A/N: So as I write this, I'm realizing that I have to get up in 3 hours to go to Georgetown, Texas for a business trip. Then I have a business trip to Kilgore, Texas only four days after I return… THEN, I finally take the trip I actually want to go on to Peru… (Yes, that last one is a genuine vacation… much needed, I might add.) This means that the next few chapters will be very spaced out. As it is, this chapter is extremely late. I've been working til six everyday for much needed money. It's horribly depressing that I spend most of my summer in an office or a car. But that's okay, I just don't want you guys to feel that I've abandoned you in the next few weeks. This explanation kind of diverged into a rant… but what can you do? Haha. Well, feel free to complain, but kind, sympathetic reviews will be much better received! On to the chapter!
The Broken Miko
Chapter 10: Sesshoumaru's Court
Jaken scuttled across the pebbled walkway as fast as possible towards his long-absent lord. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" he squeaked, finally falling to his knees in front of the taiyoukai. "We were beginning to lose hope that you would ever return!"
"Do you have so little faith in this Sesshoumaru?" the youkai asked stoically, turning his cold eyes down to the toad.
"N-n-no! But five months is a long time, Lord Sesshoumaru! We searched the battlefield for your body, sent scouts in every direction and inquired in all the territories. There was no trace of you nor any information!"
The Western Lord was silent a moment. "And yet this girl," he said in a dangerous, soft tone, "managed to find and release me from my prison only five days' travel from here."
The imp began to shake slightly, his large yellow eyes flickering over the hanyou standing next to his master. He yelped with surprise to see that it was the female that traveled with his lord's impertinent pup of a brother. "You're Inuyasha's wench!" he cried before he could stop himself.
Kagome rolled her eyes. "So I've been told," she murmured.
Sesshoumaru glared at his servant, quickly regaining his silent attention. "The girl is to be a guest in my home, Jaken. Provide her with a room in the Eastern wing and anything she might need, including clothing. Give the child a room near Rin's."
The turned his head to look at the small boy hanging onto the hanyou's hand. His clothes and face, grubby from long travel and months in a grimy cell, didn't seem to be anything like what Sesshoumaru would normally allow into his home. Jaken vaguely wondered what had occurred during his lord's absence.
"The East wing, my lord?" he asked hesitantly. That part of the palace was reserved for only the most distinguished of guests, those who had personal or highly important military relationships with Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru's pale, flawless face turned to his servant. "I do not repeat myself, Jaken."
The toad trembled. "Yes, my lord!" he squeaked. "I shall make the arrangements immediately."
"And I wish to speak to Ruri shortly. Have her wait in my study."
"Ruri, my lord? Sen's mate? In your study?"
The inuyoukai gave his servant a piercing gaze for his astonishing lack of memory.
Jaken bowed his head. "Ruri, of course, my lord. No need to repeat yourself to this lowly Jaken."
Before he could spin on his heel and make his escape, the taiyoukai said, "After I talk with Ruri, you will return to discuss any significant events during my absence."
Jaken suppressed a sigh of defeat. He really didn't want to tell his master anything about what happened while the dog demon was away. For a seemingly stoic youkai, Sesshoumaru didn't take bad news well. And he was in for a lot of it. Even the good news had negative aspects, which the taiyoukai would be sure to point out.
But there was no purpose in delaying it any more than he had to, so Jaken did as he was told and scampered off to make up the bedrooms for the hanyou and eagle child.
Sesshoumaru dismissed the troops that had gathered around their landing site with a gesture, then turned to look at Kagome and Washi. "Follow me closely. There are many in my home who will not be pleased to see you," he said, shooting a meaningful glance at the half-demon.
Before Kagome could reassure the now wide-eyed eagle youkai that there was no cause for concern, a shout echoed through the gardens.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" shrieked a young girl's voice, making all three demons flinch.
Rin appeared at the doorway into the mansion two hundred yards away and immediately broke into a run. Spread across her face was the biggest grin Kagome had ever seen.
In no time, the girl reached the taiyoukai and launched herself into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I missed you!" she said, beginning to cry from joy and relief. "Where did you go?"
Kagome noted silently that Rin no longer used the third person to talk about herself. She was still unusually short though, and she still had her lop-sided ponytail and shoeless feet. Washi was edging around her, trying to get his own look at the human child.
The taiyoukai put his hand on top of his ward's head while she sobbed into the fur of his tail. "Rin, stop crying."
