Always Doesn't Last Forever
Chapter 6: Culture and Unseen HelpDisclaimer: I own nothing off Inuyasha! Just the plot and any original characters!
"Good evening Lady Kagome." Hunter greeted as he strode onto her bedroom.
"Hunter!" Kagome yelped and hurriedly threw on her robe.
"No time for that today! Guests will be arriving soon and you are to be the Lord Sesshoumaru's hostess." He reminded her as he placed an intricately designed dress on the bed.
"What?! I told him that I wouldn't!"
"Details milady." He replied and waved his hand absently. "You've five minutes to get into that dress before I come back in." He warned her with a mischievous grin and strutted out of the room.
Kagome growled out a few curses that would have made a weathered seaman and was more than a little grateful that she'd kept the towel wrapped around her body when she'd gotten out of the bath. She picked up the dress carefully and studied the stunning design. It was not a kimono and seemed to be styled after medieval European dresses. The material was a brilliant emerald green in color and shimmered in the fading light of day. It was long-sleeved, but the sleeves were transparent and fitted closely to her arm. The folds of the gown were long enough to gently sweep the floor, and the fabric! It was so soft and silky to the touch and when she put it on the cloth felt wonderfully light.
"You look beautiful." Hunter said from the doorway.
Kagome barely managed to stifle her scream as she whirled around and glared angrily at him. " Don't you ever knock?!" She demanded.
"Fraid not." He answered with a grin and walked inside the room. In his arms he carried three boxes, which he promptly set down on the bed.
"Bottom box are slippers, middle box is jewelry, and the top, well it is my favorite." He informed her as he opened the lid of the first box.
"And that would be?" She asked curiously.
Hunter reached into the box and pulled out two very long ribbons and a delicate golden chain that had small bells attached to it. The bells chimed sweetly in his hands and Kagome smiled in pleasure.
"How lovely." She said as she moved to stand next to him.
"They are, aren't they?" He asked, pleased that she liked the gifts. " They were made by the same people who made yours and Lord Sesshoumaru's weapons." He informed her as he moved to stand behind her and buried his hands in her hair.
"Ack! What are you doing?" She yelped as he quickly brushed her damp hair.
"I am weaving milady's hair. Tis a Learian custom, and is very beautiful to see on a women." He answered and picked up the ribbons and chain and set to work.
Kagome sighed and studied the ribbons for a moment. One was the exact some color of her dress but the other was white; both ribbons were made from the same material as her dress.
Hunter, seeing her interest, decided to elaborate. "In the Learian culture, all young boys are taught how to weave hair so that when they marry they will be able to weave their wife's hair with ribbons of their colors."
"What do you mean of their colors?"
"Oh sorry, I forgot. The colors of their house. Since you don't belong to me, or any male that I am aware of, I decided that the green and white colors should be your own." He explained.
"So only husbands do this for their wives?"
"Yes. In Learian culture, it is a thing that only married women or women who are betrothed do."
"So why are you 'weaving' my hair?" She asked.
"Because neither you nor I are Learian and it looks very lovely." He answered. "There. Finished." He said proudly and handed her a mirror so that she could inspect his handiwork.
There was no way to explain how Hunter had managed to arrange her hair. He had woven the ribbons, chain, and her hair into a wonderfully complicated design. 'Weaving' was indeed the best thing to call this method.
"How do I undo all of this." She asked warily.
"You don't. I'll have to do it for you." He answered and then grinned evilly. "Unless, of course, you'd like to try." Kagome glared at him as he opened the second box. This time he took out a pair of simple gold earrings, a gold heart-shaped necklace, and another long golden chain with bells on it. Kagome put on the earrings and the necklace while Hunter looped the chain around her waist and let the ends dangle down the front. Finally, he opened the last box and bent down to put the slippers on her feet.
"Are we done yet?" Kagome mock-whined as she smiled at him.
"Almost." He answered and led her to a large vanity. He quickly but carefully applied some eye make-up to her eyes and shimmery rouge to her lips. "Now," he said and took a step back top look her over. "You're ready." And indeed she was. The gown was modestly low cut and clung in all the right places to her graceful curves. The little bit of make-up that Hunter had applied to her face enhanced her natural beauty and gave her a mysterious air. The bells chimed sweetly with her movements and he tilted his head slightly to listen as a slow grin slid onto his mouth.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kagome asked suspiciously.
