Disclaimer: Psh… I don't own any characters mentioned in this story. Scenario is mine though… sort of… like that's gonna hold.

"…" – speech

'…' – thoughts

- change in scenery or time

Previously, on The Sealed Garden:

{He dropped the baggage.

"Well… I guess I'm home."}

[Review responses at the bottom]

Chapter TWO:

Empty House

Inuyasha mentally cursed as he rounded a bend and came face to face with yet another dead end.

'How many fucking corridors can there be in this place?!'

It had been three days since he'd arrived at his inherited house, and he still hadn't completely gotten its layout. After he'd dumped his luggage in the front hall on that first day, he'd taken a mini tour of the place. Many of the ancient furnishings were still present; an example was that most of the rooms didn't have beds rather than flat futons.

After a brief trip around some parts of the house, he'd quickly zeroed in on the largest bedroom with a real bed, throwing his suitcases onto the floor.

In fact, they were still there today, him not having gotten around to packing just yet.

Thankfully, the important appliances had been installed in certain rooms. Indeed, the kitchens were so well equipped that the hanyou was certain that he wasn't going to use a third of the devices there. In fact, the only thing he had eaten so far was: instant ramen- the food of the gods. The modern equipment gave the interior of the house a strange mixture of the past and present.

It really was a great place.

It was just too damn huge!

Three days he'd been here, and he'd already gotten lost countless times!

Inuyasha backtracked his way back to the outer chamber where the main entrance was located. He had explored the area behind the western door- where his bedroom was located and the eastern area. So far, the count was:

34 bedrooms ('What the hell did they do with 34 bedrooms?'), 24 bathrooms, 6 dining areas ('And only two kitchens?'), and 2 open areas that he assumed had been used for gatherings.

All of the rooms were equally divided on either side of the mansion. Four of the eating areas had been equipped with western styled dining utensils and furnishings, while the other two had remained a setting straight of out ancient Japan. While some of the sleeping rooms were elaborately set up, there were others, near the back of the house, where they were plainer. Two larger rooms were designed to accommodate more than one or two people- the servant quarters.

Several entertainment systems had been set up in the open areas, making them a lot like living rooms.

The eastern and western sliding doors at the main entrance lead to an extremely long hallway that stretched and bent around the corners of the enormous house. In reality, the two doors lead to the same long hallway, only in different directions. Along the walls of this corridor, were several doors leading to rooms. The kitchens were located on the side of the hallway nearer to the centre of the house.

From the main corridor were the occasional smaller ones leading to more separate areas of the house. Others lead to doors to exit the place. Strangely (and infuriatingly) enough, a few hallways seemed to lead nowhere at all-

They'd just stop, smack into a wall, typically located around a corner. What they had been used for, Inuyasha had no clue at all. He really didn't care either.

They were just so freakin' annoying!

What he had learned about the design of the house was simple- one 'circular' hallway, rooms, and a few smaller ones. But the place was enormous. It had taken him two days just to get the gist of where each door lead- and he still got lost!

One question that kept bothering the hanyou was why his mother had been here in the first place, and why it was abandoned now. After all, if his mother had lived here, there must have been other people- servants, and family. Even if Izayoi had been an attendant here, there would have been other servants and their master.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and faced the northern door. He'd find that out in the future-

After he got used to the blasted mansion.

As he pushed aside the shouji door directly across from the main entrance-the only one he had yet to open-Inuyasha frowned at the dim lighting in the area. Groping around on the wall to his left, his hand found the light switch, and flipped it on (Thank whoever installed electricity in this place). The entire place was suddenly flooded in light, and the hanyou had to briefly close his sensitive eyes.

Reopening them cautiously, he took in the room before blinking.

Then blinking again.

"What the hell?"

The hanyou's voiced echoed in the room, for room it was. The entire centre of the mansion was just one huge… chamber.

And by 'huge', he meant colossal. Gigantic. Gargantuan.

Hell, the whole thing took up the nearly the entire inner space of the house!