She pulled away and dropped her eyes to the ground, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "Sorry, but I have missed you, Sesshoumaru-sama. I have been very lonely. When you aren't here, the courtiers won't let their children play with me in the garden. Or anywhere else for that matter."
He frowned deeply. Rin would not lie to him, but he found it difficult to believe that anyone would go against his express wishes. Apparently, a talk with his nobility about obeying his word and law was in order. "Did you study your lessons?" he asked.
Her eyes lit up, although they still shone slightly from the wet of her tears. "Oh yes, Sesshoumaru-sama! The book you gave me before you left was wonderful! I enjoyed the poetry very much and the pictures were beautiful."
"I have many more like it," answered the taiyoukai, slightly surprised that she had delighted in a book of Japanese poetry. He had imagined that she would have just liked the fine artistry in it. She was becoming quite talented with her own brushwork and he had sought to give her some inspiration. He hoped that the miko had some skill, since Rin had already surpassed Jaken's feeble paintings.
"Jaken can show me where they are," replied Rin, "now that I have your permission."
"This Sesshoumaru has told you many times that this mansion is your home. You may go and do what you please."
She nodded. "I know, my lord, but it is very hard for me when the others cannot go anywhere and do anything they please."
The inuyoukai placed his hand gently atop her dark head. Many of the youkai children (and their parents) were not allowed in certain parts of the complex, due to the fact that they were just long-term visitors. They had no true ties to the court and this made him exceedingly suspicious of their movements. Areas that concerned military or political agendas were strictly off-limits to anyone who did not live permanently within the castle walls. Evidently this had put a damper on his young ward's social life. "I have brought you a friend who can wander with you, anywhere in the entire castle," he stated bluntly.
"He won't leave, then?" came her hopeful whisper.
"No, not if you do not wish it," answered Sesshoumaru, beckoning to Washi.
The eagle child came out from his hiding place behind Kagome's legs and walked a few paces towards the human girl. His wings rustled with his movements, rubbing together with an agitated rhythm. "Hello," he said softly, keeping his eyes to the ground.
Rin bowed, as she had been taught to do. "Good morning. I'm Rin, what's your name?"
"Washi."
She twiddled her fingers for a moment while the demon scuffed his feet along the ground.
Both adults watched with interest. "Rin," Kagome finally said, breaking the silence, "I will be teaching you and Washi your lessons from now on. Why don't you go and show Washi where the classroom is and what you've been working on. I'm sure he'd love to see that book you were discussing with Sesshoumaru-sama."
The taiyoukai raised an eyebrow, hearing her seriously use the honorific with his name and hoping that she wouldn't expect the same courtesy from him. He doubted he could call her 'sensei' without feeling slightly ill.
"What's the book about?" asked the eagle demon curiously, looking around at Rin.
"Cranes," she answered simply. "It's a poetry book about cranes. A couple are about other animals too"
"Birds?" he questioned, his voice raising a pitch in excitement. "Cranes are my cousins!" He spread his wings suddenly, letting the light from surrounding torches bounce off his glossy feathers.
She rushed forward, reaching out with her hand to touch his powerful wings, but stopped herself a few inches away. "Sorry," she mumbled, putting her arm down, although clearly with great difficulty. "I love birds so much though. I want to fly one day, like Sesshoumaru-sama."
Washi grinned broadly. "It's tiring, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Eagle demons take great pride in our wings. We'd never let anyone hurt them!" he added emphatically. His eyes turned away from her face for a moment and a slight blush rose in his cheeks. "But, if you want, you can pet my wings."
Rin laughed softly as she extended her arm out and stroked down the edges of his feathery appendages. "So pretty," she murmured, letting her hand slide down the silky, strong wing.
"Maybe one day I'll be strong enough to carry you," suggested the boy, causing the girl's eyes to fill with excitement. "Then you can fly too, like you want."
Moments later, the pair were chattering away as if they had been friends their entire lives. Kagome took a second to marvel at the adaptive powers of children before she turned to look at the taiyoukai beside her.
"Shouldn't we go in? You have to tell that poor woman that her mate has died."
The dog demon nodded and began to move forward, only temporarily blocked by the children, who were now playing a quickly organized game of tag. The only difference being that Washi was flying around, just out of Rin's reach.
"No fair!" she complained, although her tone was quite happy. Rin was clearly pleased about the 'present' her lord had brought home.
"Washi, play nice," Kagome lightly admonished the boy as he sulked and floated down to the ground, immediately tagged by Rin. The hanyou laughed as his pout grew deeper and the young girl ran off. "Well? Chase her if you want. Try to herd her towards the house though, we have to go inside."
