant laughter drifted up to his ears, and a foreboding pang pierced Inutaisho's heart.
Kagome took a breath, then let it out slowly, replaying the events of that morning in her mind. It seemed unreal, the magical projection of Hikaru's storytelling; almost as unreal as what the dragon lady had said. After Hikaru had finished speaking, Sesshomaru had pressed her with questions, but Kagome had not heard the rest of their conversation. Haruto had come up to her, his sharp blue eyes heavy with concern. He then called Sesshomaru away from his query, and the prince turned to her, his golden eyes guarded and assessing. They had left the cavern not long after that, and, surprisingly, the sun was still high in the sky. Hikaru's tale seemed to take hours, and she had half expected the moon to be rising when they finally left.
Kagome had fiddled with her hair as they walked back from the dragonlands to find their horses. By the time they arrived at the palace, her thick locks had escaped Atsuko's styling and flapped about in the wind. On their ride back, they spoke little, each lost in their own thoughts. When Sesshomaru left her at the stables, she gratefully handed her mare off to a young attendant and took to walking the grounds of the palace.
Her half-hearted attention to placing one foot in front of the other led her to walk in endless circles through the many garden paths. When she finally looked up, hearing her name, she was surprised to see Koga barreling towards her. With a laugh, he pulled her in with a tight hug, spinning slightly to compensate for his momentum. Kagome laughed at his antics, glad to have another friend at the palace. She missed Sango's calm composure and confidence, that much was certain, but Koga's infectious vivacity held no rival. Her thoughts strayed from the morning's ordeal and she fell into step with him, eagerly asking about his travels and adventures.
Her maid, Atsuko, found her all too soon, and had been aghast at the state of her hair. One look at Atsuko's face showed that Kagome would not escape her attention for long. With a wide smile and a whispered, "I'm glad you're back," Kagome had left Koga to bathe and dress for dinner. The bath had soothed her thoughts, the warm water working magic on her aching muscles. It had been several weeks since she first learned from Sango how to ride a horse, but she felt the aches and sores more distinctly today. She had melted into a state of contentment, feeling the sweat and dirt and worry shed itself from her body, and she was not eager to leave the baths. All too soon, Atsuko was hurrying her back to her room to dress her and fix her hair.
Currently, Kagome was sitting obediently in front of Atsuko as the young girl pulled and twisted her hair into a respectable style. The palace was bustling, especially the halls for the ladies hoping to attract the princes' attention. Even through her closed door, she could hear the other young women shouting for their maids, requesting different scented oils, or jewels, or kimonos. Footsteps thundered through the halls, and somewhere, someone was sobbing. Atsuko finished with her hair, then pulled out an elegant kimono dyed to match the sky during a sunset, the panels of silk shifting from pale orange to soft pink to a deep and royal purple. In minutes, Kagome had donned the kimono, fascinated by the way the fabric reflected the light as she moved.
"Kagome-san, this kimono looks breathtaking on you," the girl said with a warm smile.
"Arigatou, Atsuko-chan."
The young girl set about applying make-up to Kagome's face with vigor, and several long minutes later, Kagome felt the cool metal handle of her small mirror being pressed into her palm. Opening her eyes, Kagome obligingly admired Atsuko's handiwork.
"I look beautiful Atusko-chan, and it is all thanks to you," Kagome teased, pulling the girl in for a hug. Atsuko tensed slightly, then melted into the hug. It was comforting, something Kagome missed. At home, her parents were warm and inviting and hugged her often. Even her otouto endured her endless hugs. She squeezed Atsuko once more, tears pricking her eyes as she imagined she was hugging Souta, or her mother, or her father. One of the tears fell, leaving a wide track through her face makeup. Another followed. Then another. Kagome stepped back shakily, her fingers flying up to wipe away the tears.
"Are you alright, Kagome-san?" Atusko's worry shone through, her eyes wide.
"I'm so sorry, Atsuko-chan, I've messed up all your hard work," she said throatily, blinking quickly to rid her eyes of any further tears. Her throat was tight, but she pinched her lips together for a moment before speaking again. "I'm just missing home. That's all." A weak, wavering smile burst forth.
"Of course. I'd miss home too, to be gone so long. But, I guess, every day you are gone is a day closer to when you'll see them again."
"Your wisdom shines beyond your years, Atsuko-chan," Kagome giggled, wrapping her in another hug. "I am most thankful for it."
