Enchanted Orbs

Chapter 16

Last time: Encounters with the Generals

"I am bored, so you will train with me." He erected a barrier around the dojo as he usually did whilst training.

"What?" Kagome answered in a harsh tone.

"Defend yourself." He warned; then he disappeared.

'Oh no!' By the time she collected herself and was about to go defense mode, she was slammed against the wall of the dojo with a hand around her neck. The walls shook with the force of her collision; she could feel the bruises forming on the round of her spine and bottom.

'Ouch!' She inwardly groaned. Her eyes snapped open and glared at the lord who was still holding her above the ground by her neck.

"And I thought you'd be a challenge." He said almost despondently as he dropped her.

She brought herself upright and shot him an icy look. "If you would give me a bit more warning I will be!" She retorted hotly.

"An enemy will never warn you before he attacks."

"Yes, but being in the presence of an enemy or a stranger, would serve as the warning. You, on the other hand, are not my enemy; therefore, I wasn't prepared for your attack." She bit out dousing the flames of his insults with her logic.

He narrowed his eyes at her but nodded slightly acknowledging her point. "Fine. When you are in the dojo, I am your enemy. I am attempting to kill you. Is this sufficient warning?" He said in a condescending tone.

Kagome crouched a bit. She had no clue if this actually helped, but she had seen fighters in movies do this. She focused and pulled her power into her hands. There was no way she'd be able to dodge his attacks, so she'd have to find a way to block them.

He saw her prepare herself and watched her expression as she concentrated on something. 'Maybe she's formulating a strategy. I hope so; it'll make victory so much sweeter.' He thought with a smirk.

'He's too fast to watch him with my eyes.' She reached out and latched onto his aura. She could feel it withdraw as he was still.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." She felt his aura spike and prepared for his strike. 'THERE!' She felt the aura lash out towards her right side. She moved her hand to block his attack.

A violet disc appeared before her hand. Sesshoumaru's hand struck a solid surface, but it wasn't flesh. He saw that she had used her power to form a solid shield to prevent his punch from hitting its mark.

He brought his left hand up towards her face. She felt his aura peek again. She tilted her body backwards away from the strike and held up her left hand to further prevent him from reaching her.

He felt his palm hit solid surface again. He could smell the adrenaline running through her and knew this fight would be interesting.

He was about to reposition himself for another attack when he felt his hands burning. The violet had turned pink and was now purifying his fingers.

He almost snarled at himself for staying in one place too long. He had allowed her time to think about what to do. 'Which is obviously a bad thing.'

He withdrew across the room and waited a few seconds for the minor burns on his fingers to heal. He drew Toukijin and gave the girl a chance to see the weapon of his next attack.

The pink spheres in front of her hands lengthened to appear as swords. She held her ground and waited for his attack. It came quicker than she expected but she managed to block his first slice with both hands. 'He's too strong. I don't think I can do close quarter fighting very long. I have to put some distance between us.'

He watched as sparks flew between her energy swords and Toukijin. The evil sword recoiled from her purity; Sesshoumaru funneled his energy into his weapon, and allowed the sword to continue fighting for superiority.

A dark wave flashed over the crossed swords. Kagome's eyes widened as one of her weapons cracked. 'Not good!'

She pushed back with her own power enough to create some distance between them. She dropped the other sword, leapt to the side, and sent several violet discs at him, forcing him to dodge them.

He dodged them easily and attacked again. Kagome erected a barrier around herself, but she didn't expect what he did next.

With the hand not holding his sword, he created his energy whip. With a flick of his wrist, the barrier shattered.

The next thing she knew, Kagome had a sword at her throat. 'Something tells me this might be a common position in the future.' She thought sarcastically. 'No, I'll think of something. Next time will be different.'

"At least you lasted longer this time." He stated in his bored tone.

"You sound disappointed Sesshoumaru. I know you didn't want to lose, so why? She asked naively.

"I was hoping for a challenge."

Kagome's anger flared. 'Ooohhh, that jerk!'

They fought for several hours. Each spar lasted longer than the one before, but every one ended with the same result. Kagome lost, whether it was trapped against the wall or floor with a hand posed for the kill or a sword held at her neck or back.

