A/N: One of my greatest reviewers pointed out that the previous chapter, "Sesshoumaru's Troubles" somewhat resembles Nostawen's Laying Amongst Dokatsu. After rereading the chapter, I realized that my faithful reader had a valid point, but that my chapter and Nostawen's are sufficiently different that it shouldn't cause any problems (not to mention that she has loads more talent). After all, authors before Nostawen and myself have placed Kagome and Sesshoumaru in close quarters at night, so neither of us can really claim originality of the concept. Stylistically however, there are a few similarities and I just wanted to drop a note saying that if anyone (specifically Nostawen herself) has a problem with my chapter, I'll go back and rework it.
The Broken Miko
Chapter 13: Kagome's Troubles
The hanyou hopped down the wooden plank steps past the bathhouse and towards the dojo. Around her, the trees were starting to change color for autumn. Soon, the hill would be blanketed in gold, red, yellow and orange. "Hurry up, Sesshoumaru," she called over her shoulder.
"I will arrive eventually. Stop that irritatingly cheerful demeanor."
Kagome placed her hand on the trunk of a tree and effortlessly swung herself around to face the taiyoukai. She was grinning in a frighteningly sardonic manner. "Well, I finally get a real opponent today. So you said."
"You will be modifying your kata in order to block my attacks. That is all. You are nowhere near capable of truly defending yourself, or anyone else for that matter," he responded calmly.
"Hmph! Some teacher you are. Don't you know that you're supposed to encourage your pupils?" She walked up to him with her hands on her hips and gave him a defiant pout.
The dog demon bit his tongue, preventing the insults that would surely come tumbling out in response to her ill-phrased question. It was much too early in the morning for an argument with a lively half-demon. Instead, he chose to walk around her and down the slope towards the dojo with Kagome scampering after him and chattering about his beautiful gardens.
It had been five days since he had woken up with her in his arms, the morning after the full moon. Before he could even consider waking her up, her eyes had fluttered open and she murmured a sleepy 'good morning'. Instead of the awkward silence he had expected to wedge between them, Kagome smiled and lazily slid off his lap. Twenty minutes later, she was ready to leave for their training session.
On the surface, nothing had changed. Sesshoumaru was still a harsh demon lord and Kagome was still a worthless half-breed. But the taiyoukai had found that he could no longer bring himself to call her as such. The only word that floated through his mind when he was addressing her was 'Kagome', not 'half-breed' or 'wench'.
He had come to accept this change with little resistance, but would not allow anyone to see the difference. The dog demon would only call her by name in private, not even in front of the children. After all, the guards were already whispering among themselves about the night he had spent in her room. Just as he had predicted, the rumor mill had not failed, but cranked into high gear. Puzzled murmurs followed both the taiyoukai and the hanyou down the halls when they descended into the lower parts of the castle. Surprisingly, Kagome was doing an exemplary job of ignoring them.
The pair reached the entrance to the dojo just as a distant cry hailed them. Turning around, they could see the small figure of a palace guard waving at them. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" he called again. "Please wait!" He began to sprint down the steps towards his master.
Sesshoumaru was sorely tempted to step into the dojo anyway, where the guards had received strict orders not to disturb him. He really didn't want to deal with business this day and anything that caused a guard to call after him was bound to take up the entire morning. But he accepted his fate and waited for the exuberant sentry to reach them.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" the demon wheezed as he approached. It was one of the newer recruits, a bat demon whose name the taiyoukai had not learned yet. Dressed in the standard issue armor, he bowed and waited for his lord to give permission to deliver his message.
"Speak."
"My lord, you told us to bring in anyone that aroused our suspicions for questioning. I believe that you would prefer to question the two demons we just brought in. They have been asking for the Lady Kagome."
The dog demon and hanyou exchanged looks with arched eyebrows. "What kind of demons?" asked the girl. "Did they say how I know them?"
The bat demon, who had not expected more questions, flushed a bit and stammered, "W-well, actually my lady, I have just been sent here with the message. M-my commanding officer was the one that cap-captured them. I have not seen the youkai in question." His eyes constantly flickered towards Sesshoumaru's face, obviously looking for signs of displeasure.
Kagome smiled at the youkai, trying to put him at ease. "Well, then, we'll just have to meet them ourselves. Sesshoumaru-sama, should we put off our training for a bit?"
The taiyoukai nodded. "You are dismissed, lieutenant," he ordered, causing the bat demon to flush a darker red. "Go back to your post."
"Yes, my lord!" he responded, saluting and then scampering back up the steps.
Sesshoumaru and Kagome followed at a more leisurely pace, a soft breeze blowing back their long hair. "He was afraid of you," observed the girl.
"Most of them are. I could kill them easily."
"You don't actually do that, do you?" she asked, giving him a look of shock.
"Only when they upset me greatly," he responded, fixing a cold gaze on her face.
Kagome shivered involuntarily, clutching the arms of her thick, white training hakama. "That's horrible."
