Supper and the rest of the evening were quiet and boring for both Sesshoumaru and Kagome. They only exchanged words when the inu youkai sent the girl off to bed so he could get some work done. He, of course, had just escorted her to her room, telling her to do whatever she wanted, while Kagome had replied with the usual "Yes, Sesshoumaru- sama."
Within his silent study, Sesshoumaru was finally feeling his headache recede. The girl, whether she spoke or not, bothered him since she still acted like she had no personality. She just kept staring at him with her blank, blue-gray eyes that always annoyed him. That was one of the things that he wanted to change the most.
'Perhaps I need to have a long talk with the girl,' Sesshoumaru thought as he pulled out some of his work. 'Tell her that I want her to stop acting like a slave, to let loose whatever emotions she has left. Of course, considering how her other masters have treated her, she probably won't believe me.' He growled softly at the thought of her old masters, which made his mind go straight to Naraku.
Sesshoumaru didn't trust the evil hanyou one bit. In fact, he half expected Naraku to return in the morning for Kagome. The hanyou wouldn't use the front door again. More than likely, he would find a different way to get to the girl, and the inu youkai wasn't about to allow that. He would sell the girl to Inuyasha before he'd let Naraku get his hands on her.
Naraku certainly posed a problem to the dog demon. Sesshoumaru couldn't leave Kagome alone, but he had to go to work. The slave girl needed someone to watch over her, guard her, and protect her from the evil hanyou while he was away at the office.
Luckily, a perfect solution hit Sesshoumaru. He knew just whom to call. Within a few minutes, Kagome would have a bodyguard, and a good one at that. The bodyguard he was thinking of was excellent at fighting and very dependable.
Mentally smiling, he found the number in his address book, picked up the phone, and dialed. After a few minutes, someone on the other end answered the phone.
~Hello, Hiraikotsu residence,~ a young woman said in a friendly voice.
"This is Sesshoumaru. Am I speaking to Sango?" the inu youkai inquired, leaning back a little in his chair.
~Yes, this is Sango. Is this a business call?~ Sango responded, sounding curious. A year and a half ago she had helped protect one of Sesshoumaru's top employees from a youkai murderer. The dog demon had been very impressed with her when she had managed to capture the murderer with only the help of her pet demon-cat Kirara.
"I have a job for you," he informed her, glad that Sango didn't beat around the bush. "I recently bought a slave-"
A small gasping noise from Sango's end of the phone line cut him off. ~What did you just say?~ she asked, sounding surprised and unhappy.
"I just said that I had purchased a slave. I bought her because Inuyasha was biding on her." Sesshoumaru wondered how many times he would be forced to explain that. "Now, back to the job. A hanyou by the name of Naraku has decided that he wants Kagome, the slave I just bought. Earlier today he visited my house and tried to take her somewhere to bed her."
Sango immediately muttered insults under her breath, even though she knew that Naraku wouldn't be able to hear her. She was an avid hater of slavery, and everyone who had ever met her knew that.
"I find his presence on my property and near Kagome unacceptable. If you agree to work for me, you will watch over Kagome while I'm at work," he told her, knowing that she would take the job. "You will get paid one-hundred dollars a day along with breakfast and lunch."
Sango took only a brief moment to think about it. ~I accept your offer. Just tell me when I'm suppose to arrive tomorrow, and I'll be there.~
"Be here at seven in the morning," Sesshoumaru ordered her, knowing that Sango would probably arrive before the ordained time.
~I will,~ she promised, bringing the conversation to a close. ~Good-bye, Sesshoumaru. I'll see you tomorrow morning.~
The inu youkai said a quick farewell and hung up the phone as well, making a mental note to inform Kagome of the recent occurrences in the morning during breakfast. She would need to know about Sango, and it was the polite thing to do.
Besides, he was hoping that if he told Kagome what was going on, and then she might just trust him a little. After all, sharing information was a way of showing someone that you trusted them, and humans had a habit of returning trust. Sesshoumaru prayed that the girl would at least try to trust him a tiny bit.
