All through dinner, Inu-Yasha could not keep his eyes off of Lady Kikyo. He tried to see if there were any changes in her. Had she been eating well? Was the Rat treating her with the respect she deserved? Did she miss him? From what he could see, she seemed unchanged, quiet, watchful, and beautiful. But behind her sultry glances and sly smiles, her emotions were once again hidden underneath the mask of a whore. The few smiles of happiness Inu-Yasha glimpsed were hidden once again by the smile of a seductress and a mask of indifference.
He hoped with a sinking sense of desperation that she did miss him, for he could not stop thinking about her. A part of him had always hoped to catch a glimpse of her, a chance to talk to her, or a moment to touch her again. It was hopeless, dangerous, and irresponsible for he had a job to complete. But the seed of that wish had already taken root in his heart.
He tried to catch her eyes a few times but she gaze would just slid right over him. When she finally rose from her seat to leave the room for more drinks, Inu-Yasha quietly slipped out after her. He followed her out to a terrace where there were no guests. Just when he thought she had not notice his presence, she stopped in a shadowed alcove of a teahouse and waited.
After a long pregnant moment of silence, she murmured, "Why have you come, Lord Inu-Yasha?"
"I told you, call me Inu-Yasha, Kikyo," Inu-Yasha choked out.
"And I have told you Kikyo is not my name. Lady Kikyo is my title." A long tension filled pause ensued. The silence was broken when Lady Kikyo asked again "why have you come, Lord Inu-Yasha?"
Hurt by her apparent coldness and aloof attitude, he took moment to consider what answers to give. Word he didn't expect poured out of his mouth. "It's dangerous here. Naraku is a devious bastard with connections murkier than mud on a rainy day. His connections run to all the shadowy under dealings in this country, quite possibly beyond. He has things going on that are bigger than you, bigger than the both of us. I don't know how much longer that bastard will be around, but I guarantee, it won't be long. There's a traitor in the palace and I know it is Naraku." Inu-Yasha spit the word out like it was poison. "I don't have enough hard evidence to prove that he was the one because The Rat has been very careful about his dealings."
'But not careful enough,' a voice sneered in his mind.
When Lady Kikyo did not react to his news, Inu-Yasha tried to think of another way to see the danger of living at this estate. This meeting was not going to way he envisioned. She did not fall into his arms. She did not beg to be saved from the cruelties of The Rat. She did not even truly acknowledge his presence or words! 'What kind of romantic reunion is this?!'
Frustrated and angry beyond his endurance, he blurted out "you could die if you stay here! Don't you know what happens to family of traitors? They get executed, like the old saying 'to kill a blade of grass, start at the root.' Women, children, even the servants won't escape the persecution. No one will be spared. The army will come and knock down the door. The soldiers will round up the people and everyone will be put under torture to confess the truth. Naraku himself will get a special brand of questioning, none of it pleasant."
"And will you being lead that army, my Lord Inu-Yasha?" Lady Kikyo said without emotion.
"No, of course not!" he replied indignantly. "Come away with me. If you aren't with Naraku, then the soldiers will have no reason to torture and kill you. I will buy your contract from The Rat or just take you away, right now if you like. He can't do anything to me. He can petition the emperor, but the emperor is too busy with other things to worry about this. I won't withdrawn my offer of marriage or pressure you if you don't want to marry me when you come. If you will have me, I still want to marry you. I love you!"
Though Lady Kikyo's heart pounded like a trapped bird, none of her nervousness, anger, and regret showed on her face or stance. She had to hold her tongue for fear of screaming. Lord Inu-Yasha, had just casually dismissed her as unimportant. His unintentional negligence stinted her pride. When she felt that she could trust her voice to work properly, she turned to look Inu-Yasha in the eye. She saw his sincerity in his actions and heard his conviction in his voice. But her personal honor refused to let her be shifted from one master to another. She can't accept his charity like some beggar off of the street. She worked so hard these years to save up the money. 'Being a whore, though not the most prestigious position,' Lady Kikyo thought with an ironic smile, 'is better than a beggar on the streets.'
