Author's Note: Blah blah blah doesn't belong to me blah blah not mine blah blah WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS! Once per story, not every bloody chapter...
~
Kagome delicately lowered herself into the steaming, welcoming water of the large round wooden bath, sighing at the revitalizing feeling. She stopped only when her chin had been partially submerged, her hair spreading and floating around her. Serenely, the tired girl shut her eyes, letting the feelings overtake her. Sesshoumaru had entered his own bathroom only a few minutes after they had returned to his room, and finding the idea appealing, Kagome had snuck out to the servant's bathing room, quickly stripping down and getting in. At first she was surprised to see that there was no one else there, but then it struck her that it was only a little past noon, when most of the maids had jobs to complete. It was a welcomed silence, though, and she was happy that she'd be able to have some time to herself without having to worry about Naraku.
"Raven-chan!" A squeal behind her shattered those thoughts, causing her to whirl in the bath, sending some water up over the edges. "S-Sango-chan!" Kagome replied happily, a large smile springing to life on her face.
Sango smiled back, temporarily turning to the door, waving a hand. "Go AWAY, Miroku."
Kagome couldn't see past her friend's figure, but she did hear a little curse, and could sense that the perverted man had been looming in the door. There was a moment of silence before Sango turned her body completely, marching to the door and placing her hand on the knob. "I said OUT!"
"But, San-..."
Before he could finish his sentence Sango slammed the door in his face, an accomplished smile on her face. "There!" With that, she undressed as well, stepping into the bath next to Kagome. Much as her friend had done just minutes earlier, she sighed happily, her face growing a little red as result of the warm water.
"So, Kagome-chan, how have you been?" Sango asked her, reaching back and untying her hair, letting it fall loose around her.
"Ugh..." Kagome just groaned a little, sinking down a little more. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you..."
Sango followed suit, letting her shoulders lower down beneath the water. "Does it have anything to do with Naraku?"
Opening her eyes wide, Kagome turned her head to the youkai exterminator. "You...How did you know?"
Sango smiled a little. "Don't you remember? We know everything that goes on around here. Well, that, and Kagura and Kanna hadn't shown up the whole day that you left, which was a good enough hint that Naraku had gone somewhere."
The younger girl sighed heavily, dropping her eyes closed once more, and commenced to explain all that happened to Sango. When she had finished her story, her older friend just stared at her in a sort of surprised disbelief. "W-wow...Kagome-chan, are you all right...?! I mean, for you...for ANYONE to try and fight Naraku..."
Again, Kagome sunk down lower into the bath, her eyes narrowed. "It wasn't by choice..." She grumbled unhappily. Suddenly overcome by anger, Sango pounded her fist down onto the wooden rim of the tub. "Something must be done about him!"
"What can we do?" Kagome sighed, turning her gaze to her friend. "I mean, I don't even understand why he's in this castle in the first place..."
"Well, he owns it." Sango looked displeased, unclenching her fist and resting her palm down against the wooden bath's side, flexing her shoulders back. Surprised, Kagome set up.
"He owns it? You mean, this building?"
Sango nodded. "That's why he stays here. And that's why he's so rich. All the men and youkai staying here, with the exception of Lord Inutaisho, must pay him fees."
"Why doesn't Lord Inutaisho...?"
"Lord Inutaisho is Naraku's protection. As intimidating and powerful as he is, Naraku is still a weak shell. He is an unstable youkai with more enemies than, arguably, any other living thing I have ever heard of."
Kagome was still a little confused, leaning forward in the water. "But then...Why does Inutaisho continue to protect him? Why couldn't he just take over castle and get rid of Naraku if he needs the protection?"
There was a moment of silence as Sango thought about it, and finally, she shrugged. "I don't know...All I know is that it is a mutual relationship. Naraku provides Inutaisho with the living space, and in return, Inutaisho protects Naraku from his enemies."
That doesn't make any sense...Kagome mulled it over in her head, taking a deep breath and temporarily submerging her whole head under the water, floating there for a few moments. Does that mean Naraku has something on Inutaisho...?
When she emerged again, Sango was standing and preparing to get out of the tub. "Hey, Sango..." Kagome brushed back her bangs, following Sango out of the comfortable water into the cold, dry air. "If you find out anything else, could you tell me?"
The youkai exterminator nodded, tossing a towel to her friend. "Of course. Same goes for you, all right? And...watch out for Naraku, okay...? He hasn't come back yet, but, when he does...I'm afraid that..."
Realizing what Sango meant, Kagome smiled reassuringly, wrapping the towel around her body. "Don't worry, Sango-chan. As long as Sesshoumaru is around, I'll be fine." I have bigger problems to worry about, anyway. She mentally added, Kouga's image suddenly popping up in her head.
Still looking concerned, Sango gave her a little nod, turning her back to her friend and wrapping the wet tips of her hair in the towel, throwing the bundle onto her shoulder and then commencing to get dressed. Kagome ruffled her own towel through her own soaking wet hair, frowning at the way it became stringy and fell down in front of her eyes. Sango disappeared out the door, returning a few seconds later with a clean set of clothes for Kagome to put on, collecting the old ones from off the floor. Pulling her clothes on, Kagome then waited for Sango to hand her the wooden comb that she had been using earlier. Pulling the tangles out of her hair, Kagome finished the job in a few minutes, dipping the comb in the water, placing it back onto the cabinet, and meeting Sango at the door. She accepted her dirty clothes into her arms, but first remembering to pull up her hood, readjusting it. "Where are you going now, Sango?"
