Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the source material for this story. All are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This fic is labeled MA per standards for eventual violence, sex, and language so be warned.
...
Reconciliation
Chapter 17 - Help the Weak
Deep in the night, Kagome lay sleeping peacefully in the infirmary. Her deep and even breathing was a welcome sound to the inudaiyoukai watching over her.
Kenshin had been powerless to help as the raw emotions of the dinner with Sesshoumaru came crashing down around the young woman in his charge. He tried to comfort her as she buried her face in his robes, slender fingers desperately clutching the fabric over his chest, but found that his own embrace and words of comfort were useless. Shippou was beside himself, too. The little kit hugged her tightly and tried to remind her that he was here and it was okay to be sad. She sobbed for the better part of an hour before giving Kenshin a teary apology and releasing him, futilely wiping at the moisture soaking his robe. He understood. He barely remembered losing his own parents as a pup but his sorrow over their absence in his life was enough. He imagined what it might be like to lose Ren and reflected on the panic and sense of helplessness he'd felt when his brother had nearly died.
Soon after Kagome regained her composure, she and Shippou fell asleep curled warmly and familiarly into each other.
Later in the night, Kenshin was studying an herb Kagome had described that afternoon as an aid for human pain. The crushed plant smelled bitter and foul but she had offered to teach him something new and he jumped at the chance to flex his rusty skill set. That the cure might help her recover and lessen her pain while she was here was an added benefit. Youkai healed so quickly that the use of such medicine was hardly ever necessary, except maybe in the cases of severe toxins or births, and neither of those things happened anymore.
Shaggy, tousled silver hair fell forward around his face as Kenshin bent over to make notes on the texture and scent of the plant before and after pulverizing. Anything worth doing, was worth doing well. A silver pendant fell from between the folds of his robes and clattered against the desk. Muttering a curse, he stood straight and tucked it away again before sitting down to finish his study of the herb.
The healer's attention was diverted when the shoji door to the main hallway opened slightly. The hiss of the door sliding in the frame was quiet but his demonic hearing was used to picking up on such fragile sounds.
"Hello? Ren, are you back already?" he questioned, wiping the plant stains from his pale hands with a rag.
His brother had left only a few hours ago to retrieve the miko's belongings from the battlefield but should not be back yet. Kenshin stood and tried again, walking cautiously around his worktable at the far end of the room and towards the slightly cracked door.
"Hello? Tomomi? Ren?"
He peered back over his shoulder and saw both of his charges sleeping soundly in their bed. Kenshin reached the door and opened it wider to peer up and down the hallway. Hearing nothing but the usual mutterings and footfalls of servants nearby, the healer surveyed the Palace halls one more time and then stepped inside to close the door.
As he turned around, Kenshin felt the press of cold steel at his neck. Without hesitation, the shining blade drew a hard line across his throat, deeply severing the flesh at his neck and halting his breathing as the freshly spilled blood flooded his lungs. Gasping and clutching his throat, the attacker pressed again at Kenshin's exposed belly, swiping the blade the full width of his torso. He could not fight or scream. He could not breathe. And now that the entirety of his blood was leaving him, he could not stand.
Collapsing to the floor in a heap of wintry hair, crimson blood and indigo robes, the only sound the healer made as he fell was the distinct clink of his silver amulet clattering on the floor beside him… His mother's last gift to him… Panicked magenta eyes were opened wide and filled with tears as he took in the sight of his most treasured gift coated with blood on the infirmary floor.
'No… I can't leave… Ren alone….'
He stayed conscious long enough to see the attacker walk away from him and toward the miko's bed. He was after Kagome!
…
The healer was only in the way. He wasn't here for the dog, he was here for this woman. A sleeping, injured, human woman. Why?
What could a child like this have done to deserve his services?
No matter. The bitch was as good as dead. The pup left to guard her was a joke. This assignment had paid well but a hatchling with a dagger could have ended this pathetic, inconsequential life.
Curiosity overwhelmed him and slow, silent steps took the dark hooded figure around the bed to gaze upon the face of his victim.
She wasn't exceptionally beautiful. She wasn't rich. She didn't belong to anyone important, unless his nose was lying to him. Why had that uppity hag hired him for this?
The assassin raised the blade to finish the job when he felt something hard collide sharply with his right calf. He stumbled sideways and away from his sleeping target. Scowling down at the floor, the intruder saw the half-dead dog had shifted his failing body and was poised to kick again. The inu was gasping for air but angrily gritting his teeth in place of the growl he couldn't voice.
'Playing with your food again, Rion. See what it gets you?'
Sighing, he scowled and rounded the bed again, bending back down over the inu and preparing to drive his blade through the pup's skull.
…
Kenshin was quickly losing consciousness, his vision fading, but he braced himself against the floor and swept his leg out to make contact with the bed. Missing, he drew the attention of the assassin as his kick collided with a leg instead of the bed. In a panic, he kicked again and battered the leg of Kagome's bed as hard as he could.
His effort was not in vain as the leg of the cot cracked on impact and it toppled to the side, dumping its occupants roughly to the floor and away from the attacker. Kenshin collapsed back to the floor, unmoving.
Kagome woke up to a new pounding in her head, screaming pain in her right shoulder, and was confused to find the cold, wooden floor instead of her mattress beneath her. Where was Shippou? In the dark, she heard footsteps and saw someone swathed in black clothing kneeling next to a prone body centered in a pool of… blood?
'Kenshin! What the hell is happening?!'
Without prompting, her aura flared brilliantly to life and she cast a barrier around herself and Shippou, who was clutching her leg fearfully, digging tiny claws into her calf in his dazed confusion. Gods be damned if whoever this was would lay a finger on her or her kit, and Kenshin might not have long left if she didn't get to him soon.
"A miko?!" she heard the attacker screech unnaturally. Rion crouched low to leap away to safety but Kagome fired first.
"Oh no, you don't!" Kagome yelled.
An orb of reiki swirled brilliantly to life in her open left palm and she thrust it towards the youkai in front of her. He was too quick, however, and four thin, bristly, black legs sprouted from his back and launched his body towards the ceiling. For just a second, he faded into the darkness and Kagome thought she had lost him.