His voice chilled as he turned his face and frowned slightly. "And how do you expect me to deal with traitors and those that are such cowards they put my entire army in jeopardy?"
"I guess so," she conceded as they began to traverse the garden. Her fingers brushed against the silky petals of the daylilies and irises as she passed. Rin would be out here soon, inspecting her precious flowers and making sure they were quite healthy. Washi had taken to joining her in this process, although Kagome suspected that he cared little for flowers, which were fixed to the ground and unable to fly. Instead, he chased after the butterflies, bees and dragonflies that darted over the flowerbeds.
They made their way into the mansion and towards the grand hall. Sesshoumaru used a small room off of the hall to interrogate youkai that were not threatening enough to be thrown into the dungeons immediately. It had reinforced walls and a magical barrier to prevent any 'accidents' and was far enough from the residential wings to not present any serious security risks.
Nodding to the guards on either side of the door, Sesshoumaru opened the entrance to the interrogation room, blocking Kagome from the occupants' view. When he saw the prisoners, however, he stopped.
The hanyou placed her small clawed hands on the taiyoukai's shoulders and tried to peek over him into the room. "Who is it?" she asked.
Two seated figures, heavily bandaged, looked up at the girl and jumped to their feet. "Kagome-neesan!" they called, their voices relieved and ecstatic.
Kagome squealed and pushed a rather surprised and irritated dog demon to the side. Sprinting forward, she threw herself into a three-person embrace. "Hakkaku! Ginta! How did you find me? What happened to you two? You're both a mess!" She met the eyes of a guard in the corner of the room. "Go and get some medical supplies and a healer if you have one around here."
As a rather surprised sentry left, Sesshoumaru fully entered the room and immediately noted that the girl had a point. Each of the wolf youkai sported several bloody strips of cloth wrapped around their arms, legs and torsos. The one with the tuft of black hair had one around his neck and when he spoke, his voice was scratchy, as if it hadn't been used in months.
"Kagome-neesan," Ginta croaked. "We didn't know where you had gone. We thought you were dead, but then we met a flea demon named Myoga. He said he had sent you to find Lord Sesshoumaru."
Hakkaku put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't strain your voice, Ginta. I'll tell her." He gave his near-sister a wistful smile, an uncharacteristic appearance for such a lively wolf youkai. "Well, nee-san, you know that Ginta and I inherited lordship of the wolf clans when Koga died."
"Of course," she replied. "He left you two behind to guard the remainder of the clans, in case of his death. He wanted to leave the lordship in capable hands."
"We're sorry we weren't there for you," came the raspy voice of Ginta.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ginta-san," scoffed the girl. "You were following orders from Lord Koga and it's a good thing you did. Otherwise, the wolf clans would be without decent leadership."
Sesshoumaru and Kagome watched as the wolf demons' expressions grew dark and stormy. "That's just it, Kagome-neesan. We don't lead the wolf clans anymore. We were thrown out of the caves and beaten within an inch of our lives. Ginta's throat was nearly sliced open, which is why he still can't talk very well. I thought I was going to lose him for awhile." Hakkaku sighed and sat down heavily upon the simple wooden chair in the middle of the room and covered his face with his bandaged hands. "It was horrible, and now our brothers are surely suffering as well."
The taiyoukai frowned and moved forward. "Impossible. Every clan leader must declare himself at court. I have reviewed your own claim to leadership, which Jaken accepted in my absence, but no other shifts of power have taken place in the wolf clans."
"Nothing legitimate, surely, Lord Sesshoumaru," muttered the mohawk-crested demon, "but the new lord isn't the type to claim his control. He isn't even a wolf. He's a monkey youkai."
Kagome's eyes widened and she fell to her knees in front of Hakkaku. "You're not serious? Koga's clan in the hands of a non-wolf? Impossible. Even the most powerful demon couldn't stand up to the entire pack, especially with the pair of you to lead them. The wolves loved you!"
"He had an army," gritted out Ginta. "We sacrificed ourselves so that the others wouldn't die."
Hakkaku nodded grimly. "Koga only took volunteers to fight Naraku with you guys, but about half of the clan volunteered, so we were very low in numbers. We couldn't risk the lives of the rest of our brothers. Monkey demons are notoriously clever. The demon said he would allow the lower clans to keep their lives, as long as they bowed down to his power as well. But it was all for a price and we paid it with our blood."
A few silent, crystalline tears escaped Kagome's eyes. "If the leader gives his life, his people will honor that decision," she whispered.
The wolf demon nodded again. "A wolf acts in the best interests of the pack. Our brothers in our clan and the subordinate clans will understand that what we did was for the best." His head snapped up and a vicious light replaced the sad one. "But that doesn't mean it has to stay like this! With your help, Kagome-neesan, I know we can beat this guy!"
Kagome regarded the torn up pair for a moment. "I don't know what I can do, Hakkaku. I'm just one girl."
