Chapter 13: Foiled!
Kagome eyed Kikyou. Kikyou eyed Kagome.
Two beautiful women, the air around them thick with tension.
"I knew it was you," Kikyou said, lips curling. "No one else has your ungraceful way of moving."
"I wonder how you even pass off as me," Kagome retorted, glaring. "No one beats your bitchiness."
"Enough said," snapped Kikyou. "I know what Naraku's after."
"Wow, I wouldn't be able to figure it out on my own, I'm such an idiot. I'd appreciate it if, from today on, you stopped pretending to be me," Kagome said angrily. It was illegal to pose as a member of a high-ranking family, though the lure of immense money and power at her disposal must have blinded Kikyou.
"What do you want?" asked Kikyou cautiously. As much as she hated to admit it, the irritating chit of a girl was powerful.
"To go home. When all this is over I will return to my home with my brother. May I suggest you try and seduce a lord now so you won't get kicked out on the street when I return," Kagome suggested cynically. With that, she swept past Kikyou, her kimono silk rustling softly.
Kikyou's eyes narrowed.
"You'll regret that statement, Miss Kagome!" she called after her, spinning on her heels and stalking off to find Naraku.
The shogun glared at Lord Sesshoumaru, who had the uncanny knack of upsetting Naraku's plans at the worst moments possible.
"Really, Naraku, laying hands on a lady?" Sesshoumaru asked coldly.
"I don't appreciate your presence, Lord Sesshoumaru," snapped Naraku. "But I'll let it go. Take the whore, and get out." Saying that he shoved Kagura towards the door, and she darted agilely behind Sesshoumaru.
"Shogun… Naraku Takamoto… soon to be Emperor… Don't ruin your chances with unsavoury rumours you mistreat women," said Sesshoumaru with mock sadness.
Naraku's lip curled, and he forced himself not to react to the bait. "So you admit it. I'll become emperor – you'll never smell the scent of the throne you so covet."
"This Sesshomaru, covet the throne?" Was there no end to the shogun's madness?
"Oh? Then why secretly train the dead Lord Higurashi's daughter to become a miko? Why start a recruitment camp?" growled Naraku.
"Well, though I honestly believe this is none of your business, I shall humour you. The recruitment camp was a panic attack on the part of my retainer, nothing more. My retainer has been punished, but you cannot expect me to just send all those young men home with nothing. As for Lord Higurashi's daughter, my dealings with Lord Higurashi's daughter are truly none of your business. It's your dealings with the Higurashis that I must inquire into."
"Ask away, Lord Sesshoumaru. I may not answer." Naraku set his chin at an arrogant angle.
Sesshoumaru hardly took notice. "In replacing Lady Higurashi with the geisha Kikyou you obviously have an interest in the way the Higurashi's future swings to. I doubt you want the Lady back in her place, and I have yet to even believe you want Lord Higurashi back," Sesshoumaru said casually.
"Lord Higurashi?" Naraku frowned. "The dead lord had no sons."
"Research court intrigues properly, dear shogun, before jumping into fancy plots." Sesshoumaru extended a glance in Kagura's direction, who quickly scrambled up and towards him.
"Oh, by the way, Naraku…" Sesshoumaru paused at the door. "Just to inform you, I don't intend for you to get the throne. I suggest you quit while you're not making losses to your treasury, armies and reputation."
"Your husband had a son?" hissed Naraku. How in hell's name could he have overlooked that? No, how could the stupid bitch forget to tell him?
"No…" Lady Higurashi looked terrified, and Naraku smelt the fear on her like a rat.
"Liar." He glared at Lady Higurashi before him. "I cannot help you if you don't tell me the truth."
"Alright, alright," cried the lady. "He did. He had one son before Kagome."
"Please tell me you strangled him as an infant!" shouted Naraku. This was getting more and more dangerous by the second. The appearance of a male Higurashi heir could ruin all Naraku's carefully thought-out plans.
"I don't know…"
"WHAT!"
She looked terrified. "It was years and years ago…"
"And where is this son?" asked Naraku slowly and quietly.