The adults walked slowly down the tree-lined avenue, allowing the two kids to play. Now that Washi was fixed to the ground, Rin was thoroughly beating him.
"What will you tell her?" asked the hanyou quietly, her eyes fixed on the little girl.
"That I was unavoidably detained," he answered. "She has no need to hear about the discomfort of my lodgings or the swill I was forced to ingest."
Kagome nodded. "She'll probably want to know more, but I agree that she does not need to hear the details. It would be too painful for her. She loves you a great deal, you know."
Sesshoumaru watched his ward, running from Washi back and forth over the straight, wide lane. "I am aware of it. I will be sure to find a mate who can tolerate a human's presence. She would not be able to cope with a lady who has no affection towards mankind."
The hanyou's mouth went dry, as if she had stuck cotton down her throat. She had never heard someone speak of finding a romantic partner like they would about picking out a melon from the supermarket. It offended her deeply, but she was concerned about another emotion mixed in. Jealousy? She shook her head. 'How ridiculous,' she thought. 'What reason do I have to be jealous of a woman who will end up with this creep?'
But then again, even the Inuyasha of her dream had said that he feared Sesshoumaru would capture her heart.
'Since when do I listen to my dreams?' she mused silently. 'This is ridiculous. I'm not in love with this arrogant taiyoukai and never will be. That's that.'
Forcing her dubious thoughts to keep quiet, Kagome looked up at the moon through the treetops. It seemed to stare down at her with an icy gaze, much like the dog demon did to her every day. It was only two days away from being full, a fact that the hanyou was painfully aware of. She would have to discuss her problem with the taiyoukai sometime.
But not tonight. Tonight she would settle into her room and go to sleep while Sesshoumaru concerned himself with the affairs of the castle and Ruri.
"You're letting the children stay up awfully late," she observed, suddenly realizing that it must be close to midnight.
The inuyoukai nodded once. "Demons prefer the night, especially in the relative safety of our own homes. Rin has become accustomed to our schedule and goes to sleep only when the moon has set."
"I see. Well, I'm not quite on that sort of schedule yet myself, so I think I'll go to sleep, if you just have one of the servants show me where I'm supposed to go."
They had reached the edge of the gardens that surrounded the mansion's base. Kagome noticed hundreds upon thousands of exotic and rare flowers growing with almost a wild appearance. It was quite charming and clearly meant for Rin's pleasure, since she immediately broke off the game of tag and began showing Washi her favorite flowers, including a purple iris, a forget-me-not and an orchid.
The taiyoukai paused and cast a sidelong glance at the miko. "My talk with Jaken will concern you as well. You will be in attendance."
Kagome scowled at him, annoyed that he was right. "Fine, but what about Ruri? You don't want me there for that, do you?"
He smirked slightly. "You will be there to provide female comfort."
"She doesn't even know me."
"But you are a female."
"Good observation."
"And females tend to require someone of a more compassionate nature than myself, when presented with bad tidings."
She scowled again, but nodded her assent as they stepped over the threshold into the castle.
As soon as she was fully inside, Kagome understood why Sesshoumaru had appeared so disturbed at the memory of his 'fan club'. Thirty young women were clustered around the doorway, waiting for the dog demon's entrance. The hanyou immediately spotted several signs of hasty preparation for the occasion; many of the girls had slightly tussled hair, off-center obis and minimal make-up.
She heard a small sigh escape Sesshoumaru's lips as he came inside with the children at his heels.
The women pressed forward with cries of "Sesshoumaru-sama!" "How good it is to see you alive and well, my lord!" "Please, my lord, come and sit with us in the throne room and tell us of your adventures!"
Kagome turned her face away and started to mime gagging herself, much to the delight of Washi and Rin, who had seen this sort of behavior many times before.
The dog demon held up his hand, earning complete silence within a fraction of a second. "I have business to attend to. I will hold an audience tomorrow morning for all the courtiers to have their questions answered."
'He's much nicer to them than he could be,' Kagome thought, watching the girls sulk. Obviously having the taiyoukai listening to their requests didn't include a few hundred other nobles. They wanted more personal invitations, and the hanyou realized with a jolt that one of these females would get exactly that. The Western Lord was going to mate with one of these insipid creatures, just because Inuyasha no longer lived and the West needed an heir.
A ridiculous reason to get married, in Kagome's opinion, but she was also aware that she had very different ideals than Sesshoumaru.
The taiyoukai turned to his left and began walking through the throng of females, not heeding their whimpers for attention.