"I take pleasure in admiring beautiful things milady." He teased and offered her his arm. "May I escort you to the Lord Sesshoumaru?" He asked genteelly.
Kagome laughed and allowed him to take her hand and slide it through his arm. "Of course." Shad answered grandly and managed to hold her composure for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of giggles. Hunter simply smiled and together they left the room.
"We're not supposed to be here." Grumbled a man with dark her and emerald green eyes. His voice held a wonderful musical lilt to it and a strange accent.
"Oh, hush. They don't even know us." Answered a woman with silvery colored hair and brilliant sapphire eyes. Like the man, her voice also had the same accent and was just as musical.
"Why are we doing this again?" He whined.
"One reason is because it annoys Sil… I mean Father.." She answered with a wink.
"That's right." He replied and brightened up immensely. "It does. We just have to stay out of the spotlight."
"Well duh! Are you sure you're my brother? He's supposed to be smart.
"Oh, shut up." He returned good-naturedly.
"Awww… Poor baby! Hey, isn't that Hunter?"
"I don't… Damn! It is him!"
"Maybe we should stay waaay out of the spotlight. And I do mean way out of it. No causing trouble."
"I'll agree to that." He answered and the two looked at each other, nodded, and then left.
"Good evening my lord." Hunter called out when he spotted Sesshoumaru lurking in a dark overhang. "Have our guests, excuse me, your guests arrived yet?" He asked. When Sesshoumaru didn't answer and just gazed at something behind Hunter he frowned and looked to see what had captured the dog demons attention so completely. It was Kagome… Hunter grinned then but carefully schooled his features back down to a calm façade before he turned back towards Sesshoumaru. "My lord?" He called again.
"What, Hunter?" Sesshoumaru nearly growled, displeased at having been caught unaware.
"The guests? Have they arrived?" Hunter asked patiently.
"Yes."
"Then why are you still in here?!" He asked in horror. "You and Kagome are supposed to be hosting this thing remember?!" He scolded.
Sesshoumaru shot him a bored and cool look and replied, "Do not assume to tell me what to do."
Hunter very nearly rolled his eyes but somehow managed to refrain from doing so as he bowed elegantly to Sesshoumaru. "Yes milord." He agreed and left the two and headed towards the large throne room where the guests where.
After he was gone Sesshoumaru's gaze went back to Kagome and she blushed prettily under his scrutiny. Completely expressionless, he motioned her closer. While the young lord might have felt no need to speak, Kagome, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. "Hunter's really excited about all of this." She said as she came to him, a beautiful smile upon her features. The golden bells that Hunter had given her chimed sweetly at her graceful movements. Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly to the side and studied the sound. "I thought I told you that I wasn't going to be your hostess." Kagome reminded him, a bit of annoyance in her voice.
"It was either you or Haruko." He stated simply, as if that explained everything.
"Who is Haruko? I've heard you and Kado speak of her many times." She replied and gave him a slightly reprimanding look. "And most of it wasn't very nice."
Sesshoumaru took her by the arm and said, "that's probably because you where listening where you were not wanted."
Kagome inwardly flinched at the cold look he gave her then but didn't back down or deny anything. Sesshoumaru sighed and closed his eyes slightly as he looked down at the woman who stood so trustingly near him. "You are more troublesome than Rin." He stated, causing Kagome's eyes to flash in anger.
"You are so-" She started but was stopped when he placed his index finger on her lips.
"Where did you get these?" He asked and touched one of the bells that Hunter had woven into her hair.
"Hunter." She answered, and for a moment something flashed in his eyes but was gone in an instant.
"I see." He said as he offered her his arm and allowed her to gently place her hand upon his sleeve. "Let's go." And they headed to the throne room as well.
Lady Haruko was a very beautiful demon and how well she knew it. Her hair was a light chestnut brown, with black highlights. Her eyes were the same bright blue of the sky. She held no facial markings whatsoever upon her body except for a few spots on her back and legs. But those don't count. She reminded herself reassuring as she scanned the room for Sesshoumaru. Quite a piece of eye candy the young lord was… Cold and haughty to all those who dared approach him, which made him all the more desirable. His body was young and hard, and his face held the beauty of his father and mother combined. Many of the youkai females had wondered what it would be like to have the lord in their beds. Haruko smiled dangerously as a pleasant thought entered her mind. But only I'll ever know that delicious body and the whole Western Lands along with it. Haruko's lithe body nearly shivered in anticipation as a few very graphic images rolled across her mind.
