Chapter 6: Another Day
"Do you have a refrigerator somewhere?" asked Kagome.
She received a blank stare.
"I mean, is there an..." Kagome racked her brains, "an ice-box, or a place where food is stored?"
"You're asking me?" replied Sesshoumaru testily. "I don't come here unless I'm in dire need of drinks, and drinks only."
"Fine, fine," huffed Kagome. "Be unhelpful. I'm only thinking of Rin, you know."
And yourself, Sesshoumaru wanted to add, but decided against it. He hissed softly and pointed to a small alcove.
"The cellar's over there."
"Good." Kagome walked over and pulled up a rug. Underneath was a trapdoor, which led to a ladder heading down. "You first."
Sesshoumaru glanced at the ladder. He was already in this mess this far...
He leapt into the cellar below, landing softly on his feet. Kagome followed behind, climbing down.
"Ok, it's pitch black down here," complained Kagome. "Can you find rice and things we need?"
Sesshoumaru groaned quietly.
Two minutes later...
"Ok, you can start by washing the rice," Kagome said.
Sesshoumaru was too sick of the whole idea of cooking to argue – the faster he got over the jobs, the quicker he could leave.
How do servants and women stand it, he grumbled as he swirled the rice around a basin of water. The water wrinkles your skin, the rice scratches your hands and gets stuck in your fingernails.
Half an hour later...
"This is simple, but at least it's edible," said Kagome cheerfully as she set the last bowl on the table. "Tuck in, everyone."
Sesshoumaru glared at his bowl of food. The energy it took him to make it probably was more than the energy he would gain by eating it.
Somehow, between arguments and broken crockery, Sesshoumaru and Kagome had managed to scrape together a meal of sorts. They had been forced to attempt the rice twice – the first time, it got burned. As for the miso soup... Kagome thought that the amount of miso paste they wasted was enough to feed a starving village.
Rin sniffed her bowl. Rice in miso soup with seaweed and tofu strips – something she'd loved even before she came across Sesshoumaru. She started eating quickly, stopping occasionally to make small talk before eating more. Sesshoumaru listened with scant interest, and concentrated on his food instead. Because she tried to do both, Kagome was the last to finish.
When the last grain of rice was eaten, Kagome cleared her throat nervously and smiled. "Who's up for doing dishes?"
She quickly backed down at the look in Sesshoumaru's face.
"It was just a suggestion," she muttered.
"Let it stay a suggestion," said Sesshoumaru.
Kagome rolled her eyes.
"What are we going to do today?" asked Rin.
"You are going to practice your calligraphy," stated Sesshoumaru as though it were the most obvious thing on the planet. "You've secretly stopped practicing for the last two days – don't think I don't notice."
Rin pouted and stuck her bottom lip out slightly. When Sesshoumaru showed no sign of softening, she sighed exaggeratedly and went off to her room.
Sesshoumaru got off his feet. "I have to find that toad and get him to send the letters, which, by the way, got delayed because you insisted I help you cook breakfast."
"You just love stating the obvious, don't you?" asked Kagome with disguised amusement.
"You just love making obvious inferences, don't you?" he rejoined with equal mirth.
Sesshoumaru disappeared and Kagome didn't bother trying to find him. Instead, she managed to sit an energetic Rin down in her room to start writing out scores of characters. The characters started off neat, then became wobbly, then became an illegible scrawl until Kagome rolled her eyes and took over the brush herself.
Lunch was a very simple thing to make compared with breakfast. Rin cooperated and already knew everything about basic cooking, and had no trouble searching for ingredients. Once, while they were slicing vegetables, Sesshoumaru stuck his head through the kitchen, and promptly left, only to return in time for the food to be served. Kagome almost refused to let him eat but he artfully reminded her of her end of the bargain.
"I make breakfast, you take care of the rest, remember?" he asked.
After lunch, which was late by about two hours, Rin raced off to the edge of town to wait for Jaken to come home. (Isn't she sweet? He doesn't deserve it.) Sesshoumaru gave no explanation but Kagome spied him leaving the castle gates, moving swiftly across the grass.
So. She was home alone, in a place where she still got lost in sometimes. First thing she did, was to slip into her room and try on another kimono – she couldn't help it, they were so pretty.
After that, she knew just where she wanted to go, and what she would have to do to get there.
Kagome faced the staircase that led to the west wing and took a deep breath. She could break the barrier, she knew it, but she just needed to find out how.
