Been awhileI know, but my life is chaotic! I just wanna scream my head off and then run around and smash things, honestly that is my biggest desire right now, to hurt something! But besides that, here is my next chapter, I know I kept you waiting for a bit, but like I said I wanna break something, so please excuse me, and please don't hate me! Though for some reasonI feel like I've been getting bashed up by people, who I won't say but don't worry my story is still gonna keep going. Alrighty then, this chapter is longer than the rest, and after this, the plot begins! Muahaha! Yea so ok in this here chapter, I thought I'd clear things up a bit, just to help some people along, cause a lot of you guys seem to be really confused, so here you learn more about Nyoko and Yukiko, my own characters. Also you get to hear about Mirouku and Sango and Shippou, just cause I completely forgot about them, but I'm making up for that fact. And I'm gonna clear up some drama that many of you have been throwing at me, and honestly it's getting frustrating so I'm just going to get it over and hope that we can move on, but at the end, so be patient with me! Alright enough chatter and I hope you like it, and on with the main event!
(Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha)
Italic- me speaking
Bold- change of scene or character
Chapter 8
Nyoko walked down the silent path entwined between majestic trees. Once she felt that every time she walked this path, breathing in the scents and hearing all the pleasing sounds, she would feel relaxed and at peace, as though she had the company of a loved one near her. But now she walked through it seeing the dark shadows menacingly hiding behind the large willows, and the deadly silence the forest held, not even being able to hear the songs of birds. Her mind thought over and over the scene in the bedroom, seeing the tiny figure of the child on her bed, and knew she would never see this place as she had once before.
She stiffened upon smelling the scent of her master. It was now or never. She wished it would have been never, but unfortunately, she watched her master come from around the small corner in deep thought. His face was troubled, even she could tell from behind his mask of emptiness. She hadn't forgotten the heated argument she had had with him, but still her heart cried out for him, and she felt the sudden urge of going over and embracing him as a mother would her son. She wiped the thought from her mind as she remembered who she was talking about, a demon lord, who was as cold as he was silent.
She froze as his piercing golden eyes caught sight of her. Her breathing became short as she put a hand to her chest. His eyes never left her face, as he came closer to her, his gaze unfaltering. She felt trapped under those pools of cold golden ice, wishing he could at least blink or something.
He could tell she was afraid. Obviously, who wouldn't under his stare, but that wasn't what she feared. She had always been taken aback whenever he stared at her with his full intensity, but she had never reacted as such. No, she wasn't afraid of him. Something was not right, he could feel dread dripping of this girl's very being.
"Speak." She nearly jumped from the sound of his voice. It was deep and husky, and if she hadn't gotten over the first initial shock of being under the same house with a gorgeous god such as himself long ago, she would have been throwing herself at him. No she had no feelings such as that towards the demon, though she had to admit he was beautiful, she had grown to respect him intensely and she saw him as nothing more than her master. She had been broken down to think of him as her lord, but not by force, and to do that to someone who was to betroth an entire empire was unheard of. But he had earned her respect by protecting her life loyally, and for that she repaid him with hers. Her thoughts were broken when she heard his impatient low growl emanate from his chest. Shaking her thoughts away, she lowered her head and muttered an apology before facing him entirely preparing herself to speak.
"My lord, I…I came here to tell you…th-that…" She remained quiet before clearing her throat and blinking the tears back determined not to break down. She transformed into servant mode before she spoke again. "I have tragic news to inform you of Lord Sesshoumaru. Lady Rin, she has…she did not survive the night." She whispered the final part, finally letting a few tears slip by.
Lord Sesshoumaru had heard her whisper the news to him, feeling a sudden emotion rack through his body, before his hand brushed by the reason he dare not dread her death, but soon he realized he had felt nothing. Not hearing anything from the demon, she looked up, wiping at her tears and was shocked to see him as silent and calm as she had seen him before telling him the news. His eyes were averted to something at his side, and he was deep in thought. Her eyes widened when he stared at her with nothing in his eyes as he walked by her silently and swiftly.
