DISCLAIMER: As always, I don't own the original story of the Inuyasha series nor do I own the characters and I don't own the Chinese fairytale that I'm basing this story on. But as far as I'm concerned I do own the idea of mixing these two things together :).
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey guys! Sorry for not updating for a while, but it's still within 10 days
so I didn't break the limit-rule (which I set up myself haha). Anyhow, I hope
you will enjoy this chapter, although it's not a very long one and not with
much "actions" in it :).
'...Italic...': thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
-.-.-.-.-: time gap
=capslocked words=: noises
-by Kittymui-
Amending relations
Previously:
As Sesshoumaru took the direction towards his own chamber; he could hear a soft
weeping sound coming from behind him.
The demon lord let out a sigh as he silently continued his promenade through the empty halls.
-.-.- back at Sesshoumaru's chamber -.-.-
When Sesshoumaru arrived at his own chamber, he found that Kagome was already sleeping soundly on his king-size bed.
Silently, he approached the bedside and watched her calm expression.
"Silly girl, I told you that you were too exhausted," he whispered softly as he sat down next to her.
"S-Sesshoumaru...sama..." the girl suddenly murmured in her sleep. "Y-you're...back..."
As he watched her shoulders rise and fall with every breath she took, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder. 'How did things become like this? Everything is changing because of your existence...why is that so?'
'What are you doing to this Sesshoumaru?' he asked with his thoughts.
His clawed hand slowly reached out to touch her face but stopped about an inch away from her cheek. He retracted his hand and quickly stood up again. 'What am I doing?' he scolded himself. 'This girl does not mean anything to me...her kin will come back for her soon. I cannot let myself be influenced and bothered by something that has already been determined...'
'I will not...' Without finishing his thoughts, he cut himself off and walked out of the room.
-.-.-.-.-
Kagome woke up next morning with the sun kissing her cheeks.
She yawned and pulled herself up to a sitting position. 'That's right...I fell asleep while waiting for Sesshoumaru-sama...' she thought while rubbing her eyes. 'I wonder where he is right now.'
'Where did he sleep last night since I occupied his bed...' she mused as she fumbled the white covers of his bed.
= KNOCK KNOCK =
"Come in," she responded. 'Sesshoumaru-sama?'
Kagome was slightly disappointed to see that it was Rin at the doorway. She was wearing a plain green yukata with yellow flowers.
"Morning!" she greeted the human girl cheerfully.
Rin only nodded in reply. "Milord Sesshoumaru-sama wishes to have breakfast with you. I'm here to help you getting dressed."
Kagome blinked. '...Eh? Breakfast with Sesshoumaru-sama?' she thought surprised.
As she was quite excited at hearing she was being invited to sit at the same table as the demon lord, she didn't realize that the face of the human girl had dropped a little.
'I've been living with Sesshoumaru-sama for more than 15 years...yet he never asked me to have breakfast with him...' she thought disappointed. 'It's not that I haven't tried it before...'
[FLASHBACK]
"S-Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin hesitated as she put down the last plate on the dining table in front of the demon lord, who seemed to be reading some documents.
"C-can I eat with you?" she asked hopefully.
The demon lord didn't reply or look up from his documents, but the optimistic Rin concluded that it was a 'yes' so she quickly ran into the kitchen again to prepare her own meal.
But when she came back with her own plate in her hands, she realized painfully that the demon lord has already finished everything and left the dining area.
That night, Rin had the most silent and saddest dinner she had ever had in her life.
[END FLASHBACK]
She gave Kagome an envious look. 'Why you...? Why did you come here in the first place? Things were just fine when you weren't around...' she thought selfishly.
The thought of Kagome affecting Sesshoumaru-sama more with every passing day was painful, but the threat she had received from the demon lord hurt even more.
"This Sesshoumaru will not tolerate a second time...if there should be a next time, I will NOT hesitate to end your life."
She hated to admit it, but she could not risk a second time anymore. 'I guess...loving a person...means you should let him go if he has found his own happiness and be happy for him...' she concluded unwillingly.
'And I'm still allowed to stay here...that's not so bad...is it?'
With that finishing thought, Rin snapped back into reality again before Kagome became aware that she was spacing out.
She eventually got her dressed in a soft blue yukata with white flowers embroidered on it here and there and led her to the dining area.
-.-.-.-
"Sesshoumaru-sama, Kagome is here," Rin announced with a polite bow and turned to leave.
Kagome watched her leave with a puzzled expression. 'Huh? She's not going to join us?'
She wanted to halt her but was halted herself by the demon lord.
"Let her leave."
Kagome shrugged and walked deeper into the dining area. Her eyes darted around and scanned her surroundings.
