Chapter 3 The Fair Maiden
Upon entering the room the first thing he saw was the wall directly in front of him. On it was a woman bound by vines and made of stone. From what he could see of her she had the most angelic features.
Before he realized what he was doing he stood in front of her gently caressing her cheek. He stood there entranced by her beauty for a few moments until he realized it and snapped himself out of her grasp.
Feeling deep sadness emanating from the stone angel he turned away to gaze upon the rest of the room that he had neglected before.
What caught his eye was an altar that held an old and worn book. He walked to it lighting the two candles that rested atop it and opened the relic. While looking through the book he found he could read it. He became frustrated and knocked it off the altar onto the ground. When he went to pick it up again he noticed it was on the very last page. This was the only page that he could actually read. So he read it aloud to himself and tried to make sense of it.
The loss of her lover
Caused such deep sorrow
She waits frozen in time
For the day he will return
Speak the name of the woven basket
With this she will be reawakened
That was the only thing written on the page. He didn't understand the second part. It was a riddle and he knew it was. But he also knew he wasn't good at all with riddles. Rereading the first part again he became saddened by her story. It reminded him of one his mother often told him before bedtime.
Flashback"Mom will you tell me the story of the maiden again? It's my favorite." A young boy said to his mother
"Sure. A long time ago there lived a young woman who was called by many villagers 'the fair maiden'. She traveled all over the lands helping anybody who needed it. On her travels she met a demon prince who was cold to the world. She started to spend more and more time with him as the months past and as she did she slowly started to warm his cold heart with he kind and gentle ways. Eventually they found themselves in love and spent everyday by each other's side. One day her prince went into battle to protect his lands never to return again. Soon after learning of her loss she grew sad and eventually disappeared never seen again. Some say she died of a broken heart, while others say she ascended to the heavens. But nobody really knows what happened to her." His mother told him
"That's sad mom. What was her name?" he asked
"Kagome was her name." She answered
"That's a pretty name." He said as she smiled at her son.
End Flashback
"Kagome.." he said aloud in a voice full of sadness.
He remembered that story from when he was in his youth. It was his favorite because he felt sorry for the woman. She had found her true love only to have it taken from her. The gods were cruel like that though. They would only give you momentarily happiness and then just as quickly take it from you. At least that's what he though. His mom had died when he was eleven years old and he lost his father at fifteen. He felt like the gods hated him. That's why he was so cold to people and never showed any emotion. It was a weakness and he learned it at a young age. Don't get to close to anybody for they will be taken away. That's his motto. He wasn't easy on anybody and why should he be. Nobody ever went easy on him.
While thinking of his past he looked up at the angel before him and noticed a sparkling cloud that covered the wall and her. Curious he left the altar and walked to where she was. He watched as the stone slowly vanished revealing pale porcelain colored skin and ebony colored hair. When the stone was gone she was only held up by the vines, which allowed him to see her more clearly. She still slept but was held carefully. It was as if the vines held her protectively. Her white gown was tattered and worn and hung limply on her small form. She was truly an angel. He wanted to see her eyes. 'They must be just as beautiful.' He thought only to become angry.
He was letting his emotions show. This angered him because it meant he didn't have control of them. He prided himself so much on his capabilities to control himself, especially his emotions.
Without realizing it he held his arms out to grab her and pull her into his arms. The vines feeling his presence gently and slowly let her from their grasp.
Holding her in his arms he cradled her tightly like you would a small child. She was breathing lightly. He could tell she was asleep. He wanted to take her back to the castle. So grabbing the book he left the room through the only door. Walking out he stood in front of the two statues and spoke.
"You!" he said pointing to the fox. "I need your guidance through the Dead Forest. I will take her to my castle."
Once again the statues transformed as they were covered in the same golden blanket of light. Once again the green eyed man and fire cat stood before him.
"We the guardians of the maiden will help you leave this forest, but we will remain by her side." He stated firmly
He just nodded and turned to leave the way he came as they followed behind him.