Kagome had a much more difficult time of getting out. The girls closed in after the dog demon immediately and spun around to face her with hatred in their eyes and venom in their voices.
"So!" snapped one to her right with green hair and saffron eyes. "What are you?" Her tiny nose started sniffing the air, no doubt impeded by the number of people with perfume present. Quickly, her eyes narrowed and Kagome knew that she didn't really have to answer the question. The female knew a hanyou when she smelled one.
"I'm busy, is what I am," Kagome snapped back with her acid tongue. "Now, move it."
The saffron-eyed demoness seemed to be the pushiest of the bunch, since many backed away at the hanyou's words. They didn't have swords by their sides and, like many noble females, they had filed down their lethal claws.
A blue-skinned female put her hand on the bossy one's upper arm. "Leave it, Machi. She came in with Lord Sesshoumaru and I'm sure he wouldn't want us to bother her."
Machi made a rude noise that sounded distinctly like an insult, but took a step back as well.
"Thank you," said the hanyou, her eyes still blazing towards the irritating female. She hurried through the crowd to catch up to the taiyoukai and the kids. Rin flashed her a big smile and Kagome knew that the little girl appreciated that a new fanatical female wouldn't be added to Sesshoumaru's fan club that particular day.
The taiyoukai shot her a glance out the corner of his eye. "You handled them well for the first time, half-breed."
"And you threw me to the wolves there!" she replied with vehemence.
A silver eyebrow arched. "Machi is an acid demon. Her personality is quite typical of that clan."
"Hmph. Any other clans that I should be worrying about?"
"All of them," piped up Rin. "They're horrible, those women." She blushed as Sesshoumaru met her eyes. "Not that I would speak ill of the ladies in this city, my lord, but they do not like me and I don't think they deserve the Western Lands as their wedding present."
"Perhaps, Rin, but that it my decision to make."
"Yes, my lord," she replied, looking sullen at the thought of having one of them as her new lady.
They walked for a bit in silence and Kagome began taking in her surroundings.
The austere, classic exterior was repeated here, with straight, dark beams of wood crisscrossing over the ceiling, supporting the weight of the upper floors. It felt as if she were inside a well-conceived fortress, which, she reminded herself, the palace probably doubled as when necessary.
Unlike Izo's home, there were no adornments upon the walls, except the occasional simple mural of sakura blossoms or cranes or, most often, dog demons in their transformed state. All of these were done upon the finest rice paper Kagome had ever seen, lending depth and quality to the artwork that would surely disappear without its unique canvas.
They climbed two sets of stairs made of cherry wood, so smooth that the servants had put down thick carpet over the middle to prevent slipping.
At the top of the second flight, Sesshoumaru pushed open a pair of doors leading outside onto a covered walkway. Kagome went to the side as Washi flew out over the thirty-foot drop. Below them was a small grove of trees, alive with the breeze.
"This is pretty, Sesshoumaru," commented Kagome as she looked out over the city, clearly visible from their vantage point. Droplets of light scattered throughout the area lit up the place well enough for her to see the small moving shapes of various youkai as well as the enormous seven palaces that belonged to the other prominent families of the region. "Interesting architecture you have here though."
"A design I borrowed from a distant land," answered the taiyoukai. "I find that having only one entrance to my personal wing is quite beneficial. One can only reach my apartments through this manner. The two bottom floors of the Eastern wing have no stairs to the third and fourth."
He continued along the walkway, nodding to the guards standing on either side of the door on the far side.
Opening it, the dog demon led them into a short hallway with only six doors leading off of it and a small staircase to their immediate right.
"The fourth floor holds my study and personal library," said Sesshoumaru, answering the question he saw upon Kagome's lips. "My own chambers are at the end of the hall, with Rin's room to the left. The boy will take the room next to hers and you will take the bedroom to the right of my own."
She could have guessed which doors led to his own room without any help. The thick mahogany panels were impressively large, although again without any ornamentation.
Rin yawned beside her and she began to usher the children towards the rooms. "Come on, you two. Into bed."
The little girl bowed to her new sensei and her new friend and skipped off into her bedroom, but Washi insisted upon company into his new home.
Kagome allowed herself to be tugged along by the eagle demon and stepped into his room.
Her immediate thought was that she hoped her room was half as good as his was. Her second thought was that Sesshoumaru was positively committing a crime by secluding this room from public view and then giving it to a child who would probably ruin it within days.