'At least I can't get lost in here…' He thought dryly.

But on closer inspection, Inuyasha found that the place had actually been divided into a few sectors. There were no actual physical dividers, but the atmosphere of each area was enough to describe its use.

In the closer right corner from the entrance, the hanyou found a large scroll room. Shelves upon shelves rose up, one above another. Some held scrolls from back in the past when books had not come into existence in Japan. Yet more others were the keepers of the binded books. Examining the selection, Inuyasha saw that the books were divided into sections- Romance, Supernatural, etc, much like a library. Even the atmosphere was that of a quiet, undisturbed one.

To be honest, it was a little too stuffy for his taste.

But then he realised with excitement, that there was a rather large supernatural section that had been combined with some religious scrolls.

He'd have to stop by later.

Looking back from the library, Inuyasha walked to the area directly across the width of the room from it. This place was set up much like a dojo. The wooden floors had been partially covered with mats to soften falls. Looking up, he discovered that weapon upon weapon lined the walls. There were katanas of every size and make, bows, targets for the bows; just about every ancient weapon imaginable was here.

White dog-ears twitched appreciatively at the selection. This training area would be most useful to him. Almost unconsciously, a clawed hand reached out to examine one of the larger throwing knives, but Inuyasha stopped himself. The air of the section was tingling with a tension similar to that that came with sparring. It made one want to pick up a weapon; any weapon, and to just train.

But now was not yet the time for that.

Sighing, the young adult left that particular place, and headed towards the back of the room. About halfway into it, two large room-sized bumps emerged from the wall.

Must be the kitchens.

Strolling casually forwards, Inuyasha walked to the area behind the bumps, and stopped dead at the open entrance of the section.

"Whoa."

And 'whoa' was right.

The entire back of the room was a temple-like area. There was one large altar at the centre of the wall, allowing for people to pay tribute to the gods. The hanyou carefully stepped into the area, noticing the large concentration of purity forces at work in the area.

As soon as his foot had been placed within the temple boundaries, he became aware of a tingling at his skin. It was as if the air itself wished to purify him of his youkai blood. Nerves on end, goosebumps arose on the back of Inuyasha's neck, and he shivered. He almost felt that the gods themselves were aware of the youkai blood on their sacred grounds, and wished to banish it.

Hurrying to the alter, Inuyasha quickly fell to his knees and practised what his mother had taught him long before. She had been Shinto, and this was clearly a Shinto shrine. He had never been too religious himself, only attending to the required activities.

But now was the time for some extra worship. Closing his eyes, he prayed.

Slowly, yet tangibly, the atmosphere calmed down. Recognising that he wasn't harmful, the temple grounds stilled. The hanyou stood up and breathed a sigh of relief. While he wouldn't have died from the purification, he would have been turned into a human- something he only wanted to encounter once a month.

That was one thing that was useful about being half-demon. It meant he was half-human too, and couldn't die from purification. On the many times he had visited Shinto shrines with his mother, the same incident had happened at different temples. Then, his mother had been there to comfort him as the purification did hurt a little. However, after the first encounter, the temples recognised his spirit, and he was allowed access without hassle.

Inuyasha frowned in thought.

So that was why there was a gateway in front of the entrance of the house- the place had probably been originally a temple before the living quarters were built around it. Examining the area, the hanyou took note of the white sand signifying the sacred grounds. To the right, there were several smaller altars to pay tribute to the smaller deities. He found that there wasn't a specific god being honoured at this temple. Rather, it was a place to pray to the gathered spirits.

Turning around, he faced the left side of the inner shrine.

On the opposite wall was a large painting of some sort. Inuyasha approached it until he was directly in front of it. Drawn on delicate hand-made paper, it was of a small shrine with a person standing before it. The surrounding area was covered in large trees. But however beautiful the scenery was, the thing that most took the hanyou's breath away was the person- it was undoubtedly female.

A miko, to be exact.