The older girl pulled the towel from around her hair, following Kagome's example and pulling her hood up. "Let's stop down at the wash room. You need to bring those down anyway, right?" She nudged her hand to the side slightly, indicating the clothes in Kagome's arms.
"Oh...All right." Kagome nodded her head in agreement as they both stepped out of the room, their voice lowering to whispers to keep from behind heard by the few people, maids, men, and youkai, who passed by them.
"After that, how about you come back to my room for lunch? You look so pale!" Sango asked her quietly, the only outward indication that she was speaking being the way she tilt her head just slightly in Kagome's direction. Kagome hesitated. "Well, I didn't exactly ask permission from Sesshoumaru to come out here..."
As they descended down the stairs towards the washroom, Kagome suddenly realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday. With the whole issue of the trip and then Naraku and then tending to Sesshoumaru and then Kouga and then sleeping and then talking to Kaede and then the trip back home she had hardly had time to think about her stomach. However, now that Sango had brought it up, it's emptiness suddenly became painfully obvious.
The pair loaded their dirty articles into the big bin of soapy water, and returned back in the direction they had come from. "So, what about it Kagome-chan?" Sango whispered to her friend, placing her hands on her shoulders.
Still hesitant, Kagome asked Sango just where Miroku's room was. Sango gave her the detailed directions, and even though Kagome had just hardly retained them, she promised Sango that if she got permission from Sesshoumaru she would meet them in a little while. Reluctantly, her friend accepted the compromise, and waved Kagome a goodbye when they had to separate on the second floor.
Kagome hurriedly rushed back to Sesshoumaru's room, slowing down at the door, opening it, and quietly slipping in. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"
She looked around, surprised to see no signs of her master. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" She walked towards the bathroom, but it was empty, no signs of him being there other than the warm air leaking out of the room, presumably from his earlier bath.
Hm...I wonder where he went...She quickly checked on his desk, not finding a note or anything that might tell her where he went. Not that she was surprised. He wasn't the type to leave notes. Suddenly, she pounded her fist down into her palm. The Shikon no Tama! He must be delivering it to his father! She hesitated at the desk, not sure what to do. I did promise Sango that I would meet her if I could, but...I don't know when Sesshoumaru-sama will be coming back...
Kagome looked around one more time, stepping out of the room and examining the halls. No signs of him. It was risky, but she decided that she would go to Miroku's room. It wasn't only the promise; she was so hungry she could hardly stand it. She returned to the second floor, where she and Sango had separated a few minutes earlier, and pondered over the directions she had been given. Going in the direction Sango had said her room was in, Kagome scaled down the halls, mentally repeating in her mind; second hallway to your left, right, then left again, then pass three carved doors, go right, and the fourth...or was it fifth door on the left? It had only taken five minutes, but Kagome knew. She was desperately lost.
Was it third door to the left? Where did I go wrong? Feeling frustrated and angry, Kagome paused and gave herself a moment to recuperate. She had never been this 'deep' into the building, and it seemed amazingly more expansive on the inside than it did on the outside. At some point she had made it to the third floor, as when she stopped to look out one of the windows, she was surprised to see that she was much higher up than she intended to be. With a whine, she leaned against the wall, her stomach grumbling. I'm so hungry...
A sound down the hall alerted Kagome from her thoughts. She could just barely make out the sound of talking somewhere around the corner, and was able to distinguish the low register that belonged to her master. It must be Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho...Feeling suddenly curious, Kagome swiftly walked down the stone hallway, stopping at the corner. The voices were only a little distance away, but she didn't dare to try to look. What surprised her was that the person talking to Sesshoumaru wasn't Inutaisho, as she had first imagined, but a woman.
"Awww, but Sesshoumaaaaaaru..." The woman nearly moaned. "I was hoping I could stay with yooooou..."
Kagome winced at the drolling, high tone of the woman's voice. Who is this person...?
"Yura, I don't have time for this." Sesshoumaru sounded exactly like Sesshoumaru usually did.
"But Sesshoumaaaaaru, I came all this way just to see you!" She whined, peaking Kagome's curiosity. Who was this woman, and why was she talking in such a way to Sesshoumaru?
"Yura. Let go." Sesshoumaru's voice had risen in intensity. Something shot through Kagome, causing her chest to tighten up. Let go...? Throwing caution to the wind, Kagome peeked her head out to see what was going on. E...eh?!
Clinging tightly on to Sesshoumaru's arm was a scantily clad woman with short, straight black hair, thick red eye shadow, a headband of red ribbon, and the shortest 'skirt' that Kagome had ever seen. On her hands were fingerless gloves, and the strips of cloth that Kagome was hesitant to call actual clothing just barely concealed the woman's considerate bosom, a large line of cleavage fluctuating as she rubbed her body not so subtly against Sesshoumaru's arm.
Kagome grimaced to herself, eyes narrowing. What is this...this...whore doing with Sesshoumaru-sama?!
Something flashed in Yura's bright red eyes, as they momentarily flicked in Kagome's direction. Surprised and caught a little off guard, the human maid pulled her head back around the corner, heart suddenly beating. Had Yura seen her?
Damn...Better get out of here, Kagome...
Sesshoumaru noticed the temporary glance, and just barely caught sight of the black flash as it disappeared around the corner. He watched the area for a few seconds, expectantly. It couldn't have been...