He had just fixed the Naraku problem for her, so the least she could do was get out of slave mode and start acting like a real person. The sooner she acted like a real person, the sooner she would be free and the sooner he could get rid of her.
Since the Naraku problem had been taken care of, Sesshoumaru set his thoughts of Kagome aside so he could focus on work. With a small sigh, he picked up some important documents and began to read.
~*~
Around midnight, Sesshoumaru yawned, stretched, and put down the last of his work. He was done with all of his paperwork for once, and he couldn't have felt more pleased. With a rare half-smile on his face, he left his study and walked down the hall.
Once again, he heard Kagome muttering in her sleep. She sounded scared, almost terrified. Her soft voice quivered with fear. He could smell her fear and the salt of her tears that she had obviously shed as she had slept.
Not wanting to hear her sound so pathetically helpless and afraid, he went into her room, planning on quieting her just like before. With a gentle hand, he rubbed one of her cheeks as he whispered some soothing words in a low voice.
Kagome quieted as quickly as before, rolling over on her side as her mumbling ceased. A smile appeared on her face, replacing the frown. Her happy expression almost seemed to light up the room, taking Sesshoumaru completely by surprise.
'She has a beautiful smile,' he thought automatically as he slowly pulled his hand away from her. 'Too bad she doesn't smile when she's awake.' He immediately scolded himself for that thought and left the room, swearing that he would never think anything like that again.
~*~
Sesshoumaru, once again, woke up bright and early to the smell of breakfast cooking. If his sense of smell was correct, then Kagome was fixing bacon and eggs. He had to admit that it was kind of nice waking up to have his breakfast already prepared. It saved him time, and the good smells were a lot more pleasing than an alarm clock to wake up to.
With a ghost of a smile on his face, he got out of bed and quickly got ready before he headed to the kitchen. This time he was determined to keep Kagome from noticing him for as long as possible. He used his youkai magic to hide his presence so he could observe her for a little while. The last time he had caught her cooking she had been acting like any free person.
The inu youkai found Kagome by the stove once again, dressed in black pants and a green shirt, singing softly and adding cheese to the omelet she had cooking on the stove. She seemed to be so content and at ease in her current situation. Of course, she was still oblivious to his presence, and he knew that she would go back into slave mode the instant she realized he was there.
Kagome didn't notice the dog demon until she turned around, her eyes going wide in surprise. She almost dropped the plate of food that was in her hands when she bowed for forgiveness, her black hair falling about her in silky waves.
"I- I am sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama. I didn't sense you," she said quickly, keeping her eyes lowered.
"You weren't supposed to," the inu youkai responded simply. "I hid my presence from you."
She stared at him for a few moments, shock apparent on her face. "Why, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she inquired meekly, an incredibly small frown on her face. Once again, her master had thoroughly confused her.
"I wanted to watch you." He turned his attention away from her and to the food. "Why don't we have breakfast now?" The change of subject was a good one, as it put the girl a little more at ease. She seemed to be more relaxed when she had something to do.
A few minutes later, they were both seated at the table, quietly eating their meal. Kagome wasn't about to break the silence, so Sesshoumaru did it.
"Kagome, after the Naraku incident, I decided something," he began, taking a sip of coffee. He noted how she winced slightly, as if she was afraid he would do something mean to her. "I can't leave you in the house alone in case he finds a way in, so I've hired a bodyguard. Her name's Sango, and she'll be here around seven."
The slave girl nodded her head, understanding his reasoning perfectly. He wanted to keep others from touching one of his 'possessions'. "I understand, mi- Sesshoumaru-sama." She visibly relaxed, glad that he hadn't said he was going to let Naraku have her. Being treated as a possession was better than being abused.
"You are to obey her like you would me," the dog demon ordered her calmly. "And don't worry about Naraku. Sango is very good at what she does. You'll have nothing to fear with her around."
