Sorry I haven't been posting... my stupid internet crashed.

Chapter 3: The West Wing

Kagome stumbled up the stairs, clinging onto the banister for support. As she struggled up the steps she cursed her ankle in her head.

God damn it, Kagome thought angrily. These stairs aren't even steep, but I can't climb up them. Next time I try to act the savior of a helpless little girl I'll make sure my ankle doesn't get wounded in the process.

Inching forward slowly, Kagome grimaced as her foot made contact with the unyielding marble floor. The hard surface proved no comfort and all of a sudden, a sharp pain raced up Kagome's foot.

The shock of it made her let go of the banister. Instantly, as though a force pushed her away, Kagome flew from the stairs and landed on her rear on the floor below.

"Ok, what the hell is your problem?" screamed Kagome to the silent staircase. "Why does everyone hate me? And what do you have against me?" Kagome ignored how much her butt hurt and got up. In a fit of temper she kicked the bottom step hard, but regretted it when it only hurt her more.

Kagome glared at the steps and started climbing again. This time, the climb seemed much easier, as though the steps were meekly helping her after her angry tirade against them.

At the top of the stairs, a sliding double door greeted her. Pushing it aside, Kagome walked into yet another room. But it wasn't just 'another room'. Something about this one was different. It was obviously a study of sorts. A detailed, panoramic view of Japan was sprawled across one wall, a mural. A collection of swords adorned another wall. In front of another one of those dreaded costly screens was a writing table, with a silk floor cushion behind the table. Stationery, the finest, no doubt, neatly stood on the table. To a corner was a koto; next to it was a chessboard.

Another sliding door behind the screen led to a small square room, from which three doors branched of. Kagome chose the one to her left and went through it.

The sight astounded her. Rows and rows of shelves were lined neatly with books. The library of the Western Lord – Kagome walked down the rows. This library held everything. Classics, war strategies, how-to books, records, even humor and romance; new books, old books, books smelling like roses, books with a slightly musty scent.

Another day, decided Kagome, I'll ransack this library.

She was back in the three-door room. This time, she picked the door opposite from the very first door.

It was obviously a lady's room. The air was laced with the fading scent of perfume, powder and flowers. Pomade and soap lined a dresser. Not a speck of dust lay anywhere, as though someone still lived in the room. The silk of the futon was dyed a shade of feminine lavender, with butterflies neatly stitched onto it. Kagome stopped herself from chuckling softly at the thought of this being Sesshoumaru's room.

There would be another time for Kagome to further explore this room. Back inside the three-door room, she slid aside the last door and slipped inside.

This was by far the most interesting room so far. It was a bedroom, and it certainly was the largest she'd seen. Ignoring her piercing headache, Kagome surveyed the area like a skilled interior designer would, and noted obvious differences. At any rate, it was the first room she'd ever seen to have a futon with a black silk comforter. And though the furnishings were equally grand as the ones in the other rooms, this room had a regal feel to it that sent shivers down Kagome's spine. Also, there was something about this room... it seemed to drain the energy out of her, leaving her weaker than she already was.

Colors whirled around her; she was so tired...

Without meaning to, Kagome sank to her knees, wrenching her ankle again, and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Kagome opened her eyes groggily. The space above her was a blur. After awhile, everything slowly came back to her – she had been exploring, but in this room she had felt tired... The rest was a blank.

Her vision was clearing now. Two bright candles shone above her.

Wait, thought Kagome, snapping into real life, there weren't any candles when I first came. As everything snapped back into focus the candles disappeared. In their place, two golden eyes stared coolly at her from above.

A few minutes ago...

Sesshoumaru walked into the west wing, where no human or servant had ever set foot. It wasn't that he ordered Rin and Jaken to stay out. They were kept out, by a barrier that had appeared around the west wing. Sesshoumaru's father had not erected the barrier, but found it interesting and refused to try to remove it though Inuyasha's mother had sorely protested. Instead, Sesshoumaru's father figured out a spell to weaken the barrier slightly, but never totally destroyed it.

He was bone tired from their taiyoukai meeting. He didn't even know why he bothered to attend. After all, he was the strongest lord and nobody could afford to cross him. But he had chose to go. The Eastern Lord had given a long, drawn-out speech about the threat of Naraku, while the other lords trembled beneath their armor and hung on to his every word.

Sesshoumaru couldn't have cared less. Naraku was a simple sneaky hanyou with too many ambitions. Naraku wasn't a threat to him at all. Of course, Sesshoumaru grumbled, the Eastern Lord would worry. The Eastern Lord was a little cowardly puppet. The most valuable thing he held was his title – everything else was controlled by his wife and mother. A true definition of a 'henpecked husband' would be the Eastern Lord.