"Hm." Yura disengaged herself from Sesshoumaru, gracefully strutting down the hall, looking around the corner. "Now I wonder where she went..."
Her eyes trailed the length of the hall, concluding that it was highly unlikely that the girl had managed to run fast enough to have made it that far. She must've snuck into one of the rooms on the side.
"Maa...I suppose it doesn't really matter." In one swift, effortless motion, she turned around, only to find that Sesshoumaru was no longer there. "Damn."
She cursed to herself, crossing her arms and raising her hand to her chin, trailing her red lips with one long finger. "Well, he can't keep away forever..."
~
"Raven?"
Kagome jumped with a start, whirling her body around. "Sango-chan! Miroku!" She let out a big puff of breath, leaning her back against the door she had just swung open and snapped shut behind her. In her haste to conceal herself before Yura or Sesshoumaru could find her, she had snuck into the room without even considering that it may be occupied. What an uncharacteristic stroke of luck...!
"Are you all right? I thought you wouldn't make it! You look a little out of breath..." Sango and Miroku were sitting at a square table in the middle of their surprisingly small room. There were two futons placed on opposite sides of the room (understandably), a small desk in the corner, and the even smaller wooden table a little ways off from that. What caught Kagome's attention, however, was that on that table was a delectable feast to her eyes. Bread, meat, fruit and wine were cluttered on the shiny gloss wood, calling out to the starving human maid.
"Ah!" She hopped over to the table, sitting down at the side nearest to the door and grabbed a piece of bread, stuffing it in her mouth without hesitation.
Sango and Miroku just stared. "Er...help yourself..."
"You know..." Kagome mumbled between bites. "This is the first real luck I've had since I..." Swallow. "...got here!"
Sitting up and reaching over, Kagome proceeded to grab an apple, dropping it down in front of her and not-so-gracefully stuffing the last little piece of bread into her mouth. Had she not been mumbling and gorging herself, she might have noticed the gentle creaking and rustling behind her. "I mean..." She pounded her own chest with her fist, taking only a small pause before taking a large bite out of the apple. "Knowing my luck, Naraku would burst in..." Swallow. "Right here and now, y'know?"
Miroku and Sango exchanged hesitant glances, suddenly looking quite anxious.
Kagome continued, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well, I suppose you guys wouldn't understand, but really, there's just something about yo...ukai..." She had finally had the presence of mind to glance up, only to see Sango apprehensively staring at her, straightening her hand and moving it back and forth across her neck in a slicing motion. Miroku was just smiling stupidly, his eyes flicking from Kagome to the air behind her.
Still clinging to her naïveté, Kagome nonchalantly turned her head to look behind her, only to swing it back towards Miroku and Sango the moment she saw what was standing there. Pursing her lips to keep from cursing, she tightened up her shoulders and slammed her fists down onto the table, the platters shaking ominously. Dammit!
~
"So first you spy on me and then, without permission, you enter this man's room?"
"I wasn't spying on you! And you were the one with that...that...that weird woman! I just HAPPENED to see it!"
"You had no right leaving in the first place."
"You didn't tell me I couldn't! And I haven't eaten in at least two days!"
"Don't you dare take that tone with me, human."
Sango and Miroku watched uncomfortably as Kagome and Sesshoumaru bickered in front of them. Kagome's face was tinted a little red from embarrassment, and while Sesshoumaru looked no more upset than usual, his voice was loud and threatening.
Slapping her hands down on her knees, Kagome let out a drawn-out, melodramatic sigh. "Of course, you're right, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama." She hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't know what this humble maid was thinking, and it will never happen again." She lowered her head before him in mock humility, only further sparking his rage.
Miroku sat up a little, clearing his throat and looking ready to speak. In a heartbeat Sango had grabbed a piece of bread from off the table and stuffed it forcefully into the lecherous man's mouth, causing him to gag and shoot his 'maid' an angry stare. Sango just returned the look with a hundred times the intensity, inaudibly warning him not to say or do anything.
Sesshoumaru regarded the outside nuisances with a tad of disgust, violently grabbing his maid's arm and literally dragging her out of the room, ignoring her gasp of surprise as her dress began to bundle up at her waist. Once he had pulled her far enough out to shut the door, he did so, the resonating 'slam' making the silence all the more noticeable. Kagome was blushing furiously, pulling feebly at the arm that Sesshoumaru was grasping onto, unable to conceal her now exposed legs as she was using the other arm to keep herself propped up. "Sesshoumaru...!"
He didn't even look down at her, never mind respond. Deciding to trust her weight to the youkai lord, Kagome pulled her free arm from under her, reaching down to grab the hem of her dress. Exasperated, Sesshoumaru lightly sighed, jerking the girl up with the smallest flick of his arm.
"OW!" Kagome managed to drop down and regain balance back on her feet, but she felt as if her arm had just been yanked out of its socket. "Keh..." She flexed it back and forth, leaning her head to the side to try and stretch out the sore area.
"I trust this won't happen again." Sesshoumaru said coolly, looking the girl up and down. Kagome just scoffed, carelessly turning her still flushed face to the side. "...Of course not, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama..."
He raised an eyebrow, following her angry gaze to the empty wall, then back to her face. "...Good. Then let's go."
"Go...?" Still somewhat bitter, Kagome refused to look at him. "Go where?" Unexpectedly, something warm touched up against her cheek, causing her to widen her eyes and spin her gaze to him. The very tips of his claws were resting gently on the skin of her face, even as his face remained perfectly cold and stoic.