He was happy to return home so quickly and was worried to know how long he had been gone. They had ridden the fire cat to the edge of the field that surround his castle. And from there continued the rest on foot. He refused to let her out of his arms. The man had offered but he had instantly refused. He enjoyed the warmth that emanated from her as she slept calmly in his arms. Sensing his company was no longer behind him he stopped and turned for a moment and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I forgot," the man said. "I am Shippou, this is Kilala. We guard the temple and the maiden, but we are also old friends of hers. I apologize for being so foolish my lord." Shippou said bowing while the small fire kitten on his shoulder mewed in response.
Once again he just nodded and continued the walk to his home eager to rest peacefully.
When they came to the front gates of the castle guards rushed around shouting at the men at the gate to open it. They were happy to see their lord return. When he made it to the steps to his castle door his advisors greeted him and told him they were glad of his return and that they would hold a feast in honor of it. He kept walking and entered his home with the advisors and the two demons following behind him. He stopped in the main hall and called for his servant.
"Jaken!" he called loudly and waited as a small and short portly man ran up to him and bowed.
"Yes milord?" he said waiting for his orders.
"Prepare two rooms in the west wings for my guest." He told him
"But milord.." he started but was caught off by a smooth but deadly voice.
"Jaken."
"Yes milord. Right away." He said bowing and scuttling off to carry out his orders.
After ridding himself of his advisors he and his other two guests walked quietly to the rooms they would stay in.
He had Jaken show Shippou and Kilala to their rooms as he went to lay the young maiden to her bed so she could rest some more.
Shortly after eating a short meal Sesshoumaru and Shippou went to his personal study to discuss some much needed and important things.
"What is it you wish to ask my lord?" Shippou said
"Tell me you and the fire cat are demons are you not?"
"That is correct. It is possible that there are only us left unless they remain hidden in the forest or by magic." He replied
"So how long have you been protecting her? And why did you say you expected me?" he asked the kitsune
"It has been 300 years that we have been with her. When she told us she was saying goodbye we could not leave her side. We traveled with her and refused to leave her side. She is our dearest friend and she raised me as her own pup. She is my mother and Kilala's friend. We would never leave her side. And you were..." he trailed off as he looked around the room for a moment. "She has awakened. You must go to her." He said as he stood and disappeared from the room leaving Sesshoumaru by himself.
Sesshoumaru sat there in his study for a few more minutes before getting up and heading towards his guest.
She woke up feeling warm and refreshed. She felt like she slept for a hundred years. When she opened her eyes she looked around the elegantly decorated room before she started to freak out.
'Oh my god! Where am I? This isn't my home. Did somebody kidnap me? Are they holding me hostage? Where are my friends? I hope they're okay.' She thought as her eyes continued to dart around the room some more.
She looked to the door and watched as it slowly opened and a tall figure walked in. She could barely see him while he stood in the shadows and hoped he come into the light.
"Who's there? Show yourself? I'm warning you I know how to protect myself and will do so if needed." She shouted at the figure.
The tall figure slowly walked into the light to shed the darkness for her to see. She gasped as she took in his appearance of the man that stood before her. He had hair as black as the night the cascaded down his back and reached the back of his knees. He had pale skin and a delicate face. She could tell even with his loose fitting clothes that he wore that he had a well-chiseled chest and strong legs. He had on a white kimono with red Sakura blossoms on his sleeves. He had a blue and gold sash around his waist that held to swords and what appeared to be plates of armor that adorned his shoulders and chest. But what made her gasp was his eyes. His eyes were golden like the sun as it started to set on the horizon. She was stuck in a trance as she stared at her eyes. She couldn't look away and she felt as her heart began to beat faster when he stared back.
Sesshoumaru stood in front of her and could not release himself from her hold. As soon as she looked him in the eyes he froze by their intense beauty. It was as if her eyes were the oceans itself. They were a deep cerulean blue that seemed to dance just like the ocean. He felt his heart speed up as they remained in each other's eyes. Finally gaining the upper hand he turned and was walking towards the door to leave when she stopped him.
"Wait!" she said and then stopped confused as to why she halted his departure.
He stood there like a statue before speaking.
"I will have a servant bring you clothes and take you to bathe. And when you are finished another will bring you to eat." And with that said he quickly left her room shutting the door.
Moments later there came a knock on her door.
"Come in." She said
A young girl with long brown hair and brown eyes came in holding a kimono and bowed.