A large futon stood in the center of the room as the focal point, covered with plush midnight blue linens and a daffodil yellow comforter. The walls were the same cherry as the stairs had been, but carved into delicate, intricate designs of flowers, birds and, of course, dog demons. The largest pawed at the ground above the futon, its eyes fixed upon the window at the far end of the room that was draped in thick blue silk.
To accessorize the room, a mahogany dresser leaned against the opposite wall and a small, low table accompanied the futon. A simple, elegant black chair and writing desk finished it off in the corner near the door, indicating that Jaken hadn't had enough time to make the room entirely child-friendly. Surely, toys and picture books would soon replace the writing desk.
"Well…" said the young woman, searching for words that would adequately describe the room, "I'm sure you'll be quite happy in here."
Washi ran and bounced upon his bed. "I like it. The dog is kinda scary though," he mentioned, pointing at the carving above the futon.
Kagome tilted her head. "I think it's supposed to be a guardian for when you sleep. See? It's watching the window. The dog demon will protect you."
"I thought Sesshoumaru-sama was supposed to do that," he replied, looking doubtful that a terrifying carving could be anything but the cause of nightmares.
"He will," assured the girl. "He's just two doors away and I'm right across the hall. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Just think of the carving as a pet that you don't have to clean up after."
Washi laughed softly, nodded and started to root around in his dresser drawers. "Wow, that little toad guy put everything in here. Pajamas, training outfits, formal kimonos, light yukatas, heavy yukatas and everything in between." He held up some green silk pajamas that matched his eyes. "I dunno if I could bear to wrinkle this up."
"I'm sure Jaken won't mind too much," said Kagome, knowing that she was lying through her teeth.
The boy disappeared into the connected bathroom, closing the door behind him. Within seconds, he was out, changed, and climbed into bed.
The hanyou ruffled his hair a bit and tucked him in. "You are getting a bath tomorrow, kiddo. We probably both reek of travel and the road."
"Sure thing, Kagome," responded the boy, stifling a yawn. "We're home now, aren't we?"
"You are… We'll see what happens to me."
His large eyes fixed upon her face with a serious expression. "He'll let you stay, I know he will. He has to."
"Sesshoumaru is the Lord of the Western Lands, kiddo. He doesn't have to do anything," she answered, smoothing the sheets at the edges of the bed unnecessarily. She began to pick at a loose thread, avoiding the boy's gaze. "Goodnight, kiddo."
Standing up, she left the room quickly, extinguishing the candle on the way out.
Leaning against the closed door, she put her hand to her chest and felt her rapidly beating heart. Unsure of the exact reason, Kagome had felt a rush of fear when she told Washi that she had no control over her own destination in life.
"Half-breed?" asked the deep, calm voice of the taiyoukai.
She spun around to look at him, standing at the base of the stairs with a book in hand. "Yes?" she replied irritably.
He arched an eyebrow. "A scent of terror swept through the air and I decided to investigate, but I see that it was just you and your ridiculous human emotions."
"It wasn't terror," she bristled, "more like apprehension or anxiety. You don't even know what I was thinking about, so I hardly think you should be making judgements on me and my so-called 'human emotions'."
"Hm," came the only reply as he turned on his heel to walk back up to his study. He paused on the third step and glanced at her with a shrewd light in his eyes. "I trust the children are in bed?"
"Of course."
"Then, come with me. Sen's mate will be here shortly and then Jaken will be making his report. Both are events that I wish you to be present for."
She nodded mutely and moved across the wooden floor quickly, listening to her footfalls on the bamboo mats. Not that she would admit it, but Kagome was quite eager to see the taiyoukai's study and library. She would be teaching the children there and if it was anywhere near as grand as Washi's room, which was usually meant for guests, it might become her heaven on earth.
The staircase was rather dark and cramped as it curled up to the top floor of the tower, its steep, narrow steps threatening to trip her. She silently thanked Kami that it was only about thirty paces. But when Kagome reached the landing at the top of the stairs, she lost her breath as if she had climbed a thousand steps.
The library was quite large for a personal collection, but she could see instantly that each volume had been carefully handpicked for its rarity, beauty or wealth of knowledge.
It was a roughly circular room, with twenty foot high shelving lining the walls, with the exception of the enormous bay windows on the opposite side of the room. The glass was so old that it had acquired that melted quality usually only seen in old European monasteries and palaces.
In front of the windows sat a long, low desk with several overstuffed cushions placed strategically around it. Like the rest of the house, the desk was solid and strong, and made of cherry. Papers were scattered artfully over it, including an alarming large pile near the left edge.