Atsuko had offered to escort her to the dining hall, but Kagome gently convinced the young girl that she remembered the way. Although it was nearly time to attend dinner, Kagome bypassed her normal route to the dining hall and instead meandered through the gardens, occasionally bending down to smell a blossom or touch a flower petal. Her hair, now neatly arranged, was held back with dozens of miniscule pins, pinching her scalp and giving her a headache. Her fingers drifted from petal to petal, loving the soft velvety feel of the blossoms. On a whim, she plucked one, a small morning glory yet to wilt and fade though the night drew closer, and twirled it in her hands. The flower's rich purple hue complimented her kimono well. The fading rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the tree line– time had slipped away from her, and now she had to hurry to arrive at the dining hall before the meal started.
"Higurashi."
Kagome jumped at the sound of her name, pivoting on her heel to see Sesshomaru a few paces behind her.
"Sesshomaru-sama, forgive me, I did not see you," she exclaimed with a quick bow. The prince stood, leaning against a tree. His white and red hakama nearly glowed in the light of the setting sun, his hair falling gracefully over his shoulder, and if she were a romantic, she would find the scene poetically beautiful. As it was, she hadn't seen him since coming back from the dragonlands earlier that day, and she wasn't sure how to act around him. Obviously Hikaru believed he needed to hear her tale as well, though she couldn't imagine why, nor could she understand what was connecting her to the possible downfall of the empire. Whichever way she looked at her situation, she couldn't quite comprehend it.
"Are you not attending dinner?"
"No, I- I mean, I am. Of course I am," Kagome babbled, fiddling with the flower clasped in her fingers. If she focused on the flower, she couldn't think about other, more confusing things. "I was enjoying the fresh air and stopped to admire the flowers. The sunset was beautiful as well, did you see it?" The words coming out of her mouth made little sense, even to her, but Kagome would rather babble and maintain a semblance of composure than break down before the prince.
Sesshomaru stepped forward, filling her vision. His pale hand stretched out, his tattoos dark against his skin. With the lightest of brushes against her skin, he took the small morning glory from her hands, inspected it for a moment, then looked back at her. With a fluid movement, he slipped his hand behind her ear, and she felt the stem kiss her scalp as he tucked the flower into her hair. He hesitated before pulling his hand back– a quick glance showed his brows pinched together, his mouth set in a taut line– and he took a deep breath in, his nostrils flaring. His golden eyes darkened– was he worried about her?
"Higurashi… have you been crying?"
"Ehh…"
"Who caused you to cry?"
"Does it matter, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"Perhaps. If it was this one's half-brother…" Sesshomaru let his sentence hang in the air, and Kagome freely imagined all the things he could do to Inuyasha.
"No, Sesshomaru-sama. It was not Inuyasha that made me cry." His golden eyes bore down on hers, his height a sudden advantage in the war of wills between them. Kagome met his gaze head on, blue eyes defiant.
"Will you not tell me?"
"Why do you wish to know?"
"I would be remiss in my duties as a host and ruler to allow those under me–"
"Those under you?" She said, her sharp tone catching him by surprise.
"Higurashi–" Exasperation had crept into his voice, one of his hands running through his hair.
Kagome wilted a little, then mumbled, "I miss my family. I cried for them. For the time we have been apart." Without his enhanced hearing, her words would have been lost to the wind. Sesshomaru said nothing; he sat back on his heels, his head cocked slightly to one side, studying her.
"Perhaps you may see them soon."
"Yes, perhaps. My maid said the very same thing."
"Do you wish to leave the palace?"
"What?"
"Do you wish to leave?"
Kagome paused. "Do you wish me to leave, Sesshomaru-sama?"
No. The impulsive response to her retort stopped him cold. Abruptly he shifted, angling towards the palace. "Come," he said, offering her his arm, "or we will be late."
"Arigatou, Sesshomaru-sama. But, we are certainly already late" she grinned, slipping her arm into the crook of his elbow, her other hand reflexively moving to touch the flower in her hair.
"Leave it, Higurashi." His voice stopped her mid-action, and she snapped her arm back to her side. She tried to peek at his face out of the corner of her eye, but the rapidly dimming light meant she could not make out his features. Still, it sounded like he was smiling.
"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama."
GUYS I LIVE FOR YOUR COMMENTS! Y'all are the best! My heart melts with each one. Do you think I could get 10 reviews for this chapter? I think I'd explode.
That was a doozy of a chapter to write! Honestly, I feel like there's not much fluff left- at least not planned fluff; everything's about to get tense. Teaser: They finally make it to dinner- who else will be there?
Fun fact: Morning glory flowers (according to my endless research) symbolize innocence and love, and are often gifts between young lovers.