It was a huge space reachable by three pairs of doors in three of the four enclosing walls. One pair definitely led to the kitchen, the other pair was connected to the hallway where Kagome's chamber was located and the hallway behind last pair remained unknown. The fourth wall, which was located from across the pair of doors where Kagome just came in, was decorated with long windows that had rectangular-shaped bottoms and oval-shaped tops.
Against some of the walls, low wooden cabinets could be seen with silver candleholders resting on top of them, along with some bowls filled with all kinds of colorful fruit-like objects unfamiliar to the girl from the moon.
She could already see the demon lord sitting at one end of the long oval-shaped table that was made of the most beautiful gray marble she had ever seen. He seemed to be reading some documents. Besides the grand wooden chair where Sesshoumaru was sitting on and the other one at the other end of the table there were six regular chairs standing at each side of the table.
Not quite sure where to be seated, Kagome just stood near the table and giving the demon lord an unsure look.
Without looking up from his documents, Sesshoumaru only moved his head slightly towards the nearest seat next to him.
And so, Kagome walked towards the same seat and sat down.
Not long after she sat down, Rin appeared again carrying large tray in her hands with two plates and glasses on it. She neatly placed each plate and glass in front of Sesshoumaru and Kagome, along with two pairs of forks, knives and cloths and then disappeared into the kitchen again.
Kagome's eyes followed the human girl until the demon lord suddenly spoke again.
"Eat," he said, again without looking up from his documents.
Kagome hesitated. 'A-am I allowed to begin before him...?' she thought. "I-itadakimasu..." she uttered meekly before picking up a fork and using it to put a small piece of round and red vegetable-like thing from her plate in her mouth.
'This is delicious...!' she thought surprised as she chewed on it. 'I've never had anything like this before.'
After a short moment, the demon lord finally put aside the papers and began to eat his own meal as well.
The breakfast went silently until Kagome finished everything on her plate and decided to speak again after wiping her mouth with the white cloth. "Ano...Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Sesshoumaru did not reply, but she knew she had caught his attention.
"I wanted to thank you...and I'm sorry..." she began.
Much to her surprise, the demon lord had stopped eating and was now looking at her with full attention.
Kagome dropped her gaze to her knees. "Thank you for saving my life again. Although I only woke up in the middle of the entire happening yesterday, but somehow I know I should be thanking Sesshoumaru-sama of all people that I'm still able to sit here and have this wonderful breakfast right now."
She took a short pause before looking up at the dog demon and continued. "And I'm sorry...I know I have caused you a lot of trouble ever since I've arrived at your castle," she continued. "It might be impudent of me to say this...but I am willing to work here at your castle as your servant or maid...until...until I" she swallowed her words when she realized that Sesshoumaru was looking at her with a surprised expression.
"O-or...maybe I'm...just your prisoner..." her voice faltered when she said the last sentence. 'Stupid Kagome, you made him angry again!' she smacked herself mentally as she cast her gaze downwards again.
Her attention was drawn again when the demon lord began to speak.
"This Sesshoumaru does not need any more servants or maids," was his short statement.
Kagome's face dropped. 'So...I'm just his pris'
Her thoughts were cut off when the Taiyoukai stood up from his seat. He, too, had finished his meal.
She watched how he walked towards the pair of doors that leaded to the unknown area of the castle and suddenly stopped.
"This Sesshoumaru would never lower himself to let his prisoners eat at the same table as himself," he stated plainly without turning around.
Kagome widened her eyes. '...Eh?'
"It is dishonorable for a lord when a guest cannot find her way in his castle where she stays," he added before opening the doors and leaving the dining area.
Kagome froze and thought for a moment. 'Is me a guest??'
Without further thinking, she quickly jumped up from her chair and ran after the demon lord towards the opened pair of doors.
-.-.-.-
Her gratitude and apology had indeed startled the Taiyoukai and he couldn't help but give her his full attention.
It had startled him even more when she said she was willing to work as his maid.
Not that he disliked the idea of recruiting another servant since that Jaken was of no use to him most of the time. Not to mention that he had lost a great deal of faith in the human girl after her betrayal, despite the fact that he had never considered her a maid.
But not Kagome. No...he would never let her degrade herself to that kind of work.
He could clearly recall her referring herself as the seventh princess of a place called Celes, that's why it shocked him greatly when she said she was willing to be a maid.
After walking out of the dining area, he waited for her to follow him with his back facing the open doorway. Not long after that, the screeching sound of the chair over the proud stone floor could be heard, followed by some hasty footsteps into his direction.
= OOMPF =
Sesshoumaru released a sigh when he realized what had happened.
There was no mistaking it, the girl couldn't stop on time and had bumped onto his tail that rested against his back.
