Chapter Six
Kagome carefully poked her head out of the doorway. Hojo was no where in sight. Ever since her collapse on the bed, the man had been absolutely resolute in seeing that she recovered from her "illness". Kagome sighed, she wasn't sick! She couldn't remember a time when she had been truly ill in the past.
Silently closing the door behind her, she beckoned to her pet, and snuck away from her room. She had been eager to explore the citadel ever since her arrival, but the man just wouldn't see her anywhere else but bedridden. He had even tried to remove Kazeme from her chambers lest the bird make her sicker. She frowned at that. No matter how good his intentions were, she would not be parted from the crow.
Passing a window, she noticed that the nearby trees were accumulating great masses of winged shadows. She eyed her pet. Kazeme was summoning others; he was worried for her safety. The crow bent from his shoulder perch, and rubbed his soft, feathered head against her cheek. She nodded mutely. A youkai citadel was a dangerous place for a ningen.
-oooooo-
Shiro stiffened. That aura! It was impossible! His dark eyes flicked to the outside window. Crows! Large multitudes of crows perched on every branch. Each jet black bird alighting on the branches, its head cocked to focus at least one beady eye on the structure. Was it possible that Karasu was here?
Being a youkai of the tori breed, Shiro had a natural affinity for the avians. He strode to the window, placing his hands on the sill. He called out to the crows. One cocked it's head and cawed a reply. 'We're watching our mistress and her ward.'
Curious, the crane leaned out and asked them why.
'Danger comes.'
-oooooo-
A familiar scent tickling his senses, Koga leaned against the wall. A few minutes later, a girl rounded the corner sharply and slammed into him, a black shadow flaring beside him.
Bending down, the ookami reached to help the girl to her feet when she leapt away quickly.
Puzzled by the sudden scent of fear lacing the air, he reached out again. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt ya. Jus' wonderin' if you're ok."
"Ah, yes." She replied hastily. Regaining her feet, she extended an arm. A crow he had not noticed before landed on her outstretched finger before moving sideways up her arm to perch on her shoulder. "S-sorry about that." She stammered and moved to pass him.
She would need to bathe quickly before Naraku found out how careless she had been. She cringed at the thought. All she needed would be to get punished at the citadel, or worse, reserving her punishment for when they returned. She suddered, she was really trying to be good.
Without turning his body, the ookami easily snagged the girl's wrist in one clawed hand. "Hey, really, I ain't gonna hurt ya. What's your rush anyways?" He asked.
Eyes wide, Kagome twisted her hand fruitlessly. "Please let go," she whispered.
Koga frowned. What had he done to make this girl so uneasy, he wondered. Letting go, but preventing her from leaving, turned to face her. "Hey, you're that girl that tripped when I arrived here, aren't ya?" He grinned, trying to change the subject.
Eyes darting toward her bird, the crow cawed softly. "Yes, I apologize for that."
"No problem. M'name's Koga. I'm leader of the wolf tribe of the Western Caves." He introduced himself.
She bowed politely. "Kagome, a…servant of Naraku-sama. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Koga-sama."
A servant of Naraku's? Inwardly he grimaced. The kumo had to be one of the shadiest characters he'd ever met. He was well known for being involved in dark experiments and his eccentric tastes.
On his visits to the kumo's palace, he had been almost suffocated by the miasma surrounding the castle. It was a wonder anything grew there.
"Please forgive me for disturbing you, Koga-sama," Kagome continued, oblivious to the wolf's train of thoughts.
"Er…no harm done. Don't worry about it. Please call me Koga, Kagome." He flashed her a winning grin.
Kagome felt her cheeks heat up. He said her name so casually. No one she had met had ever addressed her in such an offhand manner. She didn't know how to respond. She gaped openly until Kazeme brought her back to reality.
Koga couldn't stop grinning. He liked the way her cheeks had tinted as he spoke her name. It was cute. "Well, I gotta catch up with my pack. But I'll be seeing you around, Kagome-chan." He grinned again as she flushed.
"B-bye." She stammered. Youkai lords were strange. Mentally she shook her head. Now was definitely not the time for contemplating the thought processes of youkai lords. She needed a bath. "I was careless," she muttered beneath her breath.
Kazeme gave her a chastising nip, as if to tell her that it couldn't be helped.
"I know." Kagome replied. "But, that doesn't matter to Naraku-sama. If he catches the scent on me…I don't want anything bad to happen while we're here." She finished quietly, her head bowed to shield her shame from her companion.
Kazeme tilted his, gauging his mistress' expression. He hopped lightly on her shoulder, settling in the crook of her neck. Bending his legs, Kazeme sat, roosting on her shoulder, tucked in beneath her ear. He tilted his head once in the direction the wolf prince had left.
"I know that aura…" She murmured too herself. Shaking her head, Kagome took off in a sprint.