Behind Haruko, two figures looked at each other and very nearly started to laugh at the female dog demon. But since Hunter was on the prowl they quickly faded from sight…
Haruko was still in a small state of daydreaming when excited whispers from all around caught her attention.
"It's the Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"Is that a human he's with?"
"That's who he chose to be his hostess?"
"She's beautiful, for a human."
"Who is she?"
"So Sesshoumaru chose that beauty over Haruko?"
"Perhaps the human has something that Lady Haruko does not?"
"Hmmm… I wouldn't mind a taste of that woman…"
Haruko listened to those whispering around her, about her, and felt her anger rise dangerously close to boiling. Most of the whispers died down after Sesshoumaru cast the entire assembly a cold look but she still knew what they were thinking. Haruko watched as Sesshoumaru introduced his plaything to a few influential members of the youkai court and was shocked to see that they were actually charmed by the human! How dare she! Haruko snarled silently but managed to keep her temper in check as she imagined torturing the whore and killing her ever so slowly…
"Haruko! How are you my dear?" Asked Lady Milina as she rushed up to her. But it was a false sympathy and the both knew it because most women had wanted the young lord since he had come of age.
"Perfectly wonderful, Milina, and you?" She asked with false cheeriness.
"Honestly? I'm infuriated." Answered the other stunning demon as she tossed her dark red hair back out of her face. "You, I can handle as a rival because you are equal to me socially. But a filthy human!" She snarled.
Haruko smiled maliciously and replied, "Careful my dear. You wouldn't want the Lord Sesshoumaru to learn of what you called his hostess now would you?" She asked.
"You wouldn't." Milina growled.
"Perhaps." Haruko answered and sauntered off.
"This isn't very good, sister." Said the dark haired man.
"I know. Where's Hunter?" She answered.
"Entertaining the same group Kagome is, probably to make her more at ease."
"I wish he'd entertain that woman. She's too smart by half."
"Is that a woman's intuition, sis?"
"Oh hush. Why don't you go play the dog bone. Distract her before she gets too close to Kagome and does something like spilling her drink on her or some other petty thing like that."
"And get chewed up by that bitch? What's in it for me?"
The woman turned and raised one elegant eyebrow and although her smile was sweet her eyes positively gleamed with mischief. "Because if you don't I'm going to tell your wife that you were flirting with a woman."
"Hey! That's not true though!"
"Yep, but I'm not going to tell her that until after you've slept alone for at least a month."
He sighed and shook his head. "You're a cruel woman. Why not let Hunter handle this?"
"He's still green when it comes to a woman's jealously. Why else would we be here?"
"Ah, good point." He agreed and tapped her chin lightly. "Try and stay out of trouble sister while I go and… be petty to the Lady Haruko."
"Of course." She answered innocently as he disappeared into the throng of dancers. She looked up at the ceiling and glared. "I know one particular Lady who'd better be very grateful we're doing this." She said grumpily and then she too disappeared into the dancers.
Lady Fate chuckled as she heard the young woman's comment. She had always taken care of those two's families, ever since their first ancestor had been born. But that hadn't meant she'd been easy on them. No, she was cruel and kind by turns, especially to these last two. But like their ancestors they'd had integrity ingrained into their very souls and could be counted upon to help Hunter and watch over her favorite mortals. Kagome was doing wonderfully well and Sesshoumaru was being delightfully attentive to her. What a coward. She's using her as a shield to keep all those other females at bay. Smart pup. She thought in amusement and continued to watch to see how the night's events turned out…
~ I want to thank all those people who've been praying for my family and me. You prayers and good luck wishes have really meant a lot to me but it's not over yet. I am currently going between two states because one of my very close family members is in the hospital. I can't promise when I'll be through with this fic, only that I'm working on it at school, hospital, and in the car (when I'm not driving) as a result there are bits and pieces scattered and I have to type them up and post them. I don't know how long my crazy schedule is going to be. *smiles slightly* All I ask is that you don't get impatient, according to my friends it just makes me irritable. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Oh, here's a question for you guys… Who do you think the brother and sister are that's helping poor Hunter out? Thanks again and don't forget to review! Silver Destiny ~