Strengthening the barrier around herself, she picked Shippou up and stared him down.
"I don't know if I can hold this much longer. I need you to go get Sesshoumaru!" Kagome yelled at him and threw open the infirmary door.
"No, I won't leave you! Please-"
"There's no time, Shippou. Go!"
Kagome tossed the disoriented kit out the door and turned to face her attacker. She might not be able to kill him but she could keep him busy. Six more orbs of power blinked into existence behind her and she whipped them up and around the room with a flourish of her hand to light all the dark corners the assassin might hide in. Sure enough, he launched himself toward her from behind a screen at the back of the room with a hiss and landed hard on top of the barrier. Forgotten nightmares came back to life in her mind as eight knobby, jointed, arachnid appendages stabbed, scratched, and tore at the barrier over her head. The miko screamed and covered her ear with one hand as his shrieks of anger and bloodlust filled the air over the hissing sound of his burning flesh.
Suddenly, the clatter above her stilled and Kagome felt a furious youki batter her senses and rush past her with a deafening snarl, snatching the attacking spider from the barrier and pinning it roughly to the far wall in front of her. She heard a muffled gag and more scrabbling of legs against the wall.
"Who sent you here, kumo? SPEAK!" Sesshoumaru roared.
"Never!" the attacker gasped.
"Then die, filth."
Kagome looked away but heard the squelch of flesh and blood, and the snapping of bone and knew the spider was no more.
'Kenshin!' her mind suddenly remembered.
She dropped the barrier with a gasp and limped over to him. He was staring blankly at the ceiling and nearly drowning in a wide puddle of blood.
"Please no! Oh, Kenshin, no!"
She reached for her power but it was nearly exhausted.
"No, not again! Obey me, damn you!"
"Miko-" she heard him start to say but then he fell silent, hoping she might be able to save the healer who had been raised at the Palace as he was. One of two of the last pups to have been born in his lifetime.
For the second time in three days, Kagome gathered the scraps of her power together and forced it to submit. The weak stream of reiki trickled through the hand now hovering over Kenshin's gored throat. The miko opened her eyes and gazed at his peaceful face. Her power was closing the wounds but no life was returning to him. The first few tears left her eyes and fell to the floor. The pitiful glow of reiki stopped and the room was dark and cold.
"Sesshoumaru! Quick, Tens- Wait…"
A warm glow to her left caught Kagome's attention and she saw an amulet lying in the sanguine pool on the floor. Compelled to examine it, her hand left the dead inu and reached for the necklace as tears filled her eyes. It was slick with blood but warm and… alive? The amber stone framed in silver had a presence of its own and was calling to her, pleading, and asking for her help. Cautiously, she threaded a small tendril of her reiki into the stone resting in her palm and the result was an explosion of energy that rang as vaguely familiar. It felt friendly, vast, and very old. A light filled the room so brightly for a moment that Sesshoumaru had to cover his eyes in the dark infirmary.
The power that erupted from the stone glowed a pale, soft pink and wrapped itself tightly first around Kagome, who gasped at the intrusion, and then around Kenshin's body through Kagome's outstretched hand, lifting him slowly from the floor. He stilled in the air a few feet away and hovered there, robes dripping with blood but swaying gently beneath him.
A curious but cautious Sesshoumaru lowered the arm shielding him from the blinding light and heard Kagome whispering through the thrum of power filling the room: "I understand. I will help you." She was knelt there on the floor next to the healer, a halo of pure energy surrounding her. Her calm and gentle embrace of the amulet to her breast and acceptance of the energy offered to her made Sesshoumaru think for just a moment that he might have been gifted a vision of the kami. One sniff of the room made him aware she was still just a human but he realized, objectively, she was a powerful being all on her own.
Kagome closed her eyes, used her senses, and saw the strange power flooding the room. Grabbing the reins of the foreign energy by herding it with her own, she forced it to attend Kenshin and directed it through his body like water through a parched river bed. She felt his tissues begin to brighten, life creeping back in. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt the pull of a soul traveling through her and shivered as the sensation of cold fire rippled through her body. Opening her eyes at the shock of it, she saw and heard Kenshin gasp a deep lung full of air.
Stunned, Kagome relaxed the flow of reiki through him but the moment she did, the foreign energy was abruptly hauled back into the now innocently quiet amber stone, and Kagome was left feeling empty and very weak. Kenshin hovered for another second and then began to plummet to the hard floor.
Kagome tried to stand to catch him and failed, slipping in the blood still wet on the floor. Sesshoumaru was watching from across the room and when Kenshin started to plummet, he dashed to catch the unconscious pup.
"Oh, thank kami, Sesshoumaru. I don't think I can stand." Kagome sat heavily back down on the cold floor, breathing hard.
"Momma! I found Sesshoumaru-sama! Did he-" Shippou stopped in the doorway, panting, and took in the pool of blood on the floor.
"It's ok. It's not mine. We're all okay." she soothed, seeing the stricken panic on his face. "You did it, Shippou! Well done, my brave boy. Now if I could just get up off the floor…" Kagome tried and failed again, huffing her frustration.
"Sit, miko. A moment." Sesshoumaru cast over his shoulder.
The Western Lord laid Kenshin atop another of the six infirmary beds and came back to help the miko stand. Hooking two large hands underneath her arms, he lifted her slowly and waited for her to test her weight before loosening his grip.
"Thank you. My legs are still… fine! They feel weak but- whoa!"
Suddenly her muscles gave out and she was crumpling to the floor again. Sesshoumaru growled and caught her, lifting her easily to rest in his arms.
"Sorry… But they did feel stronger. My shoulder isn't sore either…" Kagome lost focus, feeling her shoulder, then looked up at him in surprise. "She healed me, too."
Kagome looked up at him from her nest in his arms and her eyes glittered with happiness and wonder at the gift the mysterious power in the amulet had given her. Sesshoumaru only stared seriously down at her and continued walking around the room to find an empty, unbroken bed to set her down on.