She could have run away from the Ichiban no Sakura years ago. But the sense of honor her father had ingrained in her since infancy forbid her to run away from her debt. 'What if there is a way to pay Inu-Yasha back for his generosity?' Kikyo mused. 'What if we are business partners? That way, it would be an exchange of goods instead of charity.'
"Lord Inu-Yasha, you flatter me with your proclamation. But I can't go with you." She held up a hand to forestall his protests. "Yet. I can't go with you, yet. I'm not built for charity, Lord Inu-Yasha. I can't let you come and rescue me from my fate. What I can do is to become partners with you. I will help you search out the information you need to prove that Lord Naraku is the traitor. In exchange, you will grant me my freedom once he and his household have been destroyed… I've known what he was like…for a long time now." She finished with a whisper and with a poignant smile looked toward the nimbus clouds that promised a storm.
A feeling of infinite dread and foreboding crept up Inu-Yasha's spin and settled in his brain. He nodded his head nonetheless in acquiescence because he understood her reasoning. But the fear that something will go wrong would not leave him alone. This opportunity was what he was looking for since the beginning: a quiet search into Naraku's real dealings and gather of evidence. When Naraku become arrested, he can use his influence to make sure she does not become buried along with the rest of Naraku's riffraff. The emperor will reward her for her loyalty.
When the silence between them became strained, Lady Kikyo led the way back to the party.
The rest of the party was insignificant. Miroku was already back from his search when Inu-Yasha and Lady Kikyo returned from their talk. Miroku gave Inu-Yasha suggestive winks but made no other comments. When they reached Inu-Yasha's compound, Miroku reached into his left sleeve and pulled out a small index finger sized statue. It was made of green jade and in the shaped of a fierce guard dog. It was one of Inu-Yasha's personal seal. It was not the official seal, but it was one of the items that were stolen from his study the night of the break in.
That night two thoughts plagued his mind as he tried to rest: Lady Kikyo's proposal and the stolen seal. Lady Kikyo's proposal and how cold and calculating it was. He can't help but admire her courage despite the unpleasant parallel between her and Sesshomaru. But her calculation had an ultimate goal, her freedom. 'But at what price?' Inu-Yasha thought. The seal proved to be a more dangerous topic. With a personal seal, Naraku could impersonate Inu-Yasha with relative ease. Inu-Yasha suspected that the only reason Naraku hadn't used it was due to timing. He drifted off to an uneasy sleep with images of her hunting gray eyes and heartbreaking smile.
In the morning, Inu-Yasha had thought up a way for Lady Kikyo and him to keep in touch. His new ward, Shippou would make the perfect go between. He had always suspected that Shippou belonged to the ring of thieves that Naraku was dealing with. The suspicion was proven correct with the recovery of the seal. He didn't want to expose the child to possible danger or use him uncaringly like his old comrades. But there was a spark of honor and courage in Shippou that made Inu-Yasha give him a home also had made Inu-Yasha trust Shippou with this dangerous quest. He knew he could depend on Shippou to carry through with the mission.
With the decision firmly in mind, Inu-Yasha climbed out of his bed and kicked Myoga, who was sleeping out side his door, awake. The bald round servant blinked sleepiness out of his eyes while Inu-Yasha waited impatiently for his attention. Inu-Yasha hated when Myoga slept outside his door. It was embarrassing and unnecessary. Often Inu-Yasha wished the old flea should just sleep in his own room. As it is, he was just annoyed it had taken Myoga a long time to wake up.
"I need you to get Shippou. I have a message for him to deliver." Inu-Yasha sighed.
"I will get him ready right away, Lord Inu-Yasha." Myoga bowed and almost bounced out of the room, leaving Inu-Yasha to brood alone.
Shippou followed Myoga into Inu-Yasha's workroom a moment later. Inu-Yasha realized that this was the first time Shippou had been invited back into this room since their unplanned encounter that night over two months ago. He smiled warily. I wonder how will he react to my little job for him. I hope he doesn't disappoint me.