Leaning back in his chair and smiling, the wolf demon appeared much like she remembered him from earlier, happier times. "You aren't just one girl anymore though, are you Kagome-neesan? I could smell it as soon as I entered the castle that there was a hanyou here. Myoga warned us that you might seem a bit different, but he didn't tell us how different. I'm guessing this was the work of the Jewel?" He swept his hand about in the air and pointed at her crimson ears sticking out from conspicuous red and black hair. "Besides, he told us that you've been staying here when you didn't have to, so that you could rid the world of that demon lord that's messing everything up that we've worked so hard for."
She bit her lip and glanced back at the statuesque taiyoukai before answering. "Do you think the monkey demon who took your clan might work for the demon lord?"
"No idea, but he's certainly taking advantage of the situation. Before he even showed up, we'd been receiving daily reports of mysterious disappearances and deaths among all the wolf clans. One of the lesser lords lost his mate and still hasn't found her."
The hanyou turned around and looked up at the dog demon with her large brown eyes. "We should help them, don't you think? Please, Sesshoumaru-sama? They're your subjects."
"They are not the only ones who have lost their lordship positions," he intoned, his cold amber eyes meeting her gaze without a flicker of sympathy. "We cannot help them all."
"Sesshoumaru!" she cried, dropping the honorific in her distress. "These are my friends! Their comrades gave up their lives in the fight against Naraku. Surely they deserve some reward for voluntarily marching into battle with the most awful presence Japan has known!"
"Calm yourself," the dog demon answered and moved to look over the crown of her head. "The two of you will stay as guests until you heal fully. We will not attack this monkey youkai who has taken your lands and packs directly. I intend to attack the head of this organization, the demon lord who started this wave of chaos."
"Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies with it," choked Ginta, his gravelly voice sounding more ominous than even Sesshoumaru's heavy tones.
The taiyoukai nodded. "Problems will continue until we have taken care of that particular demon lord. Then we shall march out against any more resistance to the reclaiming of our lands."
Hakkaku gave a satisfied bob of the head. "It is a good plan."
The door slid open and the guard returned holding a small wooden chest carved with characters so worn down they were unreadable. His startling blue eyes locked onto the young woman in the room. "My lady, I retrieved the medical supplies, but the healer is attending to a very serious wound that occurred in the training dojo this morning."
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Injuries were rare among his soldiers, and rarer still when it was so serious a healer could not attend to other matters.
"What happened to the guy?" asked Kagome, taking the box from the burly sentry.
The soldier frowned. "It was strange, my lady. He sparred with one of our captains and employed a technique I had never seen before. Needless to say, it was not very effective and the captain accidentally pierced his side. It was almost as if he had desired the injury."
"Will he live?" asked the taiyoukai, surprising everyone in the room. Compassion from the dog demon was the last thing they expected.
"Um… yes, my lord," answered the guard, ignoring his shock. "The healer said it is a grave injury, but that with a couple weeks' rest, he should be fine."
"Two weeks is a long time to be recovering for a youkai," observed Kagome as she cast a long glance at Sesshoumaru. His eyes were practically slits, but she could still see the dangerous light of suspicion. And she was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking. "Thanks for the supplies, anyway. I think you and your friend," she gestured to the other sentry, who had been standing silently in the corner, "can be dismissed now, don't you think, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
The dog demon gave a single nod and the guards escaped and shut the door tightly behind them, while Kagome sat down and opened the box.
As she rummaged through, looking for disinfecting herbs and liquids, she murmured, "I know what you're thinking Sesshoumaru. That soldier isn't yours, is he? He's casing the joint."
"I do not know what you mean by 'casing the joint', but I do believe he is a spy. No soldier of mine would allow such an injury in practice. One would have to work very hard for my captain to 'accidentally' injure someone." A soft growl underlined his words as he spoke. "I will go to the infirmary and see this soldier. Take care of the wolves and have Jaken take them to their rooms. Then you must start your lessons with the children."
Before he could step out of the room, Kagome reached her hand out. "Oh wait! I meant to ask you this morning, but could I take the children outside for their lesson? It's going to be cold soon and Rin's flowers are going to die for the winter. I'm sure she'd like to visit them as much as possible."
"Provided they do not serve as a distraction," instructed the taiyoukai, "then you may give their lesson outside this morning. Take a few guards with you though." Then he left.
The girl sighed and took out yards of fresh bandages and the few medicinal herbs she could recognize from her lessons with Kaede. Demons seemed to have a whole battery of herbs that were different from the humans'. She would have to speak and train with the resident healer when she had the chance. She straightened up and beckoned towards Ginta. "Let me see that throat wound. I need to clean it, so it will heal faster." She winked at him. "Then you can talk and laugh again with me, eh Ginta-san?"
Ginta gave her a weak smile and tilted his head up so that she could untie the dirt and blood encrusted cloth wrapped around his neck.
"Kami…" murmured the girl as she watched the bandage fall away from his skin. Three long, ragged claw marks stretched across the side of his neck, and although Kagome wasn't clear on youkai anatomy, it was dangerously close to where the human jugular would be. "Did the monkey demon do this?
