Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.
Of Fates Unknown
Chapter Thirteen
"Are you certain that she hasn't been harmed by the potion?" Inuyasha asked, staring at the lifeless form on the bed.
"Quite certain, m'lord. I gave her only enough to put her to sleep. She'll sleep the night through and awaken in the morning with something very much like a hangover from wine."
Inuyasha continued to star at her. Her wide, dark eyes were closed and he was robbed of their impact, but that was probably for the best, since he could still remember the anger he'd seen in them earlier. His gaze dropped to the Ceadda jewelry he'd given her, and he wondered if she knew they'd once belonged to her people. Probably she did. He was sure she'd recognized the Val- Ceadda he wore.
"Her friends are waiting outside," he told the physician. "You know what to tell them?"
The man nodded, "As we agreed, m'lord. The strain of her performance coupled with too much wine- and perhaps a belated case of the sickness so prevalent recently."
They went to the small anteroom where Myoga and Kaede waited fearfully, and Inuyasha stood there quietly wile his physician lied. He thought the Sheppards would accept it; the man was known to be the finest in the land. When he had finished and Inuyasha saw the relief on their faces, he hastened to assure them that he was assuming personal responsibility for her care and would send them word tomorrow about her condition.
After they had left, Inuyasha followed the physician back into the bedchamber as he checked on her once again and then departed, saying that he would send his assistant to stay the night with her, even though it wasn't really necessary.
Inuyasha remained behind, unable to take his eyes off her, her scent filling his nose. His plan had succeeded, although he had no idea how long he could hope to keep her here or how he was going to persuade her to tell him the truth.
His mind drifted back to her performance. If he'd had any remaining doubts about her origins, they'd been swept away in those moments. Despite the problems it presented, he'd felt relieved to know that others had heard what he'd heard and felt what he's felt. Ceadda magic had been set loose in his keep.
More than once in the past few hours, the voice of reason had whispered to him that she should be killed. He wasn't a cruel hanyou, but he'd never had any compunction about dispatching his enemies before- and this woman could not be anything but an enemy. And yet he could not do it.
Hearing a sound, he turned to see Miroku walk up and look towards Kagome. Inuyasha knew that both Miroku and Sango were fond of her and wondered if that was going to cause him problems.
"Is she alright?" Miroku asked.
Inuyasha nodded. The captain knew what had happened, although his wife did not. "Tadiz was careful. She'll suffer no more in the morning than those who had too much wine."
"No one who heard her play this night has any doubt that she's Ceadda," Miroku said softly, his eyes remaining on the still form on the bed. "Many thought they heard ghost instruments being played."
Suddenly, a possible plan occurred to Inuyasha. He smiled, appreciating the irony of using her own talents to keep her here.
"Do you think they fear or hate her?"
Miroku turned to him. "Many fear her at this point- but hatred? I think not."
"Still, fear can quickly turn to hate, can't it? Her life could be in danger."
"Aye," said Miroku slowly. "Although any who believe her to be Ceadda are likely to fear the consequences of attacking her. Still, it could be the excuse you seek."
"It could at that," Inuyasha smiled. "The Sheppards trust you. If you were to tell them that you fear for her safety-"
The captain nodded, although Inuyasha could see that he was deeply troubled.
"She'll come to no harm from me, Miroku," he stated. Then, after Miroku had gone, Inuyasha stood there for a moment longer, once again staring at her, while letting her scent once again consume him. But while he basked in her scent, the truth that he could not tell Miroku was that he too feared her. His clawed fingers unconsciously clutched the golden disc on his chest. Then the physician's assistant arrived and Inuyasha hurriedly left the room.
)O(
Kagome awoke in a confusion that quickly turned to dread. Her eyes refused to focus, with the result that the strange room was all the more frightening. Sensing the presence of someone else in the room, she remained still as her mind grappled with what had happened and where she could be. And she knew, somehow, that any movement at all would be painful.
Slowly, the memory of her performance came back to her: how it had seemed that her fingers had flown over the strings, plucking them with a delicacy and a speed far beyond anything she'd accomplished before. And hadn't there been something else as well- the sounds of other lythras weaving melodies around her own?
She left off those thoughts because they frightened her, and tried to concentrate instead on what had happened after her performance. She remembered returning to her seat, feeling confused and drained. Then a servant had brought her some wine, which she'd drunk quickly.
And then what? No matter how hard she tried, nothing beyond that moment would come back to her.
She opened her eyes again- very carefully. The room was large and handsomely furnished, with rich wall hangings and heavy draperies at the windows. They were tightly drawn, so she had no way of knowing if it was night or day. The room was softly lit by oil lamps. The bed was big and comfortable and canopied with the same deep green fabric of the drapes.
She wanted desperately to deny the evidence before her bleary eyes, but she knew she must be in the keep. But why was she still here? What had happened to her after the performance?
Finally, she forced herself to turn her head slightly, knowing that someone was there and fearing that she would find a guard. She was sure that Inuyasha must have taken her prisoner somehow and her thoughts were already turning to Souta and Shippou. What had happened to them?
Even that small movement sent throbbing pain through her head and her eyes became unfocused again. But she could see movement- and then she heard a familiar voice.
"Kagome! You've awakened at last. I was about to go fetch, Tadiz."
"Who?" Kagome croaked from a parched throat. By now, she could vaguely make out Sango's form as the woman advanced to her bedside.
"Tadiz is our physician. He took care of you last night after you collapsed. Do you remember that?"
Sango poured her some water from a bedside pitcher. "Here, drink this before you talk. Tadiz said you would probably be very thirsty when you awoke."
Sango held the cup to her lips and Kagome managed to hold herself up to drink from it, although not without more pain. After drinking the full cup, she fell back against the pillows again.
"I collapsed?" she asked in a more normal voice. "I feel terrible. Everything hurts."
Sango murmured sympathetically and settled herself on the edge of the bed. "Yes, just after your performance. Everyone said that you played even better than before. Tadiz said it was probably the strain of the performance, plus the wine you drank afterwards. It seems that a servant gave you the stronger wine that some of the men were drinking, and you drank it very fast. He also said that you might have the winter sickness everyone has had recently."
Kagome concentrated on her remark about the wine. It seemed to her now that it had tasted somewhat different, although she couldn't be sure. She was sure, however, that she had indeed drunk it very fast.
"Inuyasha insisted that you be cared for here of course, and he explained the situation to your friends, the Sheppards. They said they would take care of the boys for you."
Kagome heard all this, but felt herself beginning to drift off again. She didn't doubt that Sango was telling her the truth as she knew it, but she did doubt that she had simply collapse from the strain of performing or from the wine.
"Were you there when I played?" Kagome asked as she continued to fight sleep.
"No, the baby was restless, so I stayed with her. But I wish I could have been there. Miroku said you were wonderful."
But Kagome barely heard her as she floated down into sleep again.
)O(
Review responses:
Shadowreader – Thank you, I am fan of foreshadowing hints in a story. Not the types that jump out at you either. But rather the kind that as you go on through the story you stop and suddenly realize that there was the faintest hint of it whispered before. Or that it was mentioned in a slight passing but didn't seem all that important at the time but was much more so. LOL, guess I read too much Sherlock Homes and Nancy Drew growing up. :P
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I would like to thank everyone once again for all their wonderful responses to my story. It makes me happy to know that you like it so much!
Brightest of Blessings,
Lady Banshee 999