Sesshoumaru had never been so amused when fighting. He never really had a training partner; his mentor was a hard taskmaster that allowed for no mistakes. Sparring was never something he had a chance to do; everything was 'be perfect' or the lesson ended in much pain, which is how it usually ended for him. That is until one day when he defeated his mentor. That was when his lessons ended. He continued to train, but alone. When fighting others it was kill or be killed.

Until now he had never really trained with any level of fun. Plus, he secretly reveled in the frustrated faces she would make when her plans where foiled.

It was pretty easy to see where she would take her attacks, meaning he could easily see through what she was planning, but he played along anyway. When she would spring her attack, he had already thought of a way out of it

He watched as shock plastered across her features, then frustration, then anger. After the anger her aura would spike in power. It was always the same. He should have become bored with it repetition, but he found himself anticipating the next round. With every passing fight, the intensity grew, and he had to push himself harder to defeat her. Yes, it was safe to say he was enjoying himself immensely.

She was exhausted. Battered and beaten with minor cuts here and there, she just wanted to find somewhere to soak. She would beat him; she was determined, but not right now. He didn't even seem phased with the massive amounts of energy they were consuming with their mock-battles, but she would not admit that she was tired.

"Phew. Kami, I stink; is there a place I can bathe without drawing attention to myself?"

He nodded and turned. He walked towards the door of the dojo but stopped. "You'll need to create an illusion and cover your scent. You look like just ran from the Eastern Lord's manor." He said with his flat tone, but he knew she would take the goad.

"Well, excuse me. I will try not to overexert myself next time we spar." She said with a sarcastic bite.

He regarded her with silence and removed the barrier around the dojo. As he walked out, the guard bowed to his lord.

Kagome, holding a tray with the pitcher of water, followed Sesshoumaru until he stopped in front of a door.

She watched as he closed his eyes; she saw his aura peak and sniff the air slightly.

"Cover your scent, withdraw your aura completely, and disappear." He commanded.

She nodded, and she complied.

He opened the door and led her down a long hallway. At the end of the hallway were two more doors.

"The one on the right is where you may bathe undisturbed. Whenever you come down this way you must disappear completely. The door on your left is not to be entered on any condition. Understood?"

She nodded.

"When you leave this hallway, make sure you use your senses to thoroughly check your surroundings before you open the entrance door. Others can withdraw their auras as well, so make sure it is a detailed inspection before leaving."

With those words he left.

She soaked for a while and worked some of the knots out of her drooping shoulders. Her stomach growled to remind her she hadn't eaten for quite some time and it was late afternoon. She and Sesshoumaru had spent an awful span of time in the heat of battle, and she needed to replenish precious energy.

She found a robe waiting on the side of the baths; it was huge. She felt like a little kid wearing her father's robe, but, 'It'll have to do.'

She dried off and put it on. She hid herself completely, aura, scent, and image, and walked down the hallway. No one was around, so she walked out.

'Now where was my room again?' She thought a bit worried.

She encountered several people in the halls, but no one saw her. She was still desperately trying to find her rooms, but she couldn't stop and ask directions in a robe.

She was walking past several soldiers when her stomach decided to make itself known. It growled, and the men tensed. They looked at each other; both knew it wasn't the other.

Kagome watched in horror as their auras spiked and they drew their swords. She froze. 'What do I do? If my stomach growls again, I'm a goner!"

With her fear to fuel her power, she sent white orb down the hallway away from her and behind them.

The guards saw the light, one said, "You follow that, I'll stay and find out where it came from."

'Crap! That didn't work, and now he knows where I am since he saw the origin of the sphere! Think, Kagome, think!'

Thinking flew out the window as he took a step towards her, gazing straight at where she stood. She turned and ran.

He heard the footsteps and ran after her. She turned the corner quickly, and created an image of a nasty looking demon running down the hallway. The guard tore around the corner and continued following her image.

She calmed her racing heart. 'That was too close, but he obviously wasn't the smartest if he didn't notice that the sound of the footsteps disappeared.'

She turned around and bumped into someone. 'Oh NO! There's no way out of this one!' She turned slowly to look into the eyes of the person who would probably kill her.

"At this rate you won't last very long." Sesshoumaru stated condescendingly to, from the viewpoint of any by passer, empty air.

"Oh, thank Kami! I'm lost." She sighed in relief, completely ignoring his statement.

He rolled his eyes at her ignorance. "Follow me."