"As you wish, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome responded, her eyes betraying her surprise. She hadn't been expecting him to hire someone to protect her. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Him reassuring her had surprised her as well. She couldn't understand why her new master would care whether she was scared or not. Her other masters had just laughed whenever she had shown fear.
'So she does have emotions,' he thought, noticing the expression in her eyes. 'And that reminds me...' He gave Kagome a serious look. "Kagome, you don't need to act like a slave anymore. I would much rather you conduct yourself like any other free person," he told her, his golden eyes staring straight into her blue- gray ones. "You can ask me questions or wander around my house if you want. I just want you to behave normally, so act like you want to act."
"Milord?" Kagome's blue-gray eyes were about as big as they could get, and her mouth hung open just a little. 'What in the world is wrong with him?! No one ever says things like that to a slave! Is he off his rocker?'
Despite her yearning to not believe him, her heart jumped in her chest. With her magic, she could still sense that he was still a little disinterested, but she could also sense that he was sincere. He was telling the truth, at least as far as she could tell.
'He's... kind. He's actually a kind master,' Kagome thought incredulously. 'He was serious, then, when he talked about not liking slavery and how he was going to treat me like he treated free people.'
Sesshoumaru mentally sighed, not really surprised by her reaction. Of course, he expected her to protest next. After all, he had just given her an order that she would find very unusual. Not one of her old masters had probably ever given her an order like that.
Kagome stared at her master for a few minutes, unsure of how to react. She was supposed to follow orders, she wanted to follow his orders, but she had also been told to never abandon her training. That had been her very first order, and her first master had ordered her to always follow that one command no matter what her future masters wanted her to do. So, in the end, the miko just couldn't do what the dog demon wanted.
"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama, but I cannot do that." Kagome shook her head sadly, her eyes going dull once again. The girl had chosen to keep her training and disobey an order. She really hadn't wanted to disobey an order, especially that one. She was so tempted to just give in and let go of her training, if only for a little while, but she knew what would happen if she did. Naraku, her first master, would find out, and he would punish her. He could still punish her, and she knew it. It wouldn't take much for him to do it either.
The inu youkai frowned, slightly confused as to how she could say no to one of his orders. So far, she had always refused to disobey him. Yet now, she was being obdurate. "Why?"
That simple question made Kagome turn her gaze to the side. "It is forbidden."
"Forbidden?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. She nodded her head. "How so?"
"My first master set the rules, and the biggest rule he instilled into me was the rule that contradicts your order," she replied. "He said that I was forbidden break that rule. He ordered me not to break that rule."
"What's to stop you from breaking the rule besides your first master's orders?" He finished off the last of his breakfast, patiently waiting for an answer.
"The spell," she answered, voice soft.
"Will you experience pain if you obey the order?" the dog demon inquired, praying that she wouldn't. He had not bought her just to hurt her like her other masters had.
Kagome shook her head. "Not immediately, Sesshoumaru-sama, but I will eventually."
"How long would it take?" If he could succeed in removing the spell before the pain began, then he would work hard to convince Kagome to follow his orders. He didn't want to have to keep dealing with the girl while she was in slave mode.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I do not know, Sesshoumaru-sama. It won't happen until the rest of the spell is activated by the special word."
"Who knows the special word?" he asked, hoping that the person was on the other side of the world.
"My first master... Naraku." She hated saying the hanyou's name with her new master right in front of her, especially since he had reacted so violently towards the thought of Naraku being in his house.
Sesshoumaru growled low, the sound a mere rumbling in his chest. His anger surfaced, causing him to subconsciously bare his fangs at a mental image of Naraku. It was infuriating how all Kagome's troubles went back to the evil, dark hanyou. He had the greatest desire right then to violently wring Naraku's neck.