-oooooo-
Someone was watching the dear little miko. He could see that. He had been ordered to observe her in the absence of his master.
He watched how the girl had all but cowered at the touch of the ookami prince. She had been trained to avoid any possible contact with mature youkai males. Her master was wise in protecting his property. The girl was already punishing herself for her carelessness.
If she could be bent to the will of another, he mused, the possibilities would be endless.
Still, he did not like the idea that there was another spying on the little miko. Someone else had been sent to monitor her. It was expected, he knew. She was far too intriguing a creature to be left unobserved. Later, he would have to get rid of the competition.
-oooooo-
Kagome had bathed quickly, scrubbing her skin until it reddened. She dried herself, and dressed in the provided robe for guests in the bath. She exited from the rear of the bathhouse, wary of being watched.
The miko had to circle around before she found herself in the main hall of the citadel. She frowned. She wasn't quite sure the path she had taken to reach the guests' wing. The first time, she had been to interested in her surroundings to remember the path. She looked to Kazeme for help, but found the bird asleep with his head tucked beneath his wing.
She sighed and trotted down the right hallway.
-oooooo-
Kagura lounged, bored. Idly, she brought her fan up to touch her lips, her scarlet eyes observing the void child across the room from her. "Kanna," she called.
The white girl brought her dark eyes up to meet her younger sibling's, regarding her silently.
"What are we doing here?" She asked nonchalantly. "Do you know? Because I would like to."
Slowly, Kanna nodded her head. She understood what the wind-youkai was asking. They were usually the ones who guarded their master's treasure, but now they sat idle, waiting for their next order. It was stranger that the girl had been brought to the banquet. Naraku had not informed them as to why.
Kanna raised her hands. A white glow encompassed her hands as she summoned her mirror. Bending forward, Kagura peered into the reflective surface, wondering what her elder sibling wished to show her.
Her red eyes flickered briefly. "What is that?" She pointed with her fan.
"It is what our master desires." Kanna replied in a haunting voice.
Kagura frowned. She was looking at a plain, unadorned door.
-oooooo-
"What do you mean by that?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his spy.
"The jewel, it is a much valued commodity between youkai, amongst the lower and upper classes alike." Kireto intoned softly.
"I expected as much." Sesshoumaru gestured with his hand impatiently. "You say that someone is collecting the jewel shards. For the purpose of the wish, I assume."
The kage gave a nod of his hooded head. "The shards have also become symbols of alliances, and trade hands almost constantly for those who have no use of them, mainly honest ningen lords. They give up the fragments to spare their towns from youkai raids. It makes it difficult to trace the origins of each shard."
Sesshoumaru nodded.
"I have discovered though, that many of the shards are missing. Among the ones I have tracked down, there are far fewer shards than there should be. It leads me to believe that there is a person or group who holds the majority of the jewel shards and do not wish it to be known. However, they have not gone on the offensive in the search for the fragments, either, nor will they."
"Explain."
"The jewel shards cannot be combined to form the whole jewel unless the core of the jewel is found. With the core of the gem, the jewel will recombine and grant it's owner their heart's desire. I believe that the person holding the shards is searching for the core."
"Do you have any leads to this core?" Sesshoumaru was interested now. If he could obtain the core of the gem, then there would be no doubt that his enemies would come after it. After that, the circumstances would be much clearer to him. He would simply trace the threat to the origin, and eliminate it. If he held the core, his opponent would not send some lackey, he would send a trusted being. That, Sesshoumaru could trace easily.
"It is not explained what the core of the jewel is, but it can be viewed as a heartstone, an object which hold the gem together. I looked into the Higurashi Shrine and found clues about a reincarnated miko and a story about the Shikon no Tama. I believe that the Shikon no Tama is the source of the fragment."
"Jewel of Four Souls," Sesshoumaru translated dryly. "The heartstone could be anything, am I correct?"
Kireto nodded.
"I want the core identified and obtained." The inu-youkai commanded.
The kage bowed and glided into the shadows.
Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw. He disliked what he was about to do, but for his purposes, there was no other way. He summoned a messenger to his chamber. "Invite the ningen lord of the province where the Higurashi Shrine is located to the banquet. Command that a representative of the shrine be brought along." He ordered quickly, and dismissed the servant with a wave of his hand.
Resting his chin on his open palm, he peered thoughtfully at the door the messenger had left through. Things were proceeding slowly, but he was a patient demon. Once the pieces fell into place, he would extract his vengeance swiftly. Furthermore, he wondered what his servants would report to him on the other object of his focus.
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ODM: Sixth chapter. This is probably the most error-ridden chapter yet. Plus I've been revising some previous chapters, most grammatical errors. I'll probably be reposting some chapters later to correct the errors. Please review and also tell me if you spot any errors. It can be anything. YAY!