Chapter Five
"Hojo?" Kagome looked curiously at the man bowed before her. It had been a few days since their arrival, and already she was confused. A few servants had come in and out of her room, but this was the first to stay and speak with her, though she had already tried to start a conversation with others. They all seemed uneasy around her.
"Yes, my lady." He smiled brightly at her. "I have been assigned to be your personal servant, Kagome-sama."
"Oh." Her eyes widened, she was unused to such formality directed toward her. It was also her first time seeing another human, and a male no less. She studied the man who was currently grinning up at her. "Um…call me just Kagome, please." She smiled shyly back.
"As you wish, Kagome." He was still grinning brightly.
It was slightly unnerving.
"Um…is there something you want?" She asked him nervously.
"Whatever you wish for me to do, Kagome."
"Oh." She shifted nervously. She was feeling a little out of place. Kazame had yet to return to her, and she was feeling despondent without him. His presence was so comforting, she couldn't remember an extended period of time where he was not at her side. "Well, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'll just lay down for a bit."
"Ah, I shall fetch you some water and a cloth, Kagome." The servant bowed again, and took his leave.
Kagome fell back onto her bed. Her servant seemed nice, but a little strange. Maybe all humans were like that? She frowned, perhaps she was too used the company of youkai.
Turning over she sighed. Naraku would be visiting her tonight. He didn't say for what purpose, but he had ordered her to place a barrier around her room. The barrier was already in place, but it seemed that Hojo was able to pass through it freely. She had noticed the wards on her room and figured that her lord had placed them to alter her barrier to allow the passage of the human servant.
A knock sounded at her door. With some effort, she pulled open the delicate porcelain structure. Naraku stood on the other side. He seemed pleased with her barrier. She stood to the side and allowed him to enter, closing the door behind him.
Naraku smiled. Silently, he pushed the miko toward the bed. He placed a hand on her face, covering her eyes. "Open your mouth." He commanded quietly.
Obediently, she parted her lips. She could feel a cool, slick stone slide into her mouth. Instantly the chill intensified, but her body seemed to burn. Naraku snapped her mouth shut, and kept her from opening her mouth in protest by firmly clamping her jaw closed.
Her eyes were clenched shut, a small moan of pain slipped through her closed lips. Her body was on fire, but the stone was freezing. Slowly, the stone seemed to dissolve, her body absorbing it. The chill spread through her, soothing the fire within her.
The wards on the room flickered, the barrier flashing visibly. Naraku grimaced. The girl's powers were raging, flaring out wildly. The hot cleansing magic licked at his youkai body, trying to purify him.
He had removed the seal he had placed on her to dampen her aura.
Her natural purifying power would be in overdrive in a citadel full of powerful youkai. It would prove too taxing on her body without the wards he had placed on her room in his palace. He had to release her power, else the girl would find herself in a constant state of fatigue once the other guests arrived.
He released her and she fell limply back onto the soft mattress. Her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, Kagome stared blankly in front of her, recovering from the sudden surge of power through her body. Naraku gathered the lifeless girl into his arms. His skin was already singeing from the contact. "Such a powerful treasure I possess," he purred into her ear.
She was not aware of it, but even with his powerful limiting spells, the kumo had to siphon the girl's purifying powers on a daily basis. He released her powerful energy into the garden, which was most likely one of the main reasons it required no tending.
"The stone your body absorbed has released your power. You must tread very carefully from now on, my lovely. Your power will attract many of the powerful youkai toward you. Don't purify them unless I command it. Do you understand?"
She nodded weakly.
"One more thing, my dear." He leaned in close until his breath tickled her neck. "Do not shed any blood. You will cause such a bloodlust rage within the youkai, that I may not be able to protect you." He whispered into her ear.
Again, she nodded.
"Good. Now rest." He lay her down onto the bed, and tucked her in affectionately.
A sound to his right made him turn. Perched on the sill of her open window, Kagome's pet glared at him. The youkai-lord simply smiled a greeting. He gave the black avian a mocking bow as he left.
Kazeme puffed in annoyance. Smoothly, he penetrated the barrier and flew toward his mistress. He landed softly on her pillow beside her head. Nipping her earlobe lightly with his beak, he assured himself of his mistress' well being. Settling down, he hid his sleek head beneath an obsidian wing, and fell into a light doze.
-oooooo-
Outside, every youkai within the citadel froze. The sudden and incredible swell of power screamed at them. Youkai instinct bubbled to the fore, before willpower reigned it back. The sizzling power receded as abruptly as it arrived. A few minutes later, the youkai slowly resumed their tasks, their minds no longer focused on what they were doing, but rather wondering what was happening within the citadel.
-oooooo-
Sesshoumaru did not move a single muscle. His body was tense, refusing to relax. The awesome purifying wave he had just experienced, it was familiar. He remembered the warm sensation of a certain aura. It was the same, only a thousand times more intense.
With the incoming influx of lords and guests, Sesshoumaru was only consciously aware of the lords who had arrived. He never bothered with memorizing the names of the guests until prompted, or until the presentation.
The girl, she had been on his mind lately, however, he had yet to find a chance to search for her. He was constantly kept occupied by host duties, among other obligations, such as maintaining his citadel. He had received reports from his guards and servants of her presence, and her odd affect she had on each youkai.
Her charm seemed to affect ningens as well, but not to such an extent. He understood now, the request for ningen servants. A youkai attendant, with any less restraint than absolute control, who would have to be around the girl constantly, would have either, killed her, ravaged her, or been purified by her.