"Who healed you?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly.
"His mother. Their mother." Kagome said solemnly. "She sealed her power in that stone to stay with them when she knew she was dying. She was a priestess, Sesshoumaru. Did you know that Ren and Kenshin are hanyou?"
He scoffed. "Impossible. They were raised here as pups after their parents were killed in the Four Points Wars and are as all full inu pups. They carry no human blood." He gestured to the puddle in the infirmary. "You are exhausted and delusional. Go to sleep, miko."
"You know, truth is not immutable. New evidence changes existing truths. Youkai trust their senses too much to see reality sometimes."
She thought of Inuyasha, his deadly abilities, and how the demons that knew him had all been wrong about his strength, both inside and out. Surely that would be news to the Council tomorrow, too. For being as old he surely was, Sesshoumaru seemed unwilling to accept that change was nature as much as instinct was. How old was he anyway?
"Ridiculous." he countered, shocked at her insight. "You have no senses to speak of and know very little of youkai. Sleep, miko. There is much to be done today."
His golden eyes turned up to the window now showing the brightening golden and pink rays of first light before looking back down at her. She looked at the new morning with him and felt happiness at having lived through the night to see it.
"Thank you for saving me again. Do you have any idea who that was?" Kagome questioned as Sesshoumaru continued sedately pacing the room. Kagome noted that he was walking gently and not jarring her with every step. He was being… careful with her?
"No, and he would not have revealed his employer. His heart bore no fear at my threat. Where is the Captain? He was assigned to guard you yet is absent." His brow furrowed in disapproval.
"I sent him- um, to the kitchens to get me some tea. I couldn't sleep."
"You are lying. Do not attempt deception with This Sesshoumaru again. The truth, miko." He frowned down at her, and Kagome blushed and surrendered.
"How did you- Fine. He volunteered to get my weapons from the battlefield and I need my bag so I let him. I'm sorry I lied. Were you expecting assassins in the Palace? I certainly wasn't. And why me? Who could I have piss- um, angered when I haven't seen anyone since I've been here except you, the Captain, and Kenshin?" Her right hand grasped her chin in thought.
"There have not been assassins in the Palace since the days of my father. I must speak with the General. I will assign a guard to the infirmary until Ren returns."
"That's a good idea." He scoffed again at her agreement. As if he needed her approval. "And Sesshoumaru?" She looked up at him again but he was lost in thought, gazing over her head somewhere far away.
"Hm?"
"Can you put me down now, please?"
His arms tensed around her when he realized he was still holding the human woman but standing right next to the empty bed beside the sleeping Kenshin. The fox kit was looking nervously up at them both from the new bed, waiting. She had distracted him with her heinously inaccurate discussion of youkai instincts, his own thoughts of the days of his father's reign, and now he was voluntarily coddling a human covered in inuyoukai blood.
"Hn."
The daiyoukai set her down and waited for her to settle before looking around the room for the fetid body of the spider.
"What's wrong? Oh, the body's gone… She must have purified him, too, when that energy broke loose. You really didn't feel that as reiki? It took me a moment to place it but I was expecting youki so the feeling threw me off at first."
"Ask the healer when he wakes but prepare for disappointment, miko. Sleep." He walked around the two beds and made for the door, silver hair reflecting the pale sunrise in his retreat.
"Okay- Aaah…" Kagome was cut off by a face-splitting yawn. "Sleep time. Thank you again, Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Hm. And miko?" He glanced back over his shoulder with a frown.
"Hm?"
"Do not presume ever again to give orders to my soldiers." he said firmly before leaving, snapping the door closed.
"Of course, my Lord. I would never." She smirked at the door from her pillow.
"Momma, what happened?" Shippou finally got to ask. He laid down next to her and scooted close enough to feel her warmth. She unconsciously wrapped an arm around him and felt comfort in his presence and safety.
"We were attacked by an assassin, apparently. Kenshin was almost killed but your quick trip to find Sesshoumaru saved us all. My reiki was still too drained to hold that barrier for much longer. And I'll be honest, the fact that it was a spider really got to me. More than it should have." She chuckled sadly the shook her head and the creeping dread that came with remembering all of the previous encounters with spider-like beings. "When we get home, it'll be days and days of sweets and playing in the sun and snowball fights for us. It's been a long month."
"I'd like that. I feel like…" Shippou sighed mournfully and paused.
"Like what? You can tell me."
"Like we're always being separated. I'm gone at school, I know. That's my fault. But even since we've been here, we're apart again most of the time. It's dumb, I know. Sorry. But when you sent me away tonight, even though it was important, it just made me sad again. When important things happen, we're always apart."
'Like when Inuyasha left…' they both thought.
"Shippou, first off, never feel bad for your feelings. Ever. They guide us and help us. If they're telling you we need to stay together, we can definitely do that. I need you, too, you know. Second, I miss you like crazy every time you leave for school or anywhere. I'm all alone here, too, when you're away. It's okay. Distance? Letting go? It's all a part of growing up. I'm five hundred years and miles away from my first home. How about we stick together for the next few days until we leave? Now that I'm feeling better, Rin can come hang out with us. I've missed her, too."
"I'd like that. I've missed you, too. You never seem like you're all that sad when I leave for school, but you are?"
"Of course, I am, Shippou, but it doesn't do me any good to try to keep you like a book on a shelf. You need to be out there, experiencing the world. I can't do that with you as much because I'm needed in the village, but I'd like to visit your school again sometime and see your world there. I would also like to go see my mother when we get back but if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't."
"I didn't know you felt like that, Kagome. Okay, you should definitely go see your mom. I'll stay with Miroku and help Sango with the kids." He nodded definitively and gave her a small thumbs up.
"Such a good cousin. Now, we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, I suppose it's 'today' now, is gonna be a long day. I'll have to break our 'staying together' pact for just a few hours today to go to Sesshoumaru's Council meeting but then I should be free until we go home."
There was a knock at the door and the servant, Tomomi, came into the room carrying an armload of rags and introducing an armored soldier behind her. The glaive he had strapped to his back made Kagome feel both better and worse. She had thought their days of struggle and mortal danger were over. Sitting up, she finger-combed her hair and straightened her bloodied yukata, wondering who to ask about getting a clean one.