The wolf demon nodded carefully and winced when Kagome applied the medicine-soaked cloth to the wound.
"Sorry. I forgot to tell you that this would sting a bit, but it'll be over soon. I just have to clear out the dirt," she explained as she gently wiped away the dried blood. She'd done this a hundred times before with Inuyasha and the others, but Kagome was beginning to realize that she would do it a thousand times more for herself and Sesshoumaru if they went to battle the demon lord. After all, his minion nearly sliced apart Ginta, one of the best wolf warriors she had ever met. As she wrapped the new bandage around his throat, the youkai caught her hand.
"We're sorry about your friends, nee-san," he whispered. "I wish that…"
"Hush, Ginta," interrupted the girl. "I already told you that I understand. You were needed back at the caves. Koga trusted you two."
"He meant afterwards," spoke up Hakkaku. "We're sorry we didn't find out what had happened to you before we met Myoga. We should have looked for you sooner and helped you. You could have stayed with us. You're our sister and we should have taken care of you."
"You thought I was dead though, didn't you?"
"Nobody came back. Not even Koga. We sent a few scouts and they came back with news of a massacre. They identified Naraku's remains and Koga's, as well as all of our brothers'. A distance away, they found signs of your friends and Inuyasha. There was too much blood for them to have lived through it, but their bodies were gone." Hakkaku's eyes lowered to the ground. "We assumed that… that carrion-eaters had gotten them. We never imagined that of all the people there, you would survive."
"They've been buried near Kaede's village. I left the wolves and Koga because I knew you'd be back for them. I understand why you thought I was dead," she assured him as she went to work on the nasty slash in Ginta's arm.
One side of Hakkaku's mouth twisted up into a half-smile. "I have to admit, nee-san, that when I heard rumors of a girl surviving the battle, I hoped it was you. Koga wouldn't have let you die, and Inuyasha wouldn't have either."
"I know. I wish I had had the strength to not let them die," she murmured. For once, tears didn't prickle at the backs of her eyes. Either her heart was beginning to heal or she was numb.
"Kami-sama saved you, nee-san. And he saved you for a reason. Perhaps to save Japan again from this new demon lord."
She tightened the bandage around Ginta's forearm; perhaps a bit too tight, since the wolf flinched, but Kagome didn't notice. "We'll need help from you guys once you heal, you know. You'll be saving Japan just as much as me and Sesshoumaru." It was unnerving to talk so seriously with the wolf brothers. Normally, they'd be joking with each other, Koga or her, lightening the mood despite the worst situations.
Ginta, in a considerably better mood now that he had clean bandages and soothing salves on the wounds, grinned mischievously at the girl. "Speaking of our host, Lord Sesshoumaru's scent is all over you, nee-san. Is there something you want to tell us?"
Kagome scowled and tapped the wolf on the fresh bandage she had placed around his leg.
"Ow! Geez, nee-san, if you didn't want to tell us, we would have listened."
"Uh-huh. Sure." She secured the last bandage on Ginta and moved over a few feet to begin on Hakkaku's wounds. But before she could even take off the first piece of cloth, she sighed and let her hands fall. "To tell the truth, I don't know what's happening. Everybody I would talk to about this, my mother, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, even Inuyasha… they're all gone. Either dead or I'm too afraid to go and talk to them."
Ginta, his face slightly twisted in pain from moving, slid off his chair and onto the floor next to the kneeling girl. The smile had long been dropped as he placed his uninjured hand on Kagome's shoulder. "You're family, nee-san."
She giggled a bit, thankful that he hadn't said anything so corny as 'we're listening'. "I know you are. But I can't talk about something that I don't know anything about. We're friends and I'd be thoroughly surprised if we turned out to be anything more." Her voice was sincere, but her conscience began to nag at her for bending the truth. She did after all, wake up in Sesshoumaru's arms five days earlier. The weird part, the part she hadn't told anyone, was that she hadn't had a disturbing dream that night or any night since. Her sleep was restful, free of traumatic images.
Hakkaku and Ginta didn't look convinced, but after exchanging a look that Kagome couldn't read, they let the matter drop.
"Alright, you boys are done," she announced after ten minutes of idle chitchat and first aid. "I'd go down to the healer tomorrow afternoon if I were you though. Those wounds are still irritated from your journey."
"Will do, nee-san."
She smiled and began to pack up the box of supplies, although the wolves had exhausted most of it. "Come on, let's get out of this stuffy place. Jaken should be waiting outside to take you to your rooms. I have to go give the children their morning lessons. Perhaps biology, since we're going outside."
Opening the door, Kagome was faced with a very frustrated toad demon. "There you are! Who do you think you are, taking so long? You made me wait forever!" he hissed, his tiny arms crossed, hugging his Staff of Heads to his chest. "Do you think I live to serve you? I have many important duties in this castle!"
"Well, Jaken-san, why didn't you just knock and come in?"