"My Lord, did you not hear me?" She was praying that his sense of hearing had been a bit off, but he just stood behind her, not saying a word. Turning slightly towards him, she saw him nod curtly before setting off again. His cold demeanor would have been considered as warm as a mother's gentle arms, compared to his eyes at that moment. She had seen his eyes in many different emotions, but never had she seen them with iciness that could melt the sun itself. Her heart dropped as she sighed a deep and tired sigh. Little by little, her respect for him was disappearing.
Lord Sesshoumaru walked swiftly towards the castle, feeling the sorrowful eyes from his servant upon his back. She was the only maid he allowed to speak to him in such ways and not be dead a second later. She had come to him as a payment for a debt her father had idiotically found himself in. He could do with her whatever he pleased, and many thought she would become his mate, but one look in her eyes and he knew that that was not her place. Pure terror filled those huge black eyes when she had first arrived on his lands, and he grew to pity her situation. Now twice he had fallen under that pathetic emotion and given into his most basic instincts, to protect. And protect he did, giving this demon as much liberty as he would Rin, but still being extremely strict as to not get her too comfortable with him.
He knew of her little crush over him at first, and ignored her for a while, before she gave up following him around and became more mature and almost sister-like. That was when he truly laid eyes on her. Her hair was flowing down to her thighs, in waves of green and blue resembling that of a calm ocean. Two wisps of hair framed her face, curling down to her neck. Her eyes were pitch black, but clearly standing out in the middle of darkness was a swirl of pure golden colors. It was as if watching a sunset within those breath-taking eyes. Her skin wasn't pale as all other demons in these lands, but tanned and flawless, as if the sun kissed her skin with a gentle brush of his lips, causing her hair to seem darker and even richer in color down to the very tips. Her long hair almost draped over her figure, curving down her slender arms past her womanly endowments that caused quite a few stares, down to her long slim legs.
Anyone would have thought that she would have been a perfect choice to bear his heirs, but he had not taken her knowing his own reasons not too. Yes she had caught his attention, something only one had done before, but who wouldn't be drawn to her with such a style of clothing that accentuated her very mature figure. A dress made of fabric that seemed to glide with her movements, making the illusion of water clinging to her body. It was a deep blue color, that of a river streaming down through a forest. It reached down to her feet, but past her thighs it was completely sheer, making her legs almost visible past the deep color. Right before the hips was a line of gold thread that seemed to bring them out even more. That line trailed up to her shoulder where there it held together a sleeve that opened above her shoulder exposing it and her slender arm. The loose fabric hung right under her arm, making it fly through the air every time she moved almost like a gust of wind causing a wave to gently fold back into the water. That same line if gold thread drew a line across her chest, where a small slit opened exposing her skin and drawing more attention to the flattering fabric, until it closed once again on the tip of her other shoulder. Her other arm was covered with the same fabric but it clung to her arm until it closed off into a sharp point right above her middle finger.
Now she was being dressed in a simple maid's outfit, degrading her to the position of head caretaker of the house. Still she held that air of respect and dignity around her, and that brought upon Lord Sesshoumaru's respect for the girl, giving her the duty of watching over Rin whenever he left her behind. He appreciated her role, and watched her almost transform into a mother figure for Rin. Nyoko would always play with her, but teach her discipline whenever she had taken her playing too far. He would take walks along these lands with her at times, deep in the night and converse over many topics, subjects he would only open up to her about. Not even Jaken would hear these words, and for that she stayed as loyal to him as he to her.
But now the sorrow he felt from her was undeniably strong and he felt a sting of guilt before he stepped inside the wooden double doors.
A light breeze brushed against her cheek causing her to touch the spot he had kissed her before. She had vowed to forget him no matter what, but everything reminded her of Inuyasha. The scent of the forest beside her house, the sudden gust of wind she had felt every time she rode on his back, the sound of her name being called softly reminded her of how he spoke to her that night. A slight shiver ran up her back as though someone had stroked her spine with a single finger. No she wouldn't go back to remember that night. It would be too much.