"Kagome-sama," the nervous servant bowed, "this is Inaba. He'll be standing guard outside for the rest of the morning until Ren-taii returns. I'm going to clean the room, as well, but I have brought you some clean clothes and warm broth first to settle your nerves and help you get to sleep, if you would like."
'Sesshoumaru works fast.' She smiled to herself, reevaluating her thoughts on his shuttered and inconsiderate heart.
"That sounds wonderful… sorry, what was your name again? I don't believe we've been introduced."
"Apologies, my Lady. My name is Tomomi and I'll be your personal maid until you leave here and while Kenshin-san is recovering."
Kagome did not miss how her moss green eyes flitted over to the sleeping inu with concern and fear, and held there for several moments. When Tomomi brought Kagome and Shippou their soup bowls, Kagome got an idea and looked innocently over her steaming broth to make a request.
"Could you check on Kenshin for me while you're here? I haven't had a chance to inspect him since he was healed."
"But Momma, he's fine. You don't need to- muh unh hunh!"
Kagome covered his mouth with her hand and smiled gently back at Tomomi, who had brightened considerably at the suggestion.
"Of course, Kagome-sama. Right away."
Shippou was glaring daggers at Kagome from his spot in her lap. She just shushed him and waited to see if her suspicions were correct. They most certainly were. Tomomi quietly padded over to Kenshin's bedside and gently pressed her head against his chest, sighing with a hopeful smile when she heard his even heartbeat and regular breathing.
Kagome could see the buds of two small, velvet-coated antlers growing through her pale blonde hair and realized she must be a deer youkai. And she seemed quiet and sweet and kind, from what Kagome could tell, just like Kenshin. She smiled knowingly and resolved to help the enamored shika youkai, if she could. Her own experiences with love were far from perfect but if the two days she had spent with Kenshin were any indication of his true personality, this hopeful maid deserved a shot.
Love. Thoughts of love were painful but Kagome concluded that it made many people very happy, even if she seemed to be the exception. She couldn't love the sweet middle school boy who'd thrown himself at her, she fell in love with the twisted heart of a hanyou who couldn't make up his mind as a teenager, and then she'd come back here as an adult, faced down her matured half-demon love and made a go of it only to end up heartbroken anyway. The days of nerves and fear and longing were supposed to be over for her and yet, here she was, feeling all of those emotions once again as a widow on the precipice of years of loneliness.
Ever the optimist, Kagome remembered the happiness the last six months before all this had brought her. Shippou was safe and contented, and growing up strong and happy. Inuyasha had made a wonderful husband and had probably ruined her for other men. His determined passion, his strength, and his fierce loyalty were a force to be reckoned with. She missed his fanged grin, the way his ears twitched when something made noise across the room, and the way he'd kissed her like she was the only woman in the world worth kissing. And the way he'd made love to her…
'I wonder if I'll ever be able to feel love like that again.' she sighed. 'Maybe one day in the future. I can't imagine it now.'
Looking back at Tomomi, who was moving a stray piece of hair from Kenshin's peaceful face, she remembered what that newness and excitement felt like and envied them.
"Is he okay?"
The servant nearly jumped out of her skin, having forgotten all about the miko and her kitsune being in the room.
"Huh- Hai, Kagome-sama. He seems like he's recovering well." She cleared her throat to strengthen her voice. "Shall I help you change?"
"Oh, kami, yes, please! I'm afraid this bed in ruined now, too. Be careful with me. I've fallen down twice today and I don't trust my legs anymore."
"Of course, Kagome-sama. Here, let me help you down."
The awkward nature of their business was made better by Kagome's giggles when the deer youkai's gentle hands brushed her ribs. Gradually, the old bandages and bloodied clothes were stripped away and Tomomi's growing comfort with the miko allowed her to smile through her work. Shippou laughed nearby at their antics when Kagome almost fell down and stuck her arm through the wrong sleeve of the new dark green yukata. Both women burst into laughter and when it was all done, and Kagome felt like she had made a new friend.
"Sorry about that, Tomomi-chan, but thank you. I desperately need a bath today now that these cuts and bruises are getting better."
"I will finish cleaning the guest room for you, Lady Kagome, and you can move into it this evening after the meeting. I have also been shown your attire for the meeting and will help you change into it once my Lord has left for the meeting."
"Is it formal?" Kagome asked with a wince.
"Very, my Lady. But it is beautiful. You will be most pleased. The Lady Mother hand selected the outfit and the jewelry."
"Jewelry, too? I'm not a Christmas tree, I'm just a witness for kami's sake."
"Kur-rist-muhs, my Lady?"
"Nevermind. I hate being paraded like a doll in front of a bunch of youkai who could care less. But enough about me! How long have you been in love with Kenshin?" Kagome asked, turning mischievous sapphire eyes on Tomomi.
"Momma!" "Kagome-sama, please!"
"Who's in love with Kenshin, ladies?" Ren's easy tenor drifted from the doorway. Tomomi paled facing Kagome, who suddenly felt very embarrassed and mouthed 'Oops' at the mortified deer.
"Oh Ren, wait a second. I need to tell you something before you-" Kagome tried but a growl filled the room before she could finish.
"Kenshin! This is his blood all over the floor! What happened? Who hurt him?!" Ren's eyes bled red and he lunged to stand protectively next to his twin's sleeping body, glaring at the two women and dropping Kagome's things to clatter to the floor.
When the steel rods of her staff and the heavy yumi bow clattered loudly against the floor, Kenshin's eyes snapped open and he panicked and sat up only to collide roughly with Ren's still-growling head.
"What the hell?!" "Shit!"
Before more questions could be asked, Kagome clutched her middle and burst into laughter at the sight of the two silver-haired brothers rubbing their heads and growling at each other. Her uncontrollable giggles made Shippou laugh, too, and soon Tomomi was smiling and the brothers were chuckling at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Kagome, I take it back: I don't ever want to leave. This is way more fun than home." Shippou said from her lap, wiping a happy tear away.
