Kagome: Goddess of Japan
Chapter 6: The bath of Kagome.
Inu-yasha slaps his thigh as he begins to laugh, "She got you!" He says between the laughs.
Kiyoko turns to face Inu-yasha.
Kagome allows a giggle to escape her.
Kiyoko turns to face her mother. "You!" she exclaims.
"I won't," Kagome says, between her giggles.
Kiyoko breathes a sigh of relief. Hoshi reaches over and gives her a pat on her back.
"Although, I should." Kagome says.
Kiyoko jerks as if she was stung by a wasp.
"You do need to have some hands on experience dealing with bureaucrats, whose purpose in existence, is to keep everything the same. Bureaucrats hate change, and so even if a good plan comes up, they will delay and obstruct it, if for no other reason then they didn't come up with it, and if it succeeds, someone else will get the credit."
the horrified expression on Kiyoko's face grows . . .
Inu-yasha, Sesshomaru, Rin and Hoshi all nod at that statement.
Kagome sighs, "Of all the battles that I've fought." She looks around at others. They all nod. "Of all battles that we've fought, that is the one in which we've succeeded at the least."
"You mean lost." Inu-yasha grumbles.
Kagome nods. "Yes, I mean lost. That is one battle that cannot be won."
A pause.
Kiyoko looks around the room. Inu-yasha, Sesshomaru, Rin, and Hoshi all meet her eyes and nod.
Rin, her fingers tapping the low table in front of her, says, "Making sure the bureaucracy works is an ongoing war, in which, it is all that we can do is not to lose."
She pauses and looks at Inu-yasha. "And speaking of war, since that strike team, will in all likelihood cause a major war, how are we situated?"
Everyone looks at Inu-yasha.
He shrugs. "They and us are at a high level of readiness. And we've both been that way for years."
Rin nods, as does everyone else at the table.
"I could order attacks to begin, and the first explosions would begin within a few minutes. They are at a similar level of preparedness." He rubs his chin. "Short term and longer term, now that's a different story."
"And we are at?" Rin asks. 'The longer term problems have always caused problems. We've always done well at first, but, then the problems come.' She thinks.
"Short term, there are some logistic problems. The ammo and maintenance dumps directly behind the lines still have lower stocks than needed. We've keep them lean, as policy." He nods to Kagome.
Kagome nods and she says. "I had been trying to be diplomatic, and moving the stocks up to the front line, instead of near the factories was not diplomatic. You can begin to move the stocks into immediate use areas."
Inu-yasha grunts. "Tomorrow?"
Kagome nods. "Today is a day for celebration."
He continues, with, "And, there are some ships that will need to be resupplied and using them we'll reposition some troops. It'll take," he purses his lips, "A couple, three months to have every in place for a major offensive. But, if we're fighting defensively, even with a couple of limited offensives, we're ready."
"And longer than that?" Rin asks.
Inu-yasha shrugs. "Everything past that is on plan. The problems that stopped us the last time, won't happen this time."
"I'm counting on that." Kagome says.
Inu-yasha nods to her. "It'll work. Although, I don't like the projected causalities." He finishes in a hurt tone.
Kagome grimaces, "I know." She sighs. "I've never liked ordering men and women to die. But, sometimes it's necessary."
"And the European and the Ottoman empires?" Rin asks.
"About the same," Inu-yasha replies. "Although they can begin a major offensive before we can. They simply have more troops on the front lines, and the distances that they need to move men and materials are less than we do."
"Will that cause problems?" Kiyoko asks in a quiet voice, her eyes wide. She's known, that even before her birth, that the tensions between the Japanese Empire and the other two empires were at high levels, but, Inu-yasha and Kagome had, normally, not mentioned operational military details to her.
Inu-yasha shakes his head. "Not really. We've known these problems for years, Kiyoko." He grins, "those figures assumed that we're not bombing them. The air force has strike plans against their trains and roads, and that will slow them. And our current positions are designed for the defense."
"Don't be surprised, though, if they have some successes." Sesshomaru says. "They've been putting a lot more men, trucks and tanks along the eastern front near the Urals than we thought."
