Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.
Of Fates Unknown
Chapter Fourteen
The boys and Kaede arrived late in the afternoon. By this time, Kagome was feeling well enough to have taken a bath with the assistance of a young maid. Sango had provided her with a change of clothing, and she'd actually eaten a bit, but was beginning to feel slightly queasy as a result. Her head still ached, but at least the double vision was gone. All in all, it was a great improvement.
Shippou and Souta came bounding into the room; Souta's eyes alight with the wonders of the keep and the elegance of her room. Shippou on the other hand simply dove over the bed to pounce on Kagome with a great cry, after which proceeded to snuggle into her lap and say how worried he was about her. Souta turned to see his sister and exclaimed in delight at her big bed and immediately jumped onto it and began to bounce, making her already touchy stomach worse and her head throb even more painfully.
Kaede shooed him off the bed and asked how she felt.
"Terrible," she pronounced, secretly gratified to see a sudden frown on her rambunctious brother's face. Shippou had promptly fallen asleep while she stroked his red hair. "But I'm sure to live."
"'Twas that wine, dearie. Why that boy gave ye such a strong wine, I'll never know. Lord Inuyasha should punish him for that, but he's known to be very lax with his servants."
Kagome made a noncommittal sound. She was somewhere between believing the story she'd been given and a certainty that Inuyasha had had a hand in it somewhere. Only time would tell. If this was a plot of his, then it was because he intended to keep her prisoner here.
"I'll come home tomorrow," she told Kaede. "I do feel much better already."
"I like coming here," Souta put in, as a though suggesting that she should stay.
"Why?" Kagome asked, eyeing her brother curiously. Surely he was too young to feel what she felt in this place of their ancestors.
Souta shrugged, "It's big and it's nice and I just like it."
She wanted to ask him if he felt different in any way, but decided against it. He was too young to define his feelings that precisely, and besides, she didn't want to draw him into this.
"Lord Inuyasha said Shippou and I could come back anytime we want," Souta announced with a touch of smugness.
"Oh?" Kagome tried to disguise her alarm as she turned to Kaede.
"We met the captain and Lord Inuyasha as we were coming up here," she explained.
"He's going to take me to see the dogs when we leave here," Souta went on, his tone suggesting that that should be as soon as possible. "He offered to Shippou but he said he just wanted to stay with you."
Kagome felt like choking her brother, but she understood his feelings. He hadn't worried about her because she'd never been sick before, and his lack of concern also showed how well he'd adjusted to his new life. And neither could she fault him for wanting to see the dogs. She knew how he loved them, and she'd been thinking about getting him a puppy to replace the dog he'd lost.
Shippou's concern about wanting to stay was also understood. For as old as sometimes acted, in youkai society he was still younger then Souta, and therefore very clingy. Not that she minded. In fact she often enjoyed his want to be around her, and it was not uncommon to see her walking with him either on her shoulder on in her arms.
Souta spoke up again, "He says there'll be puppies in the spring and I can come to see them, too. D'you suppose he'd give me one?"
Kagome wasn't about to "suppose" anything where Inuyasha was concerned, and furthermore, she was increasingly suspicious of his apparent kindness towards Souta.
"Those puppies will be very valuable," Kaede told him. "Lord Inuyasha raises samsets. They were supposed to have been the favorite dogs of the Ceadda."
"I've never heard of them," Kagome said. "What do they look like?"
"Much like wolves," Kaede told her. "Their fur is gray in the summer and pure white in the winter."
Kagome was remembering a badly faded tapestry that had belonged to her father's family. It had been used to carry the few belongings they'd taken with them when they fled Domna. There were wolf-like animals in it, gray with white tips of fur.
It was, she though bitterly, just one more part of her heritage that now belonged to Inuyasha.
"Can we go see them now?" Souta pleaded.
Kagome looked at Kaede. "Will you go with him? I am sure Shippou would rather stay here."
"Of course, dearie. Don't fret yerself. I'll keep him close."
While she watched them leave, she continued stroking the young kits back. Kagome thought that however determined Kaede might be to protect Souta and her; Kaede was certainly no match the Lord of Domna.
)O(
"Lord Inuyasha sends his respects and asks if you're feeling well enough to see him." The liveried youth bowed to her. He was the same boy who had brought her the jewelry.
"Tell him I would be pleased to see him," Kagome stated, although she was anything but.