"You're forgetting our near death experience this morning, little man. I, for one, will be more than ready to go home. Welcome back, Kenshin. Are you feeling okay?"
"My head hurts, Kagome-sama," he said, rubbing it tenderly, "but I will recover. I passed out and… How are you?! The assassin was after you!" His eyes flew open in a panic and he leaned toward her bed, eyes searching for mortal damage.
"Assassin?!" Ren yelled, verdant eyes going wide.
"Everybody, breathe." Kagome held up placating hands. "Let me explain."
Kagome explained the last few hours to the brothers, thanked Kenshin for his quick thinking, and asked Tomomi to fetch the amulet from the floor. After she cleaned it and handed it to Kagome, the miko turned serious eyes on the brothers but remembered the timid servant was still here.
"Tomomi-chan, could you please get us some tea? We have a lot to talk about." Kagome waited for her to nod, casting one last look at Kenshin, and then walked lightly through the doors. Kagome exhaled and found Kenshin's apprehensive magenta gaze already pinned to the amulet. "She helped me, and I hope you know who I mean or else this morning might be awkward."
"Kagome-sama, I understand what you think you might have felt but you are mistaken. It is only a necklace. You were tired and weak…"
Ren set his hand gently on his brother's shoulder. "Kenshin, it's okay. She saved your life. I think she already knows everything. Well, most everything anyway." Ren sighed.
"Ren, we can't. Even Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't know." Kenshin dipped his head down to capture his brother's eyes. They had kept the secret their whole lives.
"He might now. I assumed he did and told him about your mother. He dismissed it as ridiculous, though, so you might be safe. Why don't I tell you what I think I know and you can elaborate or not? But first…" Kagome took a deep breath and raised a thin barrier around them all. "No intruders. Everyone okay?"
Ren reached a tentative finger out to touch and when it crackled in warning but did not burn, he smiled back at Kagome.
"Amazing, Kagome-sama." His green orbs glittered with wonder but then turned serious. "So, what do you know?"
Kagome explained what happened, the presence she felt, the request from their mother to help, and how Kenshin had been revived through her.
"So, I think I know that somehow, your mother's reiki is housed in this gem for your benefit. She seemed sad, like she knew she wouldn't be around to see you grow up and felt this was the best thing she could do for you. Am I wrong?"
Kenshin cleared his throat. "Not entirely. You know it's her reiki. She was a priestess. Her name was Sanayo." He smiled gently. "She fell in love with an inudaiyoukai when they met as allies during the Four Points Wars but they were never Mated. Our father wouldn't allow it."
"Stubborn bastard." Ren cut in. "He loved her, we think. She refused to talk about him after he left us for good. He was a General under the Inu no Taisho and there were expectations for his Mating. Instead of casting those expectations off and living with us, he decided to return to the West after the Wars were over. Mother told us that he did not want to stay and she would not press him, because he had already given her so much in us."
"How sad. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," Ren said growling. "We were better off without him. She was happier not worrying about him constantly and we knew we could take of her even at fourteen years old."
"How lucky she was to have you both… and how wise." Kagome smiled, tears forming under her eyes. Her hand found Shippou's small back.
Kenshin continued.
"She died around what we think was her sixtieth year. Before she did, she had us find this stone and have it made into a necklace. On her death bed, she poured her reiki and what was left of her life force into the stone, though to this day I do not know how, and told us to always keep it close, that she would always be with us to protect us when we needed her most. Yesterday was the first time it has been used, to my knowledge."
"And why do you feel the need to keep your parentage a secret? Are you worried how the others will treat you?"
Ren answered her. "Not exactly, but when we were found and brought here as orphan pups after the Wars, Kikuko-sama made it very clear that the soldier's war-begotten human pets were not allowed and that hanyou children were not welcome in the West. She had lost her own Mate, you see, and would not tolerate disobedience in the matter. Many left the West because of it and led lives with their human Mates outside of the protection of the mountain. We knew we could pass as full inuyoukai and when we were not questioned, felt we shouldn't volunteer the information and stay safely here."
"I am so sorry and thank you for telling me. I promise I won't breathe a word to anyone about this. For what it's worth, she loved you very much and was desperate to save your life, Kenshin. I'm glad I was here to help. I couldn't bear to see you die."
Kenshin smiled. "Thank you. I am also glad you were here. Ren should not be left on his own." Ren growled indignantly but Kagome interrupted him with a yawn. "But now it appears you should be getting some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours, if that's acceptable."
The miko didn't miss how his tone went from friendly to business at the mention of her exhaustion.
"Mm hmm," Kagome mumbled and dropped the barrier. "Shippou, do you want to go back to sleep with me or go find Rin for a little while? It has to still be very early in the morning and I don't know if she's up yet."
Kenshin swung his legs over the side of the bed and eyed Ren, who backed off a little and let his brother stand. Finding his legs responsive to his weight, he walked over to the miko's bed and bowed to her.
"Thank you, Lady Kagome, for saving my life." he whispered to her.
"Of course. But you know this makes us friends, right?" she smirked at him.
"Very well, but as your friend, I must insist you get some sleep."
"That's the medic in you talking, not the friend."
"It is both. Now sleep."
The weight of the events of the morning and the exhaustion from her overexertion once again came crashing down around her and Kagome fell asleep quickly.
…
"Good morning, Lady Kagome." Kenshin greeted.
The inudaiyoukai was carrying a tray of breakfast and wearing an easy smile. Kagome was sitting up in bed but still had the vestiges of sleep in her eyes and hair as she straightened her yukata as best she could. The miko was glad they would be comfortable with each other from now on.
"Kenshin-san, for the millionth time, just 'Kagome,' please?"
"My Lord would be most displeased to hear such informality from me, as I have stated, and his ears are sharp." The healer gave her a raised eyebrow then smiled. "If we meet outside the palace walls, I would be honored at such a personal address but for now I am afraid we must remain as we are, events of this morning or no."
"If you say so." Kagome shrugged and thanked him for the breakfast tray. "Did Shippou get up to Rin's rooms okay?"
