Author's Note: Finally! Bleh…Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me. None of it belongs to me. I don't even have a patent on the plot. …Sigh.
~
Sesshoumaru knocked tensely on the door to his father's office, absolutely furious. When there was no reply he only rapped even harder.
"Yes, yes, come in." The deep, sleepy sounding voice finally came from within the confined room, and with that permission Sesshoumaru swiftly opened the door and slipped inside.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru!" Inutaisho, looking as if he hadn't gotten any good sleep in months, sat up a little in his chair. "Just the man I wanted to see!"
The youkai son just stared blandly at his father, silently closing the door behind him. "There's something you wanted to see me about…?"
He hadn't been expecting that. He had come here for something from his father, but he knew better than to ask for favors before hearing the more important lord out. "Yes, well, I need you to get something for me."
"…Don't we have delivery boys for that?"
The older youkai sighed, staring at Sesshoumaru intently as he interlaced his large fingers. The demon's hair, while silver, was rough and unkempt like Inuyasha's. The only real physical similarity between the two were the same cold and expressionless eyes that they had both become famous for. "Aa. But, this is something much more important…I don't trust anyone else to get it for me. Besides, it won't be far."
He pushed his large chair back, standing up and strolling over to a wall of large shelves, stacked up as high as possible with thousands and thousands of documents. "But before I give you the particulars…There was something you wanted, wasn't there?"
Sesshoumaru followed his father with his eyes, glad to finally get down to business. "Yes…the original copy of the deal I made with Kouga, the leader of the wolf clan."
"Ah, yes…" The older youkai chuckled deep, looking up and down his impressive collection of important papers. "I remember that little dispute. I would imagine Inuyasha to get into a huff over such a small thing, but you…I must say I was quite surprised!"
"Even with that being the case, may I borrow it?" Sesshoumaru was becoming impatient with his father, whom he was feeling less and less respect for every passing day.
"Of course, of course…" The higher lord trailed his fingers down one particular pile of papers, leafing through the corner of each before finally pulling out the desired document. "Here you are, my boy!"
He held it out to Sesshoumaru, who took it from him as quickly and curtly as possible. "Thank you." Immediately he turned away, strutting over to the door and only stopping when his father called out to him. "I'd like you to leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Come see me first, of course…"
Sesshoumaru nodded his head just slightly, quickly slipping out the door before he could be distracted once more.
He swept down the hall as quickly as possible, the agreement gripped tightly in his hand. There was no doubt in his mind that his maid had already looked at the contents of the letter, but he wasn't sure whether any of it had registered in her mind. But, if it was signed by Kouga, certainly she would…
Kagome sat up the minute she saw Sesshoumaru appear in the doorway, suddenly very alert. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"
He glanced over at her, showing no signs that he would pause and acknowledge her question. Without a word he sat himself down at his desk, laying the single, slightly aged piece of paper down onto the table as he began to examine it. Kagome watched him curiously, not sure whether she should say anything or not. More than anything else she yearned to ask him about the deal and about her part in it, but the look on his face when he had returned warned her against any types of interrogation.
The youkai lord's eyes darted quickly over the paper in front of him, looking for any mention of the 'gift' that Kouga had given him; namely, the maid. He read swiftly yet carefully through the first paragraph, concentrating even on the tedious detail that was always associated with such documents. It said all about the reasons behind the deal, what he was owed, and when he was expected to get it, when suddenly he froze.
…and with the elongated time period in mind, as in order to keep relationships between the two parties peaceful, a gift to the person whom is owed that specific item's choosing will be delivered to that individual to possess until the desired object is achieved by the opposite party, henceforth finishing the deal and…
It went on like that for countless lines, but there was one key word in there that Sesshoumaru had never given a thought to before. …to the individual to possess until…Until. The youkai clenched his clawed fists tightly, eyes narrowing in distaste. Until. Until. How had he not noticed it before? It was written, in ink, that he possessed the item of his choosing only until Kouga had gotten what had been his original goal. That most obviously implied that when he met Kouga again, there would be an exchange. His maid traded in for…
"Sesshoumaru-sama…what is…?" Kagome looked at him hesitantly, slightly fearing the hard look that was now playing on her master's face. He had a way about him that always made him seem slightly upset, but this was to an extent that she had never seen before.