Jaken turned his head away and glared at each of the guards in turn. "They wouldn't let me in," he sniffed. "Which Lord Sesshoumaru is sure to hear about."
The wolf brothers laughed at the snobby imp behind Kagome, but the hanyou was completely serious as she looked over at the sentry to the left of the doorway. "Why didn't you let Jaken into the room, private?"
The lanky weasel demon's lip twitched ever so slightly. "Lord Sesshoumaru told us that no one was to interrupt you and your friends, my lady."
"Certainly that would not apply to me!" sputtered Jaken.
"He was quite clear in his instructions," answered the guard, training his eyes at a point on the wall above Jaken's head.
The toad muttered a few choice words under his breath and then tossed a dirty look at the two wolf youkai. "Follow me. I'll show you your rooms," he grumbled, not in the mood to give them the deference they deserved as rightful lords.
"Um…" Hakkaku failed to guard his reluctance as he watched the irritated toad glare at everyone in turn. "Actually, we were thinking of going with nee-san to see the children. It'll be nice to rest outside."
Before Jaken could begin to use vulgar language again, Kagome stepped in. "Have you found anything on that pendant, Jaken-san? You must be working very hard. I've hardly seen you all week!"
This attempt to smooth things over fell flat when the imp turned his resentful, yellow bulbous eyes up to the girl. "Of course I'm working hard! That's what you're taking me away from! Sesshoumaru-sama is counting on my research to help in the fight!"
"Ah yes… well, Jaken-san, you probably want to get back to that, don't you?" she said rapidly, walking away. "Ginta, Hakkaku, come on and I'll introduce you to the kids."
"Coming!" they chanted back, following her surprisingly fast for injured youkai.
They tumbled into the hallway, their laughter echoing off the walls as they quickly made their way out to the gardens in the back of the castle.
"Actually, the fresh air really will do us some good," observed Hakkaku as they came within sight of the door. "On the way here, we hid in so many horrible, dank caves that I never want to see another cavern as long as I live."
"You lived in a cave with your clan for years!"
Ginta scowled. "Yeah, after some youkai burnt our old place down. Still, first order of business when we get back to our clan is rebuilding the old castle," he rasped.
"It was kind of barbaric," agreed Hakkaku.
"And the women left," reflected Ginta mournfully.
"I'd noticed," she mentioned dryly. "Where did they go?"
Hakkaku pushed open door and bowed as Kagome passed. The grounds were glowing a bright, healthy green, with splashes of color where the flowers rested near the soil. The blue sky was cloudless and Kagome could almost smell the warmth emanating up from the stone path.
They allowed their eyes to adjust to the bright morning sunlight before Hakkaku answered. "The females didn't exactly relish the idea of living in close quarters with the males for an extended period of time. A mate is one thing, but they're rather protective of their privacy. They wouldn't accompany us to the cave."
"Kagome-san!" called Rin's flowery voice.
The hanyou shaded her eyes and spotted the girl by the sakura tree with Washi perched in the branches above her head. To her surprise, the imperturbable taiyoukai was with them, sitting on the ground on the opposite side of the tree trunk from his ward.
"I thought you were looking after that injured soldier," she said to him, after hugging the children.
"He will be restricted to bed rest for quite some time, so I left. It then came to my attention that it was time to change the guard. I do not allow my soldiers to become overly tired, so my presence was required until the new detail arrives." He spoke evenly, but his eyes were on the wolf brothers, who were introducing themselves to the fascinated children. Washi circled them, his wings beating slowly, as he examined their unique fur clothing and war-torn bodies.
"Ginta and Hakkaku said they would help us," she mentioned casually, trying to allay his watchdog act.
"This Sesshoumaru needs no assistance."
"Of course not, but it'd be nice. It's just the two of us now."
"One."
Her head turned so sharply the cracking of her neck momentarily deafened her. "What did you say?"
"Uh-oh," squeaked Washi from a few feet away. Demon powers or not, he could smell trouble. "Let's get out of here."
Kagome's arm sprang out, although her eyes didn't move from Sesshoumaru's deadly angelic face. "Don't you go anywhere. Now, Sesshoumaru, what did you say and what did you mean by it?"
His face was unforgiving. "I am the only one who will be fighting the demon lord."
"You promised that I would get to fight Kikyo."
"I do not recall anything of that sort," he said, very aware that he had all but promised her, "but I do recall promising to protect you."
"You promised you would help me."
"This Sesshoumaru will live up to his oath. I will destroy this demon lord, thereby helping you."
"That's not what I meant, and you damn well know it!" she hissed. Her eyes narrowed, an eerie duplication of the taiyoukai's own dangerous glare. "What are you playing at? Have you learned something that I don't know?"
"I have not." He stared back at her, unblinking. If he tore his gaze away first, he would be giving up some of his power to the girl.
"What's wrong with you then? You're training me to fight," her voice raised to a pitch that was almost a whine. "I'll be ready!"
"Doubtful. I have told you many times that you have much to learn."
