Well... I have no excuses this time... Wait, I DO!! *smiles innocently* SAT9 and CAT6... For those of you who don't know, it's an annual exam for... err, students in USA. ^__^;; Now that's over, I'll take my time and update most of my fics! ^__^;; (5/25/03)
Awww... geez... ^^;;; It's been such a long time, ne?? ;;;; Sorry for my extremely slow updating! I'll still try to update more when school starts... Now.... moving on! ^^;;; (8/25/03)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*flashback / end of flashback
*sound effects*
***scene change / change of POV (specified)***
***time passed / change of POV (unspecified)
*^^*^^*^^* Dreamscape / end of Dreamscape
True Identity
By Sunflowerobi
Chapter Five: Revelation
Kagome sat up in her bed as the morning shined bright and clear. Looking up, she suddenly noticed a small girl, who followed Sesshoumaru faithfully around, staring at her with great curiosity, yet quietly. Deciding to break the ice first, Kagome smiled sweetly at the girl and asked, "What's your name? My name is Kagome Higurashi."
Sizing the older girl up, the little girl finally opened her mouth and spoke with the most energetic voice Kagome had ever heard, although still somewhat cautiously. "I am Rin. Are you a princess of some sort?"
Kagome cocked her head to the side, creating an almost innocent expression. "Nope. Why did you ask?"
"Because," Rin's cheeks colored slightly, "you're rather pretty. And for the little knowledge Rin has, Rin knows for sure that only the royal and noble blood have the right to obtain a surname.
"Well, that's true," Kagome grinned at Rin. "But, in my era, everyone has a surname."
Rin's eyes widened at that. "Everyone?"
Kagome nodded earnestly. "Of course. It's common."
Rin leaned forward eagerly, suddenly fascinated. "Tell Rin more, please!"
So full of energy. Kagome smiled. "Maybe later. Now, why were you waiting for me to wake up?"
"Oh," Rin blinked, sitting back down in her seat properly. "Sesshoumaru-sama wanted to see Kagome-san. Sesshoumaru-sama asked Rin to bring Kagome-san to Sesshoumaru-sama."
Puzzled, the shard detector cocked her head to the side yet again in curiosity. "Sesshoumaru? What for?"
"Iie. It's Sesshoumaru-sama. Although, Rin doesn't know why Rin has to bring Kagome-san to Sesshoumaru-sama."
Kagome raised her eyebrows. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" Pleased, Rin nodded. Looking down to hide the fear in her eyes, Kagome spoke in a quiet voice, "Lead the way then, Rin-chan."
There was a few shuffles, and then... Feeling a tiny, chubby hand cupping her face, the captive looked up into the younger girl's warm chocolate brown eyes, which had once scared the wits out of her before. The cheerful one gave the solemn one a welcoming smile. "Don't worry, Sesshoumaru-sama isn't bad. He's... He's..." A frown appeared on the cheerful one's face as she tried to find the right words.
"Worse than bad?" Kagome offered oh-so-helpfully.
Shaking her head, Rin looked into Kagome's amber eyes. So much...like...Sesshoumaru-sama... Her lips moved, and sound came out. "Sesshoumaru-sama is...very nice."
Rolling this new piece of information in her mind, debating if this girl is telling the truth or not, Kagome finally decided to ponder this at another time. She stood up and clapped her hand determinedly as an encouragement to the silent atmosphere. "Okay, Rin-chan! Let's go!" I'm not scared of him, she added silently in her mind. I'll show him...
***
The Lord of the Western land, as known as Sesshoumaru, paced the wooden floor of his private study. Jaken, his faithful but noisy servant, stood at the door, looking at his master with worry evident in his eyes. Suddenly frustrated, Sesshoumaru let out a growl and seated himself properly. His always perfectly-masked face was gone, in its place an annoyed expression. If you take a look at his face, you can read him like a book: all kinds of emotions, which he had bottle so securely before, displayed themselves on his flawless face.
"Are you quite sure, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken's oily voice reached the lord's elfish ears, breaking the lord out of this... this weird state.
As if suddenly turning into another person, all freely flowed emotions were gone, once again trapped cautiously, and Sesshoumaru's eyes glinted with such wintriness that it sent shivers down Jaken's spine. "Do you," coldness dripped like icicles from his voice, "question my authority?"
Feigning approval, Jaken bowed low to the ground several times. "Surely this lowly Jaken can not question your mighty authority, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Sesshoumaru chose to turn away and ignore the toad youkai for the while, until a timid knock came on the door. "Come in," his monotone voice called out. Turning toward his faithful retainer, he dismissed Jaken. "You may go now."
"Ha-hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Nimbly, Jaken darted past his master and out of the room in a hurry.
***
Kagome stood in front of the door silently, alone by herself. Rin, that cheerful young spirit, had left her a while ago, saying she had something else to do. Clearly understanding Rin's secret meaning, Kagome didn't try to drag the girl with her. Taking a deep breath and calling on the fragments of courage deep within her, she cautiously knocked on the wooden structure.
"Come in," that cold voice from within summoned her.
But her feet refused to move. She stared, somewhat shocked, at the wooden door before her. She couldn't help but wondered, What if the monster decides to kill me? With that thought, her fear completely stabilized her, and so moments ticked by without a single movement from her.
"Make your decision: come in now or stand there forever." Yet again, the cruel words shot out from within.
Gritting her teeth, she made to move first her hand, then her feet. After some struggles, the amber-eyed girl managed to push back the wooden door(1). Another pair of tawny eyes greeted hers when she entered the study, and she stared right back at them, pushing away her fear, or at least trying to.