"I – I left him on the doorstep of a temple."
Oh, wonderful. A temple. Naraku felt his blood heating up. Honestly, was this woman retarded? A temple. Why didn't she throw the kid in a river? No, she had to leave him in a temple, where the priests would probably train him up in their religion.
A temple. A bloody temple. There were a countless number of them around Japan. And even if Naraku knew which temple, as shogun he couldn't just barge into a temple, demand a monk, and then kill him off.
One living Higurashi caused enough headaches for him. Now, apparently, there was another.
No one ever invited him to anything. The demons didn't want a hanyou like Inuyasha ruining their exclusive youkai parties. Even now, when hanyous weren't so discriminated against, Inuyasha never measured up to the pure blood status. As for humans, he wasn't the Lord of the Western Lands, and there was no benefit for them in inviting him to anything.
Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, was the perfect dinner guest. Having him at a party would show off one's powerful connections, not to mention that no one dared insult the taiyoukai by excluding him from a guest list. No, it was always the perfect, wonderful, Sesshoumaru-sama who got the invites and the girls.
Similarly, at a huge gathering like that of the Emperor's funeral, the Imperial household had passed over Inuyasha's seat to make room for more of Sesshoumaru's retinue. After all, if Lord Sesshoumaru wished his brother to join them, he would always include the hanyou in his party.
Apparently the taiyoukai wished otherwise.
After pacing his room for awhile, Inuyasha decided to go down to the great dining hall. Maybe he could steal some food and sake off a maid. It was the least they could do considering they were rubbing salt into wounds, having a grand party downstairs in the palace when they knew very well he was upstairs.
Wandering down the hall, he spotted a powdery blue apparition making its way in his direction.
Good. For once the maids came to him, not the other way around.
Kagome, on the other side of the hall, spotted the familiar flash of red and silver. Inuyasha! He would have to be dense not to connect Kagome and Kei as being the same person after seeing her dressed as a girl.
Think fast, Kagome, she prayed to herself.
Reaching for her fan, she whipped it out, flicked it open and partially covered her face with it. She was certain she looked ridiculously coy. Still, she peered out from the top of the fan at Inuyasha, who was looking strangely at her.
Then he spoke. "Excuse me… could you by any chance get me a jug of sake."
Oh, heavens. He thought she was a maid.
"Sorry… excuse me." Kagome cast a fleeting look in his direction, before fleeing in the other direction.
Inuyasha frowned. What was with rude maids nowadays? And… he could've sworn he had seen those brown eyes somewhere.
Running away from Inuyasha as fast as her damnably cumbersome get-up would let her, Kagome made her way back upstairs to Sesshoumaru's room. She sure as hell wasn't passing up a chance like this to get his armour and fix the thing once and for all.
Carefully, Kagome slid open the shoji screen door.
Tabletops… dust-free and spotless. Floor… smelling of fresh tatami and perfectly clean.
Ok, where the hell did Sesshoumaru keep his bloody armour?
Wandering over to a cabinet, Kagome triumphantly flung it open.
An empty chest smelling faintly of cedar greeted her.
"Not here…" muttered Kagome.
Wandering around the room, there seemed to be no trace of it at all.
It couldn't be. Kagome felt like screaming.
The door flew open suddenly. "Kagome, I need you to break Kagura's bond with Naraku now," Sesshoumaru said calmly, looking thoroughly unsurprised to see her breaking into his quarters.
"I'm not ready," Kagome exclaimed.
"Of course you are," Sesshoumaru said in a no-nonsense voice.
"All I've done is shoot arrows!"
"It will have to suffice."
Before she knew it Kaede arrived and she was being dragged to the middle of the room by the old nurse. Honestly. No one even cared to ask Kagome if she was capable. The whole miko business started when Sesshoumaru decided she was a miko. Nobody bothered asking if she even was, which she was still certain that she wasn't.
Kagome settled herself on the ground, Kaede besides her, lighting a candle between them. Sesshoumaru hovered nearby, she could sense his presence, but he actually kept away as though miko powers could sting – wait, they could.