Inu-yasha shrugs. "That really doesn't matter, they could push us back hundreds of Ri in places because there is nothing important there to defend." His mouth twitches into a smile, "And if they want to send more men and equipment into the middle of nowhere, hell, I'll help them. The war won't be won on that front."
Sesshomaru's raises his eyebrow, "And they can't move them south, and attack our northern flank, once we show our hand?"
Inu-yasha looks at Sesshomaru, narrowing his eyes, "Then, they'll have to move them while our planes are bombing them. Whatever makes it through that gauntlet, we can take."
Sesshomaru nods, although everyone can tell that he is not fully agreeing with Inu-yasha.
"We can finish this discussion, later." Kagome says, stopping what is an old argument between the two, as she pushes her plates away from her, signaling the end of breakfast.
She says, looking from Inu-yasha and Sesshomaru, "No war plan survives, intact, after the first contact with the enemy. They've decided to put those troops east of Moscow for a reason, sooner or later, we'll find out why."
Inu-yasha nods, accepting Kagome's statement.
Sesshomaru raises an eyebrow, obviously still unconvinced. 'They are hiding something in those massive and still basically uncharted forests. But Inu-yasha is convinced that it doesn't matter, so he doesn't pay attention to it. Kagome knows better, but she also knows that the battle line from the top of the Caspian Sea to the Urals is the least important of our plans, so, she's willing to give them some successes there to draw forces from the rest of the plan.'
Kagome stands up and looks over the room, "Unless something happens, we will continue as scheduled, today. I hope that we'll find that strike team before they can hurt anyone."
She pauses, "If they do strike." She stares at Inu-yasha and Sesshomaru. "Remember that the city is full on innocents, and they come first. I will be watching and I may, and I probably will, intervene."
Inu-yasha and Sesshomaru nod.
Kagome nods to Hoshi, as says, "In that case my schedule is normal, until the parade."
Hoshi, stands up, "yes, Mother. Your body servants are waiting at your bath, now. And, then, like normal via the underground subway, you are scheduled to appear at the temple for your customary morning service." She says.
Kagome looks around the room one last time, 'please Sesshomaru, please tell me that you want a few minutes alone with me.' she silently begs.
Nothing.
After a pause that is just noticeable, she walks to one of the walls, the sliding door opens and she leaves the room.
Kiyoko takes a couple of steps and whispers to Rin, "I've never seen Mother like this."
Rin looks at Kiyoko. Her eyes flick to Sesshomaru and Inu-yasha. "That's because you've never seen her during a real war. All she wants is the world to be better, but she has to send men and women to their deaths. It eats at her."
"And me." Inu-yasha says, as he silently moved near Kiyoko. He places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Kiyoko. Right now, she's hating herself, blaming herself."
"Father?" Kiyoko whispers as she turns to him.
"She feels that she's made a mistake and if she did things differently, then there won't be any war."
"But, she always says that." Kiyoko says in a surprised voice.
Inu-yasha nods. "It's just affecting her more than normal. Most days she can pretend otherwise. But, today, and until things settle down, she'll be like this."
"How about you?" Kiyoko whispers.
Inu-yasha sighs, heavily, "wars are hell on earth. And I have to start and finish them." His eyes look off into the distance, Kiyoko gulps at the sadness she can see in them. "I want the world to be peaceful, Kiyoko. I don't want to lie to a family about telling them that their child died suddenly, without pain, when I know that he died in horrible agony."
Kiyoko gulps and her eyes try to look through the walls, but they fail.
Sesshomaru, stands, silently in the background, unmoving.
In another corridor.
A painted wall section opens up for Kagome and she steps into her bath area.
It is a large area set up in a modified traditional Japanese pattern. There is a large sunken tub full of water, hot steam rises from it. There is a white tiled area with a drain in it for scrubbing. There is also a padded table, for massages.
One of the walls is a floor to ceiling mirror, and wall is covered in drawers of various sizes, where various cosmetics and other items are stored.
And, separated by a partial screen is the area where the toilet is.
Six women bow to her. They are all wearing a plain white silk robe, so they can get wet, without it harming their clothes. Two of the women are pure-blood Japanese, both of them are older women, in their fifties or older. The other four are all younger women, in their upper teens to lower twenties, of various races.