She wasn't a trained miko; her knowledge of spells ranged from zero to nil.
Reaching out, she touched the air in front of her. Almost immediately, she felt an energy pulse pushing her back slightly.
Purify... purify! Kagome willed silently. If she couldn't shatter it with arrows or summon spells to break it... Well, damn it, she would purify it.
As soon as she started, a spherical bubble formed around the staircase and glowed blue. It crackled with energy and sparked dangerously. Starting from the place where Kagome's hand touched the barrier, the barrier glowed a pinkish-purple.
When the whole barrier was shining pink, it disappeared for a few moments, then, suddenly turned bright gold.
"O...k..." said Kagome slowly. She took a step towards the stairs. No force threw her back, and she ascended slowly.
Kagome smiled slowly – without the stupid barrier, she could do everything here and not get thrown out or put to sleep by the barrier.
"Library first," Kagome thought aloud. She slipped into the library and walked along the shelves, each labeled on its side with a golden plaque.
"Poetry... folk lore... family records... classics..." Kagome halted, and backtracked a few paces.
"Family records..." she marched down the aisle, looking at all the books.
"Let's leave History of Battle Victories for now... How about, Genealogy, Births and Deaths?" Kagome wondered, picking up the thick book and flipping through it quickly. It was half-filled, with more blank pages at the back.
Settling down on the floor crossed-legged, Kagome flipped around, scanning the pages, occasionally reading aloud.
(A/N: Italicized words are thoughts, italicized words inside speech marks are what Kagome reads from the books.)
"Silver Inu-youkai don't die of old age, they only die on battlefield or if someone murders them... Holy shit... I wonder how Sesshoumaru's dad died. Youkai birthdates don't really matter – age is not important, courage, intelligence and tactics are. The way they age is completely different from that of humans, how fast they age mainly depends on their power and ability. Lord... how old is Inuyasha?" wondered Kagome.
(Another A/N: I don't know what Inuyasha's dad's name it is. I know it's not Inutaisho, yet so many people on FF.Net use it, I'll stick with it for a while. And I have no clue about his wives' names... so anyways)
"Inutaisho... God... he was over a thousand five hundred years old when he died, about forty in human years. He had two wives, and two sons – first wife committed suicide – the second wife died soon after her husband's death. The eldest son, Sesshoumaru, was named heir by his father... Oh fuck, god it says he's over nine hundred years old, barely twenty in human years! Inuyasha... second son, never fit to rule with his hanyou status, but will act as regent for Sesshoumaru's heir in case of Sesshoumaru's death... Hey, I never knew Inuyasha was over five hundred years old! And around seventeen in human years..."
Kagome shut the book. All the family tree stuff was making her head hurt.
It was almost noon – Kagome replaced the book on the shelf. She would collect Rin from wherever she was and start on lunch.
She climbed down the stairs... Sesshoumaru was standing on the bottom landing. He turned around when he heard her footsteps, his expression absolutely livid.
"What did you do to the damned barrier?" he exploded. "It fucking locked me out!"
Re-setting the barrier to accommodate her and Sesshoumaru was a lot easier than calming him down.
After he had exhausted himself yelling at no one in particular, he had stormed off up the staircase. Sesshoumaru being the taiyoukai he was, did not tire very easily. Kagome was nearly deaf when he finished.
Jaken returned in time to dish out something for dinner, but only Rin ate something. Sesshoumaru seethed in his study while Kagome busied herself with nothing, careful to stay clear of Jaken and his accusing stares. Jaken, apparently, had went to wake up Rin, and had 'absentmindedly' stepped into Kagome's room, where he found her not there. He immediately jumped to the most unpleasant of all conclusions, except that he had no clue where Sesshoumaru was so he could burst in on them had they been doing anything too improper.
Kagome sighed. She still had to 'thank' Sesshoumaru. Some appreciation she was showing by locking him out of his own room.
How she longed for some company – even regular strangers, as long as they were moderately considerate, would do. The ice prince was in his I'm-a- regal-lord-touch-me-and-you-die mode, the loyal servant was in his you-are- a-slut attitude, and Rin was due in bed in a very short time. And if she couldn't find friends, at least she could leave the castle walls. They were driving her insane.
The sun dipped lower into the horizon. Quickly, Kagome slipped through the doors and out onto the front garden.