Shaking her head she looked up to see where she was and gasped. She was at the well house door. Placing her hand lightly on the wooden frame, she cautiously slid the door open. Sunlight engulfed the once dark place and it was as if a spotlight had suddenly been placed upon the well. There in front of her was the reason for her meeting Inuyasha, for discovering her power to go back in time, the reason she had so much pain now. Because of this little well, she had gone through a lot more a normal person would go through their whole life, and here she had lived it in just three years. Now turning 18, she was about to graduate high school, and barely scraping through with good grades. Somehow she had managed to keep A average scores and was now about to take entrance exams to hopefully be accepted into the University of Kyoto. But her long absences in High School had been a major problem with her probability of getting into the prestigious university.
"I've got to stay focused on school, that's the only thing I'm going to have time to think about." A sudden memory flashed through her mind, one of Sango and Mirouku trying to calm her down after having a terrible fight with Inuyasha. Sango was holding her in her arms, and Mirouku was too afraid to touch her with Sango's presence so he just used his words for comfort. She was crying and asking questions as to why Inuyasha didn't understand how important her education was to her. Mirouku had answered her.
"The only reason he always has trouble letting you go is because he can't stand being away from you. He misses you like a puppy would his master and he tries to hide it by being a jerk Kagome. Don't get angry over his words, understand him for his intentions." That was when she had truly realized that Inuyasha wasn't a jerk, and that he cared. Mirouku, even though he was the king of all perverts, was a very deep thinker and always had words of wisdom that would put clarity in your mind. That was why she always went to him whenever she had to seek advice, but she was always wary of his notorious wandering hand. Sango was always the one she went to when she needed comfort, a shoulder to cry on and an arm to support herself with.
She very often wondered about what had happened to them after she left. Had they stuck by Inuyasha or left him after they found out what he had done? Though she had been hurt and betrayed by him, she would never have wanted him to be abandoned by their friends. Though it pained her to say it, she knew she would never be able to honestly say she hated Inuyasha. Hate was a strong word and she would have loved to say it, but her heart and soul wouldn't permit it. So every night she prayed silently that her friends were protected and would not leave Inuyasha. Even if he was with her, let them please stay together and live in happiness.
Her mind wandered to someone else, and her heart ached begging her to cry just once for him. Shippou would have been left alone without her there. Her son was now left without his mother and she felt the strong urge to return and hold him in her arms. He was the only one she could have the courage enough to return for. The ease of all her troubles was within this kitsune that had called her mother since the first day they met. His innocence and playfulness was enough to drive Inuyasha crazy, but she knew that he didn't really mind having him cling to his arm. Shippou saw Inuyasha as a father figure and was never once affected by Inuyasha's constant rejections. How she missed him, she missed everyone, including the half demon.
Sighing heavily, she forced her hand to slide the doors closed. Letting out a single tear, she stepped back from the door. She felt the strong rays of the sun as it emerged from behind the passing rain clouds. But not even the sun could warm her; all she could feel was isolation and fear of being alone. She felt the tear trail down her cheek, before dropping to the ground.
"This one's for you." Wiping at her cheek, she held her head up in determination before getting up and walking away from her past.
The door squeaked as she opened it slowly. Cringing at the loud sound, Yukiko quickly shut the door behind her gawking at the beautiful room she found herself in. It was a majestically grand study with walls lined with books, maps and drawings that were breath taking. The room was decorated with a large couch that seemed as comfortable as sitting on nails, but was a dark brown material that made it look exquisite. No pillows, but a matching foot rest was set before it. A table was placed almost to the side of it closer to the wall where the couch was put. And on either side was a canvas of a daunting mountain that was respectably eerie yet beautiful. The perfect match for a master such as Lord Sesshoumaru. On the other side of the small sitting area was a wall lined with books of every size, color, and content imaginable being held by a book case that seemed to go up to the high heavens themselves. Going deeper into the room, she saw many more paintings of mountains and forests, but none as impressionable as the one she had first seen. And even more books followed before she stopped at his desk. It was made of pure gold and of enormous size. The gold blended in with the brown tones of the room, and it seemed almost to dull in color, but no one could deny the fact that it was a remarkable sight.
