A/N: I enjoyed Peru immensely and I'm now back and ready to write! Thanks for your patience during this break of mine – I really needed it! School starts soon and believe it or not, I'll probably be much quicker to update.
IMPORTANT: It appears that while I was away, some of my favorite fanfic authors have disappeared… I wish that would at least leave their bios… They had unfinished stories! Youkai Yume, theMaven and Nefra1 have gone away, leaving me with cliffhangers (although I did find theMaven on Information would be appreciated since I really want to finish these stories… Has anybody else disappeared that I should know about?
The Broken Miko
Chapter 11: Lessons
She pulled away from the kiss, almost shy from the intensity he had invested into it. Her hands were settled flat against his chest, moving up and down with his rather ragged breath. "Thank you," Kagome said quietly.
He nuzzled her hair and let his nose trace the edges of her crimson ears. "I love you," he whispered when his mouth drew level with the pink inner shell of the demonic attribute.
"I love you too, Inuyasha." She sighed contentedly and moved to put her head down upon his shoulder, but he pulled away suddenly. "What? What's wrong?" The girl looked up into the face of her lover, who seemed to be apprehensive, his golden eyes darting around the small room they were in.
"Someone's coming," was his reply.
Kagome leaned back upon her heels and spread her arms. "This is my era, Inu-chan. Who could get me here? I'm safe. You're safe. Nothing to worry about."
Inuyasha shook his head violently, his white locks trembling with the force. "No, don't you hear that? Someone's coming to get you. And they don't belong here. They don't belong here at all."
Her forehead creased with concern. "Who? Naraku is dead, just like all your other enemies. The Jewel is gone, who else wants to fight you?"
"Lots of people, Kag," pointed out the red-robed hanyou, his own ears twitching with anxiety. "And this isn't about the Jewel, it's about you."
"I don't understand!" she cried, her voice rising to a higher pitch. She didn't like it when Inuyasha was nervous; it meant that they really had something to worry about.
He whirled around and grabbed her upper arms roughly. "It's him, Kagome! It's Sesshoumaru. He's coming to take you away from me. Don't let him. Whatever happens, don't let him touch you or I'll lose you forever!"
"That's not possible, Inuyasha. He doesn't want me. He couldn't."
The male hanyou gathered the girl against his chest, squeezing her with the pressure that would kill a human. "Please, promise me. He's dangerous. He doesn't want us to be happy, Kag. He's going to take you away, trick you into believing his lies and deceptions. You can't let yourself be fooled! He's still the heartless bastard that tried to kill us all those times! He still hates me for taking his arm and our father's sword!"
Kagome began crying, her tears seeping through the robe of the fire rat. "I won't let him!"
Inuyasha made soft shushing noises, stroking her hair rather jerkily. "Don't worry. You can fight him. I know you can." He pulled away gently and peered out the window for a moment. Without turning back, he whispered. "Hide, Kagome. He's coming. I can sense him. Hide."
She didn't need to be told twice, as she threw open her bedroom door and sped down the hall to her mother's room. Flinging herself into the dark place, her hands searched for the closet, where the entrance to the attic was hidden.
"Hide, Kagome!" screamed Inuyasha, his voice bouncing off the walls from her room. "He's getting closer!"
With a sound of terrified frustration, Kagome's hand closed around the closet door handle and she pulled it open.
But instead of her mother's dresses and suits, the doorway opened into a dark forest. Menacing shadows crisscrossed across the ground, created by trees covered in decaying leaves. Without a second thought, Kagome ran through the doorway, hearing it shut behind her.
Before she could go more than three steps, there was a knock at the door she had just closed. She froze, the hairs on her neck prickling.
"Half-breed! Wake yourself this instant!" Sesshoumaru's voice rang throughout the dark bedroom as Kagome opened her eyes.
Her heart was beating so fast she was certain the taiyoukai would be able to hear it from outside the door. She placed a hand to her chest, feeling her previous day's clothes clinging to her in a cold sweat. Her voice, cracked and dry, seemed to answer the dog demon of its own accord, "What do you want?"
The door opened, letting in a stream of light from the lanterns in the hall. Kagome quickly brought her hand up to block it from her sensitive eyes.
"What do you want?" she repeated.
Sesshoumaru frowned as he stood inside her doorway, dressed in his usual robes of pure white with the red sakura blossom pattern across the shoulder. He could tell by the stench that the girl had had another of her heart-stopping nightmares, but he certainly was not going to let that get in the way of his schedule. "It is morning and time to begin your lessons."