Kagome nods to them and as they raise from their bows, she says, "the schedule today is tight, ladies, so, if you could, please, keep things simple today."
"We understand, mother." At least a couple of them says, while the other nods.
Kagome moves to the white tiled area and spreads her arms.
Her body servants strip her and begin to lather up some delicate floral smelling soap and they begin to scrub her.
Kagome closes her eyes, and as her servants begin their daily rituals, she thinks and remembers.
'In Europe and in the Ottoman empire, my bathing routine is considered a lesbian orgy.' She mentally sighs, 'how many of their hate movies and novels begin with me, as some sadistic bitch, raping my servants as I bathe?'
Kagome remembers that, soon after the end of the quest for the jewel, as she and her friends began to gain in power, she would be invited into various castles. And the owner of the castle, as a common courtesy would have the hand maidens of the castle help her bathe. The first couple of times, Kagome, more or less politely, declined the help. But.
When she did, the owner of the castle would become more distant and less helpful. Miroku, though, explained why, and after a couple of discrete checks with her telepathic powers, she confirmed his reasoning.
They were declining to help her, because they felt that her refusal to allow the hand maidens to do their duty, cleaning her and helping her dress, was an insult to them. (The women of the castle especially would think this. And with the women of the castle were against Kagome that made it a lot easier for the men of the castle to be against her, or just not treat with her.)
After Kagome learned this, she did start to allow female servants to help clean, bathe and dress her.
"Mother?" one of the younger servants asks, breaking Kagome's thoughts. "If you could, please?" She waves Kagome to the area of the room with the toilet.
Kagome nods, smiles politely at the young woman, and goes to that area of the room to use it. A couple of the youngest women follow her, to help her and to clean her.
Kagome mentally sighs as she watches and feels the touch of the silk cloth and soft hands of the young women.
She remembers . . .
The first castle that she allowed the body servants to do their job, everything went smoothly, even if Kagome was very embarrassed.
The second castle, though, one of the hand maidens, a young, earnest girl-child named, Aya, wanted to do her duty, even if that meant cleaning Kagome after she used the toilet. Kagome, very embarrassed, of course, refused.
That night, though, Kagome awoke with due to a nightmare. By following her mystical senses she found Aya. She had gotten a knife and cut her wrists, so she could commit suicide. She told kagome, as lay dying, that she was doing this to atone for the earlier embarrassment that she caused Kagome to feel.
Kagome healed her, preventing her from dying.
Aya became the first of Kagome's permanent body servants. Her family, still, washes and cleans Kagome.
(The current body servant from her family is one of the older women in the room, supervising the others. The family, by the way, is very rich and powerful. Over the years, they would marry into rich families. It looks good to have as your wife, someone that talks to Kagome on a daily basis.)
Kagome moves back into the tiled area for more cleaning.
Kagome thinks, 'now, becoming one of my body servants is considered a great honor.' She looks at the four young women that are cleaning her and talking among themselves.
Her mouth quirks into a smile at she glances at one of the younger servants, Desak Putu from Bali, 'that is why some of my servants are orphans, like she is. They become part of my household. There is school that is part of my house, and they will attend that school, and since the teachers here are some of the best in the world, they get the best education there is.'
Kagome reaches out and brushes a strand of wet hair of Desek Putu's forehead.
"Mother?" she asks. 'The goddess Kagome is normally more talkative than this. There are rumors, but none of us wanted to ask her directly about them.' She thinks.
"Nothing." Kagome sighs, "I was just thinking about your parents, and how your life would be different if they were killed in that flood."
Desak Putu bows her head. "my mother and father were police officers, Mother, helping people, even in the middle of the flood that killed them was their duty."
"I know." Kagome whispers. "Have you thought about your life after you finish schooling here?"
"I will return and become an officer, like my parents." She says instantly. "But, Mother's we've talked about this before."
The other young servants nod their heads. Kagome takes an active interest in their lives, normally, during the morning the bath, there is a lot of gossiping and talking. Today has been very quiet, all the girls knew that Kagome s' schedule has been changed, and that today would be a special day, so they are being quiet, allowing Kagome to lead.
