Disclaimers: I don't own anything of Inu Yasha except for whatever exorbitantly priced merchandise I purchased legally.
Thank you:
Since I never expected so many reviews from the previous chapter, I'll save some space and simply list all of you who dropped a little something in the box below. Although, I have sent private mails to several of you, I still want to say thank you once again.
Vegito044, Tina, atashi-wa-Yume, Star Eiz, Kai19, jammincat9, Crash, shadow star, kagomesirene, Artemis Sakura, Paper-Thin, Yue, MarsMoonStar, Rinaanne45, Mala Valvah, aligirl2468, shikome kido mi, Queen of the Storms, Nekoyasha, Nienna Helyanwe.
***************************************
Chapter 3: Coping with Propriety
As they rose into the air, Kagome squeaked and reached out to grab the nearest thing within reach. And that unfortunately happened to be the youkai's furry boa-like ornament. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in shock at the girl's audacity for clamping onto his tail that for a moment he was stunned. Jaken made a terrified noise and Kagome began to feel very nervous. True enough, she felt sharp claws dig into the tender flesh of her neck as she was hauled up before the burning amber eyes.
"Touch my person again, and I will show no uncertainty in ensuring your death, wench!" The order came out as a dangerous growl that raised the hairs on Kagome's arms. Apparently, that furry piece of clothing was attached to him in someway. After he had unceremoniously dumped her by his feet, Kagome rubbed her bruised area tenderly. She could feel the prickling of tears behind her eyelids but forced herself not to cry. He wasn't worth it. Blinking them away furiously, she happened to glare at the thing that resulted in her latest injury.
Puzzling as to why this youkai would wear such an audacious furry pelt over his shoulder, she visually traced the graceful flow of it and realised that it seemed to disappear into his lower back. Glancing at the youkai who was now thoroughly ignoring her, Kagome peeked over at the toad Jaken. He, too, ignored her in a rather pathetic imitation of his Sesshoumaru-sama's dignified stance.
'Monkey see, monkey do,' came her uncharitable thought. 'In this case, it's more toady see, toady do.'
The comment cheered her up a little and Kagome once more returned her attention to the object of her curiosity. The thing appeared to be tucked into his pants but on closer inspection revealed a neat, almost invisible slit in the material between the seams of his leather armour. It was here that the furry boa snaked out of. But why on earth would he want to go through all that trouble, or for that matter, why would he want to stuff a furry boa into his pants?
Kagome was now burning with questions but she had no intention of provoking Mr. Personality into either ripping out her throat or tossing her over to plunge to her death. And given his recent response to her offence - probably both. If she wanted to know, she would have to work it out on her own. Occasionally peeking at the two youkai surreptitiously, she continued to work out the purpose of the furry boa. It was at that moment she saw the thing appearing to twitch slightly.
Rubbing her eyes, Kagome stared at the now quiet boa. She could have sworn that the thing was flicking about on its own. Lowering her head to rest on her bent knees, she pretended to give up. A couple of minutes later, it started to twitch. The movement seemed somewhat familiar. She recalled the words the earlier monster had said about him being an inu youkai. Could it be? As if sensing her question, it flicked once more.
Kagome's mouth opened wide and she was about to exclaim in surprise when she remembered her current situation. She clapped a hand over her mouth before ducking her head down. Jaken was squinting at her annoyed at the small noise but Sesshoumaru continued to regard her with the same interest he reserved for dirt. Peeking through her lashes and hair, she followed the long furry tail to where it draped over the youkai's shoulder in a seemingly nonchalant manner. No wonder it appeared to be a fancy fur pelt. He was wearing his own tail as a fashion statement!
***************************************
Sesshoumaru was actually paying the girl a lot more attention than she realised. After she had rudely grabbed at his tail, he had felt anger and had immediately picked her up by the scruff of the neck. The fear in her eyes pleased him, if fleetingly. After warning her, he had dropped by his feet and instead focused on directing the magical cloud to its destination. However, it was her intense gaze upon his person that brought him out of his thoughts. He felt her quick searching glance directed at his face and it piqued his curiosity. The girl was up to something; he could almost smell it. His tail gave a faint twitch as that thought passed through his mind.