Sesshoumaru tensely turned his head to look at his maid, wordless. Looking at her concerned, somewhat clueless face, the youkai's chest seemed to tighten. Why did it matter so much to him whether he'd lose her or not? He couldn't forget…In exchange, I'll receive my goal…That was another important question. How could Kouga be so close to achieving something that he himself could not acquire?
"Err…" Kagome shrank under Sesshoumaru's unwavering stare, growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. There was an emptiness in the look that showed his mind was on other things then what he was gazing at, but that only made her feel more jittery. She had been distracted lately, and forgot all about the mysterious deal that had ultimately stolen her life away. But, it was very apparent now, that there was something going on right in front of her face that she couldn't quite see or understand.
"We'll be leaving tomorrow." The youkai lord's cold voice immediately cut the uncomfortable silence, seeming so loud to Kagome that she winced back even further.
"Going…?" She swallowed hard. "Going where?"
Sesshoumaru just shrugged, sauntering over to the bathroom door, slipping inside and shutting himself in without any further explanation. Kagome stood where she was, speechless, mouth slightly opened and knees buckling. Why…?
She allowed her shoulders to relax, sinking down into a sitting position and pressing her back against the bed. Why won't ANYONE just tell me what's going on…?! Perhaps she had no right barging into the business of Inuyasha, Kikyou, and Naraku, but by all means, this deal directly involved her and her presence at the castle she resided in now. She had a right to know what was going to happen to her…
Meticulously, the minutes ticked by, Sesshoumaru silent in the bathroom and Kagome silent in front of the bed. Frustrated to no bounds, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of a way she could get the information out of Sesshoumaru. He wasn't the kind of man you could trick, or coax…No, that wouldn't work. It would be next to impossible to get Sesshoumaru to talk to her…
Suddenly realization dawned on Kagome, her eyes snapping open in the wake of an epiphany. No, not Sesshoumaru…There's someone else in this castle that's sure to know! She sat up, placing her hands down onto the ground in preparation to rise to her feet. Inuyasha!
"Going somewhere, wench?" Had this not happened so many times, Kagome would have been shaken up by her lord's unexpected appearance. However, it had happened a countless number of times, and Kagome had had the foresight to think ahead.
"The bucket and rags! I just…I mean…This humble servant just realized that she left it in the middle of the floor! This humble servant has to finish cleaning, isn't that right?"
"Do you take me for a fool?" Sesshoumaru strutted over to his desk, grasping the letter that had arrived earlier protectively and stuffing it into a drawer. Kagome was, this time, indeed very shocked with her master's mood. She had never seen him so tense or readable before, and she was reasonably frightened that his bitter disposition was somehow due to something she had done. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that the packet of papers he had brought in earlier were still clutched in his hand, and it appeared to her that they had been there the whole time. Next to that, his hair wasn't wet, and his clothes were the same…Now, given, there are other things one can do in a bathroom, but he had spent nearly half an hour in there. What was he doing…? Unable to take his painfully direct stare any longer, Kagome looked to the side. She had almost forgotten what position she was in.
"A…a fool? No, of course not, this humble servant would never…"
"You know well that you could not conceivably wash those floors in a day, so stop babbling on like a fool as if you actually plan on finishing." The words themselves weren't much harsher than anything else he ever said to her, it was just the way he said it. And the way he said it struck her hard.
She opened her mouth to speak, to apologize, to do anything, but she found her throat frozen. Her face grew red in embarrassment. She had never felt more foolish and childish in her life.
"Go, then." His voice was calm again, and when Kagome dared glance back, he was looking out the window.
Finding it difficult to speak, never mind move, the maid stayed motionless.
"Didn't you hear me? Go. If you're so diligent, then, don't you dare come back until you do have all the floors completed."
Kagome took a step back, but not because she was preparing to leave. It was like he was somehow pushing her away with his hurtful tone.
"I will only say it one more time." His voice had lowered dangerously. "Go."
Unable to respond, Kagome diverted her eyes to the ground, pausing for a moment before she did the only thing she could do. She left.
Sesshoumaru's eyebrows lowered in distaste as he saw her form slip behind the doorframe, almost immediately collapsing down into his chair. That was the first time he had ever done anything with an aim purely to hurt her. True, he had done things that had hurt her before, but they had all been for the goal of his own pleasure and amusement. This, however, gave him absolutely no pleasure. The look on her face before she stumbled off…Yes, this was the first time he wished she wasn't always so easy to read.
Slowly, the youkai prince raised his hand up to his temples. "…Feh."