Kagome fought back the urge to squirm in her chair, her magic easily informing her of her master's anger. She couldn't sense why he was angry, or whom he was angry with, but she had felt him think about her briefly. For what reason, she didn't know. The furious look on his face worried her, making her inwardly cringe. He had never hit her in a fit of anger before, but there was a first time for everything.
After a few moments, the inu youkai visibly calmed down and turned his golden gaze on the slave girl. "I am going to do everything in my power to keep Naraku away from you. He will not be given an opportunity to activate the spell." He pushed away from the table and stood up. "My order still stands, an- "
A loud knock at the front door interrupted him. Sesshoumaru went and unlocked the front door, letting a young woman dressed in black pants and a red and yellow shirt into the house. She gave him a smile and a nod, acknowledging that she was ready to do her job.
"Come with me," he told the woman, leading her into the dining room. He was planning on introducing her to the slave girl.
Sesshoumaru wasn't surprised to find that Kagome was still sitting where he had left her, her eyes watching the doorway. The girl looked a little nervous, probably because she had seen how angry he had been. Poor thing. Very few people ever saw him that angry.
"Kagome, this is Sango, your bodyguard," the inu youkai informed the girl, his voice calm. He watched her carefully for any reaction at all. The only thing Kagome did was stand up and bow to Sango.
"Please don't bow to me," Sango said, feeling very uncomfortable. She didn't like seeing a young lady treat her like some kind of queen. It just didn't feel right.
The slave girl nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Yes, Sango-sama."
The other woman sighed. "Just plain Sango will work." She wanted to be friends with the girl, not some kind of master.
"As you wish... Sango," Kagome responded, fighting the urge to bow again to the other woman. She was amazed by how easy it was to slip fully back into her slave mode the instant a stranger appeared.
Sesshoumaru gave both girls a look, and then nodded his head. They would be fine. He could leave. "I'm heading to work now. Kagome, be good while I'm gone and obey Sango." With a very quick good-bye, he left the house, briefcase in hand.
Once the dog demon was gone, Sango looked at her charge. They were about the same age and both had raven hair, although the slave's was down while hers was in a ponytail. The bodyguard was a little taller, and her eyes were brown. She was also more muscular and less pale. She couldn't help but wonder if the poor slave girl ever went outside.
Sango's growling stomach broke through the silence of the room, startling both girls. "Do you have any food?" she inquired a little sheepishly.
Kagome nodded her head. "If you so desire, Sango-sama, there are some eggs and bacon still left in the kitchen."
"That will work just fine," Sango replied, sighing at what she had been called and following the other girl into the kitchen.
Once Sango had some eggs and bacon, both females went into the dining room. The bodyguard was planning on talking to Kagome and getting to know the girl a little better.
"How old are you, Kagome?" Sango asked simply, trying to start a conversation with the slave.
"I am nineteen, Sango-sama," she replied quickly, mentally sighing. She had a feeling that Sango was going to ask her questions just like Sesshoumaru had done.
"Nineteen, huh? That's just a year younger than me," the woman commented, smiling. "How long have you been here?"
"This is my third day here Sango-sama," Kagome answered.
"Well, maybe you can show me what there is to do around here." Sango took a bite of omelet, praying that the girl would stop adding 'sama' to the end of her name. "This is really good." She pointed at the eggs with her fork. "Who made them?"
"I made them this morning, Sango-sama." The slave girl kept her responses simple, knowing that that was what she was supposed to do.
"What else can you cook?" the bodyguard wondered, looking to girl for an answer. Kagome began to list things off until Sango interrupted her with a laugh. "You certainly are accomplished," she commented, surprised. "I think only professional chefs know how to make some of the things that you listed."
Kagome stared at Sango for a few moments, amazed by how friendly the girl acted around her. Her bodyguard did indeed treat her like anyone would treat a good friend.
"So I take it that you like to cook?" Sango asked, tilting her head slightly to one side.
