War
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and that's just my bad luck speaking.
Kagome tried to go about her job as usual, which was hard to do when her master, talking right in front of the servants, was discussing the miko they now called 'The Phoenix,' after the legendary fire bird that, upon its death, rose from its ashes and started anew. Just like Midoriko's reincarnate, the miko they had been waiting for so many years.
Her hands trembling, Kagome made her way to the table without dropping anything, which was a relief seeing as how she was shaking so badly. "You!" Kagome froze, turning her solemn gaze onto her master Sesshoumaru's guest without a word. He gestured to his empty goblet and, without missing a beat, the miko reached over and filled his glass before gracefully bowing out. In the kitchen, Sango, one of Kagome's closest friend and fellow servant in Sesshoumaru's household, nudged her. "Have you heard about the miko that was spotted in the marketplace today?" she asked solemnly as she handed Kagome a rag to wash the dishes with.
Kagome dejectedly started taking her frustration out on the dishes, her eyes focused on anything but Sango. "No, why? What did she do?" Sango instantly filled her in on the situation, and how since most of the youkai that had been in the crowd hadn't really caught a good look at the girl's face, they would have to recognize her only by scent. "They say her scent in unmistakable," Sango explained. "Very unique, even for humans. They couldn't quite find a way to explain it, but they said it was a very feminine scent and one they would recognize anywhere." Kagome's heart sank. Her family was now in danger as a result of her actions, and there was no one left in the city to teach her how to change or cover her scent. It would only be a matter of time before they traced her scent back to her family.
Sango was just about to say something about her friend's odd behavior when growls and shouting caught their attention. Although both of them knew that it was against the rules to eavesdrop, the two girls left the kitchen and crept towards the dining room, listening carefully.
"What do you mean, Inuyasha has returned? How long has he been back?" Sesshoumaru demanded, rising from his seat and slamming his clawed fists down onto the expensive cherry oak table that he'd brought in. Kagome nor Sango envied his guest at the moment. "He's been back for a couple of days now, just wandering around the city," his guest replied nonchalantly, sipping at his wine. "We haven't seen much of him, but we understand that he was a part of the crowd that witnessed the miko's fight with General Shikouri."
Kagome, forgetting about listening to the rest of the conversation, resisted the urge to gasp, clasping a hand over her mouth to prevent Sesshoumaru from noticing they were there as a chill of fear ran down her spine. She hadn't killed just anyone… no, she had killed one of Sesshoumaru's lesser generals, one of his most trusted. She knew she was in big trouble. He would inevitably hunt her down until he found her, which probably wouldn't take long. If he knew the scent he was looking for, Sesshoumaru would've found some horrible way to kill her already, but thankfully enough for her, he didn't know and he wouldn't unless someone found something of hers.
Kagome nearly groaned aloud as she thought of her books, all of which had her scent smeared all over it because she handled them everyday. Life just wasn't fair, especially for young girls who suddenly find out that they were mikos on their fifteenth birthday. Seeing Sango watching her from the corner of her eye, Kagome gestured for them to return to the kitchen now that Sesshoumaru and his guest were speaking at a lower volume and in a more polite tone of voice, although Sesshoumaru still sounded agitated. Silently, both of them slipped back into the kitchen, lost in their own thoughts.
"Kagome?"
Turning to look at her friend, Kagome wasn't sure what to think of the speculation that she saw in Sango's eyes. "What is it, Sango?" she asked quietly, her gaze returning to the blackened pot she just happened to have been working on. It was a reasonable excuse, for if the head cook came in and spotted Kagome just standing there talking to Sango, she would be whipped.
"What do you know about the Phoenix?" Her face turning a bit red, Sango quickly added, "The bird, I mean. What do you know about the bird?"
Kagome scrubbed a bit slower at her pot, trying to recall the stories and legends of the Phoenix, the mythological creature that she had always been infatuated with. Funny that the youkai should name her that. Normally, she could recall the stories in a moment, but she was having a bit of trouble that night, with everything that had happened. "Well, Sango," she began hesitantly, a distant look in her eyes, "the Phoenix is no ordinary bird. It's feathers are the shade of fire, and they appear to be constantly burning as well. When it flies, it leaves a trail of flame and magic in its wake. The most extraordinary feature, however, is the fact that after it died, the bird rises from the ashes of its former body and becomes a new creature."
The girl flushed a bit when she saw Sango watching her, trying to find a reason for her friend's strange behavior. Sango, Kagome knew, was smart and had the distinct ability to put two and two together and come up with an answer. There was no way she would be able to hide the fact that she was the miko the youkai called 'The Phoenix' from her childhood friend. Sango, who came from a long line of youkai slayers, was too smart for her own good.