She wore a pair of red coloured hakama that were untied at the ankles. Her white top, traditional for shrine maidens, had large, billowing sleeves. A long bow was slung over her shoulder along with a quiver of arrows.

In the picture, the girl was half looking towards the painter, her posture suggesting that she was headed into the shrine. A half-smile decorated her expression. Even from this proportional distance, Inuyasha could make out the kind blue-grey eyes. Long raven-black hair cascaded down her shoulders, falling freely down her back.

She was beautiful.

The miko held her hands before her body at a slanted angle in the painting. For some reason, Inuyasha found himself trying to catch a glimpse of what she held, but to no avail. All he could see were white specks.

Stepping back, the hanyou admired the effect of the entire picture.

Then, his mind flashed back to the small 'talk' he'd had with that Hoko guy two days before. Was this the miko that the legend spoke of? And hadn't he said that she'd been protecting something of great power?

Inuyasha bent closer to the painting, squinting his eyes. He concentrated on what was in the priestess' hands. He had to know- what was she holding? But however hard he tried, he just couldn't make out what the painter had been trying to paint. Perhaps they hadn't meant to portray anything at all.

Sighing, he stepped back again, simply focusing his attention on the woman.

It was funny- he almost felt as though he had a connection with her.

The man shook his head. That painting was probably 500 years old!

But then a pang struck at his heart where it shouldn't have. If that truly was the miko of the legend… she had died.

She had been betrayed.

'Unable to move on…'

The hanyou felt a great pity towards her. Then he frowned. He didn't even know if the legend was true or not, and he was already making assumptions.

This house was making him soft.

Bowing one last time to the altar, Inuyasha began to walk out of the shrine- only to bump into something.

Or rather, someone.

"Oof!"

There was a thud as an elderly man fell down before the bewildered hanyou- how had this old coot entered the building without him knowing was beyond him. His eyes narrowed, doggy ears twitched, and a clawed hand reached out, grabbing the old man by the front of his clothes.

"What are you doing in my house, jiji?" was the threatening growl.

The man, obviously aged beyond his prime, glared at the younger one, and barked out an order, "Put me down, devil spawn!"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Devil spawn?

"You are trespassing on private property! As the keeper of this holy temple, I command you to get out, demon!" yelled the struggling man.

The hanyou stared at him listlessly. "Keeper of the temple?" His eyes travelled over the priest's robes, and he froze.

Then promptly dropped the old man onto the ground.

"You're the keeper of the shrine?" So that was why the place was so clean…

The man puffed himself up proudly, "I am the one and only keeper of this inner temple devoted to the gracious gods."

"And who exactly are you, old geezer?"

The hanyou was awarded with a slap to the forehead. "Old geezer? You should be more polite to your elders! I am Higurashi-san, and you may call me so."

Inuyasha frowned, not fazed in the slightest. "If you're the priest around here, then why haven't I seen you before?"

Higurashi-san sniffed in annoyance. "I don't live here. I live in a small house further down the road. I come here every once in a while for my duties."

"Doesn't the shrine have to be cleaned every day?"

The old man froze, wheels obviously turning in his head. "Er… Well… You see…" Then he hit upon an explanation. "This place has been inhabited for years- there was no need to clean what was not dirty." His eyes then narrowed in suspicion. "And what are you doing here, devil spawn?"

The hanyou didn't notice the old man's hand until it was too late…

"Ah ha! Demon be gone!"

…and he found himself with an ofuda spell plastered to his forehead. Doggy ears twitched in annoyance.

Raising a clawed hand, he slowly peeled the useless piece of paper, letting it flutter to the ground. Higurashi-san's mouth dropped open in shock.

"My spell…"

Inuyasha continued to stare flatly at the man. "I'm the owner of this house, in which this temple is in." He put a finger to his lips in mock thoughtfulness. "And that makes me… your boss."

The expression on the old man's face couldn't have been more shocked at the revelation. Refusing to believe what the youngster had told him, the priest (who had absolutely no spiritual powers whatsoever) reached into his large sleeves and pulled out several more pieces of paper.

