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Notes:
(Your Name) = your name
(fun) = your full name
{ } = note from author
Chapter 23
You shift in your seat barely paying attention to what was being said as you continue to pick at your miso soup. Earlier, somewhere around five or six o'clock am, or sometime between the maid, Risa had taken you earlier to a fitting and you two had gotten separated because of the commotion about a princess attending the convention was either pregnant or giving birth... Which got you lost in the castle for a while... Then somehow you were knocked, punched, or rammed into because after waking up again you found yourself back in your room with a few maids treating your aching skull.
You force back a yawn as some other demon dude started talking... You haven't seen Sesshoumaru all day which wasn't at all pleasant...And on top of that, this miso soup they're serving tasted like pooh... You glance at Sesshoumaru who's sitting beside you and place the bowl of miso soup back on the table gently, then pretend that you're listening as you're eyes lazily scan the room. Who knew a room full of demons could be so civil, well most of them anyway some were loud which gave you a head ache.
3 Hours Later
Hour passes after hour, as each minute seems to take a decade to keel over and let the next minute live on in its place and begin another ten years of your young life feeling yourself waste away... Alright, alright that might be a bit exaggerating, but hell this was the longest meeting you've been to yet and this was the first bloody meeting you've been to here! You were going to crack! You could not sit like this for 7 hours staring at a pot-bellied demon chew the fat away about something incomprehensible to you! You did not have self-discipline of steel required for such...
However, unlike some emotionally frustrated demon sitting beside you... Once again you glance at the dog demon sitting beside you who had the usual less-than-expression expression... 'He's probably bored to tears, inwardly... I wonder what he's thinking about...' You muse now privately having all your attention on the dog lord you've grown fatally attached to which you were still deciding if that was a good or bad thing... Maybe you shouldn't have come here him, to sit these awfully long meetings, you two never got to be alone as much as preferred anyway, but... There still were times like last night... You replay the whole night over in your mind as a healthy shade of tomato heat your cheeks. Compared to the event present, that was definitely not boring for either of you, probably opposite.
You regain your composure from daydreaming, which usually brought drool when you were daydreaming about something and someone in particular... Hopefully no one noticed... You glance around to see everyone moving out of their seats, some chatting and some heading towards the exit. You shift and stand up, then start to follow Sesshoumaru who's starting to head toward the exit.
"Excuse, Lord Sesshoumaru!" You turn to see the assistant Gyki walking towards you both. "Lord Blade wishes to speak with you..." He says and you wonder what the castle lord would want again... Well, if he wanted Sesshoumarus' blood you could only assume he'd be dead already...
"Hey (Your Name)!" You stop and turn around to see Naomi approaching you.
"Hey Naomi!" You greet the girl back.
"(Your Name), would you like to come with me to the springs?" She asks.
"Um..." You turn around to see nothing, but a crowd of (demon) people behind and no Sesshoumaru or castle assistant anywhere. You sigh and turn back around. "Sure, I have nothing to do here anyway..."
"Ok, lets go!" She says and you follow her out of the meeting room down a hall.
After a few minutes of walking in silence she starts to talk about the topic of the meeting, while your mind wonders from topic to topic. With a loud 'clang' you're brought back to the present, like the echo of a katana being dropped to the floor, you push your curiosity away as you take in your surroundings... You should at the springs already...
"Hey Naomi aren't we going the wrong way to the springs?" You ask her not ever being on this side of the castle.
"We're almost there... And if you mean the inside springs, that's on the other side of the castle; we're going to the outside springs..." Naomi states.
"Eh? Oh, outside springs?" You wonder why they would need an inside spring and outside spring for a second, but shrug impassively, coincidence maybe...
After a while you both exit from the west wing of the castle and into a large hall area that supposedly coated the whole castle. Moving aside a shoji door you both head out the castle into the forest that surrounded. You and Naomi make your way down the path which obviously leads to the spring. Once your there you both strip, putting on a towel and dip into the spring which has the pleasant tingly sensation of the hot spring water bonding with your skin which made you not regret coming to the springs... Hell, it would be nice if you could stay in the spring forever...Or find one closer to home... Alternatively, what would be better than those two, even if you had to walk and climb a thousand miles to get to the nearest spring... It would all be worth it if Sesshoumaru joined you...