Pathetic lord, thought Sesshoumaru in disgust. He kept away from women, though they were always after him like the wind. It seemed that, to women, there was nothing better than being the mistress of a taiyoukai, except being the mistress of a rich, handsome taiyoukai, to which Sesshoumaru fit the bill exactly. Some even set their sights on being his wife, but he had turned down all their offers.

The moment his father had died, women had run after Sesshoumaru like he was the last man available on earth. Many had claimed to love him, and had offered their bodies to him willingly. He had accepted their offers of love, but had not given anything in return. The only thing, thought Sesshoumaru wryly, that I can credit those women for is teaching me the art of bedchamber. And for teaching me that women can be more vengeful, dangerous, and greedy than any known creature.

His deft fingers fumbled with the joints and clasps of his armor, picking them loose. Dropping his armor onto the ground with a loud crash, Sesshoumaru sighed and moved towards his room. He only allowed himself to show his emotions in the privacy of the west wing, where he could be certain no jealous woman or half-crazed Jakens could see his thoughts and emotions.

There were a billion things he had to do – host a dinner/conference for the other taiyoukais, survey some new land he had acquired and see what new scheme Naraku had come up with. He needed to talk to Kagome, and send her back to his stupid half-brother's group when she was recovered. The responsibilities piled up one by one, when all Sesshoumaru wanted to do was take a soak in the hot springs and sleep.

His mind might have been overflowing with all the tasks he had to complete; yet he held himself upright and move with dignified steps. His father had taught him well. Sesshoumaru hated the fake behavior he had to adopt as a taiyoukai. When others spoke he pretended to pay attention, he graciously – well, as graciously as he could and would – turned down offers of concubines, and pretended to be concerned for the good of the whole Japan. Sometimes, Sesshoumaru barely resisted the urge to laugh in the other lords' faces, to tell them that he cared for his lands and nothing else.

There was no room for complaint at all the work he had to put up with. His father had spoken clearly to him before he had died. Either Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha would become the taiyoukai, depending on who was willing to shoulder the responsibility. Sesshoumaru had the honor of choosing first, since he was the oldest. Seeing as there was no way in hell he would let Inuyasha become the taiyoukai, he had agreed to take his father's place.

So he was now the Lord of the Western Lands. Damned title and all the responsibilities that come with it, growled Sesshoumaru. He resisted kicking his bedroom door in and jerked it open instead. On the floor lay a drained Kagome.

"Oh god, just what I need," grumbled Sesshoumaru, scowling slightly, before his emotionless mask came back on. He closed his eyes and chanted a spell softly. The barrier around the western wing weakened slightly. Within two minutes, Kagome was stirring.

As soon as she saw him and sat up dazedly, he asked, "How did you get in here?"

"I'm tired," Kagome said, not answering his question.

"Undoubtedly," intoned Sesshoumaru. "Most people wouldn't even have gotten up the staircase. How did you break the barrier surrounding the it?"

"There's a barrier?" she sounded genuinely puzzled. No wonder it took so damned long to climb up, she thought.

Sesshoumaru was so surprised, that he allowed himself to arch a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Of course there's a barrier. And only the most powerful people can break it."

"I really didn't know... I just walked right in."

Sesshoumaru could sense she was telling the truth, but she was saying something that totally contradicted the traditions of his family. The barrier would automatically repel one without youkai blood. But she had entered without evidence of too much of a struggle.

"So, what's this barrier thing about, anyways?" asked Kagome. "You seemed so worked up all about it."

Without meaning to, Sesshoumaru found himself answering. "Ever since this castle was built, the west wing has had a barrier around it. It repels all people not in the Inu-youkai family. Even loyal servants like Jaken or innocent people like Rin can't get through. Inuyasha's Red Tetsusaiga would be useless for trying to break the barrier, too."

"Oh."

"Exactly. How did you get through?"

"I'm sure the answer will come up somewhere. I should be going now; I promised Rin I'd have dinner with her," Kagome said, heaving herself off the ground. Then, blushing slightly, she murmured, "Could you take me to my room? I got lost, that's why I ended up here in the first place."

"Of course," Sesshoumaru said, "We wouldn't want any girl running around lost or fainting on the grounds, would we?" he asked as he started for the door.

Kagome stared at his retreating back. "Wait a minute," she shouted, limping after him, "was that supposed to be a joke? Or some attempt at conversation?" Icy Sesshoumaru was being sarcastically humorous? If it was a joke, it was certainly the lamest she'd ever heard, but still, it was a joke.

"This Sesshoumaru does not make jokes." The icy façade was back.

"Whatever." Kagome followed him out.