"Kagome, what are you hiding from me?"
Sango's tone was casual, almost as though she were asking Kagome what she was going to wear to work tomorrow instead of asking her for the darkest secret that she'd ever had to hide from someone.
Kagome sighed, her hand pausing in its work as she turned to look at Sango with a slight smile. "I guess I can't hide anything from you, can I?"
Sango tsked and shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Kag. I've been your best friend since we were five years old, and I'm not going to let you start keeping secrets from me now," she warned, pointing a wooden spoon in Kagome's direction that the girl knew she wouldn't hesitate to smack her with. "I want to know what's been eating at you all night to the point where you haven't said more than five words to me all night when you're usually talkative."
The taijiya was caught off-guard by the sob that tore loose from Kagome's throat, or the look of complete terror on her friend's face as she turned to look at her. "I can't bear this burden alone," Kagome whispered pitifully, her eyes filling with tears. "You're the only person I can trust with this secret, Sango, so please, don't tell anyone!"
Sango could tell by the slightly hopeful look in Kagome's eyes that she was completely serious and nodded her head slightly in agreement, steeling herself for what Kagome had to say.
"I am the Phoenix, the miko that killed one of General Sesshoumaru's most trusted soldiers, and I am the miko that they're out there hunting for tonight," Kagome whispered, trembling once more. She could only cross her fingers and pray to any god that would listen that Sesshoumaru hadn't heard what she had to say. Sango's eyes widened in surprise, but she said nothing, having expected something like that. Instead, she leaned over and gave her pale friend a much-needed hug. "Don't you worry about a thing, Kagome. As a taijiya, I swear to do my very best to keep those monsters from finding out whom the Phoenix really is," Sango remarked solemnly. Kagome nearly burst into tears at her words. Taijiyas, especially ones from Sango's family, were well-known for their fierce loyalty to their friends and their word. If Sango promised that, then she fully intended on carrying it out as well. "Oh Sango," Kagome nearly wailed, grateful to have such a loyal friend at her side in troubled times, "you have no idea how much that means to me to hear you say that!"
Sango smiled grimly, patting Kagome's shoulder affectionately. "Oh, I just might, Kag. I just might." Clearing her throat, she gestured to the huge stack of dishes awaiting them. "Now that we've cleared that up, we'd better get going on these dishes. If we don't hurry, we might get whipped for taking too long." Although Sango was completely serious, Kagome giggled for the first time that night, sounding more like herself than she had before the incident with the youkai…
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Kagome held up a shirt against her body, glancing in the full-sized mirror that stood in front of her for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think this is my color," she remarked to Sango, handing it back to the saleswoman. Sango merely chuckled. "It might not look good on you," she replied with a grin as she reached for the shirt Kagome had discarded, "but I think it's just the right color for me!"
Kagome turned to look at her best friend as Sango held up the shirt, nodding in approval. "Yes, actually, it does look better on you," she admitted somewhat sheepishly as Sango added it to her pile of clothes that she was going to buy. For some odd reason or another, Sesshoumaru had given both girls a bonus in their check, and their automatic reaction was to go shopping, after giving a bit to their mothers of course.
"May my eyes never see again after having beheld such beautiful goddesses," a male voice proclaimed dramatically as they turned, eyeing the young man standing before them curiously. He fell to his knees, his violet eyes perfectly serious as he took Sango's hand into his own and kissed it. "May I have the pleasure of asking you to bear my children?" Kagome chuckled as Sango's face turned an odd shade of red, then purple. She wasn't surprised in the least when Sango smacked him, her eyes blazing. "Hentai!" she shrieked, backing away as quickly as possible while still glaring at the raven-haired boy.
Moments later, the boy was being dragged away by his silver-haired companion, who conveniently showed up just as the violet-eyed hentai had begun crawling in Sango's direction, who looked like she was going to blow a vein. "You'll have to forgive my friend," the hentai's companion muttered just loud enough for the both of them to hear, his golden eyes meeting Kagome's. She instantly turned red and backed away a bit. "S-S-Sesshoumaru?" Sango asked, blinking in surprise. The boy's companion looked like a carbon copy of the youkai general, except for his skin was tanned from being out in the sun and his hair had a rougher texture to it than Sesshoumaru's. The boy narrowed his gaze at the two girls, unceremoniously dropping his friend. "You know my bastard of a half-brother?" He growled, glaring at the both of them.
Sango stepped in front of Kagome, her own gaze narrowing. "That's no business of yours," she snapped in retaliation as she grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her towards the cashier, suspicion echoed in her gaze.
Kagome, still frightened and a little relieved that it hadn't been Sesshoumaru after all, glanced back at the half-brother of Sesshoumaru as Sango dragged her out of the store, still steaming mad…