"Good day my lady. Lord Sesshoumaru has instructed me to take you to the hot spring. Please follow me." While saying that me handed Kagome a white robe to wear.
She put it on and followed the young woman to the bathhouse. Before the young girl left she spoke to her again.
"I will return shortly milady. I must fetch you a kimono to wear." She said never looking up.
"What's your name?" Kagome asked
"It is not necessary to call me by name. Only lords and lady's are called by name, not servants." She said as if informing her like it was a horrible act.
"I wish to know that name of that who serves me. Give me your name." She demanded kindly.
This shocked the young servant and she looked up at her with her eyes wide open.
"Sango milady. May I ask the name of the Lady I serve?" Sango asked
"My name is Kagome. It is nice to meet you Sango." Kagome said with a warm smile.
"It is my honor to serve you Lady Kagome." She replied with a genuine smile as well.
"Just Kagome please." She said
"I cannot milady. I would be punished for such lack of disrespect." She said in horror.
"Well then call me Kagome when we are alone and Lady Kagome when others are around. I really hate formalities. And please don't bow either. I am not better than you so there is no reason for it." She said giggling when she saw the look of shock and horror on Sango's face.
"As you wish Kagome. I will fetch you a kimono to wear for supper. I will return shortly." She said with a small smile and left the room.
Kagome sat in the hot spring enjoying the relaxing warmth. The bathhouse was huge as well as the springs. It was a natural spring too and that amazed her. There were also many colorful flowers that grew around the spring, which made it feel more peaceful.
After about ten minutes of cleaning up and relaxation Sango entered the room. She grabbed a towel for Kagome and one for her hair. After she dried off Sango led her to an adjoining room that had a small couch and vanity in it. Kagome got dressed and Sango fixed her hair into a tight bun. Kagome asked her to do it because she herself didn't know how too.
"Thank you for your help Sango. I never learned how to do my own hair. I used to do my mothers when I was younger, but I always got my hair tangled up when I did it myself." She smiled sadly as she remembered her memories.
"Your welcome Kagome. Your friend will come to get you and take you to the dining hall. He had informed the young girl not to take you. Please follow me and I will take you to him." She said and headed for the door.
Kagome didn't say anything and just followed her quietly. She found herself confused when Sango mentioned her friend.
As they exited the door and came into the hallway a young man waited. His red hair and green eyes just smiled brightly at her. Beside him was a small two-kitten that just waited patiently and looked at her as well.
"Thank you Sango." The man said as she bowed and quickly took her leave.
The man turned to look at Kagome and smiled brightly at her.
"It has been a while Kagome." He said with happiness in his voice as it danced in his eyes. "I hope you remember your son and dear friend?" he glanced to Kilala.
Kagome leaned in closer studying his features until her eyes went wide and her face showed her realization and her shock.
"Shippou? Kilala? Kilala you have not changed but Shippou, you have grown into a man. You look very mature but somewhat mischievous as you always did." She said as she laughed while walking down the hall.
On the way to their destination they reminisced and laughed about the good old times.
When they reached the door to the dining hall the two guards opened the doors to allow entrance. They walked in taking their seats. Kagome sat on the right side from the head of the table and Shippou sat across from her on the left. Kilala sat next to Kagome and napped because she had already eaten. They talked some more over some tea while they waited for dinner to be served.
About an hour later their host arrived and took his seat between Kagome and Shippou. Shortly after he arrived dinner was served.
Kagome was a bit nervous and shy around her host. She felt her heart speed up when he was near. She felt eyes on her and looked to Shippou but he was speaking to a servant. So out of the corner of her eye she peaked at man to her right. He was looking at her but he acted as if he didn't want anybody to know. This made her even more nervous which caused her to become clumsy. So when she went to grab her tea she ended up knocking his over and spilling onto him.
Shippou sat and laughed while Kagome repeated apology after apology and tried to wipe his lap clean. She was so embarrassed she didn't realize what she was doing.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean too. I'm sorry." She kept repeating while she used her napkin to wipe tea from his lap.
Sesshoumaru grabbed her hand and held onto it for a moment as he spoke.