"Concentrate carefully," Kaede instructed.
"Don't I need to be in the same room as Kagura or something?" asked Kagome.
"No… just concentrate. Starting from this room, try and find my soul."
"WHAT?"
"Concentrate!"
"Okay…" Kaede's soul, Kaede's soul… Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to try and 'find ' it.
To her surprise, she began to see a silvery white ball hovering just around Kaede's head
"Found it?" whispered Kaede.
Kagome didn't reply, but the judging from the slightly glazed look she wore the old miko felt she had. This was good. Kaede continued, speaking in a calm, measured pace. "Try and concentrate in the corridor outside this room."
Kagome furrowed her brow. As though the walls were invisible, she thought she saw a glowing ball float along outside. "A maid… walking past."
"Good… and the room across from us?"
She saw the soul, and recognized it. "Sango-chan's in there…"
So far, so good. "Now, try and find Kagura."
It was as if the entire palace had turned into floating balls of light.
"Found it," murmured Kagome. She could see Kagura, yes, she was in a room. "But… Kaede, it's red…"
"Exactly. Now, to break the bond, you need to purify Kagura's soul until it turns white like every one else's."
"We're going!" snapped Naraku to Kanna. He jumped into his carriage, intent on heading back to his castle. "The sooner we leave this stupid palace, the better."
She said nothing, but followed obediently as he swept out of the dining hall.
"Tell me, Kanna, did Lord Higurashi really have a son?" barked Naraku as soon as they were safely out of the palace gates on the way home.
"I don't know," Kanna said faintly. If he got any angrier he would start beating her, or whomever he could get his hands on.
"Find out!"
"I will…" She didn't have her mirror with her though, what did Naraku expect her to do?
"And find out now!" How on earth could he have overlooked it? A Higurashi son! Naraku was furious, and above all furious with himself.
To add to his fury, a strange sensation was starting to build from his fingertips, like thousands of needles were jabbing themselves repeatedly into his flesh.
It crept up past his wrist before Naraku realized what was happening.
Purification…
Which meant one thing. That the annoying Lord Sesshoumaru was getting a miko to break the blood bond between him and Kagura. Naraku didn't know which miko was strong enough, but he knew it would take nearly the strongest miko in Japan to do it.
Naraku nearly exploded. "We're going back!" he snapped, spinning around and heading straight back into the palace gates.
With every second, his skin burned even more. Keeping his face impassive, Naraku flew towards the palace bedrooms, he could still sense the bitch Kagura even if they were trying to sever their connection.
Then all of a sudden, he couldn't feel her anymore. All he could feel was the stabbing pain of a severe purification spell.
Reaching the nearest door, he flung it open.
The shiny, deadly point of a blade met him in the face.
"You dare threaten me, the shogun, with a sword?" Naraku yelled blindly.
The Lord of the Western Lands looked serene, almost. "I certainly do." Behind Sesshoumaru, Naraku spotted two figures in the shadows but he couldn't make out who they were.
"Surely even the shogun won't force himself into my private quarters," Sesshoumaru said, narrowing his eyes.
Naraku stepped back into the corridor, Sesshoumaru following, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Why is breaking the blood bond of such importance to you?" demanded Naraku. "Kagura is just a whore, she should mean nothing to you!"
"You're using it to accomplish your own evil plans, and I won't allow it," answered Sesshoumaru icily.
"You have no proof!" Naraku exclaimed in anger.
"Then why rush here the moment you felt that the bond was being broken?" countered Sesshoumaru.
The shogun fumed. "Fine, if you know all my evil plans, then tell me, what was I trying to accomplish through Kagura?"
"You wanted Kagura to bring you Kagome Higurashi, so you can possibly use her as a hostage against us. Or better yet, kill her so she can never get throne."
Naraku laughed madly. "Now, why would I do that? Women can't ascend throne."
He knew Lord Sesshoumaru would hardly be fooled by that silly excuse. Any educated member of nobility knew the conditions for ascending the throne; if pushed to reign, Kagome could get crowned with the approval of the majority of lords. Or she could marry a minor lord and take the throne as his empress.