Out of the group of ningens he had selected to serve within his citadel, Naraku had chosen the Hojo boy. Absently, he nodded his agreement. The Hojo boy had untested limits of naivete, was as dumb a brick, but as loyal as any lord could wish.
He would question Hojo later. The girl was beyond intriguing.
-oooooo-
"My, what was that?" Shiro mused aloud, a small smile spread across his features. "It seems there will be a bit of excitement at this banquet."
A soft chuckle came from his left. "Strange, for the Taiyoukai of the West to have a miko within his domain. He was never one to be fond of ningens, and now a miko is in his presence. Perhaps another lord has brought the creature?"
Shiro grinned. "Most likely just to irritate the stiff. He is to stuffy for his own good." The crane-youkai replied.
"Ah, ah." His companion waved a finger in warning. "Be careful not to say that within his hearing distance. He'd disembowel you where you stand."
Shiro burst out into full laughter. "Yes, he has quite the temper. Then again, he is quite young, so I suppose that fault can be overlooked for now." His crystal eyes shined mirthfully. "What do you think, Yukito?" He asked the hato-youkai beside him.
The dove frowned. "I think he has an icicle shoved too far up his-"
"Language!" The kijuuki admonished.
"Ah, forgive me my lord. But I think, that it was warranted. Anyways, we are late. You sent your train ahead of you for this purpose, I presume?" Yukito referred to the crane's tardiness in arriving at the banquet.
He should have arrived three days ago, but was delayed for unknown reasons. Yukito, his personal guard, was ordered to remain at the palace until the lord's return, then they would depart for the Western Lands.
Shiro had sent his mate and daughter ahead of him, with a full train of gifts for the hosting lord. Sesshoumaru would no doubt be accepting of the gifts due to the rumors which had since spread across the lands.
The kijuuki curled his mouth distastefully. Sesshoumaru had allowed it to slip that there had been an attempt at his life. Though it was strange that the youngest Taiyoukai would be targeted, he had to wonder why. The formal inuyoukai had long ago rid his lands of potential threats to his being and since ruled over his enemies with fear. True, among the four regions, the Western Lands were amongst the most unruly, but there were far easier targets for a coup.
Sesshoumaru would not stand for such an offense to go unpunished. As the long time friend of Inutaisho, the former Western Lord, Shiro had taken it upon his self to seek out answers. It was more puzzling that he had come up with almost nothing, even with his extensive network.
Stranger still, there had been rumors that the inuyoukai had died. Shiro walked lost in his thoughts. During the meetings, the subject would be broached, tactfully or not. He wondered how the inu was approaching the situation himself.
-oooooo-
Sesshoumaru's ears were ringing. The Taiyoukai of the South had just decided to make an appearance in his court, bringing with him his entire brood. The creatures moved in one giant mass of hissing and flicking tongues. After that, he had left the main hall chamber, ordering the servants to notify him of another lord's arrival. He clenched a fist closed. It was nearing the commencement of the banquet and the late-comers were flowing in.
His servants ran a mad dash to accommodate them all. It seemed that it had become a trend to invite entire tribes along with the lord. The wolf packs were among the worst. The unruly ookamis traveled together almost everywhere they went, leaving a mass of destruction behind them.
It was no difficulty to house the guests, nor was his employ understaffed, it was the rising tension in the air as word was spread of the miko.
No lord would take notice of an ordinary miko, but this one could be sensed from miles away. It drew the youkai swarming toward his domain much quicker than he would have preferred. His once quiet citadel was in an uproar.
Also, his dim-witted half-brother had yet to arrive, even after he had personally paid the worthless hanyou a visit. The creature was frolicking among the ningens, living in the village which fringed the forest on his southern border. He had frowned when he realized how close he was to the hanyou when he had died.
The dry well was only a few miles from the village. He wondered how the half-breed, even with his diminished senses, had not scented him. Then again, he had no recollection of recognizing his location or surroundings either. It was all quite peculiar. He tightened his fist, his claws drawing blood as he punctured his flesh.
Beyond that, Kireto had not returned for days, and his guard had no new reports for him. As the banquet approached, Sesshoumaru could feel an impending anxiety. It was during his banquet when he would receive the answers he sought.
-oooooo-
"My lord, the shards have fallen into the Taiyoukai's hands. We are unable to retrieve them." The elemental demon whispered nervously. His hands curled over each other, eliciting small sparks, reflecting his mood.
"I see." Was the quiet reply.
"He suspects something will happen at the banquet, and has taken precautions." The fire-youkai continued.
"Well, we mustn't disappoint now, shan't we?" The creature lilted teasingly.
"Ah, yes….but what of the miko….She was most…unexpected." The youkai tripping over his own words, rubbed his hands more vigorously, all but summoning fireballs.
The dark creature chuckled. "She's a lovely creature, isn't she? And most useful…" he drawled. "She isn't' to be harmed. Retrieve the jewel shards with any force deemed necessary during the banquet. If you can obtain them unobserved beforehand, then that is acceptable as well. But foremost, is the destruction of that wretched inu. His kind will pay for what they've done to me." He snarled.
"Yes, yes." Was the hasty reply.
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ODM: Fifth chapter uploaded with the fouth!!! Something actually starts to happen here. Sorry for the long setup, but this is how I write. I've been told that it's slow, and I apologize, but once it get's rolling, things should proceed more smoothly. Please be patient. And please keep reviewing. I love your comments n stuffies!!!
By the way, if this is confusing, let me know. I'll try and clear things up and explain other things later or something.
Ah, I uploaded this again due to some spelling errors I found later on. Please tell me if anyone spots any other errors.
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