"Um..." She had to think on that for a moment. Did she like to cook? Hmmm... good question. Truthfully, she always felt at peace when she was in the kitchen, preparing something to eat. If that feeling was considered to be the same thing as liking something, then okay, she did like to cook. "Yes, I do, Sango- sama."
"Miroku will probably want to try your cooking as soon as he learns that," she commented, eating a piece of bacon.
"Miroku?" Kagome repeated. She had never heard that name before. "Please, Sango- sama, who is Miroku?"
"He's a friend of mine. And since I didn't have time this morning, I asked him to pick up my sword from the Youkai Armory for me," the girl replied. "He should be bringing it by sometime today." Sango paused. "Would that bother you any?"
Kagome shook her head. "It will not bother me unless you wish it to bother me."
Sango sighed, wondering if Sesshoumaru found her as exhausting to talk to at times as well. "He'll probably be here in an hour or so." She paused for a moment, frowning slightly. "I do have to warn you, Miroku's a bit of a lecher. If he touches you in a way you don't like, smack him." Even though the slave girl showed no reaction, Sango could sense her reluctance. It only made sense, as slaves were not supposed to hit free people. "If you won't do it, I will."
"If that is what you wish, Sango-sama." Kagome almost melted with relief. She couldn't hit a free person, there was just no way. That went against everything that she had been taught. Her masters had never, ever permitted her to strike a non-slave. They would have thoroughly beat her for it.
"Listen, Kagome. I'm not your master. I don't want you to treat me like one. I'd rather be friends," Sango told the girl. "You can relax a bit. You don't have to act meek around me."
"Forgive me, but I can not do that Sango-sama." She shook her head to emphasize her point. 'What is with these people and tempting me like this? I knew that my new master was unusual, but are all his acquaintances like that as well?'
The bodyguard chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to think of a way to get the girl to understand that she was trustworthy. Surely the slave girl was only afraid that Sango would punish her. She had seen a few other slaves and how meek they usually were, but none of them were anything like Kagome. The poor slave girl had obviously been very abused.
Instead of insisting that the girl follow her orders, Sango decided to change the topic. "What do you do here all day?"
"I wake up in the morning, make breakfast, prepare lunch around noon, then wait for Sesshoumaru-sama to return from work, Sango-sama," Kagome answered, watching the other girl carefully with blue-gray eyes.
The bodyguard shook her head. "That's not exactly what I meant," she responded. Mentally sighing, she decided to clarify the question. "What do you do to help pass the time? You know, what do you do for fun?"
"I do not do anything, Sango-sama," the slave girl replied, blinking twice. She couldn't figure out why anyone would care what she did. After all, slaves were only possessions, something to be used and then thrown away.
"Absolutely nothing? Didn't Sesshoumaru say that you could watch TV or something?" Sango sounded surprised, her eyes a little wider than usual.
"Yes, Sango-sama. He told me that if I so desired I could read a book or watch television," Kagome answered immediately, curious as to why the other girl was asking.
"A book sounds good. Do you know where they are?" She had finished eating, and she wanted something to do. Reading a book seemed to be the best idea to her.
Most normal bodyguards would have been scouting around the area for the enemy, but Sango saw no reason to do that. Her ancestors had all been youkai exterminators, and she had inherited a sixth sense from them. Somehow, she always knew when there was danger present, which was what made her a great bodyguard. Of course, until her little, mental alarm went off, she really didn't have anything to do.
"They are downstairs in the library, Sango-sama." Kagome stood up to collect the dirty dishes. "If you so desire, I will clean up here while you visit it."
Sango immediately began to help the girl. "I'm sticking with you, Kagome. I do take my job seriously. As long as I'm here, we're gonna stay close together. I'm going to keep you in sight the whole time," she told the girl. "I'm not going to let Naraku get anywhere near you."
The girl sounded so adamant and honest, she really did, but Kagome just couldn't bring herself to believe her bodyguard. Despite that fact, she had to respect her master's wishes. "As you wish."
Sango nodded her head. "Now, let's see about these dishes."