Kagome rolled over onto her stomach, grimacing slightly at the sensation of sweat-drenched cloth being pressed against her. "The kids can't be up yet. It's not even light outside."
The taiyoukai suppressed a sigh and stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him to prevent curious guards from eavesdropping. He crossed the room in the dark easily and threw open the curtains at the other end. The faint glimmer of pre-dawn light filtered in. "I was referring to your own lessons in swordsmanship and other fighting skills."
The girl shot up on the bed and gave the paned window a piercing glare. "Are you insane? It's dark outside."
"By the time you are ready, it will not be so dark," commented the dog demon stoically as he moved around the light the lanterns in her room. He hoped this wouldn't become a morning ritual of his. It was disturbing enough to see her tussled after a night of sleep in her clothes. He didn't want to imagine what people in her era wore for nighttime. An inner voice started to stir up an argument, but Sesshoumaru quickly quelled it by addressing the girl again. "Tomorrow, a servant will wake you and attend to your lanterns. I expect my staff to be treated with utmost respect. They are full demons and you…"
"Are a half-breed," she finished dully. "I know already. You don't have to remind me every second."
"I am simply reminding you of your station," he commented offhandedly, lighting the last of the lanterns.
Kagome rubbed at her eyes and groaned softly. "I wish I hadn't slept in my clothes."
"You will find new clothes in the wardrobe. Wear one of the training hakamas and bring whatever outfit you chose to don after our session. The bathhouse is next to the dojo."
The girl nodded and yawned widely. "Thanks, Sesshoumaru. I'll be out in the hall in two minutes." She stood up, wavering on her feet rather unsteadily while the taiyoukai watched with a wary eye. Leaning against the bedpost, she sighed. "This happens every time I travel. The next morning I'm a complete wreck."
The dog demon accepted this explanation with some reluctance. She hadn't looked at him since he had come inside, not even when he had given her ample opportunity to give him one of her trademark stares. The window had been the only object to receive one this particular morning.
Meanwhile, Kagome was running her fingers over the carved post she had been using for support. "What the hell?" she murmured as she looked up towards the ceiling. "It looks like the bed is connected to the room."
"It is," he replied a bit scathingly. He had given her the most lavish quarters he possessed, aside from his own, and she hadn't even noticed? It was rather irritating.
Still, she didn't meet his eyes, opting instead to look around her room for the very first time. "It's… incredible. I can hardly describe it," she whispered.
The four posters of her bed reached up to the ceiling, flowing into as if it were made of a single piece of wood. The surface of the bed was carved into an extremely well-done replication of tree bark with vines growing up the columns, while the ceiling had hundreds of thousands of leaves upon it, connected by strong, solid branches.
"The bed is a tree," she said, walking around it and observing that the carved foliage radiated out from where she had slept all night. The backsplash of the bed, as well as the entire wall was carved to have the appearance of a forest, so light and cheerful that she could imagine the sunlight shining down through the leaves.
Turning around, she saw that the other three walls mimicked the first, but had additions of small, exquisite birds and flowers. It was all so incredibly intricate and detailed that Kagome couldn't imagine that it had taken any less than a decade to the room. Amazingly, it did not create sensory overload, which was perhaps the most charming aspect about it.
The whole room made her nearly forget about the dark and forbidding forest of her dream. "It's beautiful," she breathed, turning back to the patient Sesshoumaru. "How did you do it?"
The taiyoukai felt a small twinge of what might have been pleasure to hear that she was happy with her accommodations. "Thai artisans came to work here for a few years. The demons of that land are famous for their woodworking."
Kagome smiled, opting not to tell the arrogant youkai that, in the twenty-first century, humans had claimed dominance over that particular craft. "I should have known," she said softly. "It's teak wood. How gorgeous. But wouldn't have Rin preferred this room?"
"Her own quarters have walls covered with roses and other flowers. I assure you that she is pleased with her room and has no desire to change."
"You really worked hard on this wing, didn't you? I'm very impressed, I admit it."
The demon arched a silver eyebrow. "I built this wing for a specific purpose; to impress and intimidate important guests with my land's wealth and culture. I feel that I have succeeded."
The young woman finally turned her head to look at the Lord of the Western Lands. "Thank you so much, Sesshoumaru, for letting me stay here. I feel like a princess." She frowned slightly, causing a small crease to form between her eyebrows. "Go ahead, though. Tell me that I'm not a princess but a lowly half-breed."