~
"Inuyasha!" Kagome knocked roughly on the door to his room, extremely impatient.
…Silence. There was no response.
"INUYASHA! Open this door RIGHT NOW!" She pounded even harder, not caring whether anyone could hear her. She was just not in the mood.
Finally, she heard something behind the thick door very similar to angry grumbling. With a click and a creak, the door swung open, revealing a very groggy and poorly dressed Inuyasha. "What do you…wench?" The hanyou blinked in recognition, using the insult as if it were the name given to her at birth. And indeed, it did seem as if she were perpetually wearing a nametag saying 'wench' on it.
Kagome shoved past him, into his room and shutting the door quickly behind her. "The deal between Sesshoumaru and Kouga, what do you know about it? You must know something! You were the one who picked me up that day!"
Inuyasha had an absolutely lost and blank expression on his face. It was as if he were looking at someone with ten heads. "…What?"
The poor maid was at the point where she was ready to rip her hair right from her head. "The deal! With me! Being captured! And Kouga! Being given to Sesshoumaru! Being kidnapped from my home, you empty-headed foul-mannered twit!"
The hanyou shrunk away from her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open a little. "Wh-what are you yelling at me for?!"
"Just tell me!" It was a genuine plea now, Kagome grasping her hands together.
"The deal…the deal…uh…" Inuyasha pressed a clawed hand to his forehead, trying to think. "I don't know that much about it…All I know is that Kouga is the leader of the wolf-clan…and…er…I think Sesshoumaru didn't kill him or something, on the terms that he got him something."
"Something…?" Kagome stepped forward to the hanyou, totally ignoring the uncomfortable look on his face. "What was that something?!"
Inuyasha stepped away from her at the same pace as she was approaching, obviously very frightened. "I don't know! All I know is Sesshoumaru was livid when he found out he couldn't get it immediately…so I was sent to wolf-breath's house to get you and bring you back…Why, I don't know…Why do you want to know, anyway?!"
Kagome uttered a curse, turning to the side and biting onto the nail of her thumb. "I already knew that!" She glanced back at Inuyasha, eyes narrowed. "You're sure you don't know why Kouga chose me? Why I had to be kidnapped? What it is Sesshoumaru wants?"
Inuyasha could do nothing but shake his head. "No…But, what do you mean, kidnapped?"
"Why do you think I was so banged up when you came to get me?" Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of her master's younger brother, Kagome headed towards the door.
"Y-you mean you were kidnapped?! You…you weren't an actual maid?!" Inuyasha looked genuinely shocked, somewhat surprising Kagome. I guess it's not a normal occurrence…
"Of course not…" The raven-haired girl gave him a curious sort of look. "Couldn't you tell? I fell off a cliff when he was chasing me…He saved my life after that…that's why I agreed to come along so obediently."
"But…"
Kagome shook her head, raising a hand into the air quickly. "No time for talk! No time! Do you know anyone else who may know about the deal…?!"
"No, I don't, even the maids don't know about it…it was kept under wraps…The only people who know are Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and dad, I'd guess…" Inuyasha took a few hurried steps after the girl as he saw her preparing to leave. "Wait!"
"No time to talk!" Kagome yanked the door open violently, slipping away as fast as she could.
"Raven…Raven! Oi!" The hanyou rushed to the door, watching her figure shrink as she hurried down the hall. "Where are you going?!"
~
Kagome stood over the stationary bucket of water and rag that was on the floor in front of her, shoulders heaving up and down due to her tired, heavy breathing. She had no idea what she was doing. Inuyasha didn't know…Stumbling to the side, she let herself rest against the wall and slide to the ground. Before arriving, she had all intentions in the world to finish the scrubbing as fast as she could so she could return to Sesshoumaru, but…Now, she just didn't see the point.
What will I be returning to? Something…something has happened that I don't understand, and no one will ever tell me…Like a helpless child, she pulled her knees up to her chest, diverting her eyes to the side. Sesshoumaru…he must really hate me now. What does it matter, though? Kagome sighed, letting her arms fall limp to the side as she straightened her legs out.
