Woo, middle of the night is a perfect time to start working on that update, Teresa. Good job there.
Gossamer Dreams
Part 20
The Palace was abuzz with news, and though every story one heard was different from the last, one thing was clearly agreed upon by all.
The Crown Prince Inuyasha was missing.
No one was clear on when he had gone, or if he had been taken, or if he was perhaps still in the castle, hidden in some secret passage only he knew about, or if he had been killed and dumped in the river, perhaps. The stories were almost all different. One spoke of an assassination plotted by none other than the Emperor himself to get his brother out of the way for the heir soon to be born, so that the baby would be the very next in line to the succession. Another story told of a kidnapping by a group of humans desperate to get the Youkai's attention, hoping to use the Prince as a hostage. Some said that he had run off with a sweetheart in the middle of the night to elope and would be back in only a week or so. Yet others said that he had come off worse in a fight with another noble and was too ashamed to show his face.
One thing that very few people in the castle knew was that the Prince Inuyasha was not the only soul to be reported missing that morning. Another, a Gifted girl from the Apartment, was gone without a trace. Her sparse belongings were also gone, leading one to think that her departure had been premeditated, but even so, this disappearance was less noteworthy. After all, what was a worthless concubine who clearly only wanted to escape her dismal future next to a young man with the whole kingdom as his future? And so, even those that knew both were missing did not often make the connection between them. A very few, however, did know of both, and in fact, made the connection that perhaps they had both decided to start their lives anew. Amongst these enlightened few were the Emperor, his concubine, the Empress, the Empress Mother, and the High Lord Naraku.
And so, while all the Palace was teeming with gossip and speculation, Sesshoumaru called for his most trusted supporter, the young Lord Shippo ka'Kitsune, whose father had been his father's greatest supporter, and so, they had grown up together. Shippo was not only a highly privileged noble, he was also a singularly talented individual, who, like his father before him, had determined in his youth to uncover and sharpen his birthrights, and therefore had unique magical powers. This made Shippo an incredible asset, and at a time like this, Sesshoumaru could think of no one more suited for the job intended.
"I want you to look for him, Shippo." Sesshoumaru spoke as he sat with his clearly distraught, very pregnant wife on one side, and his only slightly pregnant but certainly just as concerned concubine on his other side. "He will be with the girl I have described, and I do not think they will want to linger, but as my mother called for the guards to watch out for both of them, I also believe they might be trapped in Yuurei for the moment. I believe my mother may intend to have him killed." Rin made a sharp noise of shock, and Kagura squeezed her teacup so hard it nearly broke. "This would be the best opportunity for her to have him taken care of, and I know already that she plots to kill Kagura and I once our own child is born. Obviously, Naraku and her wish to take back the country for themselves, but I will not give it t them. We are depending on you to see to this, Shippo."
"Yes, Majesty." Shippo bowed very low, gave slight flourishes of the cape he wore because he thought it very dashing to both ladies present and then turned to leave before pausing. "My Lord, will you be safe here without me?"
"Yes, Jaken brings us every bit of news that my mother lets slip, so we are very well informed." Sesshoumaru waved a hand dismissively as if his own safety and the safety of his wife and the heir were of secondary concern to the welfare of his missing brother. "Please, do leave with all secrecy and haste."
"I will." Shippo bowed once more before making a broad sweep of his cape and turning out of the room quickly. He would not fail his master. He had the power of illusions on his side, and very few could claim that advantage. Besides that, he was almost positive who his adversary would be if an assassin was hired, and he felt confident that he could take the Taijiya family members on with reasonable success. He could certainly befuddle them and then escape. That would be all he needed.
He would make his father proud. He would protect his Emperor. He would protect the Prince.
He was Shippo ka'Kitsune, noble leader of the ka'Kitsune house, master swordsman, accomplished rider, and master of illusionary magic.
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"Well then, would you like some tea?" Miroku asked his new houseguest when she woke up and made her way to the main room in the little house that morning. "You were rather too tired for talking and tea last night, so I simply put you in your room and let you and your beau be, but now that you seem to be rested, I could do with a bit of an explanation." A long unused smile was threatening to break over lips that had forgotten the feeling of happiness. He had not slept at all the night before. Well, that is to say, he had slept before the door had woken him in the very unwelcome hours of the night, but after he had stumbled to see if it was a fugitive or a cry for his Healing, he had not slept another wink. His sister, Kikyo, back at last, when he had thought her dead.
"Rin is well." Was the first thing she said after his question, and he nearly dropped the teakettle. "She was with me, there, at the Palace."
"You were at the Palace?" Miroku looked rather more than interested. "And she is still there."
"Well, I could not take her, I was sure. Once she told me she was pregnant, there was nothing for it." Kikyo shrugged and accepted the cup that Miroku managed to hand her with relative calm at these revelations. "I could not hope to drag her away from her beloved Sesshoumaru."