"I was not going to say a word," responded the dog demon, amazed that he spoke the truth. He really hadn't been thinking anything of the sort. Had he really moved from hatred to indifference? It was a terrifying concept, one that he must fight.
Kagome eyed him suspiciously for a moment, nodded and turned to the plain teak wardrobe to find her clothes.
'She once had such trust in other living creatures,' Sesshoumaru mused. 'I do believe that naivete is returning to her. How quickly she changes from one mood to the next, but it has become considerably more tolerable of late. Surely her demon blood could not have settled so rapidly? Although I must admit I have never witnessed a transformation from human into half-breed.'
A cleared throat brought him out of his reverie to see that she was standing with her new training hakama gripped tightly in her slender, clawed hands. "Um, if you don't mind, I have to change. I'll be right out."
His eyes narrowed. "Do not take too long," he said as his parting words, swiftly opening the door and shutting it tightly behind him.
Much to his surprise, the girl emerged from her room only moments later, wearing her training hakama with Tetsusaiga at her side. She gave a cursory glance towards the ten guards that now stood in the hallway with their spears and then fixed her brown eyes on Sesshoumaru. "Okay, I'm ready for this torture you're going to put me through," she huffed. "You're really not going to take it easy on me are you?"
One of the guards next to Washi's room choked back a small laugh, his weapon shaking slightly against the wood floor, earning him a deadly glare from the taiyoukai. "Do not expect this Sesshoumaru to treat you any differently than my other students," he intoned.
They made their way down to the bottom floor of the castle quickly and silently, aware that most the residents were still fast asleep. The dojo itself sat near the northern wall in a secluded part of the grounds. Its long, low architecture would have provided plenty of room for an entire squadron, but not for Sesshoumaru in his transformed state, which Kagome was quick to point out.
"I am aware of the building's limitations, wench. My grandfather built this for my father, who also was not able to use it in his demon form. For such practice, I use the field outside of the city walls, or my army's dojo, which has plenty of room."
Kagome frowned. "Well, wouldn't your grandfather have known that his own son wouldn't fit? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
The Inutaisho sighed at his companion's lack of morning wit. She certainly was failing to amuse him so far. "It would have been a waste of space. Come wench, let us get started so I can be rid of you for the day."
"You're such a sweetheart, Sesshoumaru," responded the girl as they stepped inside the dojo, sarcasm lacing her voice.
As she quickly found out however, the training session was anything but sweet. She was not allowed to use Tetsusaiga, only a kendo sword made of oak. With this, Sesshoumaru put her through a series of kata, pre-set sequences to instill basic skills within her.
Unfortunately for Kagome, the taiyoukai was a ruthless teacher. Every movement was criticized, corrected and repeated more times than she could count. And unlike the movies that she had seen so often in her own era, he did not lay a hand on her, even to correct her most egregious mistakes. He performed the kata and she was expected to pick it up immediately from sight. There were no words exchanged except orders from the taiyoukai.
'Whatever happened to the gorgeous sensei and the dedicated student sexual chemistry?' she asked herself after three grueling hours of practice. Her arms felt like dead weights at her sides, despite her demon strength. 'Not that I want that from this creep, but it would be preferable to that torture.'
Looking as calm and unruffled as usual, Sesshoumaru walked up to her. "You did a satisfactory job this morning, although I expect better tomorrow," he stated with a warning edge to his voice. "Go to the bathhouse down the path and clean up. The children will be waking shortly."
He turned back towards the rack on the wall with the swords hanging upon it. "What're you going to do?" asked Kagome, curiosity overwhelming her exhaustion.
"I will be going through my own morning routine."
Her eyes widened. "You mean, after all that, you're going to do more?"
A small smirk spread across his profile. "My skill exceeds your own, as you might have guessed, wench. I can go through the kata much more quickly than you can. I have much more to do for my training."
Kagome hesitated for a brief moment and settled her tired form down against the wall. "I would like to watch, if you don't mind."
Amber eyes turned to her brown ones, the barest hint of confusion evident. "You are years, even decades, behind my own skill. What can you possibly hope to learn from complicated sequences such as these?"
She crossed her arms and glared at him. "You would be surprised at what a fast learner I am. Besides, can't someone just enjoy good swordsmanship?"
Sesshoumaru carefully selected a light katana for his warm-up exercises while considering her question. "I have never heard anyone describe it that way," he admitted after a few moments. "I suppose that there is a certain aesthetic quality to good form in combat."
"Of course there is, Sesshoumaru," she answered, surprised he had never noticed it before. "How could you not realize that? I thought you were supposed to be intelligent."