About ten yards away from the gate was a small but impressively built room, detached from the main castle. Kagome nearly registered it as a shack, but the look and décor of it made her think twice.
Oh well, mused Kagome, a peek inside wouldn't hurt.
Before she could approach it the door banged open, revealing Jaken leaving the room carrying a thin, lethal-looking dagger.
Ok, why was she always the last to learn everything?
After Jaken left and was a safe distance away, Kagome entered the room he left.
It was a perfectly square room, with nothing in it but weapons of every sort. Every weapon was in mint condition, gleaming in the light of the setting sun. Not even a drop of blood remained on any blade; not a scratch laid on any surface.
There was an impressive range of blades; more than two thirds of the weapons had blades of some sort. There were your common daggers, knives, spears and swords. Then there were more deadly blades, those that pulsed in their sheaths, glowed with evil auras or had to be held in chains lest they fly out at anyone. And there were the assassin blades, thin enough to be hidden up a sleeve and sharp enough to pierce through armor, as well as swords that worked as pairs. On all their adventures, the weapons Kagome had seen the demons brandish, all were hosted here. Even a Jakotsu-type blade, which unfolded into multiple blades, hung on the wall in a corner.
Staffs, magical fans, meteor hammers, whips and even a boomerang made up the rest of the inventory – including, of course, the bow and arrow. Kagome made for that one first; it was the only one she knew how to use.
Strapping the arrows securely to her back, Kagome grabbed the bow and exited. By this time, only the last rays of sunlight were struggling to remain overhead.
Sesshoumaru's palace sprawled gracefully on a hill. From there Kagome could see most of the surrounding land, and found that the closest village was parted from the castle with a small forest and river. Heading out the gates Kagome started moving towards it.
There was a bridge already built over the river, which Kagome crossed easily. A path had already been cleared in the forest – that, too, was easy to pass through. It took only a brisk fifteen minutes walk before she sighted the first few houses of the village.
Just as she was nearing the village she remembered that she hadn't brought any money with her.
To hell with that, thought Kagome, I've already come this far.
This wasn't just a village, it was more like a bustling town. The closer Kagome got, the more she heard vendors calling to sell their goods above the squalling of babies, chattering of girls and barking of dogs. Sometimes a donkey's trot or the loud brawling of men could be heard.
But she passed through the town gates an unnatural hush fell on the crowds. Stall vendors halted with bowls of noodles in their hands, babies hushed mid-cry and children gaped.
Kagome paused uncertainly. The silence was so loud Kagome could have heard ants crawling over leaves.
Then, in a thunderclap, everyone resumed their actions, talking loudly and unnaturally. Kagome got an uneasy feeling she was the new topic of their conversation, but headed on anyways.
Suddenly, a monk materialized before her. He looked similar to Miroku, with a rakish ponytail and a lecherous grin.
"Please, I have my orders from the High Priest to take you to the temple, Lady Miko," he said, smiling, and placing a hand on Kagome's arm as though he was going to guide her to the temple.
Kagome allowed herself to be steered in the direction of a massive walled temple. Meanwhile, the Miroku-like priest talked nonstop.
"You really are quite a rare sight in villages like this," he said. "No wonder the people started talking, and someone reported it to the High Priest. Our village may look busy," he explicated, "but most of the villagers are not rich. Your clothes, for one, stand out a mile." Kagome blushed slightly – she hadn't changed out of her kimono from earlier that day. "Also," he continued, "you are a pretty young thing. Your parents shouldn't let you wander around by yourself. Some villagers reported seeing you descend from Lord Sesshoumaru's castle, which makes you a topic of even more interest. And finally, when the High Priest was notified, he sensed your miko aura."
Kagome listened intently, and only her experience with Miroku allowed her to slap the monk's sneaking hand away from her rear in time.
He looked stung. "Normally, girls don't catch me in time."
"It's not you," laughed Kagome. "I have a friend, also a monk, who looks almost exactly like you, and has a problem. He can't keep his hands to himself. You'd think with all the slaps he's received he'd act more soberly, but he doesn't. So it's up to me and my other friend, Sango, to react fast to his little tricks."
"I see," he said thoughtfully. He seemed to ponder that fact for a little while, for a silence lapsed between the two as they walked.
"Here is it," the monk said as they reached the temple doors. A person was waiting by it.