The youth left and Kagome sand into a chair before the fire. She was feeling much better, but she didn't yet feel up to a confrontation with Inuyasha. She'd slept again after Kaede and Souta left, and then forced herself to eat a light supper with Shippou keeping her company, by telling her everything that had happened since she fell ill. Tadiz, the physician, had stopped by to see her and had suggested that another few days' rest would be beneficial.
Although she didn't say so, Kagome had no intentions of staying at the keep another day. Tomorrow, she planned to return to her cottage. She was, in any event, inpatient with illness of any kind, a trait very common to those who are rarely ill.
As she had begun to feel better, that deep burning anger was returning as well, and she was convinced that whatever was in the tower was responsible for it. She certainly had reason to be angry with Inuyasha for having usurped what rightfully belonged to her people- but what she felt went beyond reason and, therefore, was dangerous.
Her budding friendship with Sango would permit her to return and she would find a way to get to the tower- but for now, she wanted only to get away. She had left the door to her rooms open, and when she heard a sound, she turned in her chair to see not only Inuyasha but also Miroku and Sango enter the room. Fear clutched at her when she saw the look on Sango's face. It was obvious that she was greatly disturbed about something.
Inuyasha politely inquired after he health and expressed his regret over the mistake involving the wine. Kagome watched him carefully, but his expression betrayed nothing beyond his words. She thanked him for his solicitude and waved away the servant's mistake.
Sango took the other chair at the hearth and Miroku stood behind her. Inuyasha planted himself in front of the fire, facing her, with his arms folded across his chest. She waited in nervous silence, that they had not come here just to reassure themselves about her health.
"Miroku has learned some very disturbing news," Inuyasha said. "It would appear that you have some enemies."
Kagome stared at him in disbelief. "Enemies? What do you mean?"
Miroku took over smoothly- too smoothly, she though. She'd been foolish to trust him at all.
"The word around the city is that you are Ceadda. Most people are merely intrigued by the possibility, but others are… disturbed."
"Disturbed in what way?" Kagome asked, stifling an anger that didn't bear close examination at this point.
It was Inuyasha who answered her. "They believe you are a sorceress."
Kagome made a derisive sound. "I'm no sorceress. It's true that some have come to me believing that I have the power to heal, but I have nothing more than herbs to offer them- the same herbs used by your own healers."
Inuyasha arched one brow; "There was also the matter of the runaway cart."
She refused to be intimidated by this man. "What about it? Surely you're not suggesting that that was the work of my so-called enemies?"
"No, I wasn't suggesting that. The man following it said that it was headed straight for you and then suddenly turned away when you raised your hand." He paused briefly, "They also told a tale of strange lights that seemed to pour from your fingers."
She fixed her gaze steadily on him. "I saw no such light, and if I did raise my hand, it was no more than the kind of gesture anyone might make to protect herself. If they claim they saw more than that, they were probably drunk, which may be how the cart got away in the first place."
They stared at each other in silence for a long time. Inuyasha's youkai rising, his youkai demanding her submission to him, even though he tried to show no outwardly signs, but his human side was feeling something entirely differently. For a brief moment, Kagome thought she saw a gleam of amusement in his golden amber eyes, but sure that she must be mistaken.
"The fact remains that your life might be in danger," Inuyasha said finally. "Even your playing last night caused many to invoke the name of the Ceadda."
"The Ceadda are all dead- as you should know very well, since it was your father who killed them." She spoke with thinly veiled contempt even as a part of her wondered at her continues recklessness. But what choice did she have?
Another long silence followed that, and then Sango spoke. Kagome had forgotten the presence of her and Miroku.
"Kagome, Inuyasha thinks that you should remain here until those who may be plotting against you can be found and dealt with. I think he's right. You would be safe here in the keep- and your brother and Shippou could join you."
So there it was- and it was obviously well rehearsed too. Kagome was inclined to think that Sango was innocent of any deception and only genuinely concerned for her safety, although the same could probably not be said for her husband.
They had trapped her well. She had seen fear on the faces of a few people, and she knew that fear could so easily become hatred. And if she insisted upon returning home, she could be placing not just herself, but the boys as well, in danger.