The gaze she levelled on him was almost probing. She still remained seated where he had dumped her and her head barely came up to just below his hips. And if he sensed correctly, she was apparently focused on his rear. That brought about a conflict of emotions for the youkai lord. He couldn't decide if he should feel insulted, pleased or even amused at the girl's intense fascination of his rear end. Sesshoumaru wasn't vain but he did take pride in his body's natural masculinity. Unknowingly, his tail twitched at the thought.
He heard a short gasp that was quickly cut off by the girl clamping a hand over her mouth. He might not be able to see her, but his other senses were more than alert to every movement and emotion coming from her. It was strange but Sesshoumaru had never met anyone with such nuances of emotion. Each flux and change registered in his senses and Sesshoumaru realised with a start that he was becoming almost addicted it. He was now unconsciously waiting for each small wave and it provoked his anger. Thankfully for Kagome, they had arrived at the Fortress of the Western Lands.
***************************************
The sun had set and Kagome suddenly realised how cold she actually felt. Shivering, she briskly rubbed her arms to generate warmth from the friction. The fortress was largely in darkness but the passage leading into its heart was brightly lit. Following the silver-haired youkai, Kagome barely had any time to take in the residence's décor. Rich tapestries, gleaming wood furniture and shadowed hallways were swiftly passed by and a couple of times, Kagome had to jog to keep up with the brisk youkai.
'At least the walk is keeping me warm,' she mentally grumbled to herself. Focused on keeping up with Sesshoumaru, she only came to a stop when she plowed into his back. Glaring down at the red, apologetic face, he decided to ignore the clumsy creature. He wanted a hot soothing bath and a light supper before retiring to his study. Unfortunately, he had to take care of his less than welcomed guest.
"Jaken, prepare my bath and a simple supper served after. Have Toki attend to the girl's needs."
"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken replied before scuttling off down a dimly lit corridor. Kagome watched the toad disappear and began wondering how far they were within the fortress. She felt as though she had walked for miles. Without thinking, she covered her mouth with a hand and yawned. Realising that the youkai lord was still standing beside her, Kagome blushed beet-red at her impolite action. Sesshoumaru was looking down at her in that highly annoying imperious way that made her feel no better than a slug. Instinctively, she glared back at him as if daring him to find fault with her tiredness.
To her surprise, he gave her a small smile. Before she could be sure it had been there, it was gone. Pushing the heavy door open easily, he walked into the room. Arching an eyebrow at her hesitance, he continued to take a degree of pleasure at her uncertainty and embarrassment. It appeared to Sesshoumaru that the easiest way to keep the girl quiet was to keep her off-balance as much as possible. However, he wondered if he would be able to pull it off before he might actually kill her to spare himself the trouble. She could certainly be highly aggravating at times.
"You will remain in this room until summoned. If you need to attend to your personal needs, Toki will accompany you," Sesshoumaru ordered in an almost bored tone.
Kagome opened her mouth to say something when a small figure bustled past her and prostrated itself before the youkai lord.
"See that she is taken care of, Toki. And if you fail me, I will not hesitate in terminating you," Sesshoumaru continued his tone belying the clear meaning behind his words.
"Yes, my lord," came the squeaking reply. At the servant's answer, Sesshoumaru turned to look down at the girl once more. She had a slight frown and returned his look with a muted glare. Obviously, she had little desire to be confined.
"If you are not satisfied with my generous offer, I'm sure the dungeons below would be more accommodating," Sesshoumaru continued blandly to the suddenly anxious girl. "I will leave you now. Tomorrow, I will resume my interrogation."
Stepping up close, he revelled in the sudden fear that welled up from her. Moving past to stand beside her, he lowered his voice into a near growl. "And don't think about lying, wench. I can smell its stink even as you speak the lies." A moment later, the door closed on her and Sesshoumaru made his way to his rooms for the night.