"Hya! Behold the purification!"

Paper with spell words written them now hung off Inuyasha's body. Somehow, the keeper of the shrine had been able to cover his entire body in pieces of white.

What a spry old man he was.

Teeth grinding in irritation, the half-demon promptly tore off all of the spells, proving their fraudulent worth in plain sight of the senior. The cut up paper decorated the ground like a thin layer of snow.

He fell to his knees, bawling. "My ancient spells!"

Inuyasha's ears flattened onto his head to keep the sound from deafening him. "Shut up!"

Higurashi-san glared at him darkly. "And why should I?" He sniffed.

"Because I'm your boss…?"

"Liar! A demon could never be the owner of such a magnificent palace!"

"But I… arg! Keh!" He growled in frustration.

The senior began pushing Inuyasha towards the entrance. "Exactly! No proof, you go."

The hanyou stood his ground. "Listen, jiji, I am the inheritor of Inutaisho," he then added in a mumble, "one of them, anyway." He cleared his voice. "And my dad gave this house to me in his will, got that? My mother used to live here."

The priest's expression had suddenly cleared up a little. "You are the child of the late Izayoi-sama?"

"Yeah…" The half demon raised an eyebrow. "So…?"

Higurashi-san suddenly beamed, bowing slightly before the now extremely surprised adult. "Why didn't you say so? Welcome to your new home, Inuyasha-sama!"

"You know my name?"

"Why of course! A letter was sent to me only four days before hand, announcing of the new master's arrival!"

A tick developed in Inuyasha's right eyebrow as he closed his eyes. "And why weren't you here to meet me three days ago?"

The senior rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I-ah… I forgot."

The tick only grew stronger. "And you still didn't know who I was when you saw me here?"

"I didn't expect the lovely Izayoi-sama's son to be so ugly."

Several veins erupted comically on the young adult's head, as he brought a fist down on the elder's head, eyes still closed. Breathing deeply, he lowered his fist.

He opened his golden orbs, glaring at the old man who now had a rather large bump on his head. "Well, now you know. And would you mind telling me why there aren't any people in this place?"

The expression on Higurashi-san's face abruptly became more serious. "You see, in the past, this great palace used to hold many people. In the elder days, when children were more polite to their elders," Here, he glowered pointedly at Inuyasha, "I worked here with many other servants for the rich household. There was a man, his wife, and his one and only daughter. They were a very respected people, and treasured their daughter greatly. However, one day…"

"One day…?"

The old man's voice rose in volume. "One day, the daughter was carried off by a horrible demon to become his bride! And she was never seen again, the end."

The tick came back with a vengeance. "You don't know, do you?"

The shrine keeper shrugged. "Oh I know. I just don't want to tell rude people like you,"

Inuyasha grabbed the older person by the front of shirt again, grinning rather menacingly. "Listen, old coot. Just tell me why this place is completely empty." His voice was deceptively calm, and his teeth were clenched.

Sniffing disdainfully, the keeper of the shrine gestured for the hanyou to put him down. Once his feet touched the ground once again, he deliberately brushed off the front of his clothes.

"Well?"

Brush. Brush. Brush.

"I could relieve you of your duties, you know."

Higurasih-san raised his head. "Very well. I shall tell you the story of why the people left this castle."

"The true story."

"Yes, the true story."

A pause.

"Well? Get started, jiji."

The old man glared at the younger man. "Hush! Stories must not be hurried!"

"Well this one had better, or I'll be searching for another shrine keeper."

Eyes widening slightly, he quickly started his tale.

"Izayoi-sama was the pride of her family. She was beautiful, intelligent, and extremely kind. Then one day, when she had barely completed her university education, the young mistress announced to her parents that she had become engaged to a man. Not only were they surprised that she had been seeing someone, more surprising was the fact that her fiancé was a demon!" Higurashi-san shook his head sadly. "I was there that day she told her poor father that she planned on moving to the city. He'd been on the verge of disowning her, but Izayoi-sama remained stubborn in her decision to marry whomever she pleased.

