And teeeell me that we belong together! Dress it up with the trappings of love. I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above…
*****
Gossamer Dreams
Part 7
*****
"I do not want to be here." The girl standing beside his bed looked utterly terrified when he stared at her eyes and read the emotions so clearly displayed there, but to her credit, she did not tremble a bit. "I think you know that."
"Then we are in agreement." Sesshoumaru nodded formally to her and moved to stand next to her. They both turned and stared at the bed. It was just sitting there, mocking them with its size and its emptiness. He had never found it such a worrisome thing before, but in that moment, Sesshoumaru did not want his bed to exist. He did not want to exist. "We have a small problem here."
"I agree." She was looking at the bed as well, her brow furrowed slightly as she obviously tried to come up with some brilliant solution. "Well, it is rather large. I assume your mother will check on us?"
"Naturally." He confirmed, and Kagura made a sound that was suspiciously like laughter. She had seemed very skittish on the few occasions when they had met before the wedding, and now they were finally getting to know each other. It was nice to know that at least she did not mind that he wanted nothing to do with her, as she could have wished the same thing in his respect.
"I would expect no less from that horrid woman." Kagura's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide, but Sesshoumaru smiled at her reassuringly. "I…spoke too soon?"
"Not at all." He told her. "I know that you have not seen her very much, but what you see in her is the truth. She is rotten to the very core of her black heart. It is a horrible thing, having parents of this sort."
"How is your father?" she asked. "I have yet to be introduced to the Emperor, honestly. I think your mother and that man were in such a hurry to see us pushed together that they could have cared less for the formalities of the thing."
"He is a kind man, though he is too busy for even his own son." Sesshoumaru explained before pausing. "Do…you call your father 'that man,' or were you only joking?"
"He is not my father." She assured him. "Well, I suppose he might be, but I cannot see how I could have come from anything so foul. Everything he touches is destroyed. I hope that I do not destroy you, in turn, your Highness."
"Please, we have just been wed." Sesshoumaru reminded her. "You may call me by my given name, Sesshoumaru."
"Quite a mouthful, isn't it?" she smiled then, and it was a surprising thing to see. He had thought her incapable of smiles or laughter. After all, with a father like Naraku…
"And I shall call you Kagura, if it does not displease you." He continued. "Then mother will think us well and truly wed."
"Whatever else there is to all this." She rolled her eyes in a manner that was decidedly informal. "I think one thing is true of this union."
"What is that?" he asked.
"You keep on your side of the bed, I will keep on mine." She indicated the opposite ends of the bed before smiling brightly at him. "And I think we shall be very good friends, indeed."
"You know, I think you are right, Kagura." Sesshoumaru could not suppress a smile. She really was a winning creature, and perhaps he could have fallen in love with her eventually if he had wished it, but he saw the same logic that she did. If their parents wanted it, it must be a bad thing, and therefore they would avoid it at all costs. "The best of friends."
"Then it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She curtsied much the way a maid would before winking at him. "And now, if you will excuse me, I must be off to get ready for bed. As this is your bed from the start, I will let you select sides."
"Very kind of you." He smiled slightly to himself as she left for the changing room. "Very kind indeed."
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"And then, a prince came to know about this princess, sleeping away in perfect beauty and youth, never changing. He heard that the only cure for her condition would be a kiss of true love, which would wake her from her slumber. Of course, he was curious to meet her, and soon was obsessed with the idea of this perfect woman." Kikyo recited the story as carefully as she could to her rapt, two-person audience. Keiko was holding Inuyasha in her lap and rocking back and forth soothingly as they listened to the tale that the little girl was weaving for them. Inuyasha had discovered her vast store of memorized books only last week, and since then she had become an additional reason to sneak to the Apartment. "He knew, though, that he would likely fail as all the other princes had, unless he had some sort of advantage over the rest. There was a wicked forest of brambles and thorns surrounding the palace that held the princess, and no one had ever been able to pass through it. He was sure, though, that if he had faith in his love for her, he would reach her. And that was when the fairies visited him. They had heard he had a great devotion to their sleeping beauty, and they hoped for him to succeed where so many had failed, so they gave him magical protection and a great sword that could cut through anything, no matter how dark and evil it was. Armed with these, he ran headlong into the forest of darkness, and he was able to fight his way through to his goal, the palace. Once he had reached it, he flew to the princess' side, climbing to the highest tower and throwing open the door to see her, sleeping. Just as beautiful as all the rumors held, and he knew at once that he loved her. So he leaned down, and kissed her lips, ever so lightly." Kikyo paused, enjoying the looks of anticipation on Keiko and Inuyasha's faces. "And then…nothing seemed to happen at first. He stared down at her face, unmoving and still seeming to sleep on. So perhaps it was not true love, he thought. How could that be? All he had gone through to reach her…and she was so lovely, yet it seemed that she would sleep on for all of eternity. But just then, her eyes fluttered open, and he knew. He knew it was meant to be, and she smiled at him and said, 'You must be my prince.' As she had known he would come. And he smiled and told her of what had happened. They were married soon after, and lived happily ever after."
"Oh," Keiko sighed lightly, her eyes closing momentarily. "You tell the most lovely stories, Kikyo."
"How many do you know?" Inuyasha wanted to know. "You've already told us…uh…six?"
"I think that is correct." Kikyo nodded slightly. "I know quite a few, but I worry that soon enough, I will run through my entire store."
"Don't worry, I'll always listen to them again." Inuyasha assured her. "You tell them so well."
"No…I just say what I remember, I think." Kikyo blushed slightly under his praise. It was good for her to tell the stories to Keiko and Inuyasha. They made her forget why she was here. They made her feel almost like she was back at home with Miroku. Surely that Rin girl would have arrived by now. Kikyo wondered how they got along, and if Miroku was doing fine without her. He never was much of a cook, and she worried that maybe he wasn't eating well. Hopefully, Rin could take care of him.