"You said you were hungry, weren't you?" And with that, he leaned forward a little, grabbing the hood that hung down her back in his hand and abruptly pulling it up and over her head, concealing the top of her suddenly very red, very surprised face.
~
"Where...where did all this food come from?!" Kagome raised her hands to her mouth, surprised but nevertheless pleased with the spread before her. At some point a low table had been brought into Sesshoumaru's room, and on it had been placed plate upon plate of delicious food. The meal she had briefly shared with Miroku and Sango was absolutely nothing compared to this.
"I had it called in while you were out associating with perverts." Sesshoumaru said coolly, waltzing over to the perfectly square table and sitting down on the far side. Kagome followed him, but stayed standing for a few moments, just looking it all over and cringing a little at his earlier comment about Miroku. Apparently, his lecherous ways were well known.
"But...who brought it in?" Kagome was a tad skeptical, as it looked like the youkai prince had another few maids stocked away somewhere to do all of this work. Sesshoumaru let out an annoyed sigh. "I do not know if you have realized this, human, but we are not the only two living things in the castle."
Kagome pursed her lips together in an angry frown and sat down, concentrating on the plate in front of her. "I'm not the one who has problems acknowledging others..." She muttered, not exactly expecting him to let the comment slide, but rather having said it just because it was the first thing to come to mind.
"Oh? Fine then, I don't mind eating alone. In fact, I prefer it."
Kagome answered the threat immediately, humbly bowing low in her sitting position. "Thank you very much for this food, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, it is more than I could have ever wished for you are the embodiment of kindness and I am not worthy of eating in your presence!" And with that she grabbed the utensils lying in front of her, stuck the fork deep into the leg of the baked bird in the center of the table, ripped it off and placed it down onto her plate, wasting no time in digging right in.
"Hm..." Kagome looked up at the little noise, which sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Sesshoumaru sat there, eyes narrow, with a wide smirk on his face. She blinked stupidly one or two times before looking down at her hands and realizing she was nearly ripping the meat apart. The blushing Kagome adjusted the position of the utensils in her hands, to a much more polite and civilized manner, and proceeded to delicately slice bit by bit off of the leg in front of her.
"...Mmhm..." That sound again. But this time it was unmistakable; Sesshoumaru was laughing. Surprised, Kagome looked back up, a deeper blush staining her cheeks. He by no means looked happy, as such a thing was decidedly impossible for the man, but there was no doubt in her mind. He had been laughing at her. Confused and more than a little embarrassed, Kagome jerkily moved her gaze from her plate to the youkai in front of her, wondering what she was doing that was so amusing.
"...Hmhmm..." He turned his head to the side, raising a hand to casually cover the large grin that was spreading across his face. Kagome was absolutely speechless. She had never, not even once, heard a laugh from Sesshoumaru before. Sure, he scoffed a lot, he smirked, he sneered, but never once had she really seen him amused to the point where he'd let out any sound deeper than a quiet little 'hm.' It was welcome, really, since Kagome always received a warm feeling of real joy whenever she elicited a reaction or face out of him that she had never seen before, but this time she wasn't even trying. What...What the devil did I do wrong...?!
It was just too much for Sesshoumaru. Her blushing, empty face, the way she did things without thinking, the way she committed serious offenses with a bright smile or puffed out cheeks. It was just too much. It was a very, very, very blunt sin for a servant; no, for a human to eat before a youkai. In reality, it had little to do whether that human was a servant or whether that youkai was a prince. It was a silent symbol that youkai were on the top of the food chain, and although not written in any books, Sesshoumaru had grown up with the belief that it was common knowledge. What really set him off, though, was that he was doing nothing about it. That he was who he was: cold, unemotional, uncaring, and brutal, a merciless killer, and still she did these totally normal and childish things around him, even with the perfect knowledge of his reputation. In a sickly ironic sort of way, it was funny. He dared to move his eyes back to her, only to return them to the wall in a second. She was examining her silverware and food to see if there was something wrong with it that might explain his strange behavior. All right, scratch what he thought before. It was very funny.
Kagome puffed out her cheeks, in the way that Sesshoumaru knew she would. "Fine! I give up! What is it?! What did I do?!"
The youkai prince closed his eyes and calmed himself, once more forcing control over his expression. "You really are the densest thing on the planet, aren't you?"
Ashamed and somewhat hurt, Kagome's face flushed red in its entirety. "I...well...no...I..."
"Human, do you realize that picking up your utensils, never mind eating, especially in the way you just did, before a youkai, especially one of my social status, is an offense punishable by death?"
Kagome knit her brows together, looking down at her food, then up to Sesshoumaru, then to the food, then to Sesshoumaru. "Well." She said matter-of-factly, "That's a stupid rule."
Sesshoumaru had to purse his lips together to keep from grinning again. "Besides..." Kagome continued, totally unaware of the reason he was finding this so funny. "What isn't punishable by death to your standards?"
"For someone who's still alive, you're making a lot of fuss." Sesshoumaru pointed out, finally bothering to reach in front of him and retrieve some food for himself. Kagome just blushed again.
There's nothing I can say to that, really...Mentally, she cursed at him for being right. It's not that she regretted being alive, quite the contrary. But the truth of the matter was that he could kill her anytime, in any way, for any reason, and the chances are no one would question him about it. Again, she reminded herself that she was a possession. A thing. She wasn't even a human. She was less than human, and that really stung.