"Of course, miko-sama. He was excited enough to hurdle Tomomi in the hallway and she nearly dropped your tray and two others with it."
"He is a kitsune. I'll have a talk about Palace protocol with him when he gets back."
Shippou was off having breakfast and playing with Rin, much to her delight, and Kagome was glad he had a playmate to keep him distracted. Her brave kit was trying to remain happy for her sake but in the quiet moments, in between tasks and meals and naps, she watched his happy mask fall away and saw the pain and uncertainty in his eyes. His world was changing again. Demon or not, children needed a rock to stand on and his had been chipped away significantly in the last few years. They needed each other and Kagome was happy he had a friend in the midst of this den of grownups.
A shiver at the cool breeze from outside brought her back to her present thoughts. Today was the council meeting where she would be expected to tell a room full of strange demons about Inuyasha's death. She tried and failed to steel her nerves for that kind of raw, emotional exposure. It was bad enough that his killer would be there in the room, but to make matters worse, she was told Sesshoumaru's mother would be there as well. The youkai who had been abandoned for the sake of a human woman, who lost her Mate because of it, and who hated the hanyou more than Sesshoumaru.
Well, that wasn't entirely fair. Apparently, the elder brother had not hated Inuyasha quite as much as she assumed. In the end, anyway. So many new revelations from last night were still swirling around in her head that they blanketed the sorrow she should be feeling with fear, nervousness, confusion, and just a little bit of indignancy.
Why couldn't Sesshoumaru just stay in the icy, aloof, murderous box she had put him in in her head? Why did he have to show emotions mirroring her own and break down those walls of anger and sadness she had so carefully built in between them over the past week? Sympathizing with him during their dinner was not part of her plan. That 'heal-quickly-and-get-the-hell-out-of-here' plan that kept taking hard right turns as each new revelation came to light.
"Ah, speaking of protocol, Lady Kagome… I'm afraid the Lady Mother has requested to meet with you when you've finished breakfast to discuss the proper protocol for the meeting."
"Such fancy words for 'don't screw this up, human.' Say what you mean, Kenshin-san. We've crossed that threshold at least."
"That's true, Kagome-sama. Kikuko-sama is fierce and loyal and she will be very demanding I'm afraid. She has a right to be, mind you, so do not cross her unnecessarily."
"That's a fair warning if I ever heard one. Very well, Chief, I will mind my manners when Sesshoumaru's wizened mother gets here."
"Good. Before she does, perhaps you should try to walk a little today. You seem to be fine sitting up well enough and if you have been healed, it would be best to regain as much of your strength as you can before you meet. Is your aura responding today?"
Kagome closed her eyes and found her energy still rebuilding itself after the re-exhaustion of it during the attack. It seemed small and tired but flared to life within her when she caressed it awake. She took a chance and held out her palm. A skeletal butterfly grew there and soon its wings filled with pale blue light and it fluttered from her hand to the ceiling before dispersing on contact.
"I had no idea reiki could do such a thing, Kagome-sama. You must be a master to manipulate your energy so. Ren would be most inspired to see your skill."
Kenshin stared wide-eyed at the human woman in the hospital bed. With the exception of Lord Sesshoumaru and his brother, the healer had never seen another capable of such aura manipulation.
"Hardly. I've had very little formal training in the grand scheme but I have a wonderful teacher who understands me and how I think. He made it easy. Well, easy as he could."
"He? You did not learn from another priestess but a man? How unusual."
"'Unusual' will be the title of my memoirs. It's my normal, but I digress…" she finished mirthfully. "What I would most love before this meeting is a bath. Tomomi-chan said she was preparing a room for me but I'd love to wash the last few days off before Sesshoumaru-sama's mother gets here."
"Oh, she won't be coming to get you here. We have to take you upstairs to her."
"Of course you do." she said sarcastically. "But all the same, I'd still love a bath first."
"Very well. Let's get you to the guest baths."
…
Some time and a lot of scrubbing later, Kagome felt warm and clean again in a fresh white yukata. She brushed and braided her unruly raven hair, tying it with the golden ribbon and bringing it to rest over her left shoulder. Her backpack and weapons had been no worse for wear after sitting out in a field for two days.
She had thanked Ren profusely for going to get them, warned him that Sesshoumaru knew he had left, but hadn't seen the Captain since then. Perhaps it had something to do with hiding from Sesshoumaru but perhaps he was avoiding her as well. She reminded herself that she had only known these youkai for a few days so their behavior was not abnormal, whatever she thought it should be.
Back in the infirmary, Kenshin had examined the residual damage around her shoulder and head, after she was modestly bound and loosely dressed. Her shoulder was covered in the sickly faded yellow of a healing bruise, and her scalp was well enough for him to remove the stitches. The only remaining injury was a set of four deep puncture marks on her right arm from Sesshoumaru's claws. They were almost healed now and healing herself further with her reiki would not prevent scarring so she had left them alone.
'Just some more to add to the list.' Kagome thought wryly, turning her forearm over to examine the wounds.
Her scars were souvenirs of the time she'd spent in the Feudal Era. The time-traveling priestess could remember no more than a scraped knee from childhood but her time here had been a wellspring of injuries. While at the shrine, she was careful not to let her mother see too much of her exposed skin for fear she might never let Kagome come back to such an obviously dangerous place. Mariko Higurashi had written it off as virginal shyness and the insecurities that came with being a teenager. Thoughts of her mother led to melancholy.
'Oh Momma, I really need you but who knows when or if I'll be able to come back?'
Kagome hoped the well would be kind and allow her to pass through after she unsealed it.
"I believe you are well enough to walk on your own. Shall we make our way to Kikuko-sama?"
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Please lead the way, Kenshin-san."
Her progress was slow and her legs felt weak and unsteady. Kenshin was patient as she took each step carefully but stayed an arm's length away behind her for propriety's sake. Kagome deemed the hallway ridiculously long after about ten minutes of careful steps. As they rounded the corner, she could hear the deep rumbling tones of male conversation through the screen but kept walking slowly and determinedly towards the dreaded flights of stairs that led to the family rooms.