"All your paperwork from the last five months?" questioned Kagome, pointing to the stack.
"Unfortunately, yes. And these happen to be simply long-overlooked daily affairs. I have not received the documents for more specialized events in my lands yet." He walked to the desk and placed the leather-bound book he was carrying down on the edge.
The hanyou wandered around the perimeter of the room, letting her hand brush the narrow, wooden ladders that allowed a curious reader to reach the top shelves without the use of youkai powers. Since the library spanned across the entire floor, long shelves jutted out at right angles from the main shelving, giving more room for texts. Kagome wandered in and out of these slowly, reading the titles she could decipher and admiring the ones she couldn't.
"So you can actually read all these languages?" she asked, popping her head around one of the corners to peer at Sesshoumaru.
"Yes," he answered shortly, not even bothering to look up from his work.
She was about to boast that she recognized one of the languages as Russian, when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Jaken scuttled in, with a beautiful female following behind him. Her almond shaped eyes were the color of amethysts and her long, plaited hair was striped with black and white. Her skin, like Sesshoumaru's, was pale cream.
"Ruri, as you requested, Lord Sesshoumaru," he breathed before retreating to the darkest corner of the room.
Sesshoumaru put down his brush and finally raised his head. "Sit," he commanded, motioning to one of the cushions in front of his desk.
Ruri hesitated slightly. Kagome didn't blame her, knowing that the poor woman probably had no idea why she had been called into her mate's boss's office. The hanyou could tell that Ruri knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
The taiyoukai reached into the pouch that rested on his waist and pulled out the lock of hair he had cut from Sen's head. Putting it down on the desk in front of Ruri, he turned his gaze to her. "Sen has died in my service. From what I could tell, he put up a valiant effort to resist his attackers. You should be proud of his accomplishments."
The young demoness turned a lighter shade of cream as she reached towards the snippet of her husband's hair. "Who… who did this?" she said, her voice barely a whisper.
"I have yet to determine that, although I have several possible leads," he answered.
Kagome frowned deeply, watching the female youkai try to absorb everything the dog demon had just told her. She remembered the day her father had died in the car crash, and the way the policeman had talked to her mother. He had been cold and reserved, just like Sesshoumaru was being at the moment. She supposed that it had something to do with detaching oneself from the case, so that every death didn't make one sick to their stomach.
But that didn't mean it was any comfort or help.
She was torn between staying put and going over to hug the demoness, who was now crying silently with her hands clutched around the piece of her mate that had been returned to her.
Sesshoumaru made the decision for her, beckoning to her with his clawed hand. "Take her down to her room," he ordered the hanyou, before turning to Ruri once more. "I regret the loss of Sen. He was a excellent soldier. You are welcome to remain in the barracks for as long you require." He said all of this very quickly, as if he had memorized it and just changed the names for each widow.
Kagome moved forward and gently took the girl by her elbow, forcing her to stand. "Come on, then… we'll get you down to your place, okay?"
The demoness pulled away, still sniffling. "Who are you?" she asked, her reddened eyes wide.
"I'm a guest of Sesshoumaru-sama's. My name is Kagome."
"A half-breed," Ruri said dully, as if she wasn't aware of her mouth moving.
"Um, yeah… I guess so," responded the hanyou, trying to resist rolling her eyes.
The skunk youkai regarded her with suspicion. "And what would you know about my mate's death?"
Kagome tried to usher her out of the room without answering the question, but Ruri recoiled and stared at her with a resolute expression. She was clearly not moving until she got a reply. "I was with Sesshoumaru-sama when he found your mate's body."
Ruri frowned deeply as her back stiffened.
"Really," Kagome urged softly, "we should go down to your room. You need some rest."
The young demoness fell into the hanyou's outstretched arm, hunching over slightly and allowing Kagome to guide her to the door.
"I'll be back shortly, Sesshoumaru-sama," said the miko, glancing over her shoulder with her dark eyes.
He simply nodded and went back to his work, while Jaken opened the heavy door for her and Ruri.
Silently, slowly, the pair of women made their way down the narrow staircase, through the guarded doors and across the bridge.
Once back inside the main part of the castle, Kagome hesitated. She had no clue where a scout's mate would be housed. "Um, which way?" she murmured, breaking the silence.
Ruri still had tear-stained cheeks, but the color was beginning to come back to her face, indicating that the initial shock was over. Kagome wisely predicted that a fresh batch of sobs were on their way. "Left," was all Ruri would say.