And so, obediently, she set her utensils down next to her plate and waited, her hunger taking a backseat to her embarrassment. Looking pleased by the act Sesshoumaru commenced to slice his food and delicately raise it to his mouth, chewing on it politely and without emotion, the way he did most things. Kagome still hesitated, suddenly feeling very awkward and not knowing what to do. She felt like she needed to wait for some sort of approval before she could start, or else she would just end up being 'the densest thing on the planet' again.
But he didn't give her any permission. Not for five minutes after, not for ten minutes after. Kagome angrily grinded her teeth together, knowing that he was just doing this to torture her. What are you doing, Kagome? The human girl scolded herself. There's no one else here but you two, he can't do anything to you. Stop being such...such...such a stupid human!
And with that she grasped her fork and knife and plunged them into the meal just lying on the table, waiting to be consumed, and confidently stuffed that food into her mouth. Sesshoumaru temporarily glanced up, but other than that said nothing, telling Kagome that she wasn't in any serious trouble. For now, at least.
"Nee...Sesshoumaru-sama...?" Kagome carefully said a little while into the meal, her once empty stomach now starting to feel content.
"Hm?" He responded to his name with just a little breath of air, not even sparing a glance up. Kagome ignored his token rude and distant behavior, continuing.
"Did you give your father the Shikon no Tama...?"
"Mm."
Kagome idly swirled the water around in her glass, watching as light glimmered over the surface.
"Nee...Sesshoumaru-sama...?"
He sounded a little aggravated this time, his response tense and quick. "Hm?"
"Why do you think Kaede sent the Shikon no Tama here, where Naraku could easily get his hands on it...?"
"Naraku wouldn't be stupid enough to try and steal from my father."
"Oh..."
There was a 'tap' as Kagome lightly placed the glass of water down onto the table, searching over the food with her eyes. She wasn't all that hungry anymore, really...
"Nee...Sesshoumaru-sama...?"
Frustrated, the youkai lord smacked his hands down onto the table, causing all of the plates to vibrate slightly. "Dammit, girl, can't you see I'm trying to eat?"
Kagome could do nothing but pout angrily and droop her shoulders down, looking meekly down at her lap, upset by the angry response. "Hmph...Fine then...Forget it..."
The air immediately became thick and heavy with the angry silence. Sesshoumaru's lip twitched uncomfortably a few times before he dropped his utensils down onto the plate, surprising Kagome with the tight metallic noise. "Fine. What? What is it?"
The huffy human servant interlocked her fingers and pressed them down into her lap, keeping her gaze away from Sesshoumaru by absentmindedly smoothing out her dress. "Nevermind. I certainly won't tell you now..."
Sesshoumaru growled, sitting up a little. "You obnoxious little..."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome looked up at the noise of someone knocking on the door. Simultaneously, they exchanged glances. The youkai nodded just slightly, silently giving his maid consent to greet whoever was there. Kagome obediently raised to her feet and rushed to the door, reaching out to grab the doorknob when...
"Sesshouma~ru!" A feminine voice cried out just as the door snapped in, the heavy wood flying in and nailing an unexpecting Kagome right in the face. "Argh!" She cursed loudly to herself, stumbling back against the wall and immediately bringing her hands to her nose, the close and heady pain causing tears to sprout to her eyes. "Son of a..."
"There you are, Sesshoumaru!" The woman cooed, gracefully hopping into the room, if such a thing was possible.
Sesshoumaru had stood the second he saw his maid reeling in pain, the situation only made worse by the fact that the intruder was no other than Yura. The unaware woman finally seemed to take notice of Kagome's presence, innocently turning and regarding the wincing human. "Oh...Oh! It's you! The little spy from earlier!"
The 'little spy' shot her angry gaze up to the scantily clad youkai, her teeth clenched from the effort it took to keep from crying. She was surprised her nose hadn't started bleeding with the force the door had struck. Luckily, or maybe not so unluckily, her forehead had taken some of the brunt as well, telling her she would have a nasty little bump the next morning.
"So tell me, little spy, what are you doing here?" Yura said condescendingly, only sparking deeper feelings of dislike in the human girl.
"She is my maid, Yura." Sesshoumaru kept on glancing at Kagome, subconsciously checking if she was all right, although he had calmed for the most part.
"Your maid?" Yura said the words as if they were foreign to her tongue, pursing her bright red lips together in confusion. "How uncharacteristic, Sesshoumaru! A lot has happened since I've been gone, hasn't it?" Not even waiting for a response, Yura strutted over to the girl, looking her up and down as if she were some picture on a wall. "Not all that attractive, is she...Short, dull hair, childish eyes, pale skin, not all that intelligent looking..." She tilted her head a little, looking under Kagome's bent arms. "Hm...Doesn't seem to have much to offer in THAT department, either...Not to mention she was spying on us..."
Kagome's jaw dropped. What...How dare...Talk about ME like that...I swear I'll...! Her fists clenched and twitched with rage. She was not accustomed to taking crap like that from anyone. Even Sesshoumaru had a little bit more style.
"Yura, what are you doing in my room?" Sesshoumaru sensed his maid's welling anger, which worried him. Although Yura was relatively harmless, she had the bitter vengeance of a youkai woman, and for Kagome to say anything out of line could cause some serious problems.