"The High Priest cannot see you today," announced a novice monk, the one waiting by the doors. "He says the gods are somehow displeased and he must concentrate on regaining their favor. He also says that if the miko would be so kind as to stay for a short meal before returning on her journey, the gods might be a bit more appeased."
Kagome looked at him, slightly stupefied. This was a weird place – the High Priest had someone drag her to the temple, only to say he wasn't available. Then he asked her to stay for dinner, saying it would please the gods, but said she could be on her way after that.
But the Miroku-type guy was already dragging her along. He pulled her into a room with a low table and sat her down.
"The food will be here in a minute. So, tell me about yourself. How long have you been a miko? Where did you train and when did you make your debut?" he asked, pouring her a cup of tea from the tea set on the table.
Kagome pondered this for awhile. "I'm Kagome, and I'm not really a miko. I've never had any real training and I don't know any spells."
He frowned. "The High Priest said you were. Surely he wasn't mistaken."
"I'm sure he wasn't mistaken," Kagome quickly said.
"Yeah. Well, I've been here since my parents died, about thirteen years ago. The High Priest took me in. I finally finished my training around last month. Blame the lecherous hand," he said sheepishly, holding out his hand. "It wouldn't stop chasing the girls."
I wonder how long it took Miroku, Kagome thought. If I'm correct, he probably took millennia – I have to ask him.
A young monk brought in a few dishes. Kagome barely ate, but was careful not to offend anyone by eating too little.
When she left, it was dark, and the monks gave her a lantern to go back with.
That was something, reflected Kagome. Even if the villagers were wary and the monks strange, at least it was human company other than Rin. Besides, now she had explored a small part of Sesshoumaru's domain.
Kagome sighed, and headed back to the castle.
(A/N:) I posted this one so soon after Chapter 5 because I'll be away on a short class trip, about 4 days, until the 4th of June. So bear with me, I'll post Chapter 7 soon, maybe Friday or Saturday.
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"Do you have a refrigerator somewhere?" asked Kagome.
She received a blank stare.
"I mean, is there an..." Kagome racked her brains, "an ice-box, or a place where food is stored?"
"You're asking me?" replied Sesshoumaru testily. "I don't come here unless I'm in dire need of drinks, and drinks only."
"Fine, fine," huffed Kagome. "Be unhelpful. I'm only thinking of Rin, you know."
And yourself, Sesshoumaru wanted to add, but decided against it. He hissed softly and pointed to a small alcove.
"The cellar's over there."
"Good." Kagome walked over and pulled up a rug. Underneath was a trapdoor, which led to a ladder heading down. "You first."
Sesshoumaru glanced at the ladder. He was already in this mess this far...
He leapt into the cellar below, landing softly on his feet. Kagome followed behind, climbing down.
"Ok, it's pitch black down here," complained Kagome. "Can you find rice and things we need?"
Sesshoumaru groaned quietly.
Two minutes later...
"Ok, you can start by washing the rice," Kagome said.
Sesshoumaru was too sick of the whole idea of cooking to argue – the faster he got over the jobs, the quicker he could leave.
How do servants and women stand it, he grumbled as he swirled the rice around a basin of water. The water wrinkles your skin, the rice scratches your hands and gets stuck in your fingernails.
Half an hour later...
"This is simple, but at least it's edible," said Kagome cheerfully as she set the last bowl on the table. "Tuck in, everyone."
Sesshoumaru glared at his bowl of food. The energy it took him to make it probably was more than the energy he would gain by eating it.
Somehow, between arguments and broken crockery, Sesshoumaru and Kagome had managed to scrape together a meal of sorts. They had been forced to attempt the rice twice – the first time, it got burned. As for the miso soup... Kagome thought that the amount of miso paste they wasted was enough to feed a starving village.
Rin sniffed her bowl. Rice in miso soup with seaweed and tofu strips – something she'd loved even before she came across Sesshoumaru. She started eating quickly, stopping occasionally to make small talk before eating more. Sesshoumaru listened with scant interest, and concentrated on his food instead. Because she tried to do both, Kagome was the last to finish.
When the last grain of rice was eaten, Kagome cleared her throat nervously and smiled. "Who's up for doing dishes?"
She quickly backed down at the look in Sesshoumaru's face.
"It was just a suggestion," she muttered.
"Let it stay a suggestion," said Sesshoumaru.
Kagome rolled her eyes.
"What are we going to do today?" asked Rin.