Kagome, once again, lost track of all the rooms she was taken by. Sesshoumaru moved at a fast pace, but walked slow enough for her to follow along. The only sound in the vast castle came from their footsteps.

"So how do you keep this place neat anyways?" asked Kagome out of curiosity. "I mean, this place is so huge, surely Jaken doesn't manage all by himself. How do you keep it clean? I haven't seen any servants. Surely a place like this should have hundreds."

There was silence from the front for a few moments. Then, not looking back or slowing his pace, Sesshoumaru replied. "Of course there are servants. You don't expect Rin or I to do the housework, do you? You just don't see the servants. Nor, for that matter, do I. If I see anyone, walking in this palace, other than Jaken, Rin, or guests, and in this case, you, I will kill them."

Kagome halted in her tracks so abruptly that she nearly fell over.

"You kill people that work for you?"

"Why not?" he said coolly, "I pay them well. They know they should keep out of my sight – it's the same with all the other taiyoukais. Besides, I can still sense them."

Seeing her skeptical look, he added, "Stretch out your hand to your left." Kagome gingerly felt the air around her. But instead of emptiness, she hit into something hard.

A middle-aged youkai materialized next to her. Kagome gasped and swerved away, hitting the wall and smashing a vase.

Not seeing Sesshoumaru, the servant's eyes flashed and she barked, "How dare you? You made me lose my invisibility spell! And you broke a vase. Wait till I tell Jaken-sama, and you'll be done for. And whoever said you could go around wearing such nice kimonos? Only servants of the sixth class and above can wear them. You must be new. Obviously, you need some teaching." She reached out and pulled Kagome's earring off, ripping her tender flesh. "I'll be keeping this. Don't give yourself airs – even Rin doesn't. You have no right to."

Kagome could have lashed out at her, but seeing Sesshoumaru watching the whole scene quietly, decided against it. She was only a guest in his home, and had no right to try bossing his servants. At any rate, she was still feeling slightly dizzy and in no shape to start a catfight. But the unfairness of it all made tears well in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

The youkai wasn't finished. "You owe me one for not raising the alarm right now and sending Jaken-sama scurrying. Just you wait-"

"She owes you nothing," Sesshoumaru said icily; so icily, that the servant froze.

"S... s...Sesshoumaru-sama?" she squeaked.

Rin ate with a relish, but without sound. Kagome picked at her food. Their silence was made up for the yells coming from the kitchens.

Sesshoumaru, very wisely, had retreated to the west wing. Kagome cringed for the servant they had come across earlier. Jaken, on being summoned by Sesshoumaru, had come scurrying. One look at the scene told him everything and he had dragged the servant off the kitchens. Fifteen minutes later, the castle was still vibrating with Jaken's shrieks and curses.

"You don't have to feel so bad," said Rin as she noticed Kagome's still- full bowl of food. "It's customary for Jaken-sama to yell at the servants. If he can't please Sesshoumaru-sama, he takes it out on the servants. Many times servants have gotten into trouble because of me. If I were to stop eating every time that happened, I'd be dead by now."

"I see." Kagome picked up her chopsticks and selected a piece of sashimi. All of a sudden, she felt hungry. In between mouthfuls she listened to Rin's excited chatter about life with Sesshoumaru and Jaken.

"So, will you teach me stuff like reading and writing and sewing and music and tea ceremony and flower arrangement and dance and-" Rin stopped to gasp for air.

Kagome gulped. Her school offered basic courses in such skills but she was only a beginner. "Uh... I'll teach what I can, but no promises. I'm not all that great at some of those things myself."

"Oh, can we start tonight? I was thinking of maybe..." Rin was still full of excitement and energy while Kagome felt like sinking into a futon and never rising.

"Um... Rin, I'll teach you... um..." Kagome thought hard. "Flower arrangements tomorrow. We can go to the fields and pick flowers in the morning. Tonight, let's just take a bath and go to bed, okay? I'll wash your hair for you if you want."

"Great!" Rin said. She was probably going on nine or ten, but her bubbly innocence was still very apparent. Seeing Kagome was finished, she said, "Just leave the dishes here. Someone will clear up."

Rin led the way out of the dining room. This time, Kagome more or less remembered the way she was brought from the dining room to the baths. "The guests' baths are in the east wing too, next to the corridor where all the bedrooms are," explained Rin. She pulled open a shoji-screen door. "This is my favorite bathroom. I don't know why; it just is."

Kagome stepped inside and glanced around. Instead of the regular wooden tubs she'd expected, there was a rectangular pool, about ten by twenty meters. Candles with flickering flames lit surrounded the entire pool. Translucent silver and purple silk curtains hung around the pool, screening it off. Through the curtains Kagome could see faint streams of steam floating off from the surface of the water.