Kouga will be here to pick me up soon…Whatever happens to me then…She almost laughed at her situation, closing her eyes. She remembered what Kouga had said that day she was brought to this castle. It seemed like years ago, even though it had only been a few weeks. He said I'll become 'his woman'…His woman! Can you believe it? She desperately wanted to find humor out of the idea, but at the moment her heart was much too bitter. It wasn't as strange as it had first sounded. She already was someone's woman…Someone's human, to be exact, and she was reminded of it at every corner. The stone walls…the strict rules…the hood covering her face, and the ban covering her identity. This whole place was a constant reminder to her that she was no longer allowed to be 'Kagome.' She could only go by clever nicknames given to her by other unfortunate women, most of who had already been broken by too many years of this mental seclusion.
I think I'm going insane…Images of Souta and her mother appeared in front of her, almost as if a painting was being held up a few inches away from her face. As had become accustomed to her in the past few weeks, Kagome raised a hand to her collar, taking out the coins that resided there and rolled them around in her palm. Her situation had never seemed more bleak or helpless to her, and she didn't think she'd be able to bring herself to clean. She could barely even bring herself to open her eyes.
"If you sit there much longer, you'll get even sicker than you already are."
Kagome started into a more erect sitting position, her eyes snapping open in surprise. She didn't often hear that voice, but it was unique enough that she had no problems tracing it to its owner. "Kanna…?"
The desperate dark-haired girl stared up at the newcomer, startled more than anything else. Rarely did she ever see Kanna, and when she did, it certainly wasn't out in the halls. "What…are you doing here?" Trying to brush her undoubtedly pathetic looking appearance off as nothing, Kagome raised a hand to her forehead to wipe the sweat off. "I was just…"
"You need to sleep." Kanna's strangely empty and unwavering eyes looked right through Kagome. "Or at least eat something."
Speechless, Kagome just looked at the girl, her eyes wide and questioning. Kanna looked like some sort of strange apparition, with her pale white skin and hair. Everything about her was so clear and watery it seemed as if she would dissolve into mist at any moment. Suddenly, Kagome remembered. "Kanna…"
She leaned forward, blinking tears from her eyes. "That day…in the Gospela…"
The expressionless child did and said nothing. She just stared, in that void way of hers.
"Please, Kanna…Why? Why are you and Naraku still here?"
As she said it, Kagome realized how simple and incomprehensible the question must have sounded, but she trusted that Kanna would understand.
There was no spark of surprise, recognition, anger, or anything else in Kanna's eyes. She was beyond expressionless; she was a strange, moving doll. Is this Naraku's doing…? For some reason, a sense of pity washed over the dark-haired maid, and her heart reached out for the child. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted before she could say a word.
"Go back to Sesshoumaru, Kagome. You don't belong here." And with that, she walked off, her steps and movements so light that nothing but Kagome's own heavy breathing could be heard.
She was absolutely stunned. Go back to Sesshoumaru, Kagome. You don't belong here. Kagome. Kanna knew she was Kagome. But, how…? How Kanna and Kagura came to exist, why Kikyou was under Naraku's control, how they still lived even in death…Kagome's own feelings confused her to no extent. She wanted to know, of course, but all logic and reason she had warned her against it. You don't belong here. Those words rang through her head over and over as she sat silently in the quickly darkening room. Somehow, Kagome knew that Kanna hadn't meant she didn't belong in the hallway. But, she could figure some of it out on her own. She knew where she needed to be.
~
The white curtains swayed somewhat in the cool wind, and yet Sesshoumaru refused to shut the windows. It would just feel too stuffy if he did it, and the last thing he wanted right now was to feel smothered. He had long since given up on working, not that he had much of it to do, and had settled to sitting motionless on his bed. Everything in the room reminded him of the girl, and more than depress him it just angered him. Since she had left, the youkai prince had managed to think of a thousand reasons to be angry with the girl, and a thousand more to want to get rid of her. He had successfully convinced himself that the inevitable meeting with Kouga was a good thing, and that he should no longer go out of his way to do anything for the maid. It would be best, he concluded, to just ignore her presence altogether.
Going even deeper, he had decided that there was only one thing worthwhile the girl had ever done for him. And that was the flowers sitting on his tabletop. He ran his finger down the stem of one carefully, having pulled it from the glass and now holding it gently in his hands. It wasn't really for their beauty, either, those sort of things didn't mean much to him. It was more the beautiful smell that had helped him into his sleep since the time they had been brought into his room.
Without warning Sesshoumaru stood, dropping the flower back into the vase and staring expectedly at the door. His ears twitched slightly with the recognition of his maid's presence, anger once more rising in him. He watched the door excruciatingly close, watching as the knob turned, and…
"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA~!" Rin burst into his bedroom, heading at him at a surprisingly quick pace. Instinctively, the youkai prince placed a hand on her head to stop her, eyes narrowing.
