Here's the REAL and updated version of chapter seven. Sorry I'm a terrible updater person...
Chapter Seven
Naraku smiled. He glanced beside him to see his miko standing reservedly by his shoulder. She was nervous, as she should be. She had never before been in the presence of so many other beings. They were entering the main hall where the presentation, as well as the beginning of the banquet, would commence.
Kagome's nervousness and fear would keep her close to beings she knew, namely Naraku and his spawn. It would make things much easier in order to keep an eye on her. Hakudoushi stood behind Kagome, and was trailed by Kagura and Kanna. The three would hold constant watch over Kagome from either nearby or from a distance while he met with the other lords.
He would have preferred keeping Kagome by his side during the presentation, but it would prove more beneficial to his purpose if she was allowed to "mingle".
Fear began to lace the air as he stepped toward the doorway of the main hall. He slowed his steps as Hakudoushi urged the girl forward. She would not be allowed to falter now. Naraku was aware that something had occurred a few days prior, but seeing as the girl had been in no shape to recount the event, he had not pressured her. The more fearful she became of being on her own, the more advantageous the situation became for him.
Swiveling his head slightly, Naraku had a clear view of Kagome. Her head was bent slightly so that she could only see her feet and perhaps few meters in front of her. The bird who was her constant companion retained his normal perch atop her shoulder. Every so often, the bird would pause in its surveillance of their surroundings to grace the kumo-youkai with a beady-eyed glare.
Naraku gave an invisible sneer to the bird. How he loathed the creature, though the same could be said of the bird to him. He smirked at the thought that soon, he would be rid of the foul creature which plagued his grace.
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Kagome nervously toyed with the cloth about her neck. Naraku had chosen a kimono for her to wear which would accentuate the obviousness of the collar. The kimono was a dark azure color which dipped low to allow for the contrast of the shadowy colors of both the collar and kimono to display starkly against her pale skin. The collar was a symbol of his stature and a display of his dominance over such powers as Kagome possessed. He wanted no one to doubt his authority over the miko.
She was a possession, an object. It was a realization which she had come to accept many years ago. It hadn't been difficult for she had known no other way. Her entire life had revolved around her master. She felt her head droop a few notches. Despite what she owed to her lord, she was a disappointment.
On the day she had met the wolf prince, she had made a mistake. Not only had she gotten herself lost, but she put herself in danger by being where she was. Kagome had found herself drawn to the East Wing of the citadel, though at the time she did not know it.
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The main structure of the citadel was divided into five sections: the North Wing, West Wing, East Wing, South Wing, and the Central Hall. The North and West Wings were sealed off and considered as the Taiyoukai's private domain. The South Wing was used for housing and branched off into many subsections to accommodate the guests and any of their particular needs, including food and bath. The East Wing was comprised of the Library and such parts as would make up a scholar's section. It was used rarely, except by those employed by the Taiyoukai for research or studious purposes.
Unknown to Kagome, within the East Wing was where Sesshoumaru had sealed the Shikon shard. She had been unconsciously drawn to the familiar aura until she was standing in front of a plain dark wood door.
Kagome had noticed, that the further she had walked, the darker it had seemed to become. The glaring brightness of white porcelain and marble had faded, slowly becoming a deep black of polished onyx. Only the light of periodically placed torches allowed her human sight to see where she was going.
The door looked absurdly out of place in the grand citadel. It was made of a high quality wood, but beside the torches, nothing else seemed to be of wooden construct. Slowly, she leaned forward to press a hand against the smooth surface of the door.
She jumped when a spark issued from the door as her fingers grazed the surface. It didn't hurt, but it sent a strange tingle through her body. Kazeme remained quiet as she studied the door. Coming to a conclusion, she pressed her palm firmly against the wood. The energy pulsed strongly, resonating with her own aura.
"It's calling to me," she realized.
She was reaching for the handle of the door when a clawed hand fell onto hers. She let out a startled yelp and leapt back.
Dark violet eyes stared down at the miko. "You shouldn't be wandering off into places you don't belong, little miko." He intoned softly, his voice flowing over her smoothly.
"Ah, I'm sorry, my Lord. I got lost." She squeaked, bowing low before the youkai. He seemed to be of the inu breed, a relative of the Taiyoukai of the West perhaps.
The youkai stood in the shadows, barely half of his body illuminated against the torchlight, but Kagome could make out a faint outline of him. He towered over her petite form, standing at least two heads above her. His silhouette was reminiscent of Sesshoumaru's.
"I see." He murmured. Reaching out quickly, he snatched up her chin with his claws and tilted her head to face him. "Nonetheless, you should not be here, miko."