After some time of staring, Sesshoumaru finally spoke, "You're scared."
Sticking her chin out stubbornly, Kagome glared at him. "Don't be foolish."
An amused smile tugged at his lips. "Tell that to yourself. I can smell the fear on you."
Lips quivering, the girl looked away. "So what?"
Instead of answering her, Sesshoumaru turned his back to her and walked toward his seat, sighing.
Kagome blinked. Sesshoumaru, the great Lord of the Western Lands, sighing? Refocusing her golden eyes on the white figure, she stared hard. Certainly something fishy was going on here. "What do you want?" she suddenly demanded, rudely.
Seated properly before his desk, Sesshoumaru lazily raised his head and watched her. "Don't you have manners?" he asked after a while, when he turned his attention to his neatly filed claws.
Biting her bottom lip nervously from time to time, Kagome scoffed, "Who's the one that's rude first? Who took me from the company of my friends? Who abducted me?"
Sesshoumaru slammed his palm down forcefully on the desk in front of him. "There was business I had to take care of," he snapped. "Business you won't understand."
Then at there, she decided to just let her anger go. All of it. "Who made me read silly old scrolls and books for a whole week? Who took my happiness away and put me in a cold stone cage? Who-" Tears started to form and drip down her cheeks. "What do I have to do with you? I am myself, and will never, ever, concern myself with the likes of you!" Then there was silence, with the exception of her echoes.
Sesshoumaru stood up to his full height, towering over the fuming girl. His amber eyes were unreadable, containing an emotion Kagome was not sure of. "Is that so?" he asked her, almost breathlessly.
Her own livid eyes locked on his, and she replied fiercely, "Never so sure in my whole life."
Without a word, the Lord of the Western Lands whipped around and fished something out of a drawer behind him, then turn around in the same fashion, to reveal a glass vial containing some unknown yellow liquid. He held it out to her, his body language telling her to drink the contents. When the young woman didn't move to take it, the Lord snarled, "Drink it, if you are so sure."
She looked at him, suspicion in her eyes. Finally, sighing, as if she's trying to explain something complicated for someone very young, the ex-shard-detector said, "What if it's poison? I'm not stupid, you know." She scowled at him and her last comment.
The corner of his mouth twitched, hinting his amusement. Nevertheless, his eyes remained the same cold stone glint that made Kagome wanting to cower. "With all my pride and honor, I, Sesshoumaru, assure you that this is not poison." He glowered down at her, open to any reactions.
Cursing him in her mind with the few blasphemy she knew, Kagome wished she took "The Art of Profanity" lessons from Inuyasha. Steeling herself, she snatched the vial out of the lord's grip, her eyes matching his. Quickly she gulped down the glass container's content, not failing to notice how bitter the unknown liquid was. Maybe it is poison, Kagome thought disdainfully as she reflected on the taste, and I'm stupid enough to fall for that "assurance".
Meanwhile, the lord was taking notes on the emotions the girl before him was showing. Extremely undisciplined, that wench, he thought disapprovingly, although nothing on his face hinted his thoughts. To show so much emotion is to beg for death; first code of survival.
The form before him shifted shape; Sesshoumaru had to use all his will not to smile, but his expression cracked into a happy, approving grin all the same.
***
I felt like I'm burning and melting.
It was such a frighteningly disconcerting feeling, yet felt so wondrous at the same time. How can something be both disturbing and incredible at the same time, I couldn't help but wondered. But that's not something I could or should think of right then. All my thoughts were among the lines of: "I'm melting", "Like chocolate in a hot temperature", and "It's warm."
I felt like I was dropped into a tub of warm water -- not boiling hot, but just warm enough to calm the cold -- yet I could breath, although I still try not to. Suddenly, pain -- white, hot, sharp pain -- tore at me in places on my body. I opened my mouth to scream and let loose the pain, but it seemed like I've lost my voice at the time. Places I didn't know could hurt throbbed smartly, even long after the...the... Oh, that's for later.
As I was left with aches in parts of my body, I found I was -- surprisingly -- still on my feet. Looking up, I saw a rare boyish grin on Sesshoumaru's pale face. I release my tightly clenched jaw, feeling stiff, and a soft "What?" was asked.
Unexpectedly -- most unexpected indeed -- Sesshoumaru crossed the short distance between us, grabbed my shoulders, and hugged me.
A light, tickling whisper was in my ear, "Welcome back, Kyoko-chan."
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ADDITIONAL NOTES:
(1) push back the wooden door: I've made it so that the doors in
Sesshoumaru's...home are like shoji screen, but not exactly, as they're made
purely out of wood. Sort of like sliding wooden doors, if you ask me. ^^
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: (October, 3rd)
.....*sniff* All of you hate me, eh? __;;;; *sigh* Well, life's rough, ya know?
...Still not buying that...? Ah, curses. =/ Hmm... In truth, I was trying to
make the chapter longer and have it makes sense, but I didn't know that it'll
take so long to draw up these words, and that in the end, I still don't
have a long chapter.... x__x;; I'm so sorry! No, really, I am. =/
Well, I have no frickin' idea when I'm gonna update next, so no use in asking. In the meanwhile, I'm making a "status" page, so people can check on how far I've accomplished on certain fics of mine. It's not yet done, but you should probably check my bio for the link come Thanksgiving time (the end of November).
I suppose that's all for now, folks! Please review! and -- Thank you very much, you have to know that your support is greatly appreciated. ^_^