In the end, the mistress did move to the city. Her mother had already been quite sick, and after this event, her spirit failed her, and she passed on. The master's health also steadily declined upon the loss of not only his daughter, but his wife as well." He cast a sideways glance at Inuyasha, "Your grandfather was not a young man. Not soon, he too wasted away to join his wife. Perhaps it was best that they did not know of her pregnancy."

The hanyou's face remained passive at this story, even though he could feel the tinges of guilt at the edge of his mind. "And what happened to the servants?"

"They stayed in the mansion, hoping that the young mistress would return, but she never did. Many became impatient, and left. However, that was not what had driven most of the people away."

He paused in his story.

"Well?" prompted Inuyasha.

Licking his lips, the old man continued, "You have heard of the legend of the garden, have you not?"

The half-demon nodded, ears straightening. "The one with the miko and all? Yeah."

He sighed. "Yes. Well, one day, when one of the maids was sweeping along side the stone wall, she chanced to glance upwards. She said that there had been an apparition of a most sad looking young maiden just above the wall. And when we asked her to describe how she looked, the maid said that it was the exact same person as the one portrayed there."

The senior pointed towards the painting. "That painting was created about 500 years ago. Its painter is not known, but the subject is almost certainly the miko of legend. Whether it really depicts a real person, is a mystery"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. So he had been right.

"The others became frightened, for they were superstitious people. Certain that Izayoi-sama would never return, they all packed their bags and left."

He stopped talking.

The hanyou blinked at Higurashi-san. "So why are you still here?"

He raised his chin. "I would never abandon my master's household. I would have waited for Izayoi-sama's return if-"

Inuyasha interrupted him, "You couldn't find another job, could you?"

The old man's head dropped dejectedly onto his chest. "No."

"Ah."

Inuyasha turned his attention back to painting. The maid had said that she had seen the miko on the garden wall. Whether she was to be believed, he didn't know. But one thing was certain-

He was now determined.

He would find a method to get into the garden.

One way or another.

He was going to crack this mystery.

Chapter Two…!

Thanks to all my lovely reviewers:

-- Clearwater-Faerie:

Toronto! Yay! (It ain't called Hog Town for nothing…--;;)

-- FieryDemonFox::

I got my inspiration from Maiden of the Moon's 'Fragment of Eternity' (read it if you haven't already!), and asked her permission to write this fic. (they're different- I swear!)-- Just needed affirmation… And my title did come from 'The Secret Garden', but since I read the book years ago, I have absolutely no clue how it goes anymore. I just liked the title. ;;

-- SarcasmGirl8:

Fans? I have fans? ;; That makes me so happy (regardless if it's true or not --;;)! Thanks for reviewing for this fic, and all your reviews for the oneshots!

-- Flaming-Rosetta-Stone:

Heh. Yeah. Thanx for your review, and your others for the other stories as well! Merci Beaucoup!

-- Ayu-tateishi:

Is this soon enough? -

-- kokoro:

I agree. Houjo is an idiot. A nice idiot… but an idiot none the less. ;;

Translation:

Katana - Sword/Blade

[As I am at a minor road block in Lock Down, I have been spending a bit more time on this one.

I'd bet my… er… horseshoe (horseshoe?) that some of you thought the person Inu bumped in would be Kags!

And the story is at that point where it can move the miko to either Kagome or Kikyou, notice the vague description? ::evil grin:: we'll just see what I have in store. But then I'd have to change the pairing… hnnn…

The shrine keeper was either going to be grandpa Higurashi or Toutousai. -- so this old man will be somewhat of a combo of the two. I don't know how I'm going to fit Sango, Miroku, Shippou, or Sesshoumaru in this fic, other than being extremely minor characters. Fluffy has served his purpose. But I do have roles for some of the other characters…

I just hope I can live up to expectations for this fic!

Well what do you know... quick edit has made my life a little easier...

Till next time… (I seem to have a habit of saying this…)

Ja!]