Shippou walked into Inu-Yasha's workroom with trepidation. Beside the occasional joined meals and lessons, Inu-Yasha mostly left him to amuse himself, as long as he does not break anything. This summoning had an, for a lack of better word, official feel to it. Myoga walked into his room, instead of bounced, and informed him that "Lord Inu-Yasha would like a word" with him. 'When had Myoga ever called Inu-Yasha Lord instead of master? When had Inu-Yasha ever summon me? I hope his not sick of me staying here…' unsettling thoughts made him jumpy and irritable as he followed Myoga to Inu-Yasha's room.
By the time they arrived, Shippou convinced himself that Inu-Yasha will not only throw him out but also call the city guards. He will be looked up in a cell in the dirty jails and be left there until he becomes too old to move. Then they'll toss his old body into the yard where the homeless bums sit through their last days. His fear almost made him kneel down and beg Inu-Yasha mercy, forgiveness, and let him stay. Noticing the cowardliness of the thoughts, Shippou stopped the rambling in his head, squared his shoulders and vowed not to beg but to appeal to the sense of justice within Inu-Yasha.
What Inu-Yasha saw when Shippou stepped in sight was a boy desperately trying to be brave. He felt a sudden surge of pride for his courage.
"Shippou, you have lived with me for more than two full month."
'He is kicking me out!'
"I'm impressed with your progress in your studies and calligraphy. But…"
'He is going to call the city guards,'
"I didn't call you here to discuss that."
'Here it comes…'
"I need information about your old group of friends, as much as possible."
'Please don't… what?'
"I don't know much about them." Shippou began hesitantly, "A woman, Kanna, took care of us. A boy, Kahouka, was the leader. He trained us and sent us on missions. But I think Kanna is the one that actually pass on the orders. Every time she received a letter, someone had to go do a job. Kahouka picked the people to do the job with him…" he trailed off uncertainly. "Inu-Yasha why did you need to talk to me?"
Grinning briefly at the breach of protocol, Inu-Yasha told him of assignment as a go between for Lady Kikyo and the suspicion that Shippou's old gang was working for Naraku to steal important government information and document. "I'm not forcing you to do this. You could refuse. Miroku would love the chance to have personal time with Lady Kikyo." Inu-Yasha sighed in disgust.
"But you have the training of a thief there fore it would be much easier for you to sneak in and out of the estate. I suspect that some, if not most of, my agents are in some way or form being monitored by The Rat. It would be harder for them to slip in and out anonymously.
"You are a… young man." Inu-Yasha decided to refrain from using the word child. He remembered that Shippou became quite upset when presented with children's kimono. "But still small enough to slip about unnoticed in the city, if you choose. Normally I don't like involving I don't know much about. But I think you are brave enough and honorable enough to do this not just for me, but also for the emperor and the country... Will you do it?"
Ego greatly inflated from Inu-Yasha's praise, Shippou did not hesitate in giving an affirmative reply along with an honored oath to keep the secret till his grave. He then hurried out to his own room to search for his old gear. Inu-Yasha felt proud that his manipulation worked. 'Take that Sesshomaru, I can so make people do what I want.' He grinned madly at an image of Sesshomaru pulling out his hair.
Shippou mean while could not be more thrilled. Not only was he not being kicked out of his new home, he was also given the chance to be a hero. 'Serving the emperor and saving the country. Being a hero, whoa!' Shippou could not stop his grin of delight.
The next day at dusk, Shippou slipped out of his home in his old thieving outfit and headed toward the Spider House, as his old group called the place.
Lady Kikyo waited by the east moon gate for the arrival of Inu-Yasha's messenger. Lord Naraku had given her freedom to roam the estate alone. But she was forbidden to leave without escort or head covering so "the ruffians won't be over come with desire" Lord Naraku had said. Just as she was arriving at the gate, a shadow moved. Stifling a scream, Lady Kikyo cautiously moved closer to the spot where the movement was.
A little boy about ten stepped out of the shadows. His orange hair under the light of the moon looked like the color of dried blood. He must be the messenger from Inu-Yasha, Lady Kikyo thought. "Greetings, little one," Lady Kikyo called out softly. "Where hence did you come?"
"First of all lady, I'm not little. Second, what are you jabbering about? Inu-Yasha sent me to get the message you have. Do you have it?" Shippou felt quite indignant after being called 'little one.' At first he was in awe with her beauty. That quickly turned to displeasure when her words reached home.