***************************************
After his departure, Kagome felt the despair well up within her and without caring about the maid's presence, crumpled to the floor in tears. Even as she sobbed, she tried to summon the strength within her to survive. Through her tears, she suddenly realised that someone was gently patting her shoulder. Sniffling and blinking away the tears, she realised that it was the maid Sesshoumaru had left in his place.
"Easy child," the voice cackled as it continued its gentle pats. "His Lordship may seem cruel but he is more generous than most. You must obviously intrigue him to bring you here. There has been no human walking these halls since the Grand Lady over 60 years ago."
"He threatened to kill me and almost choked me death several times!" Kagome burst out indignantly.
"But he didn't, did he?" the little youkai replied simply.
Kagome opened her mouth to say something but realised the futility of it. Sesshoumaru may have threatened her with death and nearly carried through with it several times but he had still looked after her in his own twisted way. Sighing heavily, Kagome wondered if she would ever figure out the youkai lord. But before she did, she wanted a nice hot bath and something to eat before bed.
"Umm," she began uncertainly. "Toki-san?"
The small youkai maid laughed at the address. "You're too kind, child. Call me Toki. Too grand an honour you bestow on this humble one. Anyway, let's see to your comfort first. You look like you could use a nice hot bath and a meal before a good night's rest."
"Thank you," Kagome paused before continuing. "Then please call me Kagome, Toki."
Another hoarse cackle sounded and Kagome soon found herself smiling with the servant. Toki tugged on her hand and Kagome followed the small youkai. Watching the squat form waddling ahead, it reminded her of Sesshoumaru's toady assistant. But unlike that nasty thing, Toki was friendly and seemed eager to lighten Kagome's heavy mood. As she stepped into the bath area, Kagome felt her worries slide off her shoulders and admiration seep in. The place was beautiful.
The floor was covered in a jade green stone that prevented her from slipping and instead of the usual wooden tub to soak in there was what appeared to be a hot spring instead. The bath area was separated by the hot spring from the washing area. Although the place was enclosed from the outside, there was no feeling of stuffiness from the steam rising out of the spring. Toki bustled about with the bathing things as Kagome found herself indulging in the one activity that relaxed her.
Toki had helped scrub her back before excusing herself. Requesting that Kagome call her once she was done, the maid left. Pouring the last wash-bucket over her well-scrubbed body, Kagome eagerly made her way to the hot spring that was softly gurgling to itself. Gently easing into it, Kagome let out a sigh of relief and delight. Although she hadn't intended to, Kagome found her thoughts wandering towards Sesshoumaru. Briefly, Kagome recalled Toki's comment about a human Grand Lady. Her curiosity now prickling, she made up her mind to get some background information on Sesshoumaru. No matter what, Kagome had no intention of facing the youkai lord unprepared.
***************************************
Author's Notes:
I'm still figuring out why I wrote the part about Fluffy's tail. I guess that after someone told me that it was a tail and not some fancy fur cloak, I was curious. Plus the fact that I saw how versatile it was when watching the anime where Inu Yasha was fighting Sesshoumaru for Tessaiga, it sold me. Well, Kagome would be rather curious about Fluffy's dress sense. How often do you see guys wearing furry boas [and no, not those guys] especially with their armour?
As for Toki, I intend for her to be more motherly than snooty. She's similar to Jaken in terms of species but very different in character. I've always wondered what a female Jaken would be like, but without the attitude problem. Guess, now I know. But I've never been one to utilise a two-bit character in my stories, so Jaken will take on greater significance as the story progresses. After all, he is Sesshoumaru's closest assistant and must certainly fulfil certain duties on his master's behalf. If you've seen the later episodes of the anime (after Rin's appearance), Jaken actually becomes less irritating. But that's just MY opinion.
So let me know what you think of this by dropping a little something in the box below. I'd love to know what you think of my description of his Fluffiness' tail! Till then, ja mata ne!