On the way there, her stomach growled again. At that point, he knew what had happened.
He had been on his way to his study when he saw a demon he didn't recognize tear around the corner, it shimmered slightly and he knew it was an image that Kagome had created. He cleanly sliced through it, and it disappeared. He conjured an image of bloody gore to subdue the guard who he could hear nearing.

Then he immediately went to find the troublesome girl. She was invisible to him, her aura couldn't be found, but his couldn't mistake the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.
He turned and led her to the servants' quarters. He flicked his wrist to the side, indicating where her room was, and continued down the hallway.

She quickly entered room, changed, and headed towards the kitchen

When she got there, a woman that had many frown lines etched into her aged face gave her a slight glare.

"Where have you been?"

"Many pardons, ma'am. I was in the dojo with our lord." She said with her eyes directed towards the ground.

"Very well. You missed the servant's meal, but I haven't thrown out the left over food yet."

For that, Kagome was very grateful. She took some food and dropped to her knees in front of a low table.

After her meal, she excused herself with the excuse of tending to the gardens. She hid herself again and began exploring the grounds.

Her tasks had been set up specifically so she would be around those Sesshoumaru suspected of treachery. This means she was assigned to serve meals to some of the higher officers. She had nothing to do until evening.

'I got in trouble when I was lost, so I need to better acquaint myself with my surroundings.' She spent the day learning the layout of Sesshoumaru's home.

That evening she reported to the kitchen to pick up the food for the generals. She knew the layout of the fortress, but that didn't mean she knew where they took their meals. She asked the lady from that afternoon, who, she assumed, was the cook.

"General Shouron takes his meal in his room. It is the large room at the far end of the soldiers' quarters on the other side of the grounds. When you've brought him his meal, return here, and I will give you the meals of the other generals."

She took the tray and walked across the grounds. When she reached the area she knew was the soldiers' quarters, she hurriedly walked down the long corridor.

She was thoroughly unnerved by the men. Some leered at her with intentions that she could tell were not so innocent; others glared at her, 'Probably because I'm human. Racist jerks who...' but she was cut off when she reached the large double doors that she figured to be General Shouron's room.

She took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door, but before she did she heard, "Come in."

She silently pushed open the heavy doors. She had a bit of difficulty doing it with one hand, and she almost dropped the tray.

The general looked up at the girl who entered. His eyes flashed in amusement as the girl struggled to recover her balance against the heavy doors while leveling the tray to prevent its contents from being prayed across the room.

As she took a deep breath and steadied her hands, she heard, "Well done."

She looked up a bit shocked to hear the deep bass voice praising her. He saw the confusion in her eyes and then decided to explain.

"Most servants, upon the first time entering my quarters, make an awful mess."

"Then why...?" but she quickly dropped her head and prayed he would forgive her outburst.

He laughed. "I guess you're very new to the servant role. You may speak freely with me, I do not enjoy domineering over servants." He cracked a mischievous smile. "The soldiers, on the other hand..."

She realized she had not served him his meal, and quickly walked over to the low table. She dropped to her knees gracefully and began unloading the contents of the tray.

He watched her. There was something amiss with this girl. He couldn't put his finger on it. So he tried to find out.

"What is your name?"

"Kagome, sir."

"Sir, what is this word?"

'CRAP! I slipped!'

He saw her eyes widen when he asked his question. Then she quickly regained her composure. 'That's it. She has an air of confidence which is absent in servants, yet she's in the room with a demon. I need to watch her more closely. She's hiding something.'

"Forgive me, my lord. It is a title of respect in my village."

He didn't see any fidgeting of her uncomfort, no change in her scent, so he assumed she told the truth.

"Your village?" He saw her stiffen slightly. 'A topic which makes her uneasy.'

"Yes, my lord, it is outside of Inuyasha's Forest." She quickly stated a partial truth.

"I see. I have never traveled there, so I unfamiliar with the term."

She bowed her head. "Forgive me, I shall not use the term in your presence again." She stated a bit too meekly for her liking, but, 'I will do what I must.'

"Tell me, Kagome, how long have you been a servant?"

"This is my first role, my lord." She said, still not making eye contact.

"A dangerous place to start out. Many will not like your attitude."