"You are a clumsy fool wench. I will be fine and so will my lap. There is no need for you to help me with something that I am obviously capable of doing myself. So keep your hands on you own person." He spat hatefully like he was disgusted
This just made Kagome angry. 'What nerve.' She thought.
"Let me tell you something my lord" she spat that last part. "I don't know who you think you are. I didn't spill that tea on purpose and I was trying to help. I apologized for spilling it and you get so mean and act like I'm some kind of filth. If I am that disgusting then I will leave your home so you no longer have to feel so disgusted." So she quickly stood up and ran out of the door.
Shippou looked at the door and then to Sesshoumaru as Kilala mimicked his actions.
Sesshoumaru just looked at the door with a frown. He took another sip of tea and left the room intent on speaking with this defying woman.
He walked down the hall thinking as he made his way to her room. He never had anybody talk back or defy his orders. He was the king of these lands and nobody; not even a small girl such as her would defy him. He came to her room not even knocking and just walked right in. He stopped in the doorway as his eyes took in the pictures before him.
She sat on the windowsill as she gazed as the sun was setting over the land. She looked sad as she sat there while the sun rested on her making her eyes seem brighter. She looked beautiful was all he could think to himself. He was broken from his thoughts when she said something.
"Don't you knock? Doors are for privacy and knocking before entering you know." She stated in a quiet voice no even sparing him a glance.
He didn't say anything. They just stayed like that until the sun disappeared completely not saying a word. Finally getting up from the window she walked to the bed and sat down and stared at the ceiling as if it were so interesting.
"How long was I asleep for after you found me? How long was I out after I got here?" she asked
"Two days." He stated simply
"I can't remember anything from my past. The only thing I remember is waking up here." She told herself aloud.
He looked at her one more time and left for his room. His room was also in the west wing. In fact it was next to hers while the kitsune and fire cat had the one across the hall from her.
So he went to his room and lay in his bed thinking about the events of the day. Jaken had told him he was gone for a little over a month. He'd have to talk to the kitsune about that. He could understand four or five days but not a month. He was in the forest for about three days but that was it and he knew that for a fact. Then there was the woman in the next room. She drove him nuts. She talked back and cocked an attitude and was very defiant. But at the same time she was beautiful when she was angry. Her eyes seem to pound like the angry seas on a small boat. He became angry with himself again as he realized he was thinking about her again. So he pushed his thoughts of her from his head and fell asleep.
DreamShe was standing in a flowered cover field watching the wildflowers as they were rocked by the gentle breeze. Taking in the beauty of it all as she sat partially shaded by a small tree.
She sat for a while until she felt a hand was placed on her shoulder and turned to see a figure sit down beside her. His faced covered by the shade of the tree as he sat there calmly not saying a word. She didn't mind that she couldn't see his face though. She felt oddly safe and comfortable sitting there next to him. So they sat in a comfortable silence for a while before he spoke.
"I have not seen you in a while? Where have you been? I was worried you had been hurt." He said
Not even realizing she answered his question.
"I have been right here waiting for you. You left me alone again. So I have waited for your return. I'm glad you came back. I thought you didn't want me around anymore." She said sadly as tears rolled down her cheeks
"You shouldn't say such things. Especially when you know they are not true. I had to leave for a while but I have come back to be with you. Now I am strong enough to be by your side for all eternity. I am sorry if I hurt you for it was not my intention. But I had something that I had to do before I could be with you always." He told her as he wiped her tears
"I know that but it still hurt so much. I missed you and couldn't survive without you. You left me all alone like everyone else. Promise you won't leave me alone again?" she cried
"I promise, but I need to remember my past and you must too. We can't be together until we remember." He said as he started to fade
"Remember what?" she said while she cried as she was watching him fade away
"Remember what?" she screamed again as he disappeared and everything went black as she stirred from her sleep.