"Ooops!! I'm so sorry...Sesshoumaru-sama," he heard her apologize as the weight against his back decreased.
Without responding, he started to walk deeper into the hallway.
But when he realized that she wasn't following, he stopped and turned around.
"Euhm..." the girl began, giving him an unsure look. "Are you...going to show me around in your castle?"
Sesshoumaru just couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Is she mocking me or something??' he thought perplexed.
The Taiyoukai was indeed becoming a bit annoyed at her stupidity, but all of it seemed insignificant when the girl in front of him suddenly giggled.
'Now what...?' he thought confused.
"I'm sorry," she apologized again with her hand covering her mouth. "It's just...when I think about how soft your tail actually is...I..." Her voice faltered when she saw the puzzled expression on the demon lord's face.
A genuine smile then appeared on her face. "I feel terribly honored that Sesshoumaru-sama is willing to show me around in his castle or order to prevent me from getting lost," she said with a polite bow.
'She's definitely prettier when smiling...' Sesshoumaru thought.
Suddenly the demon lord was at a loss for words for the first time and he quickly turned his back to her.
Without saying anything, he began to walk again. Much to his relief, he could sense that the girl was following him this time. Had she asked more of those ridiculous questions, he would probably have embarrassed himself by answering them.
And so, the tour around Sesshoumaru's castle had begun.
-.-.-.-
Luckily, the castle wasn't that big, or Kagome would really have trouble remembering the locations of each place.
Although Sesshoumaru remained silent the whole time, Kagome still managed to find out the function of each room or quarter since he opened every door for her to look inside.
Surprisingly enough, their final destination of the tour turned out to be the courtyard of the castle.
Kagome turned to the demon lord. 'Did he plan this out for me...?' she mused.
She was surprised when Sesshoumaru gave her an approving nod in return. 'He's giving me permission??' she thought disbelievingly.
Without hesitation, Kagome took off her sandals and entered the large garden. She took in a breath of Mother Nature and put up a smile on her face. 'It's really nice here...'
But then her smile dropped again when she cast her gaze upwards to the sky and caught the faint moon that hung lonely on the morning sky. 'Father...mother...I wonder how they are doing...and Kikyou onee-sama...'
-.-.-.-
Sesshoumaru couldn't exactly pinpoint what he felt when he saw the beautiful smile disappear from her angelic face.
He knew she had to be either thinking about the incident that had cost her her wings or about her home. It was somehow related to the moon, since she had not looked away from it ever since she raised her gaze up to the sky.
Before he knew it, he was already standing beside her and asking the question.
"Do you miss it? Your home...?"
Kagome was surprised at first but then again, she knew these questions about her origin would come someday. She nodded. "I would be lying if I denied it," she replied.
"You live...on the moon?" he asked.
Kagome nodded again. "I live in a kingdom called Celes. My father and mother are the king and queen of Celes. And I'm their seventh and youngest daughter...also known as the seventh princess."
Sesshoumaru looked up at the moon. "Then...what were you doing on Earth? What business do you people from the moon have on this planet?"
He stole a glance at Kagome and saw that she was hesitating.
"Water..." she began. "...like a lot of other things that exist on this planet called Earth...doesn't exist on the moon. That's why we descend to Earth several times a year to get water...by nightfall."
Kagome swallowed hard before continuing. "This year I was allowed to come along with my mother and sisters, because I have reached the right age...I was truly excited."
She turned to the demon lord, not realizing that her eyes were starting to fill with salty tears. "To see the thing called Mother Nature with my very own eyes for the first time...to meet all sorts of strange animals...to meet the inhabitants of Earth...for the first time...who...wouldn't be happy...?"
Sesshoumaru widened his eyes when he saw her teary eyes. He felt as if his heart was being torn apart as he watched the first teardrops travel down her pink cheeks.
Kagome sobbed. "I was wondering how they were doing...a-and I"
Before she could finish her sentence, Kagome suddenly found herself in the arms of the Taiyoukai.
-.-
Even the demon lord was surprised by his own action. Why was he embracing her? He did not know.
But he wanted to stop those tears from falling, somehow...he wanted to comfort her.
Somehow, he couldn't help but feel partly responsible for the girl's homesickness. Should he have told her that her sister did come to Earth before to search for her? That her parents didn't abandon her? That he was the one who sent them away?
Sesshoumaru looked up at the sky again to the moon.
Suddenly he remembered what the winged one said before.
"We will leave for now, but we will come back when the moon shares the same shape as tonight again. I hope you would be able to bring us good news by then."
At the same time, he could feel the girl moving closer to him.
As if she was poisonous, the demon lord immediately let go of her and turned away from her. Startling her.
"Return to your chamber and get some rest," he said coldly as he ignored the confused expression on her face and walked away.