…
"Katsurou thinks he is clever and will catch you by surprise, but Ren was certain he had decided on this punishment for the loss of his heir."
"It is appropriately humiliating and consistent with their odd tendencies. I will consider that it is a possibility."
"And if they press you? If the Council agrees? What then? He has blood payment on his side and Ryouzou will certainly agree in order to weaken your position."
"I will reassess my strategy."
"This isn't a war, my Lord. They won't give you days to consider after the Council. You know as well as I, they will demand you make a decision while they are present."
"Then I shall. She will agree, or be made to, should it come to that."
"You would accept so easily?"
"It is of little consequence. Humans have short lives, General."
"You have more faith than I in the matter but I trust you. I just hope she does not lose control of herself should this come to pass."
"Hn."
…
Kenshin gave up after the first six stairs and carried Kagome up.
"I'm so sorry. Exhausting my aura must have done more to me than I realized. I'm also starving! I forgot all about lunch today."
"Ah, and I forgot that humans need to eat so many times in a day. I will have a tray brought up to you during your lessons."
"Oh good. Now she can watch me eat when I'm starving." Kagome said sarcastically. "Meeting Sesshoumaru-sama's mother and attending a youkai Council meeting… What a strange day." Kagome said idly.
Kenshin's nose caught the change in her scent to that of her sorrow. When he sent a questioning look her way, she sighed.
"I still can't believe he's gone. I keep waiting for him to come running around a corner or hear him yelling down the hallway, breaking things as he goes." She laughed just once and shook her head. "Sorry. I can't even process emotions right now. I need quiet and alone time, and until then, everything is going to keep backing up on me."
"That is wise advice and I hope you find some peace when you return home. I know you will be glad to go but I can say I will miss you, Kagome-sama, when you do." Not giving her a chance to respond, Kenshin set Kagome on her feet outside of a room down the hall from Sesshoumaru's in the small family wing. "Here we are. Be respectful and try to absorb what she will teach you. It may save your life during the meeting." He winked at her, quickly turned and walked away.
"Save my li- What?! Kenshin, come back here! What do you mean 'save my life'?"
Suddenly, the door in front of her opened and a strikingly pale and beautiful woman stood before the miko looking annoyed and disgusted.
"He meant what he said, human. Stop squawking outside the door and come in. We have much to do and little time now that you are exceedingly late."
Kagome could not believe her eyes! This woman- No, demoness- was exquisite. Alabaster skin and silver hair bound ornately atop her head with glittering jeweled ornaments that tinkled as she turned around to leave Kagome agape in the doorway. The rest of her hair was left long in matching twin tails and fell beyond her hips across the grand and pale blue bow at the back of her golden and red silk kimono. A voluminous pelt framed her slender and flawless shoulders and reminded Kagome of the pelt Sesshoumaru often wore. The impossibly gorgeous inudaiyoukai kneeled behind the table at far end of her room without a backward glance and beckoned the 'slow-witted human' over.
Kagome did her best to walk carefully over, feeling the quivering in her legs not entirely due just to fatigue now, and accepted the invitation to sit down. Actually sitting was a trial in itself but after giving up and bracing her hands on the table's edge, Kagome managed to fold her traitorous legs beneath her and take in the moment.
The room was as beautifully decorated as the occupant. Tapestries and dark wood carvings dotted the walls and the furniture was decorated with silver and ivory gilding in the forms of chrysanthemums, flying inu, and billowing clouds. It was all so fanciful and beautiful that Kagome began to hope that Sesshoumaru's mother had a fun and fanciful side of her own. That fragile hope was blown to hell as the demoness began to speak.
"I am against your presence at the Council meeting, make no mistake." Her eyes narrowed. "Humans have no place here. However, since my son insists you provide evidence of the death of the hanyou, I will attempt to lessen his humiliation by ensuring you do not embarrass us further while present. Do you understand me, human?"
"Yes, Kikuko-sama, I understand." Kagome bowed, already perturbed. Curiosity won out over anger instantly as Kagome realized that this stunning woman had apparently birthed Sesshoumaru. "Forgive me but are you truly Sesshoumaru-sama's mother? You look so young!"
And she did. Then again, Sesshoumaru did as well. And so did the twin inudaiyoukai brothers. Even her son was full youkai and appeared much younger than she was despite being several decades older. Her comfortability with beings different from herself had allowed her to think for days that she was a part of their world. Suddenly, she was made very aware that she was the "other" in this Palace.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, miko, now pay attention."
"Yes, Kikuko-sama."
"Good. First, sit up straight, human. Your posture is atrocious."
"My legs are not quite at full strength, my Lady, but I will try." Kagome squirmed in place and tried to rearrange her shoulders and legs to sit fully upright.
"Try harder. Shoulders back, chin higher- No, parallel to the floor. Better. You are a guest of the noble house of the silver inu while at the Council table and do not forget it. Hands folded neatly in your lap. Do not slouch while you do so. Better. Your simple mind can remember basic instructions."
Kagome found herself gritting her teeth already in frustration. How the hell was she supposed to do this all while telling them the story of what had happened?
"Do not clench your jaw. The Dragons will view you as hostile, preparing to strike."
"Dragons?! There are dragons here?"
"Has no one told you anything about whom you are to meet? Leave it to my impetuous, foolhardy son not to have you educated. Must I do everything, Sesshoumaru?" she lamented.
Kagome sat with her mouth agape. Sesshoumaru was impetuous and foolhardy? Mountains were more foolhardy and impetuous than the inudaiyoukai named Sesshoumaru that she knew.
"What do you know, miko? So that I do not waste my breath." Kikuko pulled a fan from her obi and began flitting it back and forth in boredom.
"I know that there will be four Lords at the table and they meet to discuss important matters once a year. I know Sesshoumaru-sama is one of them and that Ren-taii will be there to give testimony with me. I believe he also mentioned that we would not be present for the whole meeting, but only to give our testimony and then we were excused. Is that correct, Lady Kikuko?"
'This human is being surprisingly respectful. Perhaps she will not embarrass us overmuch.'