While they undressed, Rin talked nonstop. "The hot water is pumped directly from the hot springs. The hot springs are in the back of the castle. I go there sometimes, but I prefer it here."

Drawing aside the curtain, Kagome resisted jumping into the tempting water. Instead, with a white towel wrapped around her body, she waited for Rin to go over to a shelf next to the pool. From the shelf Rin took a bottle with a colorless liquid in it. She tipped the entire contents into the water. Almost immediately, a relaxing scent of roses pervaded the room.

"This way first," said Rin and guided Kagome behind a screen. A tub of pleasantly warm water was ready and waiting. With creamy soap from a jar next to the water, they quickly soaped off and rinsed.

Seeing Rin shivering slightly, Kagome asked, "I know this breaks the proper rules of traditional Japanese baths, but do you want me to wash your hair in the water? It's a bit cold out here."

"Y... yeah... thank you," chattered Rin.

Sliding into the water, Kagome stiffened as the hot water clung to her flesh, then relaxed and allowed herself to get used to it. Every ache and fear seemed to get boiled away by the heat of the water, and Kagome relished her moments in the water. She would have fallen asleep had she not suddenly remembered that she had promised Rin to wash her hair for her.

"Come here, Rin-chan," said Kagome. Kagome found some hair treatment in a jar that looked like clear pink shampoo, smelled like Herbal Essences, and just about felt like shampoo in general. Carefully scooping into her hands a fair amount, Kagome gently lathered the shampoo into Rin's hair.

"Your hair's so soft," said Kagome enviously.

"But it isn't long like yours," replied Rin with equal longing.

"There you go," Kagome said, giving Rin's hair a final wash. Quickly, she washed her own hair. Rin was already making plans for the next day, and Kagome tried listening while not falling asleep from exhaustion. When they were done, Kagome found thin silk yukatas conveniently folded on a table for their use. One was smaller, and a pale blue, which Rin snatched eagerly. The other was an adult-sized yukata, white, with purple edges. Slipping it on, she picked up the kimono she had worn to fold it neatly when Rin told her to leave it for the servants.

"That was fun, wasn't it," asked Rin. "We should do it again." "Agreed," said Kagome, adding, in her head, when I'm not so tired.

Sliding open the door, Kagome was about to step out when she bumped into Sesshoumaru.

(A/N: Who wants Sesshoumaru to eye Kagome and have it ending up with both of them kissing? Lol... I'll be evil and save that scene for later...)

"Rin. Bedtime," stated Sesshoumaru. This seemed to be something they did every night – instead of her usual playful objections Rin simply smiled; bowing semi-deeply to both of them, she headed off to her room.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the sudden obedience.

"Can I assist you in any way?" he asked, noticing her look.

"No. How long have you been out here?" she asked, blushing.

"Not long enough for me to do what you thought I did." I.e. peek, he thought, grinning softly.

Kagome's defensive mode kicked into place. "I – I never suggested anything!" she protested. Like she cared about what Sesshoumaru saw while he was out there – the taiyoukai couldn't see anything through the gauzy bath curtains anyways. At least, she hoped not.

"Humans wear their emotions like they would a thin yukata on a wintry night. You, especially, do that. Take my advice, put on a cloak or two. Make your emotions and thoughts less readable. It shames me to try and decipher your thoughts, since you lay them so open to me," stated Sesshoumaru.

His words sounded like an affront to Kagome, but his tone boded no hostility. In fact, it bode nothing at all, except a small tinge of scornful amusement. A blush crept across her body like wildfire, turning her creamy skin into the color of rose blooms. "I'm sorry," she murmured, taking a step towards the direction of the bedrooms. "I'll try my best. Goodnight, Sesshoumaru- sama."

She forgot to bow, thought Sesshoumaru. He would have killed anyone of his servants on the spot had they forgotten, but Kagome was more than a servant. And Sesshoumaru couldn't even bring himself to be angry at her.

Damn I am getting soft.

Damn, damn, damn.

Mx2mnm – Yuppz... I just hate when people leave stories hanging. Anyways, I hope you're not too mad for the delay.

Pink Sakura – Lol... You predicted well about the stairs.

robin's-hope – Really? Me too... so I tried this. It's actually my first Sess/Kag. And no, don't bother reviewing more than once.

Nikki Lady of the Western Lands – Thanks!

The Great Susinko – You assumed correctly.

Aeris - Wow... nobody's ever paid me that many compliments. munches on Pocky

I do not own any of the above characters.

Lemon in later chapters...

Reviews are loved...

Thanks for reading, C.T.