"Do not downplay yourself, Kikyo, dear." Keiko smiled warmly. "You have a lovely voice, and you show the most passion when you are telling stories."
"I know the stories." She explained, sitting down next to Keiko and Inuyasha. "They make me feel comfortable. At home."
"Do you miss your home, dear?" Keiko asked, all too sympathetic. Of course she would be. Her situation was very similar to Kikyo's. They were both living out the rest of their lives in this hidden place, and Inuyasha was the only respite they had from the worries of their positions.
"I do." Kikyo nodded, fingering the lace trim on her sleeve. "More than anything else, I want to see my brother one more time. I worry that something might happen to him, but I suppose that is silly of me. He was able to care for himself with no problems. I was the one that was captured, obviously."
"It is perfectly normal to worry about your brother." Keiko already knew of Kikyo's past, as the girls had shared their stories with each other just before Kikyo had started storytelling for Inuyasha and her. "You love him. I love Inuyasha, and while I know that he has a position much more secure than I do myself, I constantly worry how he fares outside of this room, the only place I am able to see him regularly. I do not know how he is treated, and I do not see that he is very happy. It worries me."
"Mother…" Inuyasha grumbled, not liking when he was being coddled in front of Kikyo. It was rather embarrassing.
"The point is," Keiko kissed his forehead lightly. "We wish life could be easier, but it cannot change."
"So we just have to learn to live on anyway." Kikyo finished.
"Indeed." Keiko patted her head softly. "Truly a wise girl."
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Rumors were flying through the Palace, and none of them were happy ones.
That morning, the Emperor Inutaiko had been found dead with his head consort, Keiko. Both were in bed, and had originally appeared asleep to the eyes of the maid entering to tidy their chambers. However, on closer inspection, there was no life to be found in either of them.
That was where the commonly known facts split into theories, each wilder than the last.
It was said that Empress Kiju had stabbed them both to death as they were lying together.
It was said that the consort Keiko had strangled the Emperor in a jealous rage and then poisoned herself to avoid being caught.
It was said that an assassin had found the two in bed, and had simply killed them both to be sure there were no witnesses.
It was said that the Princess Kagura had poisoned them both so that she could speed her accession to the throne, thinking that the woman sharing the Emperor's bed was the Empress.
It was said that the bodies were not actually the Emperor and his consort, but two dead bodies dressed to look like them, and that the true pair had run off together to escape Palace life and start over together.
It was said that a band of Gifted spies had found their way to his room and killed him with their magic, leaving no trace behind.
It was said that a poison gas had been wafted into the room as the pair slept, and that they had died peacefully without even knowing what had happened.
It was said that the Empress would be the next to be targeted.
Or perhaps the Crown Prince and his new Princess.
Or maybe it would be the Lord Naraku, brother of the Empress and father of the Princess.
Sesshoumaru had his own theories, and they were developed over a private luncheon with Kagura, who was just as suspicious at the events as he was.
"Obviously it must have been that man." She hissed, cutting her food into ridiculously small portions. Sesshoumaru had noticed that while she ate, you could see how upset she was by how very tiny her food was cut before she ate it. The smaller the food, the angrier she was. At the moment, she was quite angry. "He keeps his powers secret, but he has long practiced and trained himself, and that ability of his to create such a horribly toxic poison would be perfect for this crime."
"I agree, but I do not see what we can do about it." Sesshoumaru sipped at his drink carefully. "I would expect that my mother and him are plotting something, and I think that we have no choice at this point but to follow along until we have the opportunity to change things."
"It is ridiculous that you will not be given full sovereignty until you are eighteen." Kagura wiped her mouth with sharp dabs. "You are more than ready at this point. I may only be thirteen, but even I feel ready to take on the responsibilities of your meddling mother."
"Do you even know the role of the Empress?" Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at her carefully. They had only been married for two months, and she had not had very extensive training as per her future role at that point in time.
"Judging from your mother, the job consists solely of being a horrible person and ruining the lives of all those around you." Kagura said this with a perfectly straight face, and Sesshoumaru could not stop the weak smile from tweaking at his lips momentarily. "Also, underhanded plots are a necessity. Do you think I cannot handle those?"
"No, you may find it too taxing." He told her, his tone just as calm as hers. "After all, you have a heart, and she has none. It can interfere greatly with the job."
"So I had heard." She nodded carefully, sipping her tea. Suddenly, her entire body froze.
"Is something the matter?" he asked her.
"Your brother." She set the cup down and stood up. "We should go to him, immediately."
"Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru was confused. What was all this supposed to be about?
"Of course. It was his mother and father that our parents killed. They will never apologize, but at least we can try to be there for him at this time. I am sure his mother must have been a wonderful woman, for the Empress to have hated her so much." Kagura reasoned. Sesshoumaru looked at his plate. He had hardly touched his food, but he was barely hungry at the moment. It was impossible to think of one's own body when he knew what horrors his mother and uncle had been up to just the night before.
"Just one thing." Sesshoumaru stood as well, pushing his chair in before a servant could enter the room and do it for him. They had sent the servants away once their food was set down so that they might talk in private concerning that day's events. "I think it would be best if we did not reveal our knowledge of the events surrounding this tragedy. If we were to tell, the words could get back to my mother and that man, and then we would never be allowed to exact vengeance upon them. We would not be allowed to reach the proper age, at all."
"That is true." She nodded curtly. "I swear, not one word of this until you are Emperor."
"Good." He offered her his arm. "Let us go to him, then."
*****
The End (Of Part 7, That Is)