Kagome stared up into flat scarlet eyes. She shivered. The eyes, they resembled her master's somewhat, but those eyes seemed so emotionless, it scared her. In almost every creature she had come across, Kagome had an empathic ability which allowed her to sense the emotions of others, but this inuyoukai was empty, hollow.
On her shoulder, Kazeme fluttered, his feathers brushing against her neck as he puffed up his small body in warning. Scarlet eyes slid over to the bird. Kazeme stilled and returned the silent glare. He turned his head away in what seemed to be dismissal, signaling to Kagome that it was time to leave.
"I-I understand," she stammered. "I'll be going now." She said hastily. She moved to leave, but the inuyoukai grasped her wrist. He lifted the appendage to his lips and bent his head, grazing a fang against her delicate white flesh. Kagome gasped and tried to pull her arm back.
The youkai growled at her and held tightly to the captured wrist. He squeezed at below the cut he had made, allowing for the blood he had drawn to flow down across her hand. Kagome shivered and twisted fruitlessly in his grasp. Claws dug painfully into her flesh.
Kazeme released a loud caw. The inuyoukai's skin sizzled. Kagome's purification powers began to attack the harmful youkai. He only smirked in response as he watched his own flesh begin to burn.
"Such an injurious little thing," he growled. His eyes glinted a dangerous gold. "Amusing."
Kagome's wrist, now slick with her blood, slid from his burnt grasp. Scarlet droplets spattered the floor and wall as she wrenched herself away. She backed up against the door, pressing her hand against he wood.
The barrier around the door rippled. It began to glow a brilliant pink. The aura warped around Kagome, drawing her into the door. She released a surprised shriek as she found herself halfway in the door, and unable to move. Kazeme struggled, his tiny claws trying to pull her back.
The youkai watched impassively. At the last moment, he moved to swat the crow away from its mistress, leaving the girl to fall alone to the other side. The bird glared at him and sliced at him with one of its taloned feet. He caught the crow in his claws and smirked. Giving the youkai another hateful glare, Kazeme faded from his grasp.
His fist now closed around air, he brought his bloodied hand to his lips. He gingerly tasted the blood, reveling in the searing sensation it left on his tongue. He placed his other clawed hand on the door and leaned forward, resting his forehead against it. "Know this little one, I am called Urahara. I look forward to seeing you again."
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Kagome bowed her head. Urahara's foreboding words to her were the last she heard before losing
consciousness. She had awoken to find Hakudoushi bent over her sprawled form, his blank eyes boring into hers.
The white boy had said nothing as he cleaned the blood from her arm. Her wounds had healed while she lain unconscious on the floor of an unfamiliar room. She had not been aware enough at the time to take in her surroundings before Hakudoushi took her hand in his smaller one and led her away from the room. He guided her back to her own room, silently.
Hakudoushi had seated her on the bed, then sat across the room. Kagome hung her head. She didn't need to be told that she was being watched now. Her master would come for her soon. She had no doubt that her master had discovered what had transpired, even if she didn't understand it herself.
He had sent Hakudoushi, and now all she could do would be to sit and wait for him to arrive. Kagome gave a silent sigh. She wished Kazeme could be with her, but he was mostly likely caged by Naraku. He would want her alone for her punishment.
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Naraku slipped a finger into the silver ring and tugged lightly, effectively dragging Kagome from her thoughts. He smiled mirthlessly and drew her to him. The time of the entrance ceremony was nearing, and he had to prepare her for the presentation.
Fear flashed clearly through Kagome's eyes. He had done nothing to her the night she had gotten lost, but she worried that he would do something rash in public.
Naraku leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her lips before biting down on her bottom lip. Kagome gasped as his fangs pierced her delicate flesh. Blood flowed swiftly from her wound to his lips. She heard a soft click before her senses dulled. Kagome fell limply against him. This was her punishment.
Hakudoushi was once again there to steady her. His master was delighting too much in her pain. He only needed a weakening of her power, a brief moment of surprise or submission to seal the spell to her. He had both already.
Kagura's eyes narrowed as she idly flicked her fan closed. It seemed that her "father" was preparing to give the other taiyoukais quite a show. In the state she was in now, Kagome would respond most obediently to Naraku's whim. It would be a most awesome and dangerous display. Kagome's purifying power already vibrated through the air, desiring to rid its mistress of the dark power which bound her. The collar itself, made of Naraku's own miasma, was the only entity which held back the purification.
Naraku had attached a thin silver chain to the ring on Kagome's collar. The chain served as both a leash but also as spell which would allow the bound creature to sense only what the caster allowed. Kagome could not hear, see, or otherwise sense anybody or anything other than what Naraku wished her to know.