She just ignored the question, turning away from Kagome and beginning to examine some of Sesshoumaru's other possessions. "You know, if you want a better one, I'm sure I could find one for you. There are tons of them just lying around my house, it wouldn't be a problem." As she spoke she walked over to Sesshoumaru's bed, leaning over and pressing her hands down into the soft blankets. "Oh! It's just as soft as I remember!"
Kagome tensed up her shoulders, glaring lividly in the dreadful woman's direction. How...How can Sesshoumaru just talk about me like that?! She has them lying around? What? Girls? Humans? This is just too much. And...'As I remember'...?! What is THAT supposed to mean?! She turned her head to Sesshoumaru, but he refused to look at her. His expression didn't reveal much, but it was just barely tight enough to let Kagome know that he was feeling rather frustrated himself. Yura made her way around to the stand that was decorated with the vase of flowers, examining them closely. "Hm." She said dully, flicking the head of the flower with her femininely long-nailed finger and watching one soft white petal float gently to the ground. Sesshoumaru immediately stepped forward, suddenly looking extremely offended. Those flowers 'meant' a lot to him, for one reason or another, and she could insult his stupid, empty-headed maid all she wanted, but for her to touch the most important thing in his room...
Mouth agape, Kagome twirled to him, one hand still cupping her nose. She completely treads on my spirit and my race, and he's upset about the damn FLOWERS?!
"Well, Sesshoumaru." Yura said, crossing her arms (resulting in an advance in her distractingly obvious cleavage) and turning to the youkai lord. "I must say, I'm disappointed."
"Fine. Then leave." Sesshoumaru practically demanded, stepping to the side and providing the woman with a clear, defined exit. Yura feigned ignorance, spotting the small table full of food and giggling happily. "Oh! How quaint!" She hopped towards the table, kneeling down on the pillow that Kagome was occupying and looking over all the food. "It's nice to see some things about you never change, Sesshoumaru!" She chirped, reaching over the table and grabbing his glass of wine, taking a long, sensual sip. "Mm...You never did like dining with others. But...then whose place is this?" She asked, a sort of typical naivety playing falsely on her face. Sesshoumaru sighed heavily, as he was not in the mood to put up with the obnoxious woman's advances at the moment.
"That's my place." Kagome daringly claimed, stepping forward and trying to look impressive, even though her voice was high and nasally because of her previous incident with the thick wooden door.
"Yours?" Yura snorted it out, glancing over at the human with a heightened level of disgust in her voice. Kagome blushed at the tone, suddenly realizing that she may have made a mistake. She could bend Sesshoumaru, but Yura was a woman with absolutely no hidden compassion, and she might get herself in serious trouble. Sesshoumaru noted the evil glimmer in Yura's eye as well, deciding to humor her for now. She couldn't stay forever, after all...
~
Kagome stood uncomfortably still by the side of the table, fulfilling some of Yura's more inane demands, and very nearly driving the poor human girl out of her mind. If she survived this visit she vowed never to complain about Sesshoumaru again. Ever. However, she had to admit that what bothered her the most were the little offhand comments that Yura would make about past experiences with Sesshoumaru. Now, Kagome was no genius in the matters of relationships, but she could accurately guess what those comments were hinting at, and she didn't like it.
Yura laughed obnoxiously, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, leaning forward a little to reveal herself to Sesshoumaru. "Ooooh, Sesshoumaru, I missed you so much! I can even forgive some of your more...discouraging changes."
Oh, spare me. Kagome thought bitterly to herself, rolling her eyes all too obviously. Quite unexpectedly Yura stood up, brushing by the human as if she wasn't even there and collapsing down onto Sesshoumaru's large, fluffy bed. The youkai lord said nothing, absolutely infuriating Kagome. "C'mooon, Sesshoumaru! Join me!" She called out, rolling onto her stomach. Inwardly, Kagome gagged, turning her head to hide the intense wince on her face.
"Yura, I think it's time for you to go." Sesshoumaru said calmly. "I have some work to do." It was a lie, or at least Kagome thought it was, but it seemed to be enough for Yura. She attempted a strongly sexual pout, rolling off the bed and pushing herself to her feet. "Fine...But that excuse won't keep me away forever!" She piped, shaking her finger in his face. "I'll be back for you later!"
Without too much of a fight she skipped over to the door, turning back for a few moments to stare deviously at Kagome, something frightening flashing across her gaze. Kagome felt a shiver go down her spine, accompanied with the feeling of relief that came with the obnoxious woman's departure.
The two stared expectedly at the door until it snapped shut, at which point they looked at each other. Kagome's cheeks had tinted red in anger, and all of his kindness with providing her a meal was swiftly forgotten. "She...you...I...and...and you...!" She muttered out, finally lowering her hand from her nose. Sesshoumaru looked unphased, but his insides were reeling at the girl's quickly bruising nose and her suddenly dangerous air. "She just...How could you let her say those things about me?!" She snapped at him, momentarily forgetting her place on the social ladder.
"She can say whatever she wants." Sesshoumaru replied, eyes narrowing. "You are just a stupid human after all."
Sesshoumaru didn't like being wrong. He was very rarely ever wrong. He was realistic, he was observant, and he was, for the most part, totally unconcerned with what others thought. But he could admit when he made a mistake, and that was a mistake.