He sent her a cold stare over his shoulder as he walked to the center of the practice mat. "I know far more than you will ever know, half-breed. As for my swordsmanship, I simply see it as a means to an end. With these skills, I can crush my enemies and protect my home. Lately, it appears as if this has become even a greater need. Now be quiet."
The dog demon began a series of movements so complex that Kagome could barely keep up. He appeared to be fighting an imaginary opponent of the greatest strength, speed and agility, but the young woman was certain that Sesshoumaru would still be winning. His movements were flawless.
She suddenly understood what made him so incredibly attractive to Kagura. His deadly tactics were seductive in a way she had never seen before, possibly because she was usually concerned with the safety of her friends. Either way, it was mesmerizing.
Shaking her head, she stood up. Two sexual thoughts about Sesshoumaru, serious or not, was not the way she wished to start a day. Quietly, she made her exit and breathed in the fresh air of the garden surrounding the dojo. "Well," she murmured, "that was a bit intense for my taste, and I was just sitting there. Perhaps my dreams are right. I should stay away from him."
Convincing herself that it would be wise to avoid superfluous contact with the brother of her dead mate, Kagome took a quick bath, dressed and hiked back up to the mansion at the top of the hill.
Two extremely lively children were waiting for her near the door in the back garden.
"Kagome!" they cried, racing forward to hug their teacher.
"Hi, kids," she answered, laughing softly and patting their heads. "I hope you don't think that this sort of behavior will get you out a few tests now and then."
They pulled away, looking extremely disappointed. Rin glanced over at Washi, giving him a 'I told you it wouldn't work' look.
The miko smiled down at them. "Come on, you two. Let's go and get started, so we can get something done before lunch. Rin, you'll need to show me where we'll be doing this."
"But Kagome, Sesshoumaru-sama told me that we would be studying in his private library. He had books from the main library taken up there for our use. History, literature, brush work and such subjects. He said that we would have less distractions in there."
Kagome hesitated a moment, wondering why on earth the taiyoukai would allow two children to invade his personal library for lessons that would no doubt be loud and distracting. Especially when he had all that work left to do.
"Kagome?"
The hanyou's head jerked upwards to see the little girl looking at her with a confused expression. She was certainly a darling child, even if she was only human in Sesshoumaru's eyes.
Kagome almost groaned aloud at her stupidity. How could she have been so blind, even if it was only for a few moments? Sesshoumaru did not see Rin as 'only human'. She was practically his daughter, as his terrifying display of protectiveness had shown her the day before when Jaken had reported the attack of the tengu. That was why Rin and Washi would have their lessons in the East wing, away from the main excitement of the castle's day-to-day events and close to Sesshoumaru himself.
She took each child by the hand and began to lead them into the house. "Well okay then, what shall we study today? I think history would be a good start. I was very good at history in my old home."
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The taiyoukai growled as he lowered Tokijin and glanced over at the light katana he had been using a couple hours ago. Perhaps he should return to that particular weapon, although he was just as frustrated with his performance earlier.
Five months in a dungeon wreaked havoc on one's technique.
Naturally he had gone through his daily exercises each day in the dungeon, the basic movements which were so necessary for proper combat tactics. He had gone through the yoga positions his father had forced him to learn when he was young, as well as the various martial arts sequences and he'd even gotten his long-neglected chi back into form.
But nothing, absolutely nothing, replaced a good sword when practicing combat sequences. And since he had been denied that luxury, his skills had all but withered away. It was aggravating to say the least. There was no doubt in his mind that some of his generals, even his brother or Naraku, could beat him in his present condition. The only comfort was that the only two of this group that would fight him were deceased and therefore unable to do so.
Unbidden, the image of an awe-struck hanyou came to his mind. She certainly believed that no one could ever defeat the inuyoukai before her, and this came to have a rather calming effect on his mind. He had dumbfounded the girl twice in one morning, to the point of minimal speech. That certainly was an accomplishment.
Surely he should be disgusted at her lack of knowledge, of her not being aware of his horrible errors during the simple kata she had seen him perform. But the fact that she had not, and instead looked at him with an expression of complete and utter admiration stuck in his psyche, unwilling to let go of his mind.
He dropped Tokijin unceremoniously on the ground next to the wall, reminding himself that Jaken needed to clean it, as well as Tenseiga and his armor.
Perhaps he simply craved that sort of attention to his battle prowess that he had been starved of in the dungeon, but it was unlikely. Although he was extremely proud and arrogant male, which he was quite aware of, he had no need for such admirers. He had plenty of them up at the castle, each waiting her turn to be bedded by the demon lord with such a deadly force on the battlefield.