End Dream
He was woken up by the sound of crying. Getting up out of bed he walked through a door to the right of his bed that led to Kagome's room. He walked to her bedside and was about to tell her to stop crying when he realized she was still sleeping. So he gently leaned over and wiped the tears from her face. When he did this she started to calm and her tears calmed as well. Seeing that she was peacefully sleeping he went back to his room through the same door and lay back down in his bed.He couldn't get back to sleep though. She was in his mind again. So he got up and walked to his window and sat down on the edge. He leaned against the wall and put his head back as he closed his eyes. He sat there for an hour wondering what had made her cry. He was worried that something tried to hurt her. She looked sad all the time even when she smiled. When he saw her smiling earlier on the way to dinner with Shippou they looked like smiles that held such deep sadness. He wanted to grab her and demand she tell him why she was so sad all the time. He didn't want her to be sad. He wanted to see her happy. It drove him nuts with how often he thought about her all day. He thought about her even before she woke up and he didn't understand why. Once again pushing the thoughts of her from his mind as he relaxed by the window with closed eyes.
She woke up suddenly remembering the dream. She felt like he was just here in her room. She felt a lingering sensation on her cheek from where he had wiped her flowing tears away. She strangely no longer felt tired so she sat there in bed for a while staring at the ceiling as she slowly but surely pushed the dream to the back of her mind.
Once all thoughts of her dream were gone she started to explore her room some more. She didn't have to light a candle to see because the moon was full and shining in her room lighting it up. She was able to see as if it were the daytime. She noticed a bookcase and went to it first. She looked at the many books that sat upon the dusty shelves. As she made her way to the end of the large bookcase she noticed a door.
She looked at it for a moment trying to remember it being there. But she hadn't noticed it there in her fits of anger when she stomped in her room. Being the curious person she is she carefully placed her hand on the knob as she slowly and quietly opened the door enough to slip through. She closed it just as quietly and turned around to look at the room before her. Unfortunately she didn't see much because she became frozen when she realized where she was.
There she was staring at Sesshoumaru sitting on the windowsill in nothing but his pants. The full moon hitting his body making it glow made him appear like he was a god. It made his hair seem silver instead of the normal black. His face looked as if he were an angel. She couldn't help but stare at him as she inwardly drooled. She looked at the ground for a moment to stop her thoughts from going any further than they already had.
He heard her come through the door. She was very stealthy he had to admit, but from years of sleeping in this room he was able to sense when someone came in. So he continued to sit as he felt her eyes roam all over. He had to inwardly chuckle at the thought. She was checking him out and he knew it. So he decided to give her a little jump.
"It's not polite to sneak into some ones room while they sleep. Especially when you do not announce yourself and gawk at them from afar." He said calmly as he looked at her.
It may have been the middle of the night but thanks to the full moon he was able to catch her deep blush that covered her delicate cheeks after he spoke. He stood up and walked over to her until he was a foot away. This made her blush darken, which he didn't think was possible. He chuckled to himself again at her innocent ways.
When she had finally gained her composure and enough guts she looked at him only to be once again trapped by his captivating eyes.
As soon as she looked at him he got lost in her deep blue pools and didn't have the strength to look away.
They stood there for a while unable too look away from each other. Each of them staring intently in each other's eyes like they were under some sort of spell.
Sesshoumaru was so lost in her eyes he didn't know he had moved closer to her. They were a hair length away when he leaned down and took her lips prisoner with his own.
At first she didn't do anything but stand there from shock and suprised, but she soon melted into the kiss and passionately kissed him back. He was enjoying her soft lips against his and started to kiss her with all his passion pouring from his soul into hers using his lips as the bridge between the two. When he deepened the kiss she moved her arms and wrapped them around his neck as she used one of her hands to massage the back of his head just above his hairline. Finally breaking the kiss fearing his possible loss of control they both breathed heavily from lack of air.
As soon as what had just occurred sank in she looked at him and ran back to room to lay back down for more sleep. He was simply just left there standing shocked from the reality of the past situation. He didn't know what to think of it all. All he knew was he was standing there looking at her and the next they were passionately kissing. He sighed when he realized he would never sleep with this on his mind so he laid down in his bed, got rid of the thoughts a drifted off to sleep.
In the next room her thoughts were going haywire because of the kiss. She didn't know what to think. She had millions of butterflies fluttering in her stomach when they had kissed and it was even stronger after they stopped. She didn't know what else to do but run to her room. She wasn't sure why he had kissed her in the first place. Maybe he was just playing a cruel joke on her who knows but she would just forget it unless he spoke of it first. Purging those thoughts she was able to quickly fall back asleep again.