She bit her lip and looked away. She was losing the argument and she wasn't entirely sure why. Perfectly within her rights to claim vengeance, Kagome couldn't understand why Sesshoumaru was suddenly so reluctant to let her fight. Perhaps he did know something she didn't. Perhaps he knew the identity of the mysterious lord.
"Kagome-san?"
The hanyou refocused her eyes to see the small human girl a few feet away, tracing circles in the grass with her bare toe. "Yes, Rin?" she asked, her voice suddenly worn and threadbare.
"Will you start teaching us and stop fighting with Sesshoumaru-sama? Please?" Her doe-like brown eyes pleaded the hanyou, her hands clasped behind her back.
Kagome sighed in defeat. "Yes, Rin-chan. I'll be right there." Glaring back over her shoulder at the taiyoukai, she murmured, "This isn't over. I will fight."
"Hm." His eyelids slid closed.
Infuriated, but trying to conceal it, the hanyou turned back to Rin. "Okay, Rin-chan. What would you and Washi like to do? I was thinking of a little lesson in modern biology. Not that you guys will understand what a phylum is." She was talking more to herself than to the children, completely oblivious to the fact that they, along with the wolf brothers, were staring at the horizon.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Washi?" she said, snapping out of her insensible state.
"I think it's going to rain," he observed, hovering above the ground and pointing to the dark cloud cresting over a faraway hill. "Shouldn't we go inside?"
Sure enough, Kagome could feel the barometric pressure drop as he spoke. A chill swept through the garden, and the color seemed to seep out of the flowers and foliage. Behind her, Sesshoumaru was rising to his feet, his hand upon the hilt of his sword. They all watched the cloud fly across the sky, covering the blue with its gray mist. It was moving much too fast to be a normal force of nature. "Kids," she whispered, "get inside. Ginta, Hakkaku, if you could please go with them."
The wolves nodded and began to usher the girl and demon towards the door, but Washi was reluctant. "Mama. Please come with us. Don't stay out here," he pled.
"Go, Washi. I'll be fine," she answered, not even looking at him. A sing of metal upon metal and Tetsusaiga was unsheathed. Next to her, Tokijin was crackling with the taiyoukai's energy.
Ginta tugged on the eagle child's ankle, trying to pull him down from the air, but he wouldn't comply. "I don't believe you!" he cried. "Mama!" The wolves were finally making him descend to the earth and towards the castle.
Before they could reach the door, however, a rushing sound filled Kagome's sensitive ears. She pressed her free hand against the crimson triangle, crushing it to her skull. It was so deafening that she was afraid her ears would bleed. Flicking Tetsusaiga, just as Inuyasha used to do, it transformed into the enormous Fang. "What is it?" she screamed towards the taiyoukai.
"Tengu," he snarled.
"Where? I don't see anything!" The girl's arms were starting to strain under the weight of the Tetsusaiga as she watched the skies. Besides the noise, there was nothing that would be out of the ordinary for a thunderstorm, but even the guards seemed to have sensed something. They were running along the top of the thick wall, yelling orders over the din.
Four creatures materialized in the air above the children's heads, twenty yards to their left. Enormous leathery wings jutted out from their shoulders, just as a hawk-like beak jutted out instead of a proper nose. Unexpectedly, they had lithe bodies, not the goons she had imagined. "Sesshoumaru!" Kagome screamed, pointing to the intruders. 'How? How did they get past us? Tengu aren't invisible!' The thoughts pounded through her brain as she ran towards the tengu.
The white form of the taiyoukai leapt over her, his claws wrapped tightly around Tokijin. But he could not use it effectively: one of the tengu held Washi around his waist, dragging him upwards. Ginta was dangling off the ground, still holding onto the eagle's leg. Hakkaku was meanwhile pulling Rin towards the castle, the other three tengu cutting him off periodically and forcing the wolf to change direction. The tengu were cackling through this sick game of cat and mouse.
Kagome sprang upwards and swung the Tetsusaiga as accurately as possible, missing the large bluish tengu teasing Hakkaku by several feet. The tengu turned and began to taunt her as she landed roughly upon the grass.
A scream of terror echoed through the garden as Sesshoumaru ripped out the throat of the tengu holding Washi. The girl turned in time to see the boy splattered in blood, but he stayed aloft. Ginta dropped to the ground, wiping his brow and turning to face the next tengu.
At the demise of their comrade, the remaining kidnappers ceased their cackles and pursued Rin with renewed fervor. One shrieked something that resembled "we will not fail this time!"
One of the smaller tengu, mud green in color, snagged Rin's wrist. Hakkaku spun around and slashed at his arm, but his claws glanced off the demon's skin. In desperation, he pulled Rin closer and looked over to Kagome. "Kill him!" he yelled.
The girl glanced down at Tetsusaiga and murmured a quick apology to Inuyasha's soul before dropping it to the ground, where it transformed back into its battered state. She leapt into the air with a loud cry and swiped at the tengu, leaving golden streaks in the air where her claws had passed through.