It was in shape of a rectangle, but it curved at the ends almost as arms encircling in an embrace, but not even this pure golden mountain would dare touch her cold Lord. It stood on four massive dog heads that represented the four gods who had created the Inu-youkai race, or so it said in legend. Gold swirled from the god's manes up over the surface of the desk where it intertwined with more vines of gold creating what seemed to be wisps of clouds and in the very middle was engraved the emblem of the Inu-youkai lords, a crescent moon such as the one on Sesshoumaru's forehead. This however was not in such bold color but in gold tones that made it look dramatic and demanding in its honor.
Yukiko was awestruck at such an object that could have the power to almost make her tremble before power. No doubt this desk belonged to the unforgettable father of Sesshoumaru, Lord Inutaisho, or maybe this obvious family heirloom belonged to someone deeper in history, but it wasn't of her concern. She followed the edge of the desk with her fingers, feeling the cool sensation that tingled her senses. Lord Sesshoumaru always had that affect on her, to be able to send shockwaves through her body making her tremble with even a slight glance from those eyes of his. She couldn't deny it, he made her weak and she loved it.
No one had ever been able to even make her feel anything; her heart had been as cold as her powers since she had been born. Her mother was a bitch, to say the truth and she had been given the gift of ice as a heart and from there she gained her powers. She was after all an ice demon and with a single touch of her finger she could freeze any demon into their icy tomb. She held pride for her strength and adored the attention she received from anyone who knew her, especially the male population of those adorers.
Her family brought her up as a princess, even if they held no royal blood or position in their clan. She was always the object of jealousy for her girl classmates, but she never gave them the light of day for she was above them. Beautiful and regal, she was a demonness that was beyond anyone in her clan and for that she was banned by the leader saying that she would be the cause of many wars within their clan. But she knew the truth; his jealous daughter was outraged at being the second best and wanted her gone. But even with her departure, the jealous princess never gained the title of most beautiful for her memory still lived on, that is until her clan was wiped out.
She had left 2 months before the wars had occurred, and in fear of going back to nothing she remained with lord Sesshoumaru. Her father had sent her to him after news had spread that the Lord of the Western Lands had denied an element demon as a mate. They had hoped that with her beauty, Yukiko would be able to seduce the Lord into mating with her and therefore giving her family status and power beyond those of her pathetic clan. But on the day of her arrival she had been informed that the Lord was out and he wouldn't be coming back for weeks. Pissed to say the least, she spent her time making the life's of the servants hell; making them cower at her threats of telling her future mate how rude they were to the future Lady of the West.
On the second week of her stay, Lord Sesshoumaru had arrived and she dressed in her most elegant robes. A long dark purple cloak hung from her neck loosely, though the material seemed thick. It opened at her neck where it was tied revealing her petite yet mature body. Though she had not inherited her mother's tall stature, she had gained her beauty. A porcelain face with harsh purple eyes and full lips with no color but all the same still very alluring. Her hair was long compared to other girls in her clan, for usually ice demons wore their hair short and held up by a barrette resembling a snowflake by the side of their face. Her hair was down to her back in a soft tone of lavender in straight locks, but at the bottom her tips flared out giving it the illusion of icicles hanging from her hair. The only color that truly stuck out from her soft tones of lavender and lilac were her eyes. A deep purple that seemed almost too harsh but you couldn't help but fall into those violet depths.