For once, he was completely at a loss, unaware of why the girl's attention pleased him so much.
Sighing, he collected his shoes and went outside into the midday sun, walking slowly towards his home atop the hill.
"Why would a hanyou worry about a youkai?" he questioned.
She turned her head away and began to color slightly. "It's not about a hanyou and a youkai. It's about friends."
"We are not friends."
The red tint left her cheeks and she frowned. Poking him in the chest with the pad of her forefinger, she said, "You just saved me from creatures that could have easily killed me. I mean, the leader was kind of persistent, but you scared off the others. So I'm sorry. You have a friend now, whether or not you like it, buster."Had she meant it? Her behavior had not changed very much since the shadows' attack, but that meant nothing. 'Friend' was not a common word in demon circles, and certainly not around his own abode. He was ready to accept almost any lunacy that this particular female was apt to come up with.
But he was not so ready to accept anything more than rightful distaste for hanyous and humans. That would never change and he sincerely hoped, for the wench's sake, that she did not ask for mercy towards his inferiors. Soldiers and nobles alike had been thrown out for much more mundane suggestions than that.
As Sesshoumaru approached the mansion, he comforted himself with the thought that although she had declared him a friend, he had never reciprocated. He owed her nothing, and she asked for nothing. He could be at ease with that.
His mind quickly shifted to subjects of a more mundane, political nature and, before he knew it, he was in the Eastern wing, climbing the stairs to his study.
Giggles echoed down the staircase to his sensitive ears and he let out a breath slowly as he considered his options. He could go up to his private library and deal with the children and hanyou, or he could retreat to another secluded part of the castle for the remainder of the day and ignore the alarmingly large pile of work upon his desk.
Being the practical demon he was, the answer was quite clear and he continued to ascend the stairs. Besides, he reasoned, the lessons would be conducted there until the threat to Rin had passed and he certainly couldn't avoid the room for that amount of time.
Upon opening the door, there were three gasps of surprise and three sets of eyes swiveled around to meet his own.
The two children and the girl were sitting around a small table Sesshoumaru had placed in the center of the study, books spread haphazardly across the surface like crisp white birds. Their expressions were startled, but not guilt-stricken, so the taiyoukai concluded they had not been involved in any serious mischief and made his way to his desk.
"I think it's time for lunch, kids," Kagome said briskly, breaking the silence once the dog demon had settled himself on his cushion. "Some food will help us focus." She stood up, the light blue yukata she had chosen clinging to the backs of her legs for a moment.
Sesshoumaru watched as the three prepared to go down to the main dining hall, when a thought struck him. "Wench," he called, stopping the miko in her tracks, "where is that pendant we took from the vassal, Izo?"
Kagome frowned in concentration. "It's in my bag I think. Do you need it right now?"
"I plan to give it to Jaken, so that he may study it and reveal its meaning. Retrieve it at once."
She scowled. "Would it kill you to say 'please' once in awhile?"
"Quite possibly," he retorted calmly, sifting through his papers.
"Then you really must try it," snapped the hanyou as she slipped through the door after the kids.
"What was that all about, Mama?" asked Washi when they met at the bottom of the stairs.
"Nothing important. Why don't you go along with a couple of the guards to the dining hall and I'll be right along. Apparently Sesshoumaru-sama needs the damn thing at this very second," Kagome huffed, beckoning to two sentries for impromptu babysitting duty.
After watching the kids go across the bridge, she went into her room and fetched the pendant. Its smooth, flat back rested against the palm of her hand, the weight of the metal pressing into her flesh.
Kagome stared at it for a moment, tracing the rough, simple design with her clawed finger. "So I guess you're supposed to be the sign of evil," she murmured to the object, her brown eyes fixed upon the star. It danced in her vision for many long minutes, as she became transfixed.
She felt as if her mind was being pulled out of her body to another place with no light and no happiness. Screams echoed inside her head, alongside a low, cruel laugh. Someone was torturing thousands, perhaps millions, of people, and yet Kagome had no power to cry out for it to stop. Her head pounded in pain as the screams grew louder, joined by the sounds of arguments, battles and pitiful sobbing.
Then, a woman's voice added to the mix. Kikyo's. Even through the pain and disorientation, Kagome could recognize it, although she could not decipher the elder miko's words. She tried very hard to concentrate on Kikyo's voice through the din.
"Inuyasha…"
"Wench!"