Her head shot up to look at him. Her first glance at the general showed him leaning against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

His hair was a brilliant gold pulled into a high ponytail on top of his head. Glowing blue eyes matched hers. A royal blue stripe slanted down his right cheek like a tear's trail. (from the inside corner of his eye across his cheek)

He had on green garbs that resembled Sesshoumaru's except for the color and designs of forest green leaves trailing down his sleeves, curling around the trim.

"See that's what I mean. A woman should never look a man in the eyes, let alone a servant woman." He said amused.

Her eyes narrowed then widened. She quickly dropped her head. "Forgive me, my lord."

'Her eyes...are blue? How strange, and she was angry with me. Why? I only speak the truth.'

"Relax, I will not speak of your attitude towards me, but I suggest you not even speak around Aishi. He would kill you for any semblance of disrespect."

"Yes, my lord."

"You are dismissed."

She stood to leave, but he called out to stop her.

"Are you the one who will bring my meal to me tomorrow evening?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Good. Do not address me as 'lord' in my private quarters."

"Then what title do you wish?"

His lips curved slightly. "General Shouron will do."

She nodded and left the room.

His eyes followed her retreat. 'How interesting. I like her, she has spirit. I hope she lives through her encounter with Aishi.'

Kagome returned to the kitchen as she was told, and she gathered the meals for the next two generals. General Rokoshi and General Samon took their meals in the dining hall with the other soldiers. She tended to them if they needed full pitchers or desired a different course. Nothing eventful happened. She did as she was told and kept her eyes trained to the floor.

She returned to the kitchen once more after she was done serving Rokoshi and Samon. She picked up the last tray, received directions to Aishi's quarters, and went on her way.

She received permission to enter and did so. Keeping her gaze trained to the ground, she waited for him to acknowledge her presence before kneeling to unload his meal onto the table.

When she was done, she stood and moved towards the door, but a harsh voice interrupted her.

"I didn't say you could leave, wench."

Kagome's eyes narrowed with his 'petname' for her, but with eyes downcast Aishi did not see her anger.

"Forgive my insolence, my lord."

"I didn't say you could talk either. You have insulted me, and for this I would kill you..." His voice trailed off a bit as Kagome got a bad feeling of warning.

"...but you are a pretty little thing. It's a pity to kill such a beauty." He said silkily. He walked over to her; he ran his fingers through a portion of her hair, and lifted the strands to his nose.

"Mmm, you smell sweet, too my dear. Maybe I will just punish you instead of taking your life. On your knees, wench." His tone changed from sly to demanding.

She saw his hands go to loosen his armor. 'No! I will do no such thing. Sesshoumaru be damned!'

Her aura flared dangerously with her anger. She knew she should keep it in check, but that was something she couldn't care less about for the time being.

He felt something strange, but he wasn't paying attention to his senses that warned him of the danger the girl posed. She was only human, and a servant at that, so she would serve him, 'Or, shall we say, pleasure me.'

"I gave you an order wench. On your knees!"
Rage filled him; he had felt Kagome's aura from across the grounds. He knew something was happening. So he flew with all the speed he possessed to the girl.

When he arrived, he heard what Aishi was demanding her to do. He didn't know why this upset him like it did, but he didn't have time to analyze it. He knew Kagome was about to blow her cover by killing the general in front of her, so he quickly entered Aishi's quarters.
"I must speak with you."

Aishi's head snapped up. He was enraged that the lord had interrupted him, but he had to back down. He turned to face Sesshoumaru, and he bowed to his lord.

"What brings you here, now, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Aishi asked barely restraining the spite in his voice.

Sesshoumaru looked straight at Kagome. "Leave."

She hadn't been looking at anything but the ground, but she knew to who he was talking. 'And there's no one short of Kami himself that could keep me in there with that...that...thing any longer.' She thought bitterly as she bowed and escaped.

"I have a miscalculation in my timeframe. When will the next set of my legions arriving?"

"In two weeks time my lord."

"Exact day."

"Two weeks and five days, my lord."

"Good, will the current legion be ready by then?"

"It is my belief, my lord."

"I want a full status report in two days."

"Yes, my lord."

With that said, Sesshoumaru turned to leave, but at the door he stopped.

"It is a disgrace to defile yourself with a human, Aishi."

"Yes, my lord, but they are much softer than any demoness." He said with an evil smile.

Sesshoumaru left to find Kagome.