"Hey (Your Name), you ok? You've been awfully solemn lately..." The conservative Naomi asks beside you in the spring.
"Hm? I guess I've been thinking some..." You answer the girl as a sweatdrop appears on the back of your head. 'Or Sesshoumaru could be rubbing off on me...'
"Oh? Thinking? What about? Sesshoumaru?" She asks and starts to laugh at your reddened face... 'How'd she guess? ...When'd I tell her?' "It's kind of easy to tell that you like him, (Your Name). Who would stay with such a... aloof demon like Sesshoumaru, let alone, he let them stay with him... There has to be a reason..." She voices her theory smiling at your expression.
"Wh-what does thinking have to do with me and Sesshoumaru?" You ask and turn your annoyed/embarrassed gaze to the sky and fold your arms under the spring H2O. 'Heheh... She must have too much free time to be analyzing my love-life...'
You suddenly feel a bit drowsy and let your eyes fall a bit as you lean back on the ground coating the spring. Feeling yourself drifting on a fluffy boa to dreamland you hear Naomi's voice in the background, something about hearing... Something? I didn't hear anything... Oh dear, has poor Naomi lost her hearing?! We must find a cure! .... Right after my nap... You snigger lightly and notice Naomi figure get out of the springs and disappear into the forest... Where's she going? Hn, she'll probably be back soon.... You then start to see a mist form around you as you feel your body stiffen and numb and then close your eyes ready to take your "nap".
But who said falling asleep was easy? Especially in this icy cold water! Hey, weren't spring water supposed to be hot? This is down-right ridiculous someone should come check this out, someone- Hey, someone's coming! From the opposite direction Naomi went in... Whoever they are they have very weak ki. You snigger quietly and notice it's not one, but two people... Humans, no demon attending the convention had such weak ki's, well probably a few... Or majority of the maids, but why would the maids be this far away from the castle?
"There she is!" A muffled voice states.
"Good, remove her from the spring..." A calmer muffled voice says. You feel the weak ki approach and try to move, but only get a twitch in response, as well as trying to widen your eyes, which were only slightly closed, but still hard to see. Rough hands slide over your bare shoulders and you twitch again which was an attempt to jump away.
"Shouldn't she already be dead?!" Asks muffled voice number 1 as you feel your body being dragged out the spring.
"No, the poison used wasn't to kill her... That wasn't the plan idiot... We are to be taking her back to the manor with us as hostage..." Muffled voice number 2 states as you lay there paralyzed in horror. "She should only be unconscious right now and if she did wake up she'd be paralyzed anyway..."
"Great, we should thank that kind lady that tipped us off one day...But, lets hurry and get her back, I'm starved..." Muffled voice number 1... Whines? "Oh, look at this... I'm sure this could pay off all of my debt..." Muffled voice number 1's hands come in contact with jewel occupying your neck and you suddenly feel a heartbeat vibrate into you from the jewel itself, then through muffled voice number 1, which comes out as a ki shock. "Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!" Mr. Muffled voice number 1 screams, which you just now found out he was male because of the sound of his scream.
Having felt a jolt through your body as well, you feel your body's nervous system start working properly again. You slowly stand feeling the after-effect of the numbing crawl over your skin, like many, many pins and needles jabbing at your skin. You stand up as straight as possible and force open your eyes to glare at the two guys before you dressed in soldier outfits and masks on their faces, which was still a disadvantage to you because they had katana's.
"What the hell are you?!" The masked/muffled not as calm anymore voice/person number 2 yells.
"You should know my identity if you're kidnapping me, Dumbass!" You snap at him, raising an eyebrow. 'And also be more prepared... Who the hell do they think I am anyway? ... One of those helpless village girls?' You rant annoyed to yourself clutching the shikon jewel in your hand.