"You are going to practice your calligraphy," stated Sesshoumaru as though it were the most obvious thing on the planet. "You've secretly stopped practicing for the last two days – don't think I don't notice."
Rin pouted and stuck her bottom lip out slightly. When Sesshoumaru showed no sign of softening, she sighed exaggeratedly and went off to her room.
Sesshoumaru got off his feet. "I have to find that toad and get him to send the letters, which, by the way, got delayed because you insisted I help you cook breakfast."
"You just love stating the obvious, don't you?" asked Kagome with disguised amusement.
"You just love making obvious inferences, don't you?" he rejoined with equal mirth.
Sesshoumaru disappeared and Kagome didn't bother trying to find him. Instead, she managed to sit an energetic Rin down in her room to start writing out scores of characters. The characters started off neat, then became wobbly, then became an illegible scrawl until Kagome rolled her eyes and took over the brush herself.
Lunch was a very simple thing to make compared with breakfast. Rin cooperated and already knew everything about basic cooking, and had no trouble searching for ingredients. Once, while they were slicing vegetables, Sesshoumaru stuck his head through the kitchen, and promptly left, only to return in time for the food to be served. Kagome almost refused to let him eat but he artfully reminded her of her end of the bargain.
"I make breakfast, you take care of the rest, remember?" he asked.
After lunch, which was late by about two hours, Rin raced off to the edge of town to wait for Jaken to come home. (Isn't she sweet? He doesn't deserve it.) Sesshoumaru gave no explanation but Kagome spied him leaving the castle gates, moving swiftly across the grass.
So. She was home alone, in a place where she still got lost in sometimes. First thing she did, was to slip into her room and try on another kimono – she couldn't help it, they were so pretty.
After that, she knew just where she wanted to go, and what she would have to do to get there.
Kagome faced the staircase that led to the west wing and took a deep breath. She could break the barrier, she knew it, but she just needed to find out how.
She wasn't a trained miko; her knowledge of spells ranged from zero to nil.
Reaching out, she touched the air in front of her. Almost immediately, she felt an energy pulse pushing her back slightly.
Purify... purify! Kagome willed silently. If she couldn't shatter it with arrows or summon spells to break it... Well, damn it, she would purify it.
As soon as she started, a spherical bubble formed around the staircase and glowed blue. It crackled with energy and sparked dangerously. Starting from the place where Kagome's hand touched the barrier, the barrier glowed a pinkish-purple.
When the whole barrier was shining pink, it disappeared for a few moments, then, suddenly turned bright gold.
"O...k..." said Kagome slowly. She took a step towards the stairs. No force threw her back, and she ascended slowly.
Kagome smiled slowly – without the stupid barrier, she could do everything here and not get thrown out or put to sleep by the barrier.
"Library first," Kagome thought aloud. She slipped into the library and walked along the shelves, each labeled on its side with a golden plaque.
"Poetry... folk lore... family records... classics..." Kagome halted, and backtracked a few paces.
"Family records..." she marched down the aisle, looking at all the books.
"Let's leave History of Battle Victories for now... How about, Genealogy, Births and Deaths?" Kagome wondered, picking up the thick book and flipping through it quickly. It was half-filled, with more blank pages at the back.
Settling down on the floor crossed-legged, Kagome flipped around, scanning the pages, occasionally reading aloud.
(A/N: Italicized words are thoughts, italicized words inside speech marks are what Kagome reads from the books.)
"Silver Inu-youkai don't die of old age, they only die on battlefield or if someone murders them... Holy shit... I wonder how Sesshoumaru's dad died. Youkai birthdates don't really matter – age is not important, courage, intelligence and tactics are. The way they age is completely different from that of humans, how fast they age mainly depends on their power and ability. Lord... how old is Inuyasha?" wondered Kagome.
(Another A/N: I don't know what Inuyasha's dad's name it is. I know it's not Inutaisho, yet so many people on FF.Net use it, I'll stick with it for a while. And I have no clue about his wives' names... so anyways)
"Inutaisho... God... he was over a thousand five hundred years old when he died, about forty in human years. He had two wives, and two sons – first wife committed suicide – the second wife died soon after her husband's death. The eldest son, Sesshoumaru, was named heir by his father... Oh fuck, god it says he's over nine hundred years old, barely twenty in human years! Inuyasha... second son, never fit to rule with his hanyou status, but will act as regent for Sesshoumaru's heir in case of Sesshoumaru's death... Hey, I never knew Inuyasha was over five hundred years old! And around seventeen in human years..."