She stared into the fire, doing her best to ignore Inuyasha's presence as she thought about it. She was nearly sure that this was nothing more than a ruse to make her a willing prisoner in the keep- but what if she was wrong? If it were only she, she could insist upon leaving and take her chances. But she could not put Souta or Shippou at risk.
"I have my work," she said, temporizing even though she knew there was no way out of this mess. "Playing at the tavern and selling my herbal potions. I must support the boys and myself."
"There's no reason why you can't continue to play." Inuyasha said reasonably. "The men can escort you back and forth and since the tavern is well-known to be frequented by them, no one would attempt to harm you there.
"And as to your potions, I'm sure that Tadiz could use your help. He has a surgery here at the keep where he treats my men and there families."
"And the boys could come here as well?" she asked.
"Of course. I think they might enjoy it. I took Souta to the kennels earlier and more or less promised him a puppy in the spring- subject to your approval, of course."
Kagome looked Inuyasha directly in the eye and narrowed hers. "Why should you be concerning yourself with the boys and me?" she asked, knowing that she was catching him off-guard with the question.
Something flashed in his golden eyes briefly but then the polite mask returned again. "There are several reasons. You are newly come to Domna and without family, which makes you more vulnerable. And your playing has brought me great pleasure. Besides, Sango already thinks of you as a friend, and she is my cousin."
"And you may be Ceadda." The words were unspoken- but Kagome heard them nonetheless. If the captain and Sango hadn't been there, she might have said them herself. But this, she knew, was just between Inuyasha and herself.
She agreed that she and the boys would live at the keep temporarily, and then feigned tiredness to hasten their departure. Sango hugged her and said how happy she would be to have her here, and Kagome knew that she meant it. Inuyasha wished her a good night, and once more, their eyes met and held. Curiously, she saw none of the triumph there that she had expected- and that made her wonder if in fact she had been wrong about him scheming to keep her here.
She thought about that after they had gone. Having pledged himself to her safety, Inuyasha was scarcely likely to have her killed here in the keep. If that had been his plan, he could have accomplished it far more easily outside the keep, where her death could be blamed on her supposed enemies.
But what, then, did he want from her? She wondered if he was attracted to her, but she couldn't believe this was merely a carefully planned seduction.
Warmed by the fire, she fell into a light doze, then snapped awake again as she began to drift into one of those disturbing dreams. And in that moment, she understood what it was that he wanted.
He wanted her powers- the powers he believed she already possessed, or could possess if she were to unlock the secrets of her people that lay within this keep. She should not have let herself forget that he was first and foremost bent on conquest.
Was it possible that he might know something about those powers himself? After all, he was the son of Inutashio, who had certainly known about the Ceadda's power. Did he know what was in that tower? If he wanted to keep it secret, putting forth some story about its being unsafe would make sense.
She wondered if Inuyasha might truly fear her, as she'd suspected before. If he believed her to be Ceadda, and knew that Ceadda magic was real, he must fear her. Unless, of course, he was arrogant enough to believe that he could control her and use her magic himself.
That familiar rage stirred within her again. This man already had all that was rightfully hers- and now he would seize her powers as well.
I must get to that tower, she thought. I must discover if it holds the secrets of the Ceadda. Only then will I know how to proceed.
)O(
Review responses:
Bluecabbage – LOL, I wish my husband had more time. He is like a wiz when it comes to spelling and could pick out all my mistakes. (sigh) Great to hear from you again though.
HappyBunnyBabe – Thanks, I keep trying to write more. About the spelling, yeah, I know I am missing some. After typing it out and what not, sometimes when I reread what I write, I miss things. I think maybe once I get through this story I will go back over everything to see what I can catch, but like I told someone before, my spelling sucks. :P Anyways, thanks for the review, and have enjoyed it thus far.
Well, here we are, another chapter down… and I have no clue as to how many more to go.
Another thing that bugs me about this site, asterisks and the um, wavy line thingie (eh, yeah..) don't show up. They get completely ignored. So now when I do actions I have to do them like I do. (groans) Darn it I want asterisks! (giggles) Anyways, I think I just got completely off track now. LOL, sorry, been a long day.
Reviews are always welcome. Flames will be painted on the '70 Mustang in my garage. (needs a new paint job anyways…) Ok, so everyone has been wonderful with his or her reviews, and I haven't gotten one yet, but I have always wanted to say that and I just couldn't resist. (giggles hysterically)
Brightest of Blessings,
Lady Banshee 999