"What you say is true. You must memorize the names of the four Lords and their heirs and Mates before the meeting. Should you be addressed, you will answer respectfully and appropriately to each race of daiyoukai present."
"So much? Do they expect as much from a human at the table?"
"If you wish to live, and not embarrass my son, you will cease whining and do as I say."
A knock at the door saved Kagome from letting her anger get the better of her. The servant Tomomi came in with a tray for Kagome, some tea for Kikuko, and a very nervous smile.
"Excuse me, Lady Mother, but I have brought lunch for Kagome-sama and some tea for my Lady, should she wish it."
"I suppose I might as well. It seems we have much to do and few hours to do it in. Be quick, pup, and do not spill anything."
"Right away, Kikuko-sama."
"Now, to begin. From the North, Lord Katsurou and his Mate Haruna will be the only representatives. Their heir will not be present…"
Kikuko went on for an hour about the Lords and Ladies who would be present at the meeting. The ruling pair of pheasant and phoenix from the South, and the dragon steward and heir from the East both sounded as formidable as Sesshoumaru. Kagome found herself nervous as Kikuko went on and on about the expectations of body language to each Cardinal Lord. Her head was spinning with both the overload of youkai information she was sure she'd never need again, and the gnawing hunger growing worse by the second as she watched her food steaming temptingly on the table before her. Mercifully, Kikuko finally finished and after berating Kagome several times over mispronunciation or forgetfulness, allowed her to eat.
Once her meal was over, the Lady called the servant in from the hallway and bid her to 'make the skinny human presentable.' Kagome opened her mouth to retort but Tomomi roughly turned her around and all but shoved the incensed priestess behind a screen.
"Do not, Kagome-sama. Please…" Tomomi whispered as they worked to clothe her in yards and yards of silk fabric. The pulling and yanking of her winding ebony hair was the most unpleasant but she bore it, hoping for another soak in a warm tub once this was over.
"I know. Ren made me promise not to die. Kenshin did, too, now that I think of it." Kagome giggled for just a moment as the servant wrapped an obi around her middle, brushing her ticklish ribs once again. "I'm going to miss you all, Tomomi-chan, when I go back home."
"We will all miss you, too, Lady Kagome. The Palace is made brighter with you here." The timid deer blushed at the intimacy of her words but meant them sincerely. "And more so now that you are dressed. Your attire is most becoming."
"Come out, human. Let us see what we have to work with."
Kagome shuffled nervously out from behind the screen and prepared for judgement. The mirror set adjacent to the screen showed Kagome the work Tomomi had done and she almost didn't recognize herself. Her hair was half-up but left loose around her ears and fell in gentle waves around her face. A single silver comb held up the elaborately braided knot at the back and the borrowed silver necklace was a simple teardrop that glinted in the pale filtered light of the early afternoon.
The kimono was a dark red and patterned with wisps of cloud floating over her breasts and down to the flared hem. Her under kimono was a pale blue and matched in brightness by the stark white obi around her middle. It was more fine clothing than she'd ever worn in her entire life. The young woman was struck with nerves at the realization she was really going to sit in a room full of powerful daiyoukai as the lone human with only Ren there to care anything about her safety.
"Well now. It appears our little deer has some talent for polishing rough stones. You are not altogether unattractive, miko. The honor of my house may yet survive this farce."
"Thank… you?"
"Walk to me and let me see you better."
Kagome shuffled unsteadily and heard the clicking tongue of disapproval from the inu now standing across the room.
"So ungainly. We will have the Captain escort you so your limp is less noticeable."
"I'm still recovering, Lady Kikuko, and my legs are weak. I'm doing my best here. Does this have to be so tight? It's already hot and pinching by ribs."
"Stop complaining. Beauty is pain, miko, in one way or another. Do not forget it. Ah, and just in time. Come in, Captain."
"Most beautiful Lady Kikuko, how are you?" Ren entered and bowed low. "I am pleased to see you looking so well."
Ren looked the part of a noble escort in his steel and green-corded breastplate and boldly patterned navy blue kimono. Images of unfurled white fans were scattered up and down his long torso. The black hakama he wore were plain, un-tucked, and slim. His boots were polished and matched the polished sheath of the sword he wore through his gold obi. The top section of his razor-straight cropped hair was wound neatly into a small bun and clasped at the back of his head with a silver crescent moon. He carried himself confidently and smiled as he took the Lady's hand and kissed it respectfully.
"Now, pup, none of that. Your task is there and good luck to you." Kikuko waved him away but Kagome did not miss the softening of her golden eyes at the sight of the young inu.
Ren turned to find Kagome and smiled brightly.
"How lovely you are, Kagome-sama. Tomomi has outdone herself." Ren plucked Kagome's fingers from their nervous fiddling with her obi and gently laid his lips to the back of her hand. She smiled and her face relaxed from its tense frowning. At least she had one friend in the room.
"Just please don't let me fall down in this. I may never be able to get back up."
Ren laughed lightly and then offered his arm.
"Shall we? The Lords have gathered and read the initiation rites so we will wait outside until Sesshoumaru-sama bids us go in to give our testimony."
"Do not be late." Kikuko cast over her shoulder from the doorway. "I will see you inside later, Captain. Miko, do not make a fool of yourself." And the Lady Mother left in a flash, leaving only a faint breeze of youki behind her.
"Well, with a vote of confidence like that, how can I possibly fail?" Kagome rolled cerulean eyes but found Ren watching her. "What? Is there something wrong with my hair?"
"No, Kagome-sama, you are perfect. My apologies."
Slightly bewildered at the Captain's response, Kagome nervously took the first step towards the Council meeting room and the end of this uncomfortable visit to the West.
...
Author's Note: See? Not so heavy this time. Kagome would still grieve in the small, in between moments so expect that for a little while yet. This chapter was supposed to get us into the meeting but it kind of ran away with me, I'll be honest. Hope you like it! Let me know, if you have time. :)
To all of my Guest reviewers: I completely appreciate your feedback and I would respond to you if I could! Thank you all for reading!