Kagome shut the book. All the family tree stuff was making her head hurt.
It was almost noon – Kagome replaced the book on the shelf. She would collect Rin from wherever she was and start on lunch.
She climbed down the stairs... Sesshoumaru was standing on the bottom landing. He turned around when he heard her footsteps, his expression absolutely livid.
"What did you do to the damned barrier?" he exploded. "It fucking locked me out!"
Re-setting the barrier to accommodate her and Sesshoumaru was a lot easier than calming him down.
After he had exhausted himself yelling at no one in particular, he had stormed off up the staircase. Sesshoumaru being the taiyoukai he was, did not tire very easily. Kagome was nearly deaf when he finished.
Jaken returned in time to dish out something for dinner, but only Rin ate something. Sesshoumaru seethed in his study while Kagome busied herself with nothing, careful to stay clear of Jaken and his accusing stares. Jaken, apparently, had went to wake up Rin, and had 'absentmindedly' stepped into Kagome's room, where he found her not there. He immediately jumped to the most unpleasant of all conclusions, except that he had no clue where Sesshoumaru was so he could burst in on them had they been doing anything too improper.
Kagome sighed. She still had to 'thank' Sesshoumaru. Some appreciation she was showing by locking him out of his own room.
How she longed for some company – even regular strangers, as long as they were moderately considerate, would do. The ice prince was in his I'm-a- regal-lord-touch-me-and-you-die mode, the loyal servant was in his you-are- a-slut attitude, and Rin was due in bed in a very short time. And if she couldn't find friends, at least she could leave the castle walls. They were driving her insane.
The sun dipped lower into the horizon. Quickly, Kagome slipped through the doors and out onto the front garden.
About ten yards away from the gate was a small but impressively built room, detached from the main castle. Kagome nearly registered it as a shack, but the look and décor of it made her think twice.
Oh well, mused Kagome, a peek inside wouldn't hurt.
Before she could approach it the door banged open, revealing Jaken leaving the room carrying a thin, lethal-looking dagger.
Ok, why was she always the last to learn everything?
After Jaken left and was a safe distance away, Kagome entered the room he left.
It was a perfectly square room, with nothing in it but weapons of every sort. Every weapon was in mint condition, gleaming in the light of the setting sun. Not even a drop of blood remained on any blade; not a scratch laid on any surface.
There was an impressive range of blades; more than two thirds of the weapons had blades of some sort. There were your common daggers, knives, spears and swords. Then there were more deadly blades, those that pulsed in their sheaths, glowed with evil auras or had to be held in chains lest they fly out at anyone. And there were the assassin blades, thin enough to be hidden up a sleeve and sharp enough to pierce through armor, as well as swords that worked as pairs. On all their adventures, the weapons Kagome had seen the demons brandish, all were hosted here. Even a Jakotsu-type blade, which unfolded into multiple blades, hung on the wall in a corner.
Staffs, magical fans, meteor hammers, whips and even a boomerang made up the rest of the inventory – including, of course, the bow and arrow. Kagome made for that one first; it was the only one she knew how to use.
Strapping the arrows securely to her back, Kagome grabbed the bow and exited. By this time, only the last rays of sunlight were struggling to remain overhead.
Sesshoumaru's palace sprawled gracefully on a hill. From there Kagome could see most of the surrounding land, and found that the closest village was parted from the castle with a small forest and river. Heading out the gates Kagome started moving towards it.
There was a bridge already built over the river, which Kagome crossed easily. A path had already been cleared in the forest – that, too, was easy to pass through. It took only a brisk fifteen minutes walk before she sighted the first few houses of the village.
Just as she was nearing the village she remembered that she hadn't brought any money with her.
To hell with that, thought Kagome, I've already come this far.
This wasn't just a village, it was more like a bustling town. The closer Kagome got, the more she heard vendors calling to sell their goods above the squalling of babies, chattering of girls and barking of dogs. Sometimes a donkey's trot or the loud brawling of men could be heard.
But she passed through the town gates an unnatural hush fell on the crowds. Stall vendors halted with bowls of noodles in their hands, babies hushed mid-cry and children gaped.
Kagome paused uncertainly. The silence was so loud Kagome could have heard ants crawling over leaves.