Tears welled in Kagome's eyes as she stepped back, her foot bumping up against the door. "Oh...Oh, of course! I'm just a stupid human, so what should it matter?! She's got thousands just lying around in her basement, so why don't you get one of them, huh?! I don't care! I might as well be dead than be here, right?! It probably wouldn't matter to you!"
Sesshoumaru was taken aback by the intensity and emotion of her screaming, and by the tears that threatened to drop down her cheeks. Why is she so upset...? I've called her a stupid human before... "You really..." She begun, her voice suddenly five times softer. "Like a woman like...like her?"
He was surprised by the question. Why did something like that matter to her? "What?" He coolly responded, stretching himself to remain his stoic façade. "Are you suggesting someone like you is better?"
No! Kagome told herself, infuriated. It's not that, it's just... "I don't even care!" She heard herself say, whirling her body to the door to hide her face. "I don't care what you do, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama. I'm sorry for exploding at you before. I was out of my place." Her voice absolutely dripped with bitterness, even if the words seemed sweet. "And I hope you will find it in your grace to forgive this humble servant. It will never happen again."
Sesshoumaru wasn't really sure how to respond. He knew that women had intense mood swings, but this was more than he could have anticipated...What was wrong with her? Why does this bother her so much?
"Fine." He said slowly after a little while of deliberation. "I'll trust your word on that." His deep voice cut through all of the human girl's emotions, leaving them with nothing but a sort of dull disappointment and hurt. For some reason, she felt betrayed by the man, even though she knew that he owed her nothing. "Now..." Sesshoumaru waved his hand towards the table, looking at a blank spot on the wall. "Clean all of this up."
~
The next few hours were Kagome coming in and going out with plates and food and rags and towels. It was a hard task, as she was not trained to handle a lot of silverware at once, and with a decent amount of food still left, it was too heavy for her weak wrists to carry. Sesshoumaru sat at his desk scribbling away at some documents the whole time, leaving the pair in silence. Not that either minded, though, especially not after their previous argument.
Finally, Kagome had managed to return all the dishes to the kitchen, leaving her only job wiping up the table. She wasn't sure what she would have to do with it after it was clean, though, since she had never seen it before and didn't know if it had a place in the room or if someone had to come and retrieve it. Yura had said he liked to dine alone, so it would seem logical that it would go somewhere, but...
With the rags hung over her shoulder, Kagome placed her hands on her hips, looking around. Sesshoumaru hadn't said anything to the contrary, so she supposed she would just leave it there. As long as there weren't any orders she wasn't going to go out of her way to please him.
Hearing nothing, not even his maid's footsteps or the clatter of wavering plates, Sesshoumaru turned in his seat, looking at the human girl as she stared questioningly at the low wooden table in front of her. She seemed to be deep in her own thought, and even though his sadistic side wanted to order her to carry it down the two floors from where it came, he knew that she wouldn't be able to handle the weight the 10 feet out of the room, never mind two stories.
He regarded her for a few more moments before turning back to his documents, frustrated. No matter how hard he tried to work, it just seemed impossible to get her words out of his mind. Why did Yura have to be such a pain?
As if on cue, the door swung wide open, revealing the aforementioned youkai woman, looking as cheerful and malicious as ever. "Oh, Sesshoumaruuu! I've come back for you, just as I promised!"
Skipping right past Kagome, she lunged to the youkai prince, grabbing his arm and energetically tugging him from his chair. "C'mon, c'mon, let's go for a walk. The moon is soooo beautiful..." She drawled. "And this room is just sooooo stuffy, don't you agree?"
Instinctively, Kagome puffed out her cheeks, catching Sesshoumaru's eye. He couldn't help but grin a little, revenge coming to mind. "...All right."
Hmph...! Kagome turned away from the pair, marching over to the desk and busily beginning to put things in order. I'm his maid. That's it. I don't care what he does with Yura or anyone else! It's not my business. All I have to worry about is doing my job and getting out of here as soon as possible.
Without another word from the two, other than Yura's giggling, Kagome waited until they left before letting out a deep breath and leaning against Sesshoumaru's chair. This was really too much stress for her, emotionally and mentally, and someday she swore that these conflicting emotions would send her to her untimely end. She did feel better, however, every time she told herself she didn't care. Why worry about what a pompous brat like him does anyway? She reminded herself, feeling satisfied with the silent insults. You'll be out of this place soon enough, and you'll never have to worry about him again.
Kagome was jarred from her thoughts by a knock on the door. She looked up, startled. What? They're back already?
Taking a few moments to regain her posture and straighten out her hair, Kagome waltzed to the door, confidently gripped the doorknob, and swung it open. At first she saw no one, confused until she had the presence of mind to look down. Much to her surprise, it wasn't Sesshoumaru, Yura, or any combination of the two. It was Rin, grasping a plate in her hands. "Oh! Rin-chan! What are you doing here?"
"Raven-chan!" Rin smiled up at her, pushing by her legs and looking expectedly around the room. "Sesshoumaru-sama! ...Sesshoumaru-samaaa?" She turned back to Kagome, a disappointed frown on her face. "Where's Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"He's...out for a little while." Kagome crouched down, seeing that little treat that Rin was carrying with her. "What's that?"
"Oh!" Rin perked up a little, returning to where the older girl was. "It's a cake. I made it myself, for Sesshoumaru-sama! But...well, she SAID he'd be here..."
"Hm?" Kagome tilted her head. "Who said he'd be here?"