Kagome sighs, "I know. Today, I'm just being reflective and thinking about what might have been." She sighs, again.
The women in the room look at each other. One of the older ones asks in a quiet tone, "Mother, can we do anything to help?"
Kagome shakes her head, "I'm fine. Today is just my day to be nostalgic, girls, don't worry about it."
As Kagome settles into the warm tub for her soak, she watches them begin to open up the make-up drawers, drag out the padded stole for her to sit on, while they make up her face and hair. Everything is perfectly professional.
She thinks, 'while the stories in Europe and the ottoman empire are wrong, there are times in which things do get sensual during this time.'
She thinks, 'During the quest for the jewel, Sango and I would cry on each other's shoulders, especially on those days that Miroku and Inu-yasha were being asses. We did, rarely, while we were comforting each other, comfort each other in sensual, ways. But, especially since we were always moving from combat to combat, that did not become something that we did at every bath.'
Kagome conceals a sigh, 'and then, when my powers as a goddess began to grow, things began to change. My empathic powers were and are still very sensitive to sensual feelings.'
A small smile appears on her face. 'I can remember waking up, on multiple occasions, with Inu-yasha, or Sesshomaru, or Miroku and Sango in my futon. My powers would find a sensual dream and broadcast it. Then, in a positive feedback loop, the sensual feelings would grow, and we'd end up in an unplanned orgy. Sometimes the whole village would be involved.'
'I've learned to control that power, but, not before doing things that I'd never have done on my own.' She thinks.
Kagome thinks, 'over the years, I've decided that I will have sex, but, unlike those stories in Europe and ottoman empire, it was rarely spontaneous or private these days. As a fertility goddess, sex is a part, not an everyday part, but a part, of my worship. So, like the first time Inu-yasha and I had sex, I do lead, in public, various fertility festivals.'
Kagome's directs her mental powers toward Inu-yasha. She can feel that he is having his morning massage, and is turning down some not so subtle hints of his female masseur about sex.
'Tonight, after the grand ball, but before I meet with Kiyoko, he and I will make love. Which is why he is turning her down, so he can be well rested for tonight. But, everyone in the household, and everyone that pays attention to our schedules, knows that.'
A semi-surprised look appears on Kagome's face, 'I can't remember the last time that I had sex that, at least, my servants, if not hundreds of people, did not know about it.'
A thoughtful look appears on Kagome's face, as she thinks, 'no doubt the fact that I have no real privacy has twisted my life, including my sex-life, into strange channels.'
the end of chapter 6
Authors' note: Ri is a little less than 4 kilometers or a little less than 2.5 miles.
Authors' note: I had a reviewer ask about the word "itadakimasu" means. It is the traditional word said before meals. Generally it means something like "I humbly receive from you." Basically you are thanking the owner of the house for the meal, or thanking the god that created the food, etc. it can be used in other situations where a person receives something from another person.
Authors' note: I will be taking a break after this chapter, so I can work on my other story A Shard in Kyoto.
I will return to this story once I've got another chapter of Shard out.
I am interested in how you, the readers, feel about this story. What I might be doing right or wrong. What needs to be improved, etc.
Since this is a huge project, I'll going to try something new.
I am creating a website for this story. On this website, I'll post some of my notes, explanations. (I
do plan, that during the story itself, these notes will be used, but, the storyline might hide some of
the details.)
The site has a message board, and a chat room, so, fans of the story can post messages, etc. I do
plan on visiting the site, at least once a day and I will reply to the messages on the site.
(I have been slacking off of responding to reviewers. I am sorry about that. I fully intend to
better respond to reviews and comments on this story. Which is one of the reasons why I'm
trying this site, to see if this will help me.)
The site is at: (remove the spaces for the link)
groups. msn. com/ jeffsfanfic
On it, right now, sept 27, I've got posted a rough time line and 6 other small essays, and rough maps showing the growth
of Japan's empire. There is still a lot of work to do on the site. I'm planning on posting additional
notes as time passes.
Thank you for reading
jeff shelton