"Yes we know who you are and al about you, that's why we used the poison! You're the wretch who follows a demon around... No doubt a bed-warmer! You're nothing, but scum!" Masked/muffled voice number 2 yells as you glare at him darkly. 'Wretch...? And what the hell does he mean by "bed-warmer"?! Oh, that shitty piece of-'
"Lets just get her to the manor already!" Masked/muffled person number one says standing up and walking toward you calmly. 'Hn, that ki shock must have not been hard enough...' He continues to walk toward you closer and closer. "We don't want to hurt you ma'am, just come with us peacefully and everything will be alright..." He says and grabs your shoulder.
You continue to glare at him frostily and in the blink of or maybe two you pull back and ram your fist into his chin shocking him with even more ki. He pelts back dragging against the ground beside his buddy who stands there in shock, but soon shakes it off. You feel your knuckles ache a bit as you try to remove it from its fist position... That guy's head must be made out of rock... Not being knocked out on first contact with my ki shock.... You raise a brow hearing the only standing soldier in your presence laugh.
"Tatsuya might have been going easy on you wretch, but I don't take my job as a game and now it is time to end this!" Masked/muffled voice number 2 announces and slides his katana from its sheath.
He lunges at you slashing away as you gracefully avoid his swords sloppy travels while holding onto the towel placed around your body. You quickly come to a halt sensing the spring in back of you number 2 stops in front of you smirking.
"That's right, wretch if you sink into the spring water once more you'll die, so all you can do is give up!" He states and you continue to glare. "You had your chance!" He says and lunges toward you, just when he's a few inches away you slide out the way and he slips and crashes into the spring water.
You watch as he makes a struggle to resurface, but the paralyzing effect seems to be taking him over quickly, you turn around and snatch up your clothes, now intending to find Naomi and start to walk away. His friend... Tatsuya? Should be waking up anytime now, I'm sure he won't drown...'
"Don't think just because I'm a little wet means I'm done with you yet, wretch!" Your eyes widen incredulously as you turn around, but not fast enough to avoid the determined soldier's attack.
(Naomi POV/Point Of View)
I sprint through the forest, keeping a keen-eye on the person I'm tracking, staff in hand, fully clothed and ready to fight. Whoever this person was he or she were obviously stalking (Your Name), who hasn't realized she was being stalked yet... This person's ki was there the first time me and (Your Name) met by the river, which is strange because (Your Name) was drowning at the time and this person didn't help... Obviously a rival, but if he or she was a rival of (Your Name)'s, (Your Name) should have noticed their ki already... But, on the other hand, (Your Name) is an unusually distracted person... She probably didn't notice... I focus myself back on the person and stop and look around calmly... This person... Their ki... I must have lost them while lost in thought...
(End Naomi POV)
You jump away dodging the soldier's all-out assault to kill you, but not without getting away with a slash to the arm. You maneuver your way in back of the man and quickly place your hands around his neck and send a ki shock traveling throughout his body. The soldier crumples to the ground before as you notice your bleeding arm and wince. You quickly change back into your clothes and use the towel as a bandage. You then continue your tread back into the forest now set back on finding Naomi and getting back to the castle soon, before you bleed to death...
Turn to page: 25
Heheh, end chapter... I'm sorry for not updating weekly, I'm not usually one to give excuses, but I think my muses went on vacation without telling me and are just now coming back... 'Pulls out mallet and whacks muse over the head'... Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter because this might be the longest Sesshoumaru chapter, too, but I'm trying to make them as long as possible anyway because this part of the Midoriko series is ending soon. Also, don't worry about the lemon scene... It's in the process as I type...
Shoji- A paper sliding door, used in traditional Japanese homes.
Sweatdrop- A large/exaggerated drop of sweat usually used on anime characters to indicate the character's sheepishness, annoyance, or frustration...
Ki shock- From what I told you before, in late chapters, ki means energy, in this story anyway, also an energy that usually will come from the shikon jewel and you can attack opponents with it. When I add shock onto it I'm using it as in, like someone is in a bathtub right now and you drop a toaster in, which depending on the person using it if the opponent will be killed from it or not. (In other words, I'm leaving it up to you if the soldier died or not...) Speaking of toasters and bathtubs have you heard about...
Ja!