Kagome's gave a startled gasp and looked up, the metal disc dropping from her fingertips and falling with a dull thud on the wooden floor. Shaking, she sat down on the edge of the bed, careful to keep her eyes away from the pendant.
The door opened and Sesshoumaru stepped inside. "It has been twenty minutes since…" he broke off and stared at the pale-skinned girl, covered in a thin film of sweat. "What has happened here? Why did you not return promptly to my study?"
The young miko drew her knees up underneath her chin and closed her eyes to steady her breathing. "The pendant…" she muttered at last, her voice thin and labored. "It's cursed or something. I looked at it and I could hear all this screaming and crying and horrible sounds. And I heard Kikyo. She said your brother's name. I think she knew I could hear her somehow. It was awful."
The taiyoukai walked briskly over to the spot where Izo's necklace lay and picked it up.
"What're you doing?" shrieked the girl. "That thing is dangerous!"
"Lower your voice, half-breed," ordered Sesshoumaru. He turned his golden eyes to the object in his hand and studied it intently for many minutes while Kagome looked on in horror. Finally, he raised his head. "You are delusional. It is simply a piece of metal, nothing more."
Kagome shook her head, her mouth open in silent protest. "No, you're wrong. I felt it, I heard it. It's not just metal, it sucked my mind into it!"
Icy eyes swept her huddled form. "And why should this Sesshoumaru believe a worthless half-breed? Especially one who has already experienced many troubles of the mind?"
"This wasn't one of them!" seethed the hanyou, color quickly returning to her face.
"Hn," came the only response, as the dog demon turned to leave the room. He paused, his claws upon the doorknob. "You will go down to lunch with the children and then continue their lessons afterwards until late afternoon. You will then report their progress to me and begin your own studies with the books in my library. You cannot teach if you are not learning at the same time."
"And you," she hissed, "cannot listen if you're being a jackass at the same time."
She received another icy stare. "I will not allow you to shirk your duties. Go to the dining hall at once."
Kagome picked herself up off the bed and exited the room, glaring at Sesshoumaru as she passed.
Ignoring the guards' curious stares, the hanyou quickly made her way down to the dining hall, using her sense of smell to lead her towards the food. As she walked, she noticed that the security throughout the entire mansion seemed to have been stepped up overnight. Guards roamed through the hallways, nodding their greetings to each other and the hanyou.
No less than six guards were stationed outside the door to the dining room, with at least three times that many around the perimeter of the large hall.
Washi and Rin were giggling and making a complete mess at one end of a long cherry wood table. "Kagome!" they both called, looking up to see their teacher at the same time.
She smiled at the pair and settled herself on the purple silk cushion at the head of the table, with a child on each side. They gave her a concerned look when they saw her face, but Kagome quickly hid her former anger with a grin. "Hi, you two. Wow, I'm starving! Pass the rice, please, Rin."
The children exchanged a silent, questioning glance, but passed the food down.
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Kagome pushed away her plate, unable to eat anything more. "That was a great meal. What was the occasion?" She waved her hand at the vast quantities of noodles, rice, sushi, tempura and a host of seafood dishes she had never seen before.
Rin gave her a curious stare. "No occasion, Kagome-san. We have seafood for lunch and beef and chicken for dinner every day here. Sometimes a few youkai join us, but most of them prefer to have their own demon food delivered to their rooms."
"You're kidding," sputtered the hanyou, nearly spitting out the tea she was drinking. "If I eat this much every day, I'll grow as big as a house!"
The children laughed at her eyes, wide with fright. "You are silly, Kagome-san!" chirped the little girl, before she turned serious. "But we're going to be late for our afternoon lesson. Sesshoumaru-sama does not tolerate tardiness."
At that moment, the door opened, allowing a young female youkai to slip into the room and begin to hover around the entryway. Kagome frowned slightly when she realized that it was the demon who had 'saved' her from the acid demoness, Machi, the night before. She seemed to be trying to catch the hanyou's gaze and looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Go on ahead, you two," Kagome said finally, keeping her eyes locked on the blue-skinned woman across the room. "I'm going to finish my tea."
The children scampered out and the demoness took her first opportunity to come closer. "My lady," she murmured, bowing from the waist.
"Don't be ridiculous," laughed the hanyou. "I'm about as noble as a barn cat. My name is Kagome and you can call me as such. Please sit down and have some tea."
The youkai sat down gracefully, tucking her legs beneath her body just as any true lady should. Kagome looked down with regret at her own Indian-style position and grimaced at the thought of what her mother would have to say about it.