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The fire-youkai's eyes widened as the scent of blood. The only coherent thought that ran across his mind was to snatch the girl away and bite her himself. The area had been carefully masked so only those in close proximity to the girl could smell the enticing scent of her blood.
He held himself still though, it would not be prudent to reveal his presence. It was lucky for him to have gone undetected for so long. He would easily be able to slip into the presentation and slip away in search of the jewel.
He had a strong suspicion of the location of the jewel. The girl had been extremely helpful in that aspect. He believed that the girl had a natural ability to sense the jewel. If that were the case, then if would be that much more important for them to obtain her and her power. Taking her away from Naraku would be a challenge though. The kumo was a mysterious character and not much was known about him. No one had yet to even see his true form, a spectacle which the taiyoukais had displayed at least once during their reign.
The fire-youkai licked his lips hungrily. Once they obtained the miko, he would taste of her blood. He was sure his master wouldn't deny him that.
Crimson eyes slid over to his veiled position. The elemental-youkai panicked. Could Naraku sense him? The concealment spells should render all youkai blind to him. Mentally cursing himself, the youkai sank deeper into the shadows and faded away to a different location.
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Naraku chuckled lowly. If only the youkai knew what abilities his dear little miko granted him in this state. He could feel the youkai easily. He gave a mocking smile toward the place which the youkai had hidden before turning back to his enchanted little treasure.
He leaned forward and placed his lips by her ear, licking the shell of it briefly. "Now, we are ready, my lovely." He grinned as she trembled. He tightened his grasp about the silver chain. The chain faded from sight, becoming tangible to only Naraku and Kagome. The now invisible chain would stretch to accomodate any amount of distance between the two, but it was still a leash which Naraku had full control over. At any which time he decided, he could easily reel his little "pet" back to him. Idly twisting a lock of Kagome's hair around a finger, he nodded curtly to Kanna.
The void-youkai stood at the front of their little procession. It was her duty to signal to the celebratory youkai their readiness. She stepped forward and graced the guards with her blank stare. The two guards nodded in return and opened the main hall doorways.
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Shiroi had met the Western Lord in almost a jovial manner. He kept his introduction concise as it seemed that the attention of the majority of the youkai were not on him, but on those who had yet to present themselves.
He was curious himself, though he smirked at the uncharacteristic interest the inuyoukai tried to hide over the miko they could all sense. The golden orbs were presently focused a little behind his left shoulder, where Shiroi knew the Western Lord had a clear view of the door.
However, at the moment, the crane needed the inu's attention. "Sesshoumaru-sama," he said softly in a musical voice.
Sesshoumaru's golden gaze immediately focused upon the kijuuki as if it had never wavered off him. Shiroi never referred to him as "Sesshoumaru-sama" unless the matter was of great importance.
The Northen Lord bowed and presented the Western Taiyoukai with three gifts.
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The shadow passed silently through the hallways. It had been his assignment to investigate the assassination attempt, and he planned to fulfill the assignment to the fullest degree, as was his own standard. However, this particular job was puzzling.
Kireto had been drawn back into the Western citadel, and now roamed the eastern wing. As much as was discernable, Sesshoumaru's enemy laid within his own home. Being of quick and clever thought, Kireto had often found mysteries amusing, as the more difficult the problem was, the more enjoyment he extracted before he solved the problem and made his kill.
Information was a highly valued asset, and there lay no creature in the West more capable than he to uncover it, but the task was becoming more tedious, causing him to spend greater energy than he would have originally thought.
It led to but one conclusion: There was someone out there who was aware of his presence and was expending great effort to conceal the required information from him.
His dark eyes narrowed. His specialty lay in the fact that he could pass unseen, unheard, and unnoticeable through even the most difficult of scenarios. It was unsettling for Kireto to consider this since it should be he who was aware of others.
There should have been no knowledge of his existence outside of the Western citadel. Sesshoumaru did indeed have a defector within his walls, but he was unsure of who it might possibly be.
As Kireto glided through the empty hallways, a cold shiver raced through him. Shifting through the shadows cast by the flickering torchlight the kage-youkai stood before the door which shielded the Shikon shard.
A sudden thought struck him. Sesshoumaru had ordered that the keepers of the Higurashi shrine be present at this season's banquet. A miko of such high stature as the Higurashi's, who had been deemed guardians of the jewel in the past, should be able to sense the jewel's aura even through the kitsune barrier.
Sesshoumaru would be highly aware of the affinity between a miko and such and object, but so would the traitor who would also have information about the legendary jewel. The traitor would lose much by losing the shard to another youkai, but there would still be the possibility of recovering it. Reacquiring a purified shard from a powerful priestess would be another thing entirely if the traitor were to try it.
The defector would do his very best to keep the shard within the walls of the citadel where they would be aware of its location, or else able to discover its location. His attempts, through innocent-seeming suggestions or actions would be noted by the kage.