"Her…and she's…well then." Miroku poured his own tea and sat next to her. "Am I right to assume that we are speaking of the same Rin?"
"Yes, and I am sure we are thinking of the same Sesshoumaru as well. Everyone knows the Emperor's name is very rare." Kikyo told him calmly.
"You…were you prisoners?" he asked, choking a bit on his tea. "But…pregnant with the…"
"Yes, yes, we were prisoners." Kikyo waved her hand slightly as though she found explaining rather a chore. "You see, when Gifted are captured, they are taken to the lower dungeons, and then, if they are pretty girls of around my age, or even younger, they are chosen to live in the Apartment, and we are all to be concubines to the noble Youkai. That is why I had to leave, you see. When they caught me, I had lied about my age, and they think that today is my thirteenth birthday. Once a girl is of that age, she is old enough to be taken by the nobles, and so I had to escape before I could be had. And, you see, Inuyasha and I are in love, and so we thought…"
"Wait!" Miroku had choked yet again. "That young man with you…is the Crown Prince? And you two are eloping so that you can escape your fate as a Youkai concubine?"
"Yes, that is about the gist of the situation." Kikyo nodded slightly. "And Rin, of course. She came straight to the Apartment, and Sesshoumaru took an immediate liking to her, in a strictly friendly way at first. You see, Inuyasha promised me to help take care of her, so he would take her to visit the Emperor and Empress so that she could be away from those who might like to take her. But then Sesshoumaru took an interest, and she felt the same for him, and now she is his concubine, and she is pregnant with his child as well. I think that sums up everything of interest to you, brother."
"It is a very fantastical story you weave, Kikyo." Miroku sipped his tea thoughtfully. "Why not tell me of your escape?"
"Well that is not very exciting, truly. I knew the way here because I have long since had Rin draw me a map of the city from her memory, and while she was not positive about every section, she was quite clear on where your house was, and so it was no trouble to follow the way here. We left in the deep cover of night, easily enough, as men and their ladies are always coming and going. No one thought to check who was in the carriage or where they were going, as they were leaving the Palace for the night. I think the only thing of any note was that before we could make our escape, Inuyasha brought a young noble woman he had befriended to meet me. She was horribly rude and utterly bigoted against me, but then, I have grown rather used to that sort of treatment. She was, however, very pretty, but oddly enough…Inuyasha told me that what he first noticed about her was her resemblance to my own person. It is strange, but she does look much like I might if I were only Youkai instead of Gifted. Odd, is it not, brother?"
"Ah…yes." He coughed and seemed to be debating something before he turned on her sharply. "Was her name Kagome ka'Neko?"
"How…did you know that?" Kikyo blinked slightly. "Is she a former patient of yours?"
"No, not that I had not wished…never mind." Miroku shook his head sharply. "Kikyo, you are fifteen years old. It is long since time that I told you everything. And now that you are here…"
"What do you mean, brother?" Kikyo asked him, utterly confused.
"First off, I am not…that is to say, we are not related by blood." He told her, looking rather disappointed at having to disclose this. Kikyo let out a sharp noise, and he continued. "I knew this, but I have always loved you like a sister, and so I hoped when you were younger…but I realize the truth is something rare and important, so I must be frank. We met first on the night that you were born, on the very same night that your mother died. Her name was Mikomi sei'Junjou, as you have always known. However, she was not my mother. My own mother died years before you were born, and my father abandoned me here on the night you were born. He was a human named Keisotsu. Your father, however, was a Youkai noble by the name of Musouka ka'Neko, and you should also know that the young noble lady Kagome ka'Neko is none other than your twin sister." Kikyo had gone utterly pale, and Miroku feared that she would faint. However, she gradually recovered, moving her mouth as though gasping for breath or trying to speak but failing miserably. Finally, she managed to speak.
"My…sister?"
"Yes, exactly so." Miroku set down his cup. "Was she looking well, then?"
"Why…were we…" Kikyo was unable to finish, but Miroku understood what she meant, and so he answered her question.
"When you were born, as you can see now, you carried all the signs of a Gifted, while Kagome carried all the signs of a Youkai. Therefore, it seemed wisest to send Kagome to live a comfortable life with your father's family. While you could not live with them, certainly, Kaede adopted your care as her responsibility. It was something that I did not know the full truth of until the day she died. She told me the complete story, and then made me promise I would tell you only if I thought you were ready. When you were taken, all those years ago, I thought for sure that you would die without ever knowing the truth, and I felt horrible for never telling you all of it. And so I swore that if we were ever, by some miracle, reunited, I would share all of it with you. And so." He stood, taking his cup to the sink and lifting the teakettle to offer her more tea, which she waved away distractedly as she attempted to digest this information.
"That…is a lot to learn in a very little amount of time." She told him after a moment.
"Take your time, Kikyo." He smiled at her warmly. "You may stay here for as long as you and your prince wish. My home is ever and always your home."
"Thank you."
The End (Of Part 20, That Is)