"So," started Kagome, before an uncomfortable silence could settle in, "what's your name?"
"Oh, forgive my poor manners, Kagome-san. I am Nami, a representative of the water demons here at Lord Sesshoumaru's court." The blue-skinned beauty pushed back her turquoise-colored hair and Kagome mentally slapped herself for not realizing that the girl was part of the water youkai clan immediately.
The hanyou poured another cup of tea and watched the steam rise from the surface of the liquid as she spoke. "Hmm, well, is there something I can help you with, Nami-san?"
Nami bowed her head, closing her crystal blue eyes. "I wanted to thank you, Kagome-san, for helping Ruri after she received such terrible news. She is a close friend and I know how much it meant for her to have a comrade of Sesshoumaru-sama take an interest in her wellbeing. She would thank you herself, but she is travelling to retrieve her husband's body today."
Kagome blushed, making the red in her hair stand out even more than usual. "It was really nothing. I was glad to help. She probably would have preferred your company."
"Perhaps, but sometimes it is far easier to cry on the shoulder of a stranger than of a friend."
"I know how that can be."
The other female looked surprised for a moment. "Surely, one as young as yourself has not lost anyone?"
Inwardly, Kagome gave a small, sad smile at youkai naivete. She had experienced this reaction before in her travels before meeting Sesshoumaru. Most demons would not believe that a girl under twenty could be old enough to have lost anybody of importance in their lives. After all, demons really were not 'grown up' until far past that age. "I have lost many of my dearest friends," she said finally, her voice quiet, "including my intended mate."
Nami gave her a thoughtful, compassionate gaze. "Forgive my manners, Kagome-san, but you are not Lord Sesshoumaru's intended?"
The hanyou laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls of the cavernous room. "No, never. We have a common goal in battle, nothing more. Wherever did you get the idea that I was anything but his acquaintance?"
"You spoke with him as his equal, not an inferior. Not to mention that Sesshoumaru-sama never brings women home from his travels. They usually go to him."
Kagome glanced at Nami out of the corner of her eye and smirked in a congenial fashion. "Like you, for instance?"
Nami had the grace to blush, knowing that Kagome was quite surprised that a well-mannered demoness would be so kind to a hanyou that was rumored to be Sesshoumaru's mate. "No, Kagome-san. I am afraid you are mistaken. I am here at court as a representative of my clan. It is my mother's wish that I rise in status. Preferably to be Inutaisho's mate. I follow the letter, if not the sentiment, of her desires."
"Perfectly happy as you are? If you don't mind me asking that is, Nami-san." Kami, how she hated these formalities of starting a new friendship.
The water youkai shook her head slightly. "I do not deny that it would be nice to have the opportunity to have such strong, healthy children as Sesshoumaru-sama could give to me, but it is not my life's goal. I have many other duties to attend to."
Kagome leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. "Really? Like what? I have not heard Sesshoumaru-sama speak of what the clan representatives do around here."
"Councils mostly, but we try to learn from each other as well. My clan has benefited greatly from the knowledge in these cities."
The hanyou stood up very quickly, startling Nami quite badly. "Learning! I've just remembered that I should be giving lessons to the children. They've been waiting for quite some time now. I must go."
The demoness rose to her feet and bowed. "Of course, Kagome-san. We will talk more later, I hope?"
"Of course. I'll see you soon, Nami-san," breathed the hanyou before bowing and rushing out of the room.
She sped up three flights of stairs, across the bridge and up to the taiyoukai's study door before pausing to catch her breath. Pushing open the door, she tried to look unruffled as possible.
"You are late." The stern words of the taiyoukai seemed to echo in her ears.
Kagome gazed across the room at Sesshoumaru, sitting behind his desk and a new pile of paperwork. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry, but I was talking to Nami-san. She is a friend of Ruri-san and was updating me on her state of health," she said, fudging the facts slightly.
"Hm," he muttered, looking back down at his work. "And you find Nami to be a demon worthy of your attention?"
The hanyou frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, but she seemed nice, yes. I would like to be able to talk to her again, if you don't insist upon locking me up here all day and night."
"You may have some time after you conclude the children's lessons and before you start your own studies this evening. You will also take your dinner in the hall and after that, you may do as you wish until you go to sleep." His brush moved with surprising speed during this little speech, but soon paused as he raised his head. "Today however, you will accompany me to the meeting with the court. They wish for answers about my absence. Continue your lesson until then."