Kireto refused to release his prey after coming this far.
He graced the bare door with a dark hand, it's presence having an almost mist-like quality. The aura of the shard shown like a homing beacon, a bright flash of corrupted light against his murky youki. He felt repelled by its very presence, yet drawn to the power it promised.
No, he wouldn't lose track of such an obvious energy. It would be disgrace to his kind to be ignorant of the corrupted energy. After all, shadows themselves were nothing more than a displacement of light, a counter to the radiance, but it was pure. Thus, the kage would have it no other way than for the decrepit jewel be drawn into darkness oblivion or restored to the light. It was unacceptable for the greed of a creature's heart to mar the purity.
There was only light and dark. Nothing could be allowed to teeter inbetween, nor could they be allowed to tarnish the integrity of either side.
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Well aware of the anticipation would which greet them on the other side of the door, Naraku could only mentally grin. The veiled envious gazes of the other youkai could not be ignored. Kagome's power flowed freely from her body, crackling visibly when it ran across the current of a powerful youki, which happened often. It lead to a spectacle reminiscent of Chinese firecrackers following in their wake.
Naraku's entourage made their way down the hall to greet Sesshoumaru on the other side. He bowed before the Western Lord, and in a clear, smooth tenor, announced his presence and that of his guests.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, we humbly thank you for your assembly." He said formally. "I, Naraku, Taiyoukai of the Eastern Lands wish to show our appreciation by a an agreement of which we can conclude in private." He smiled widely as he stood from his bow. "With me, I would like to present servants; Kanna, Kagura, and
Hakudoushi, as well, as my miko, Kagome."
The four bowed respectively as they were introduced. Kagome, though she was allowed to sense the Western Lord, she could not see him. She allowed a brief smile to grace her lips as she felt the warm presence of a human child near him.
Sesshoumaru nodded acknowledgment. "I shall see you in the chamber later then." He intoned impassively. It was not unusual for Taiyoukai to present some kind of bargain or alliance as a gift at presentation, though he was curious as to what type of bargain it would be.
At Sesshoumaru's dismissal, Naraku smiled, and returned the nod.
Speaking softly, Kagome met her dulled gaze with Sesshoumaru's intense one. "I see you do have the deep and unquestionable love of another, my lord." She bowed once more, and at the light tugging on her leash, followed behind her master.
Feeling the gaze of another upon her, Kagome turned her head slightly while walking, just enough to allow her to face her observer.
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Shiroi met her glazed gaze fixedly. It was from her which the aura of Karasu poured so freely. He would have to meet with the girl in private later. A spell such as the Summoning of Karasu could not be taken lightly, nor could it's full implications be understood by anything else than a bird youkai. The sharp ruffling
of feathers within the room was a testament to this.
His darkly lined eyes fell upon the Eastern Lord. What could the Kumo possibly want with the power of Karasu. If anything, the spell to summon the dark god should have been forbidden, had it not already been lost to time. How had the Kumo obtained the information for the spell and for what did he need it for?
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Even after the Kumo's leave to settle into the audience of the presentation, Sesshoumaru kept a focus on Kagome. The information he had gained from Hojo had proven to be interesting. In his mind, he had already formed a bargain he wished to make with the Kumo.
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SM: Wow, it's been forever since I updated this fic, like three months. I felt bad when I saw it was still getting reviews though. I wrote this chapter a while ago, but I absolutely hated it. So I rewrote it, and it's ok...but I still don't like it much -- Oh well, can't win them all. I was considering putting this on hold since I was having a major brainfart about it. But I guess this will just be updated much much MUCH slower. sigh, sadly, it will probably be like a month between chapters. I feel bad, but, I struggling. I stuck in too many characters and made this waaaaaaay too complex for my feeble little mind. Oh well, thanks for still like...reading it and whatnot, especially my reviewers. Hahaha, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Oh yeah, and for anyone who also reads any of my other stuff, basically I'm going to start e-mailing review responses as soon as I get a review. It makes things a lot easier instead of typing them up at the end of a chapter. Saves me time and whatnot. So starting this chapter for A Gathering of Crows and chapter 5b for The Pain of Losing Another, I'll be e-mailing your response, so please leave your e-mail address. Thanks.
Duzzie: Thanks. Sorry it takes forever to update TT
Mysticalflame: Nope, Urahara is someone/something totally different. And yup, Sesshoumaru knows it's Kagome.
Lil-Chic 24: Well, I guess this won't count as an update. But I did add some to this chapter. Heh heh.
Well, I was totally shocked to still be getting reviews. So, out of guilt, I'm posting this, that I should have a while ago. Sorry.