"Rin? What are you doing here?" As always, his voice remained calm and controlled, even through his amazement.
"I came to see Sesshoumaru-sama, of course!" She giggled happily, the gap in her teeth showing as she smiled up at the youkai. "I managed to escape from Jaken-sama!"
How is that? She was there…I know she was… "Rin, was anyone else in the hall when you came in?"
The young girl looked up at him, the look of happiness turning into one of confusion. "No…Are you expecting someone?"
Sesshoumaru glanced to the door, remaining silent for a few moments before he strolled calmly back over to his bed, looking out the window. "Rin-chan. Lock the door."
Confused, but obedient as always, Rin skipped over to the door and clicked the lock across, turning back to her master as soon as she was done. "Is there something wrong?"
Appearing bored, Sesshoumaru looked over to the child. "Rin. You want to be my maid, right?"
She nodded her head enthusiastically, nearly hopping up and down. "Of course!"
"Then sweep the floor."
~
Kagome cursed quietly to herself, her body stuffed into the small closet a few doors down from Sesshoumaru's room. She had hid in there when she heard Rin coming, and the minute she had been planning to come out she heard Sesshoumaru order Rin to lock her out. This isn't going to work…But, I have to get in SOMEHOW…
When she decided that it was safe to come out, Kagome very carefully and slowly opened the door, praying that she wouldn't make any noise. She doubted that it would matter if she made a little bit of noise, since the walls of Sesshoumaru's chambers were relatively thick, but her heart was beating like mad and she wasn't going to take any chances. With the door half open, enough room for her to squeeze out, she made her move. As quickly as possible she pushed herself through the opening, stumbling to a stable position the second she was clear from the closet. Unfortunately, she had failed to notice that the numerous brooms and buckets cluttering the small space had been leaning against her during her short occupation there, and once she had left they had proceeded to scatter across the ground with a loud clatter.
She clasped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from cursing out loud, eyes wide in horror. Oh, SHIT!
~
Both Rin and Sesshoumaru stopped what they were doing and turned to the door the minute they heard the commotion outside. After a few seconds, when the clattering had died down, Rin turned to look up at the youkai prince, a questioning look on her face. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what was that?"
Sesshoumaru was obviously wondering the same thing, because as soon as the question had been asked he walked to the door, unlocked it, and swiftly pulled it open. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but what he saw wasn't it. Down the hall to the right some, brooms, buckets and cleaning trays were scattered all across the ground, with absolutely no one in sight. What the…? Curiously, he made his way over to the pile of cleaning tools, analyzing the mess before looking into the empty closet. Obviously, it was vacant of items now, but he could see that at one point there had been someone hiding…someone being…It was her! He bared his fangs menacingly, but at what, he wasn't sure. As quickly as the revelation hit him he stormed across the hall, looking down all possible corridors to see where his renegade maid had gone off to.
Rin hopped to the door, a broom clutched in her hand, watching Sesshoumaru appear and disappear from door to door and corridor to corridor, immensely curious to just what it was he was searching for. She had noticed that, lately, he had been acting very, very differently than usual.
"Kyuh…"
Startled by the sudden noise, Rin turned, the broom dropping from her hands. A forearm could be seen clinging onto the windowsill, and grumbling could be heard. Fear and curiosity battled it out in Rin's mind, before curiosity naturally won, and she cautiously made her way over to the wide-open window. "H-hello…?"
"Rin-chan?" The voice coming from outside was strained and high, to an extent that Rin couldn't decipher who it was. That is, not until Kagome's head popped into view, teeth gritted as she tried to pull her body up by only her arms, her face bright red from effort.
"Kyaah…How did I ever do this before…?" She managed to get her elbow onto the sill, grasping on to the corner to be able to hoist herself up.
"Raven-chan…?" Rin took a few steps towards her, the fear totally gone. "What…what are you doing?"
"Rin-chan…" Kagome gasped, resting her chin against the surface of the opening as her other hand managed to find a grip on the windowsill. "Sesshoumaru's n-not there…oof…right?"
The young girl shook her head. "No, but…"
"Thank god…" The raven-haired maid had finally managed to get her torso up onto the surface of the window, her stomach horizontal on the ledge and her legs still dangling outside, looking rather ridiculous. "Because if he wa-AH!"