After five minutes of more relative silence, only punctuated by Ruri's terse directions, they began to descend another flight of stairs. When they reached the bottom, they were faced with a small landing a door, which Kagome promptly opened. The deafening sound of crickets and the clanging armor of the guards met their ears.
"You don't live in the house?" she asked, flattening back her ears.
Ruri turned her head to look at the hanyou for the first time since they had been in Sesshoumaru's study. "Of course not. My mate was in the army. We lived in the barracks."
Kagome hesitated for the second time that night. "I think that I should leave you here then. I am not allowed to leave the walls of the city." She wondered why Sesshoumaru would send her to the barracks if he had remembered his earlier order, but decided to err on the side of caution and not leave. She certainly didn't want to convey to any of his subjects that even a hanyou didn't follow his orders. After all, there were already riots and rebellions going on in his lands.
The skunk youkai gave her a questioning stare, but her amethyst eyes closed quickly in acceptance. "Of course. Sesshoumaru-sama would not allow such things again."
"Again?"
"It is not my place to say," replied the demoness, making Kagome immediately wish that someone would go against Sesshoumaru's orders. "There is no use for rumors on this day. Thank you for escorting me, Kagome of the Hanyous."
Before the miko could ask again, or even point out that she was not a noble, Ruri was swallowed up by the dark night. A small, muffled sob pierced the inky blackness a few moments later.
Kagome sighed and trudged slowly back up to Sesshoumaru's study. "That was completely pointless," she huffed, feeling guilty that she hadn't walked Ruri to her home. "But he's such an idiot!" she said, her voice gaining volume. "Why would he send me out in the first place? If he had wanted me to not bother his work, he could've just left me downstairs. Unless he wanted to talk to Jaken alone and without any possible interruptions?"
This last thought struck her as just the sort of thing Sesshoumaru would do; playing on her sympathies for Ruri to get her out of the wing.
She began to run towards the stairs, her feet pounding against the cool, dark wood. Taking the stairs two at a time and running across the bridge, through the door and up the spiral staircase, the hanyou made it to Sesshoumaru's door in under a minute.
She burst into his study, slightly red-faced from the exertion and adrenaline pumping through her veins. "So!" she blurted out, not able to say anything longer.
Jaken toppled over from his cushion in the alcove to her immediate left, while Sesshoumaru simply continued to write his answers to various dignitaries and clan leaders. "Yes, half-breed?" he said after a few moments' silence, setting down his brush.
Kagome flushed an even darker red. The imp had been half-asleep and the taiyoukai had made considerable headway through his pile of work. It was highly unlikely they had said more than two words to each other. "Um, never mind… I just thought…"
"That we would begin without you," finished the dog demon.
"Sorta."
Her sheepish grin caused Sesshoumaru's breath to hitch for an almost imperceptible moment, but he quickly cleared away the reaction. "You must learn to have a bit of faith in your allies."
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Why? You don't."
He stood up, pressing his hand against the smooth top of his desk to push himself up onto his feet. "True, but I have battle skills far superior to your own and it would be best if you learned to trust someone before allowing them to teach you how to fight."
Kagome couldn't quite figure out his logic, but nodded anyway. "But we're not here to talk about that," she said with a large yawn. "Let's get cracking, so I can get to bed."
The dog demon gave her a curt, single nod and beckoned to her and Jaken. He went to the farthest row of books and turned right behind it, where Kagome could not see. When she rounded the corner after him, she realized for the first time that the room was not completely circular. A rather narrow doorway led into a dark, cozy sitting room with several large cushions and a small fireplace at the far end. An end table with a bottle of sake and some cups indicated that this was Sesshoumaru's true retreat from daily life. Kagome sagely deduced that he must have been expecting very bad news, considering he had led them into what her mother would have called his 'Zen place'.
Without waiting for Kagome to get settled, Sesshoumaru glared at Jaken and said, "Begin your report."
The imp began to shake violently and wrapped both hands around the Staff of Heads, as if he was trying to keep his balance. "You see, my lord, we have not been very efficient without you."
"That is clear enough already," interrupted the taiyoukai, shooting a disdainful look back to his desk and its still high pile of unfinished work. "Tell us of what would concern the half-breed."
Jaken closed his eyes. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru. When you disappeared, as you know, we sent out many scouts. Most returned with no news at all, but a few had strange tales of a new lord that was stirring up trouble in the other territories. It was rumored that he had gathered together the riff-raff that captured you, my lord."
"I am aware of this."