Naraku tried to divert the topic. "Which miko are you using? Few can break a blood bond initiated by me, and no one can do it from afar!"
"This," Sesshoumaru said coolly, "wouldn't be the first time you have been proven wrong."
Finally, Kagura's soul shone a pure white. Sighing, Kagome allowed herself to lie on her back, exhausted.
She felt Kaede's hand, squeezing hers proudly. Already, slowly but surely, her strength was returning.
"It's nothing a good night's sleep won't cure," Kaede said with pride. This was her Kagome, the baby she'd raised from birth. And her Kagome wasn't a miko to tangle with.
The door banged open. Kaede looked up as the shogun flew in, anger written all over his face. "You stupid miko, you -"
Sesshoumaru let him fly in. The bond was broken, and Naraku would do well to learn that the Higurashi girl was not a weepy lord's daughter easily snuffed out of competition for the crown.
Naraku paused. The woman in miko robes was an old woman. By the looks of it, she was old and haggish and probably going to die soon. No way could she have broken the bond.
Which left the person lying on the futon, breathing raggedly.
Striding over quickly, Naraku yanked the person up, glaring at her.
"You -" he stopped short. He had seen this person somewhere.
The geisha who had disappeared, while dancing for them with a sword and no paint on her face…
The boy samurai who followed Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha around…
The silent geisha at the party just this evening…
Lord Higurashi's daughter, the one he had been hounding Kagura to bring to him.
"You!" spat Naraku. He had been under the impression the girl was hidden, heavily guarded by Sesshoumaru and a retinue of guards daily. And she had been in the palace the whole time, guarded by an old lady? Naraku would've long come after her himself, and save all that bond-breaking nonsense.
"My, my, shogun…" There was a sneer in Sesshoumaru's voice. "Manhandling two ladies in one night?"
"I see no lady, just a cross-dressing whore. What I do, really, is none of your concern," Naraku snarled, though he released Kagome from his grasp. He couldn't well fight Sesshoumaru, he knew.
"How dare you!" exclaimed Kagome. Without warning, she raised her arm and slapped him soundly across the face.
The smack echoed around the room.
"Bitch!" Naraku lunged, but not before Kagome scrambled towards Sesshoumaru. To the taiyoukai's surprised she wrenched his sword from him, a heavy weapon for a woman, and pointed the sword at Naraku furiously.
She glowered at him. "Let's get one thing clear…" Kagome said coldly. "Remember Kikyou? You asked the okiya to release her, as me. So in the eyes of Japan and the record books of the geisha house, Kagome Higurashi has returned to her home. Therefore, there is no geisha by name of Kagome Higurashi. I'm not, I never was, and never will be a geisha, much less a whore!"
"Naraku, you should go get rest," Sesshoumaru intervened with mock concern. "After all, now that the late Emperor has been buried, tomorrow we choose a new emperor." As shogun, Naraku had to reside over the proceedings.
"Yes, I will go get some rest," Naraku said stiffly.
He would get his revenge one day, he really would.
"So now that the bond's broken, can I stop miko practices?" asked Kagome.
"But you've made incredible progress," reasoned Kaede.
"I don't like being a miko."
"Either way, we'll have to fight Naraku somehow. He won't lie down and let someone become emperor," Sesshoumaru said.
Just then, Inuyasha rushed in.
"She took her!"
"What? Who?" asked Kagome. Inuyasha was agitated – too agitated to see she was a girl.
"After Sesshoumaru and Naraku went out into the corridor, this white girl came in. I thought she was a maid! Before I could say a thing, she had grabbed Kagura and disappeared."
"White girl?" asked Kaede, confused.
"Kanna…" Sesshoumaru said.
"Naraku's minion…" Kagome said, closing her eyes in frustration.
It was their fault, really, that they hadn't guarded against the scheming shogun. Just when they'd gone through all the trouble of breaking his stupid blood bond, Naraku had gone and kidnapped Kagura.
Well, they would just have to confront the shogun again.