Then, in a thunderclap, everyone resumed their actions, talking loudly and unnaturally. Kagome got an uneasy feeling she was the new topic of their conversation, but headed on anyways.
Suddenly, a monk materialized before her. He looked similar to Miroku, with a rakish ponytail and a lecherous grin.
"Please, I have my orders from the High Priest to take you to the temple, Lady Miko," he said, smiling, and placing a hand on Kagome's arm as though he was going to guide her to the temple.
Kagome allowed herself to be steered in the direction of a massive walled temple. Meanwhile, the Miroku-like priest talked nonstop.
"You really are quite a rare sight in villages like this," he said. "No wonder the people started talking, and someone reported it to the High Priest. Our village may look busy," he explicated, "but most of the villagers are not rich. Your clothes, for one, stand out a mile." Kagome blushed slightly – she hadn't changed out of her kimono from earlier that day. "Also," he continued, "you are a pretty young thing. Your parents shouldn't let you wander around by yourself. Some villagers reported seeing you descend from Lord Sesshoumaru's castle, which makes you a topic of even more interest. And finally, when the High Priest was notified, he sensed your miko aura."
Kagome listened intently, and only her experience with Miroku allowed her to slap the monk's sneaking hand away from her rear in time.
He looked stung. "Normally, girls don't catch me in time."
"It's not you," laughed Kagome. "I have a friend, also a monk, who looks almost exactly like you, and has a problem. He can't keep his hands to himself. You'd think with all the slaps he's received he'd act more soberly, but he doesn't. So it's up to me and my other friend, Sango, to react fast to his little tricks."
"I see," he said thoughtfully. He seemed to ponder that fact for a little while, for a silence lapsed between the two as they walked.
"Here is it," the monk said as they reached the temple doors. A person was waiting by it.
"The High Priest cannot see you today," announced a novice monk, the one waiting by the doors. "He says the gods are somehow displeased and he must concentrate on regaining their favor. He also says that if the miko would be so kind as to stay for a short meal before returning on her journey, the gods might be a bit more appeased."
Kagome looked at him, slightly stupefied. This was a weird place – the High Priest had someone drag her to the temple, only to say he wasn't available. Then he asked her to stay for dinner, saying it would please the gods, but said she could be on her way after that.
But the Miroku-type guy was already dragging her along. He pulled her into a room with a low table and sat her down.
"The food will be here in a minute. So, tell me about yourself. How long have you been a miko? Where did you train and when did you make your debut?" he asked, pouring her a cup of tea from the tea set on the table.
Kagome pondered this for awhile. "I'm Kagome, and I'm not really a miko. I've never had any real training and I don't know any spells."
He frowned. "The High Priest said you were. Surely he wasn't mistaken."
"I'm sure he wasn't mistaken," Kagome quickly said.
"Yeah. Well, I've been here since my parents died, about thirteen years ago. The High Priest took me in. I finally finished my training around last month. Blame the lecherous hand," he said sheepishly, holding out his hand. "It wouldn't stop chasing the girls."
I wonder how long it took Miroku, Kagome thought. If I'm correct, he probably took millennia – I have to ask him.
A young monk brought in a few dishes. Kagome barely ate, but was careful not to offend anyone by eating too little.
When she left, it was dark, and the monks gave her a lantern to go back with.
That was something, reflected Kagome. Even if the villagers were wary and the monks strange, at least it was human company other than Rin. Besides, now she had explored a small part of Sesshoumaru's domain.
Kagome sighed, and headed back to the castle.
(A/N:) I posted this one so soon after Chapter 5 because I'll be away on a short class trip, about 4 days, until the 4th of June. So bear with me, I'll post Chapter 7 soon, maybe Friday or Saturday.
Review Responses:
RoguesHeart: Thanks. Reviewers like you make me feel all fuzzy inside... grin
Kyoko992: Yeah, but they've only known each other for a little while don't you think that it would take a while for that to happen? Anyways, it'll happen soon. At least, that's what I plan.
PyslightlySycoh: Catch me if you can! ducks a hammer (Unfortunately a trail of Pocky crumbs gives the author away...)
unknown: Yes, someone did, (glares at the person). I never knew writing was such a dangerous business.
aldariel: Yea, I like that part too.
Angelbratt, demonswty, DeniseD, zeddy222, sataness-ov-desire, dang fergot my username, Pixy-Misa-Misao-Amano: Thanks for the review, I'll update as soon as possible.