-.-.-.-
Kagome had calmed down in Sesshoumaru's arms. 'It's so warm...so gentle...this feeling...'
But just when she was about to lean closer to him, he suddenly jerked away from her.
'Why...?' Was the only question in her mind as she gave him a confused look 'Why are you comforting me...and pushing me away at the same time...?' she thought as she watched him walk away from her.
After the demon lord disappeared into the castle, Kagome waited until her tears dried before slowly walking to the border of the courtyard and putting on her sandals again.
'Will I ever be able to understand him?' she asked herself.
With a sigh, she stole one last glance at the beautiful garden before turning to leave.
'I just wish I knew what he is thinking sometimes...'
-.-.-.-.-
Sesshoumaru entered his study and made his way to one of the large windows behind his desk.
'This Sesshoumaru does not have to explain to anyone about his actions...neither will he regret it. The girl will be able to go back to her home soon...and everything will return to normal again.' he thought as he studied the shape of the faint moon in the clear blue sky.
Then he thought about what she said before. 'A disgrace for having her wings torn off...' he summarized it in his mind.
"Jaken," he called after deciding something.
Within minutes, the green servant appeared at the doorway of the study. "Hai Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Listen well," he ordered without turning to the servant.
His eyes never left the faint moon.
Things aren't developing very fast but I still hope you liked this chapter. I'm still trying to update every week if not within 10 days. Please look forward to the next chapter!!
Oh by the way, just to remind you. If you want me to notify you per email whenever I update, just tell me through reviews or email :), I'll add you to my mailing-list!
Lots of greets,
Kittymui
Next chapter: Changing objectives
-.-.-.-.-
Oh yeah! The title probably already said it, we going to see some change in someone's objectives :). There will be some action coming up (finally haha).
-.-.-.-.-
Vocabulary:
itadakimasu: almost literally means 'Thanks for the food'. You say this
before a meal.
ano: kind of like "um..." or "er..."
hai: yes
Taiyoukai: big demon
onee-sama: big sister
-.-.-.-.-
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
atashi-wa-Yume: Don't worry, there will be more :D!
Why?What?Shutup: Wow! Read all of my stories? Thank you very much, I feel terribly honored, I really do :).
Angelic 0263: Thanks! I'm so happy to hear you like it!
drow goddess: Thanks thanks!! Yeah, it's quite shocking to see the innocent Rin doing something like betraying Sesshoumaru but then again, she's no child anymore and people do change no?
DarkAngelB: Hehehe you've guessed it right :). I would get jealous too if there's suddenly someone else who could affect the person I love more within 1 week than I could within 15 years. Thanks for reviewing!
Silver Miko-Youkai: Thank you very very much for reviewing. I'll try my very very very best to update as soon as possible :).
MizuiroSnow: Thanks! Yeah, I think if I find myself in her position, I would definitely get jealous of Kagome as well.
robin's-hope: Thank you very much :). Well, I'm actually not planning to make Rin any more 'worse' because she actually isn't bad-natured you know what I mean? Neh, she's not going to become evil. I'm happy to know that you will like my fic no matter how I'm going to write it, thank you!
INUGIRL: Thanks!
Inukamisashi: Hey no worries! Good luck with your assignments okay? Thanks for reviewing!
Rhexi: It's okay!! I'm already glad to know that you are still following my story :). Thanks!
bad-girl4: Thanks! Just wait and see and you will find out :).
Shadow-Demon14: Hahaha, no I don't think I will make Rin do anymore evil things. It would be so OOC, right? About Kikyou, the one on the moon has no relations at all with the one on Earth (fortunately haha, or things would get REALLY complicated). Thanks for reviewing and good luck with school!
stoictimer: Hahaha you're right! Kikyou is really frightening...it really surprised me to see her gentle side in the episode of Inuyasha about their past. Thanks for reviewing!
Tea Leaves On Ice: Yeah, Naraku wants to possess Kagome like he wants to possess Kikyou but I will definitely NOT let that happen don't worry :D. Thanks for reviewing!!
Guardian-of-the-night: I'm glad your review came through :) as it's always a big encouragement for me to continue writing a story hehe. Thanks thanks!
anime-lavuh: Thanks!!
migele: Hahaha well you were wondering about the right thing :). Thanks for reviewing!
hellokitty-sayhello: Yeah, but she's all grown up now and women are quite scary when they're jealous :P. But don't worry, she won't do anything more evil than that :).
silverstargazing: Thanks for reviewing! Well, time is actually running out...and just to reveal something about my story, this story is approaching its end when the people from the moon are coming to retrieve Kagome again.
-.-
Posted: 8 August 2004
Last Edited: 8 August 2004
Spelling check: YES