Nonplused, Lady Kikyo handed Shippou a scroll she had hidden in her sleeve. The scroll contained information she had gleamed from the documents inside Naraku's private chamber. She when she searched through the papers, there was only time to note a few names and locations before she must leave for fear of discovery. Though she did not know any of the individuals, but the families they are from were all very infamous.
'When Inu-Yasha has the evidence he needs, I will be free.' That was the only thought to sustain her during her theft of the documents. She watched in concern as the young messenger scramble over the wall and disappeared into the night. In her heart, she knew that her time was almost at an end.
Inu-Yasha anxiously waited Shippou's return from his midnight excursion. He worried about the safety of both Shippou and Lady Kikyo. Naraku was a vicious bastard, that much Inu-Yasha knew. He just hoped that if the day came and Naraku found out about Lady Kikyo's involvement, The Rat would be too obsessed with her to harm her. Of course, the best-case scenario would be The Rat executed for treason and never finding out about her involvement. Shippou, brave as he is, was still a child in Inu-Yasha's mind. His conscious could not let him sit quietly while the child was away in a dangerous mission.
The sound of a sliding door alerted Inu-Yasha from his contemplation. The young ex-thief quietly stepped into the room face aglow with excitement from the success of the job. He raised his right arm and from within the sleeve he retrieved a thin scroll. Inu-Yasha instantly grabbed and tore open the seal.
"Well, what did it say?" Shippou asked impatiently. Irritated from being interrupted from his musing, Inu-Yasha shot him an annoyed look and told him to go to bed. The information by itself was not very disturbing. But including this one with the other information Miroku had gathered the implications were astronomically bad.
'The Taira* clan clan seemed to have been very busy,' Inu-Yasha thought in disgust. 'Naraku was bad enough. But adding that to the feuding between the Minamoto and the Taira clan into the mix, this country could be heading toward civil war and utter chaos. What does Naraku have anything to do with the Taira clan? What does Naraku have anything to do with the rebellious Hokaido region up north and the scheming Taria clan?'
The only way he knew of getting more information was to go The Rat's place of residence, The Black Spider estate.
The next night, a pale gray shadow slipped through the gates of Inu-Yasha's estate and dashed through the city streets with speed and ease. The long promised storm had finally hit. Snow flakes were falling softly on to the streets of a silent city. No one noticed the tall shadow or made any comment if they did. He jumped easily over the walls of the Black Spider estate and headed toward the main house. Lord Inu-Yasha had never stepped this far into the sprawling estate.
As he searched for the room that contained Naraku's office, his ears began picking up sounds that did not be long to the quiet night. Voices could be heard over the next bend of the building. Harsh voices arguing and fighting in the middle of the night in a place where no one should be. Suddenly, a loud crackling noise stopped the fighting.
Inu-Yasha eased his body along the wall, peered around the building, and looked inside the room where the argument came from. What he saw in there set his blood boiling. Naraku, Lady Kikyo along with three men who looked like hired thugs were inside of Naraku's office. Naraku was fuming in rage while his face turned an ugly shade of red. In his left hand, he held a horsewhip and was snapping it in impatience. The thugs stood guard over a battered and bruised Lady Kikyo. She was laying pathetically on the floor one hand clutching the fresh cut on her face while the other tried to prop her frail body off of the floor. Blood soaked the back of her kimono pooling on the ground.
Inu-Yasha longed to run in there and rescue her. But lifetime of training and ingrained philosophy "duty first" stopped him, barely. Each blow Naraku landed on Lady Kikyo's body seemed like a blow to Inu-Yasha's heart. An eternity later, Naraku stalked out of the room instructing his lackeys to dispose of "the traitorous whore." Three despicable looking men carried her body out of the room into the streets. Inu-Yasha stalked the group through the dark allies and snow filled air. They carried her limp body to a dark ally in the middle of the fishing district and dumped it in a pile of rotting fish.
Feeling like coward for not hunting down the men and making them pay for their involvement in Lady Kikyo's current state, Inu-Yasha dug vigorously through the pile trying to get to Lady Kikyo. He pulled her easily out of the pile and carried her like she weighed nothing. During his run back to his estate, Inu-Yasha could only pray that Lady Kikyo would be well.