One of the bands of light hit its target, slicing the demon's forearm badly. He yelped in pain and let go of the little girl, who Hakkaku gathered up and sprang through the doorway into the castle.
Sesshoumaru, who had easily dispatched the other two by decapitation, captured the green tengu around the throat and threw him bodily to the ground. Landing with grace, although his eyes were blazing red, the taiyoukai placed a foot upon the tengu's chest and snarled as he plunged Tokijin into the demon's gut and into the ground beneath the body. The sword went in up to its hilt before he could breathe again.
As the blood seeped into his white sleeve, staining it scarlet, the clouds began to clear above them and the pressure rose into normal levels.
Sweat was dripping from Kagome, more from her fear than her exertion. "What the hell was that about? Was that a suicide mission? Are they insane?" She was hyperventilating. It was far from her first fight on her own, without Inuyasha or the others, but it was the first time she had cared about the outcome. It was starting to sink in that she might have only survived through previous battles because she fought with reckless abandon, not caring whether she lived or died.
But now she cared and that fact surprised her to the core.
Washi wrapped his arms around her waist, although he could barely reach it. She wiped the blood from his face and hair, before looking up at Sesshoumaru, who was inspecting the bodies. "Rin is okay too?"
"Yes." His voice quivered with something that Kagome recognized as rage. His eyes were no longer glowing, but they held a burning fire.
Hakkaku reemerged from the castle, peeking around the door to check for remaining enemies, before allowing Rin to come out. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" she cried, running towards her beloved father figure. She stopped short when she saw the blood upon his arm. "You're hurt, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
His shoulders relaxed slightly upon sight of his ward. "Do not concern yourself, Rin. The blood is not mine."
"Oh, thank goodness!" Nami's voice floated from the doorway, causing everyone to turn and stare. "There was a commotion," she explained, flushing from slight embarrassment. Her eyes widened when she saw the remainders of the four demons. "Are those tengu? I came to see what was happening, but I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. The guards are in an uproar, you know."
"I guess we should get them on clean-up duty," remarked Kagome, looking around at the mess they had made in Rin's garden. Blood and pieces of tengu flesh were everywhere. The little girl didn't seem to mind too much, however. She was silently inspecting the taiyoukai for wounds from her spot a few feet away. "For now, I think we should go inside."
"Agreed," responded the dog demon. "I will inform the guards of the situation."
He swept past Nami and into the castle, while the female water demon blushed an even deeper shade of red. After he had gone, she looked up at Kagome. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You're much too self-conscious," answered the hanyou, stooping to pick up a now very grimy Tetsusaiga. "You didn't do anything. He's just mad about the attack. Don't worry about it."
"I guess…"
"By the way, Nami-san, these are my friends, Ginta and Hakkaku." She gestured to each one as she surveyed the damage. The irises lining the path were lost causes, as were the forget-me-nots in the patch were Sesshoumaru's first victim had landed. And blood probably wasn't going to contribute to the health of the callalilies by the mud green tengu's body. The hanyou would have to get Rin inside before she realized this.
"Let's go. The smell of blood is making me dizzy."
The others went in without question, going through the motions necessary after meeting someone new, but Kagome stood still in the bloody garden watching the clouds to the east. They still hadn't completely dissipated, although they appeared to be much more normal. There would be storm tonight.
She shivered. The sweat upon her body was drying and leaving her exposed to the cool air. Even the reborn sun didn't warm her blood. The tengu were dead but a presence remained, watching the mansion. Watching her. It gave her the creeps.
Staring at the gray clouds upon the horizon, Kagome's hands rolled themselves into fists. "I'm not going to be beaten, you know!" she called out to the approaching storm. "I'll kill you, Kikyo!"
A streak of lightening raced across the sky in response, the snap of thunder echoing in her delicate ears. It was still too far away to hurt her.
She turned and strode back into the castle.
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That night, as she sat in bed, the storm raged outside. The wind and rain slammed against her glass door, threatening to break it and flashes of light illuminated the city below with a ghostly shine. Kagome was quite glad that she was snuggled into bed, under the thick covers. It was very late, about three to four in the morning, she estimated. She couldn't fall asleep with the racket outside, but it surprised her that the kids hadn't even come to bug her yet.
'Rin is probably not allowed to disturb Sesshoumaru at night,' she mused, 'so she won't come to me. I don't know about Washi. Perhaps he's not afraid.'
The lamps were still lit, giving her room a warm glow and causing her to want to curl up with a good book. She reached over to her bedside table and picked up the book there. She was still reading the Genji Shibukawa: Tales from the Kojiki. It was a dense text. Each god had different relationships with every other one and it was difficult to keep track of who wanted to kill whom, since few of them were overtly evil.
She began thumbing through it to find her place. Several of the tales were illustrated and she paused on these pages to admire the artwork. It was hand-done, even she could see that. The gentle curves and vibrant colors had to have taken months or years to do. This was an expensive text, even when it was new. Kagome made a mental note to allow the children to see the artwork, but not to allow them to take the book back to their rooms. She had a feeling if it was destroyed, it would be on her head.