Kagome sat down at the table with the children, who had been trying to seem as if they were absorbed in their books. "Well, let's work on our brushwork this afternoon, okay?" she suggested, pushing aside books and pulling out scrolls of parchment. "Then we'll start on geography. I'm sure that Sesshoumaru-sama has some maps around here."
The dog demon watched her from beneath his fringe of white-silver hair, as he feigned checking over the daily work roster.
She was quite pretty for a half-breed, with the midday sunlight filtering in to make her hair glow and shine with every movement. Graceful and powerful at the same time, Sesshoumaru had to admit that many males would gladly take her for their mate, hanyou or not.
These were thoughts he had had before though, and he nearly growled aloud as he realized that he was thinking of Kagome in a flattering way once again. He truly needed a distraction, preferably in the form of an adoring female. It was quite easily arranged but, looking down at his pile of work, it would be at least another few nights before he would have the time for such self-indulgence.
Meanwhile, he had different things to worry about.
He glanced over at Jaken, hidden from Kagome and the children's view by a bookcase. The little toad was surrounded by books to discover what exactly the significance of Izo's pendant. Jaken had not known off the top of his head, only muttering something about being 'darkly familiar' before plunging into Sesshoumaru's reference materials.
It was the first time in memory that Jaken had not immediately answered his master's call for knowledge. It was the first time in years that Jaken had had to crack a book for information. The imp knew every family in the entirety of Japan, not to mention quite a few in neighboring regions.
Perhaps this demon lord was foreign. Very foreign, which was an unsettling thought. Foreign lords would have different tactics, different weapons, and different types of demons at their disposal. As well read as Sesshoumaru was, he was fairly certain that he would not be prepared against an attack from the far reaches of the world.
He had once seen a human male with dark blond hair and thick facial hair. He possessed a strange looking sword, with a wide, thick blade that was heavily curved. With it, he killed several human villagers in a small coastal province and had taken their goods and food. It was savage, and he was certain that Kagome would not have called his skills 'good swordsmanship'. But it was effective and Sesshoumaru was almost frightened of these foreign men who could cow an entire village single handedly.
Then there were the scouts' reports from those who had returned at all. Strange tales of even stranger demons roaming the lands of the West and North. In the now estranged East and South Lands, these demons joined the local armies that were now prowling Sesshoumaru's borders, as if waiting for a grand signal from the heavens.
Even a few of the shadows that had attacked Kagome had been spotted, usually waist-deep in blood and gore of battlefields.
The demon lord controlled his men like phantoms. They would appear and disappear seemingly at will, letting no scout get too close of a look, which caused Sesshoumaru to wonder if these demons had access to some magic that Japan's youkai did not possess.
In all, there was only one certainty among the chaos. Sesshoumaru would not back down and he would not give up the Western Lands, even if it resulted in his death, along with every inhabitant of his kingdom. That was the only way the traitors would ever take his birthright.
The taiyoukai glanced up at the children, letting his eyes linger on Rin. 'Yes,' he savagely thought, 'her as well. They have to kill all of us to take Inutaisho's land. If they have it, it will be nothing but a barren wasteland.'
"Lord Sesshoumaru," murmured Jaken at his elbow, shaking the taiyoukai from his dark thoughts, "it is time to address the court."
Kagome and the children looked up, their smiles fading when they caught a glimpse of Sesshoumaru's expression as he rose from his seat. The hanyou appeared to be slightly unsettled, not knowing what the taiyoukai would say and what he would leave out.
"They must know the truth," the dog demon said quietly, his golden eyes fixed upon Kagome's face. "Everything. They must be prepared."
The hanyou understood. He would tell his court about the death of his brother and the presence of a dangerous, dark miko named Kikyo. He would speak of his imprisonment and the demon lord that nobody saw. And he would talk of the shadows and the tengu and all the other dangers that now lurked inside and outside his borders.
He was still looking at her, giving her a piercing gaze much like the one he had given her when she was first telling him of Inuyasha's death. He was once again demanding that she be strong and not break down in front of him. She could not cry. She would be proud of her mate's sacrifice and she would be demanding of revenge, as proper youkai etiquette stipulated.
"Okay," she said, her voice not quavering, although her eyes were a bit more misty than usual, "let's do this then. Let's get it over with."
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A/N: Whew! I hope you enjoyed it… it was extremely difficult to write, especially after a two-week break. I know it's a bit jumpy, but I felt the need to put Kagome into a routine. Anyway, the next couple of chapters have a lot of plot development (if it goes the way I want it to), so stay with me! Thanks for your patience! Well, on to the reviews… there were so many! Thanks so much!
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