"Of course you are, Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken answered, his voice quivering. "You may not know that the Southern Lord died shortly after the battle and his son has now taken the throne. Unfortunately, he is not so willing to keep our treaties. At this very moment, many of his soldiers patrol the border between our lands, many more than have ever been seen there before. The new lord has joined forces with the Eastern bear clan as well. Only the Northern celestial have refused to do so, saying that they would not dare to anger the Western Lord."
The inuyoukai turned to Kagome. "I seem to recall that all of the territories were having rebellions. Did you lie, half-breed? No territory could consider waging war against the West with civil disputes."
To the miko's surprise, Jaken answered for her. "No, my lord, she did not lie, although her information is a bit old. All four territories have had a rash of rebellions during your incarceration. It is only in recent weeks that the armies have mobilized against us. The South and East seem to not suffer from insurgents any longer."
"So, they've joined this mysterious lord then," concluded Kagome.
Sesshoumaru scowled, which looked obscene on his normally impassive face. "Not necessarily, half-breed. It is much more likely that they simply convinced the rebels that they could have a part of the Western Lands. The Southern and Eastern lords would have no qualms with using my absence as an excuse to invade the West."
"Well, they're kind of jackasses, aren't they?" hissed the girl, angry that anyone would try to kick someone while they're down.
"Indeed."
Jaken cleared his throat, clearly in his stride, now that he realized Sesshoumaru wouldn't be shooting the messenger. "As to the rebellions in our own territory, there are several documents about it on your desk, my lord. The generals have executed their plans most admirably however and continue to beat back the trouble-makers." He cleared his throat again, this time looking a bit more apprehensive again. "The real trouble lies in the activity of the tengu."
Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome's heads whipped up so fast that it appeared they would snap. "What do you mean?" breathed the hanyou, all too aware of the information she and Kagura had spoken of.
The toad shifted his weight from foot to foot. "They have successfully kidnapped several children, my lord. They… they tried to take Rin."
The taiyoukai was on his feet in a flash, towering over his servant.
Jaken trembled and cowered down against the floor. "They did not succeed, as you saw for yourself, my lord! She is fine! Ah-Un and myself, along with a few guards, chased them away."
"But you did not kill them?" growled the taiyoukai. "So they can go back to their master and tell him of what they have seen and heard about my absence? You insolent little fool!"
"My lord! She is safe! They must have known about your long time away already, my lord, or they never would have attempted such a foolish plan! They would have known better than to face your wrath, Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"When did this happen? Where? How?"
"At the edge of the gardens, my lord, during the change of the guard. Two swooped down out of the sky! They seemed to come from nowhere! Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it! Tengu do not have the power of invisibility, and yet there is no other explanation for their sudden appearance and their passage past the guards!"
Sesshoumaru seemed be trying to bore holes through Jaken's pathetic body with his stare, when Kagome jumped up. "The kids! There's only two guards watching over them right now!"
Without waiting, she sped out of the room and to the door of the library, banging down the stairs as if it were her own home.
Sliding to a stop in front of Washi's door, she tugged it open, allowing a sliver of light to fall upon the eagle child's sleeping form. He was there, safe and blissfully unaware. After Kagome had repeated the action with Rin, she finally breathed again.
"I would have sensed an intruder," growled the taiyoukai from the base of the stairs.
Kagome turned to face him, with a fire blazing in her eyes. "I was worried, okay? It happens. Would you put more guards around this place? I want to be able to sleep tonight."
Sesshoumaru glared at her for a moment, before nodding. "Jaken, go out and get ten more guards to stand in this hall."
"But… but, my lord… a guard has never entered the private living chambers of the Inutaisho and his most honored guests!" squeaked the toad.
"Jaken…" His firm tone was all that was needed to send the servant yelping out the doors and down to the barracks.
The inuyoukai turned back to Kagome. "Go to sleep. I will wait here until the guards arrive, but you require rest. We will have much to do tomorrow, including your lessons and the children's first lessons under your tutelage."
The hanyou suddenly felt as if she had run a marathon. "Yeah… okay," she murmured, trudging to her door, pulling it open, crossing the dark room and collapsing on the bed without taking off her clothes. "Okay," she murmured again as she sank into oblivion.
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There, I hope it didn't suck too much. It got to the point that I was just like "I need to finish this!", especially considering that I'm off to Kilgore and then Peru, and won't have much more than 2 days in between. I'll try, but no promises for when the next chapter is going to be posted. Thanks for your patience! Also… answers to reviews will be short tonight, as I'm about to collapse. (And is kinda screwy… so I'm sorry if names got mixed up…)
Review responses removed due to ban