The second Kagome had looked up to address Rin, she saw a very familiar figure towering behind the child, looking at her with an expression that spelled nothing but trouble.
Rin, noting the look on her older friend's face, turned to see what was behind her. "Ah! Sesshoumaru-sama!" Needless to say, she looked considerably more thrilled about it than Kagome.
"Because if he was, what?" Sesshoumaru's voice, cold and cruel as always, easily cut through Rin's happiness.
Kagome would've responded with something clever or, as the case may be, not so clever, but at the moment she was in no position to say anything. Her hands, shaking some from the effort she was exerting, slipped easily from their weak grip on the sill, and before she or anyone else could process what was going on she dropped from the window in less than a second.
"Raven-chan!" Rin squeaked in horror, her hands rising to her mouth. Even quicker than her reaction, even, Sesshoumaru had leapt to the window, leaning down to see what had happened to his rather unlucky maid, an unrecognizable intensity on his face.
There, spread out on the ground some 8 feet down from the window was Kagome, her eyes squinted in the pain of having the wind knocked out of her so roughly. "…Oooooh…"
She raised her hand to her face, holding it over her eyes, unable to make any sound other than grumbling.
Sesshoumaru's expression immediately loosened when he saw that the girl could at least move, even if her body was a bit banged up for the worse. You stupid, stupid human…
"Raven-chaaaan!" Rin pushed up next to Sesshoumaru, poking her head out to see how Kagome was doing. "Are you all right?!"
Slowly, very slowly, Kagome sat up, her hand still on her face. "…Oh, owch…owch owchy owch…"
Silently, Sesshoumaru disappeared from the window, moving into his room without any further notice. Within the next five minutes Kagome managed to get herself up on her feet and back onto the wall. Rin look confused, asking over and over why she needed such extreme measures just to get in her own room. Sesshoumaru still had yet to reappear, although Rin did turn back every once in a while to see if he was still in the room.
"Sesshoumaru-sama…Aren't you going to help her up?"
Silence ensued, but it answered the question clear enough. He was more upset than Kagome had originally thought. However, this only strengthened her resolve to make it up there, and to apologize as she had originally planned to do. Not that I know what I did wrong…
After a few failed attempts and a little more pain, Kagome had managed to get herself up onto the windowsill once more. She clung to it, using whatever strength left in her tired muscles, but was in the end forced to accept help from Rin just to get her stomach down onto the surface of the opening. With one risky maneuver, Kagome swung her leg up over the side and into Sesshoumaru's room, temporarily securing her place there. Her face was red and beaded with sweat, her hair matted and sprinkled with leaves and grass, but all in all she was proud of herself. If it would settle things with Sesshoumaru, surely it was worth it.
The youkai in question sat motionlessly on his bed, watching Rin with a sort of absent-mindedness that implied he was just looking for something to hold his attention for the moment. Gathering all of her courage, Kagome swung her other leg into his room, allowing herself to collapse gently down onto her feet. Here I go…
"Sessho-…"
"Rin. Leave."
Stunned, the up until now silent Rin turned from Kagome to Sesshoumaru, eyes wide and pleading. "But, Sesshomaru-sama!"
"Rin. I'll only ask once." The youkai prince had done everything to keep his gaze anywhere but on his maid, his eyes following the pouting Rin until she finally sulked out of view.
"…"
"Have you cleaned all the floors, as I ordered?" He asked the question nonchalantly as possible, staring somewhat to the side of Kagome, as if there were something more interesting going on outside the window.
"…No, I couldn't."
It was only a flash, but Kagome caught it. The way Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed to her for a split second before returning back to something else to distract him. "Hm." And, with that, he turned his back to her and headed towards his bed.
'Hm'…? That's it? The maid was horrified. This indifference was ten times worse than any possible anger or contempt he could show to her. Does that mean…he just doesn't care any more? For some reason, to her considerable surprise, tears began to well in Kagome's eyes at the thought. This wasn't how she wanted it to be. She had lied to herself before, just to make herself feel less guilty. Sesshoumaru…he always allowed me to keep my identity. The one who was looking for excuses was I…
As if not in control of her own body, Kagome collapsed to her knees, leaning forward and pressing her palms and forehead to the ground. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Her voice cracked, having a strange tone to even her own ears. She sounded…weak. "Sesshoumaru-sama…"
Whether he had stopped to look at her or not, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't very well going to stop now. She was already this far. With nothing more to lose, not even pride, she continued. "Sesshoumaru-sama…I beg of your grace…" Each syllable was somewhat lost in her struggle to keep back her tears. There were a million things she wanted to tell him right now, about how she went to Inuyasha, how important this was to her, how she was sorry, how she didn't mean to do anything to upset him. But none of it made its way to her mouth. She could only think of that one single sentence to say, praying that it embodied all of the thoughts she wanted to convey to him.