When Lord Sesshoumaru had first seen her she was shocked at his reaction. His face was completely blank, a look of boredom on it. She couldn't believe that her beauty hadn't caused any reaction from this demon, she wasn't used to it. She was used to men throwing themselves at her feet at first sight of her, begging her to be their mate, or at the very least stares accompanied by a bit of drooling. But this, this blank look of boredom was completely unexpected. But what he had said to her that shocked her to the point of almost dropping dead at that very moment.
"Why is this demonness on my lands?" She couldn't believe it, most men would fantasize about having her in their homes, and here this demon was acting as if he was annoyed at the fact she was even near him. After pleading and begging with the demon lord he had asked about her family. She had said that she banished because of the princess' jealousy, he seemed almost amused at the fact and had allowed her to stay. She tried to woo him over for weeks, but on the third week she had pushed him to far.
Creeping into his bed at night, she had hoped to seduce him, but he had pushed her off and brought the edge of his sword to her neck. Then he flat out refused her telling her that he would kill her if she attempted to even speak to him. That was a major blow to her ego and she had been reduced to peasant's work. That was when her face had been tainted with the color of malice. Gazing upon her image, she traced her demon markings over and over again with her finger, thoughts crossing through her mind.
Then Rin arrived. Her mind went dark and her eyes turned cruel. That idiotic Nyoko had been given the responsibility of the ningen being the Lord's favorite. For that she despised Nyoko, jealous for once in her life of another female. She saw how Sesshoumaru would invite her to take long walks in his forest, how they would be together in every meal, and how he never expected her to do any work, but always showering her with elegant gifts. She would watch him arrive with parcels holding within them silk kimonos of breathtaking beauty and accessories of equal elegance. Nyoko and Rin both stole from her what life had destined for her, to be a powerful demon that would make everyone cower before her.
That was when her mind began to weave thoughts together, plotting her arrival in the royal world. Her demon markings burned every night with her dreams of power and total command over these and other lands. And every morning she would awake to find them darker and thicker, and never again did she see them in their natural lilac color. Now one thing was set in her mind, to conquer and rule.
Suddenly she felt an object under her finger, bringing her back to reality. Her eyes widened at seeing a magnificent sword laying on top the desk. Though she hadn't been trained in the arts of defense and sword fighting, she knew a thing or two about the quality about them, since her father was a trainer in a style of sword wielding. He had taught her about how the weight and length could determine the quality of a sword, not just the pure appearance. But this sword, this was the sword Lord Sesshoumaru carried by his side at all times, and she had heard many tales about it. Servants said that this sword was a parting gift from Sesshoumaru's father, a sword with great power. Nyoko had confirmed this and had said it was a sword of healing.
At first she had scoffed at the thought of it being powerful if it was a sword that could do no harm, but then she began thinking about the possibilities. If an army possessed this sort of power, they would be invincible, having no threat of deaths. Lord Sesshoumaru no doubt grew more and more intriguing with every new bit of information she learned about him. She saw him as a challenge, and sooner or later she would conquer him, as well as his lands.
However this sword could also potentially be seen as a threat to her plans. This she wouldn't allow, she had worked too hard for her plans to be stopped now, she was too close to achieving her goals and she wouldn't be held back.
Walking out of the room, she tightened her cloak around her body. Smiling to herself, she sang softly as she walked down the dark hallways, windows covered by heavy curtains. Surely she should come back to open them, but for now she had more important matters to attend to.
So, what did you think? Please review, and tell me if this cleared up anything or if you're still in the dark, and I'll try to help as much as I can. Alright now for the big event, many of my reviwers have demanded to know what the pairings are, and I mean demanded! I was trying to keep it sort of on the down low, but obviously that's not going to work. The only pairings I can tell you (because so far they're the only ones I know so far :) are indeed what everyone thinks, Sesshoumaru and Kagome. Happy? Hope so, cause you guys sorta killed my fun, but I realize it wasn't that much fun for you, so peace, ok? Alrighty then, until next time and please review! Sorry guys no replies today, I'm feeling crummy and I need to break something now! Alright adios!