Rin blushed childishly, suddenly aware of what she said. "Oh...no one, no one!" She smiled wide, revealing the small gap in her teeth. "It's getting dark, and I have to go to bed soon though..."
Kagome nodded in understanding. "All right! I've got it! I'll give this to Sesshoumaru-sama for you, okay?"
Looking very happy with the promise, Rin shoved her thin little arms out towards Kagome, offering her the small china plate that held the rather large slice of thick chocolate cake. "Thank you, Raven-chan! You can have a little too, but just a little! 'Cause I made it especially for Sesshoumaru-sama. It even has it's own special ingredient!"
"Got it, got it." Kagome stood up, holding the plate in one hand with great care, and patted Rin's head with the other. "You get to sleep now. I promise that Sesshoumaru will get it the moment he gets back."
"Thank you, Raven-chan! I'll see you later then...Bye bye!" And with that, the energetic little girl turned and happily skipped out of the room, leaving the door slightly cracked open behind her. Kagome couldn't help but smile a little.
"I guess it couldn't hurt to have just a bit..." She told herself, kneeling by the table and setting the plate down. "I mean, Rin said I could, after all..."
And with that, she picked up the tiny fork that was set cutely next to the cake, and gathered just a small bit of the grainy chocolate material on top. "I haven't had anything sweet for ages...!" Happy with herself and the circumstances, Kagome consumed the tiny bit of confectionary goodness, chewing it and swallowing it with nostalgic feelings of joy. "Uwaaa! It tastes great! I didn't know Rin was such a good cook!"
The truth was she desperately wanted to try some more, but knew that it was probably a bad idea. Rin had made it for Sesshoumaru, after all, and she would leave the rest of it for Rin's sake. Setting the fork back down on the plate, Kagome sprung to her feet with the goal of sneaking a little rest on her master's soft bed. But that's when a strange feeling hit her. Dots of light unexpectedly began to flash in front of her vision, and she felt oddly lightheaded. Stumbling to the side and gripping one of Sesshoumaru's bedposts, she raised a hand to her temple. What...What's wrong with me...? She thought hazily, her breath abruptly catching in her throat. "Nn..g!!" She gagged, her eyes going wide as she began to take quick, hollow breaths, her legs and arms suddenly feeling like jelly. Losing her support, she fell to the ground, turning onto her knees and elbows and gasping desperately for air, unable to call out or make any words. The white sparkles now mixed with black blotches, and she could just barely perceive everything around her getting thick and hazy, her heart beating like mad from panic but her eyes drooping low from a sudden onset of exhaustion. Her elbows gave out from under her and she collapsed forward, her cheek pressing against the soft rug of the empty room. Sesshoumaru... She thought wearily, before falling into a deep and numb state of nothingness.
"Raven-chaan!" Someone called from outside the room. For obvious reasons, there was no response. Rin, who had returned to leave another message for Sesshoumaru, peeked her head into the slightly open door, looking around. "Raven-chan? Are you there?"
Again, receiving no response, she stepped inside. "Raven-cha-AH!" She jumped a little when she saw her older friend's lifeless body lying on the floor. "Raven-chan...? Raven-chan?!" Her high, childlike voice became much tighter as she kneeled by the girl's side and shook her shoulders. "Raven-chan?! Wake up!! Are you okay?! Raven-chan?!" There was no response. Rin was still young, but even she could tell that the gurgling noise Kagome made in the back of her throat was a bad sign. As quickly as possible she leapt to her feet, bursting out of the door and down the hallway, screaming for Sesshoumaru.
~
Author's Note: OH YEAH BABY BABY! :DDDD I am proud of this chapter. Why? Because it is 10:37 damn PM at night, I have not started my homework, and I have to go take a shower! WHOO HOO! But I finished it! Just for all you! And I'll be busy ALL DAY tomorrow so I figured I should get it done. Hmm. Not much to say.
I decided to add some turmoil into the relationship. Aka, Yura. I was having a hard time deciding whether I should pick Yura, or Abi (I think that's her name) which was a bird woman youkai enemy thing from some point in the manga. But for some reason or another, I picked Yura. I think you can probably guess what role she has to play in all of this. Umm. No. I didn't really spellcheck it. Well, I spellchecked it, but I didn't proofread it. Dammit, I have stuff to do tonight! I'm sorry! _ That's why I might not be able to send the mailing list thing out tonight. 9_9 Which I guess defeats the point, but...I think my readers will forgive me.
What else to say..Hmm..11 pages! Whoo! Go me! I hit a roadblock at one point (around page 5) and I had TWO directions I could take this story in, one with Yura and one without, but I decided to take the with. Oh, and if anyone has any questions about the plot, feel free to ask. T_T I mean, I might not be able to answer them because I'm about author, but I'll try. I don't want anyone to be confused.
Oh! You know what I need to say! There is a reason this is a little late. You know why? ...Dun dun DUN! Because Tsuuki has started ANOTHER STORY! Whoo hoo! It's a totally different turn from this one (Still Inuyasha, still Sess/Kag, don't worry) but it's modern. No youkai. There will be stuff about the Shikon, I will take some liberties with the Kikyou/Kagome, and it'll be retro. It's called Our Night Life, it'll be out..eh..Sort of soon, I guess. I have a few pages now, but I'm going to wait until I have a few chapters, okay? I hope you guys all read it, since it'll be different from any other fic I've read so far. :D I just want to try to be daring. So look forward to that. All right! That's it for now!
JAA MATA NE!