The air was thick, and for a moment, Kagome thought that her master might have been in the bathroom for the whole thing. All of that effort…She let her hands relax, raising her head in empty hope that he might be standing there.
…And, he was. Whether she was surprised or not, she wasn't sure. Not all that much truly surprised her anymore; it was impossible when living with someone as omnipresent and omnipotent as he. But, there he was, stiff as a board, staring down at his maid. That wasn't the strangest part, though. As Kagome raised her head even higher, confidence and something else building in her with the realization that he had stayed for her 'apology,' she caught a glimpse of his face. He was not angry, cold, blank, or thoughtful. No, he was something much, much different. For the first time in a long time, Sesshoumaru's face revealed exactly how he felt, to a level deeper than dull amusement or annoyed anger. He looked…amazed.
~
"Good morning, my boy!" Cheery and loud as always, Inutaisho stretched out his massive arms as greeting to his son. Not for an embrace, of course…In his large hands was a packet of what appeared to be multiple stacked together papers. "Ready for your big journey?"
Looking nothing more than vaguely interested, Sesshoumaru took the packet from his father's hands. "To where?"
"Just a little to the south, to a small town called Minami. There, you will find a temple, and a human woman named Kaede. Give her that, and she'll know what to do." Inutaisho lumbered back over to his great leather chair, lowering himself down onto it with a heavy sigh.
"Now, don't get upset when I say this, but…Inuyasha will be joining you. You know, just to get him out and about, all that…"
Again, looking only barely concerned, Sesshoumaru secured the package under his arm. "How compassionate of you."
Inutaisho grinned, leaning back and giving Sesshoumaru a somewhat intimidating look. "You be kind to him. I think he'll prove to be more helpful than you think. Not to say you couldn't manage on your own…"
"Manage on my own to accomplish what?"
"To bring back something for me." Inutaisho remained as vague and foggy as ever, enjoying the irritation it caused his eldest son.
"And what is that 'something' you have been referring to?"
The great youkai king placed one large finger down onto a scroll that was out on his desk, specifically on the image of a priestess destroying hoards of beast-like youkai. Gradually, that finger trailed down to a purple stone, tapping it once before spinning the image so Sesshoumaru could clearly see what he was referring to himself. Inutaisho appeared pleased, pulling his hand back and crossing his arms across his hefty torso.
"The Shikon no Tama, of course!"
~
Author's Note: …What can I say. ._. That took a long time to update. Over a month. Oh god I'm sorry. The only excuse I have is that I've been at camp for a month, when I obviously couldn't update, but..Arrgh..I feel bad. Especially considering that I have 172 reviews as of now. I never ever ever believed that my story would ever become this popular, and because it has, I just have to express my gratitude. I try, I really do…And I'll try to update more, but I can't promise much…School has begun again, and I'm going to start working…The GOOD news is that I know where this is going, so it's no longer an issue of thinking, just getting it down onto paper. That's half of the work for me. Eep. I feel bad. I really do. I hope all the italics and all work, otherwise you might be confused…
Sorry nothing interesting really happened. I wanted to establish relationship connections, and it is going SOMEWHERE. Just very, very slowly. This story may end up being insanely long. I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any getting around it. Including the Naraku/Kikyou/Inuyasha issue, the Naraku/Kanna/Kagura issue, the Shikon no Tama issue, the Kouga/Kagome/Sesshoumaru issue, and the Kagome/Sesshoumaru fluff on the side…There's no way this is going to be done anytime soon. I don't want to drag it out or anything…But I just want to do so much! Please, I hope you don't get bored…If you think making it long will be an issue, and that it'll kill it, tell me, and I'm sure I could find some way to end it sometime soon. The thing is I really do enjoy writing it, and I'll be sad once I've finished…I'm planning on writing some new ones though, of course. Probably Sesshoumaru/Kagome, too. Oh well..Everyone, give me your opinions. Love! And remember, the mailing list option is always an issue, if you want to know about updates and the like. Or you could just watch. That works too.
Jaa MATA NE!