"Inu… Yasha?"
"Don't talk, hold on Kikyo. I'm taking you to a safe place." I'll always protect you. Inu-Yasha thought silently as he ran through the darkened streets.
Lady Kikyo knew her time has come. Since Inu-Yasha stomped into the banquet hall all those months ago, her life had not been the same. His rash decisions and whirlwind emotions had wakened her soul's need for joy and happiness. Now that her time on earth has come to an end, all she wanted was for Inu-Yasha to remember her. She no longer had time to hold back.
She weakly lifted her head off of his shoulder and pleaded for him to stop. Inu-Yasha looked down at her with panic. But her almost happy expression broke his heart all over again.
"Please, Inu-Yasha. I know my turn at this life is almost over… You said you loved me, yet you never even knew who I am. But… But despite all that, I've come to love you." She had to pause gather her breath and strength to finish what was left unsaid in her heart. "I still have never shared my self with you." Lady Kikyo took a shuddering breath and gathered more strength to continue. Tears poured freely downed Inu-Yasha's face as he watch hopelessly. His moment of joy upon hear her love for him soon followed with the dawning realization that they could never share a future together.
"I love you too Kikyo. Please, just hold on for a bit longer, we are almost there," he begged.
"Ka… Kagome."
"What?" Inu-Yasha asked with confused sorrow.
"The little girl that ran through the woods, her name was Kagome," she whispered wistfully. "My name… was Kagome. Please, I want to hear the name my mother gave me on someone else's lips one last time before… Emmaoh-sama claims my soul."
"Kagome…" By now, Inu-Yasha had accepted Lady Kikyo, Kagome would not live through the night. He gradually stopped running and laid her gently down a patch of fresh snow. He had been weeping quietly, now he could no longer keep his silence. A chocked sob escaped his lips followed by another.
In his grief, he did not notice Kagome's movement until she placed his hand on her hand and opened his palm. She gently laid a glowing jewel inside his hand. In the darkness of the night, the jewel seemed to glow with a soft pulsing light.
"Inu-Yasha, this is the Shinko no Tama. A treasure my family has guarded… has guarded since the beginning of time. Legend has it, as long as the jewel is protected," a coughing fit had seized her body. "As long as the jewel is protected, this country will always stand. But with my death, the jewel will be left with no guardian. I want you to guard it in my stead. This jewel… is the only thing I have and I want you to have it. Good-bye, my beloved Lord Inu-Yasha…"
"No! You can't die! And don't call me Lord, damn it!" His cry of rage fell on deaf ears.
"I think… I think I would have made a beautiful bride. Maybe in our next life… I… love…" her strength ran out but her eyes conveyed all of her love to Inu-Yasha.
"I love you too, Kagome… My beautiful Lady Kikyo."
That night in the icy river, the body of Lady Kikyo found its final resting place.
Inu-Yasha still thought of her as Lady Kikyo, the untouchable beauty, and the forbidden fruit. He said a quiet prayer for her soul to move speedily through the next world. He could not imagine who was the girl Kagome. That girl ceased to exist long before Inu-Yasha ever knew of her existence. Like Lady Kikyo had said to him that night long ago, Lady Kikyo was her name and who she was. He did know that he loved Lady Kikyo with all of his being.
Feathery snow covered the trail of footprints leading away from the rapids. By the time the morning sun peaked over the horizon, the beautiful Lady Kikyo became another faceless casualty in this time of chaos.
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AN: *Taira and the Minamoto clan are real Japanese historical clans. Each has held the Japanese throne for a period of time. My history is muddled and have taken some creative licenses with the events. Also the proverb Inu-Yasha said to Lady Kikyo in the garden is a real Chinese proverb, often used to describe the executions of whole families decreed by emperors. Lovely isn't it.
Also, Emmaoh is the name of their diety of death.
Again, thanks for reading. This is for all the wonderful people who left very encouraging reviews. Also, my beta reader was not able to get back to me about this chapter so I'm counting on the reviewer to show me my mistakes to be corrected. Feel free to rip my chapter into piece, as long as it's constructive criticism.