Kagome looked out the window once again, where the trees were swaying in the wind, their leaves being ripped off by force. Tomorrow, the groundskeeper would have quite a full day. Sesshoumaru did not appreciate an untidy home.
Her thoughts turned to the taiyoukai. He hadn't spoken much for the remainder of the day after the attack, only to order Jaken back to work on deciphering the pendant. That was the only lead they had. When the hanyou had checked upon him before dinner, he announced that they would leave to destroy the demon lord the minute Jaken had figured out the symbol, so she should keep a bag packed.
His anger washed throughout the castle. In fact, he sounded so serious that she had skipped dinner and packed her yellow bag, which now sat on the floor in the corner. The taiyoukai really was furious about the second attack on Rin if he was willing to rush out before discussing his plans at length. She had no idea if he knew where they would be heading in pursuit of the demon lord.
"Males," she murmured aloud, "they're all the same."
She flipped to a new section she had not read yet and began to skim the pages. It began to detail a fight between the gods, which rained down upon the earth and killed 'more humans than one could count in a lifetime'.
Shuddering, she turned the page, intending to skip to the end. But her hand froze above the crispy white paper before she could.
"Oh, Kami in heaven…" she said, tracing the symbol with her finger. The star, piercing the orb with one of its rays, sat upon the page in a deep crimson red color. She had found it, in the last place she would ever have suspected.
Kagome began to speed-read the story, looking for clues as to what the symbol meant. 'No wonder Jaken couldn't find it!' she thought, her heart beating faster and faster. 'He's been looking in demon and human genealogies and throughout the history texts. No one would think to look inside a book of legends!'
"There!" she cried aloud, finding the name associated with the symbol. It should have filled her with dread, but the girl was too excited to care at the moment.
He would be pleased… He would be so pleased. He might even smile. The mere thought made her heart patter into a virtual frenzy. She vaguely wondered if she could die from a heart attack.
Throwing off the covers, she slid towards the door and pulled it open. It would be hard to convince the guards to let her wake up the taiyoukai, but she had to. This was beyond important. She skittered up towards the sentry upon the right side of Sesshoumaru's door.
"You… you have to let me in to see him," she breathed, trying not to be so loud as to wake up the children across the hall.
Before the guard could reply with an almost certain 'no', the door swung open.
"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome said happily, turning her head.
But it wasn't. Instead, Nami stepped out into the hall, freezing like a frightened deer when she saw the hanyou. "Ka… Kagome-san!" she exclaimed.
The girl narrowed her eyes, examining Nami's features. Her garments were beautiful, possibly the best Nami owned, and yet were rather crumpled and looked as if they had been hastily thrown on. Her gorgeous turquoise hair, normally so smooth and flowing, was in a total state of disarray, and tied back as if trying to hide the fact. Most noticeably, her tender blue skin was flushed and her eyes were sparkling, despite the surprised expression they held.
She felt her heart stop as she put the pieces together, cursing herself for being so stupid. "Good evening, Nami-san," responded the hanyou stiffly.
The damnable sight of the water demoness didn't hold a candle to what happened next, however. The taiyoukai, with a bare chest and bare feet stepped into the open doorway, looking only slightly less mussed than Nami. His eyes widened upon seeing Kagome, but he didn't say anything, instead opting to lean upon the door jam.
Kagome wanted to cry. She felt the tears building up behind her eyes, warning her that she couldn't stay there if she wanted to keep any decorum. Her gaze flickered between the two demons. Nami appeared thoroughly embarrassed, her head hanging and her skin now completely flushed. The taiyoukai was staring back at the hanyou, his expression unreadable.
"I… I'm sorry I disturbed you," she finally said, her voice coming out like a harsh whisper. "I'll just talk to you in the morning, Sesshoumaru-sama." Her hands tightened around the book she held, smearing the sweat upon her palms.
Her feet didn't seem to want to move, however, and she remained where she was, her eyes flickering all over. The walls, the ceiling, her feet. Anywhere but their faces.
"I must go," observed Nami, her tone filled with trepidation. "Good evening, Sesshoumaru-sama, Kagome-san." She bowed quickly and all but ran down the hall and out the doors leading to the bridge.
The hanyou and taiyoukai watched her leave and then turned back to each other, their eyes locking in a stable gaze.
They didn't say anything, but then again, they didn't really have to. 'Why did you do it?' pled Kagome silently, her brown eyes misting over with tears and speaking for her. 'Do you hate me? I know I'm not good enough for you, but do you have to hurt me so badly?'
His own expression changed, answering her unspoken questions. 'There is nothing between us. I have no regrets for what I have done, however much it may hurt you.'
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I know… I'm freaking evil. I would reassure you, but it's gonna get worse before it gets better I'm afraid. So… onto the review responses!
Review responses removed due to ban