Enchanted Orbs
Chapter 19 The Deadly Tide
Kagome awoke the next morning, and, as her routine demanded, met Sesshoumaru outside the dojo. There was no sign of Shouron this morning, and Kagome let out a sigh of relief.
Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome approached the dojo as usual. His eyes narrowed as he looked behind the girl; he sent a questioning glare at the general who, once again was following Kagome. This time Shouron was hiding his aura and appearance.
He turned to enter the dojo and erected his barrier shortly after his spy entered. Kagome set down the tray and crouched, readying herself for Sesshoumaru's inevitable attack.
At his words; however, she straightened. "Shouron is following you again."
She gave him a look that clearly told him she hadn't noticed him.
"He is hiding his aura and appearance. You must be more cautious."
She nodded, but her thoughts were running rampant. Why hadn't she noticed? Surely she was strong enough to override his illusion, if she was close to Sesshoumaru's combat level. Why didn't she see through it?
Her thoughts were interrupted by his words. "What have you learned?"
Kagome let out a sigh. "Nothing. I know the general's favorite haunts in the evenings, and I also know about the personalities they exhibit. Further than that, I have not had a chance to explore." She said, almost pouting.
"Did I find the wrong person for this job?" He asked with a flat voice that hinted at the threat carried within it.
Kagome huffed, "Sesshoumaru you plan isn't working."
He shot her a glare, "My plan isn't working, or you are incompetent?"
This time is was her turn to glare. "It doesn't matter if I'm a human, female, servant, or other. Everyone in this palace knows that most servants love to gossip. If one finds out, the whole palace finds out. Eventually one of the servants who is loyal to you, no matter human or youkai, will alert you to the actions or words of a traitor. No one who has any intelligence would openly speak of an assassination plot towards their lord."
He was irritated by her words, but they did hold reason. "Then what do you suggest?"
"Kill me."
Eyes widened in shock, but he quickly recovered and raised a brow in silent question.
"Not really, just kill the servant. We can make up some excuse; I angered you, and you disposed of me. Something around that which sounds more like your actions. Find me a place to sleep where no one would sense my aura, and let me be invisible constantly. Right now I can't do anything for fear of Shouron discovering my little secret. I'll make espionage my first priority instead of being the submissive servant."
She saw him smirk. "You really hate bowing to others."
Kagome sniffed a little in annoyance, "Yes, that, too."
"Very well. Play the servant role for two more days, and then you will disappear."
"Why two days?"
"Are you so eager to die?" He asked, causing a shiver to travel down her spine. Kagome was fairly certain that she was safe from his wrath, but still, those words coming from his mouth...
Kagome recovered from her shiver and rolled her eyes at his comment. "Why two days?" She stated more than asked.
"I will be leaving at that time to visit another fortress I own. I need to check on my ward and retainer."
'Ward and retainer...huh?' He must have seen the question because he continued.
"I sent them to my other home when I realized the danger. I sent only my most loyal servants and soldiers to guard them, but it has been quite some time since my last visit."
Kagome then realized she hadn't seen the small, green youkai that used to follow Sesshoumaru around like a little lost puppy. 'But who is his ward?'
"Until that time, find out what you can about an assassination plot. One must exist because I would not fall to a random attack."
"I don't know..." Kagome drawled out. "I got the best of you once." She teased him with a playful smile.
A slight upturn of his lips showed her he hadn't taken offense to her comment. "As I said, luck was your ally; it will not happen again."
Her smile faded as her head drooped, and Sesshoumaru began to wonder if he had offended her, only to reprimand himself, for what he could assume was, caring.
"But it would only take once, my lord."
Blue eyes filled with emotion turned to lock with his. Something, he couldn't tell what, flew through his veins when he saw the worry that surfaced with her words.
He mentally shook himself from his thoughts.
Kagome knew that, even if he didn't feel a friendship towards her, she considered him a friend. He was no longer the callous lord who temporarily stripped her of her family to become a servant. She had come to view him as a friend who needed her assistance, though he would never admit it.
The thought of his murder caused her a feeling of great loss. A pain, which she had only felt when she thought Inuyasha was critically injured, tore through her chest.
'Calm down girl, he's not that easy to kill. Plus, I'm here to help, too.' She reprimanded herself for being overemotional in front of the ever-stoic lord.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "How long will you be gone?"
"No more than a week, I will need to be present for the change of soldiers. With my absence, I think information will be easier to obtain."
Kagome nodded in understanding.
"Now..." Sesshoumaru's lips twitched in anticipation of the battle which was about to commence.
She recognized his tone, and immediately prepared for his attacks.
He had come to eagerly await the mock battles between them. She was always spontaneous and unpredictable which forced him to stay constantly on his guard. He was never bored when it came to her. She could dream up new attacks and plans on a second's time, and he always felt exhilarated when she was finally defeated.
Another boring day was dragging by with Shouron, no doubt, right behind her. She decided to head to the gardens once again.
She found a small isolated corner and sat down. She watched unobtrusively as people passed by, her presence going unnoticed. She saw everything from people rushing by to a casual stroll across her vision.
But the amount of passersby dwindled, and she became bored once again. She suddenly had an idea.
Kagome quickly relived several times in her life when she felt extreme happiness. Funneling the feelings through her, she took a firm grip on her emotions. She looked over to where, she guessed, Shouron was standing, watching her.
Right on target, she saw a distortion in the air where his illusion was the weakest. She summoned a bit of her healing powers and formed a butterfly from the yellow orb that she willed to appear in the bush beside her.
Shouron saw her look directly at him and narrow her eyes. Shock took over; there was no way she could know that he was here, but he distinctly felt discovered. 'Nonsense, she doesn't know I'm here.' He reassured himself.
He was brought out of his thoughts when a yellow butterfly fluttered past the girl. It was brilliant in its coloring, almost as if it radiated its own light instead of reflecting the sun's rays.
Kagome smiled as she let her butterfly land on her fingers. She willed her creation to slowly open and close its wings as a true creature would.
He watched as if hypnotized as the one seated before him giggled at the insect on her fingers. The butterfly once again took to the air and flew towards him.
Shouron froze; horrified because the butterfly just landed on his robes, he was unsure what to do. It was obvious that it had landed on something, but would Kagome know what had happened?
Then a whispered voice reached his ears. "I know you are there. I don't know why you are following me, but I insist that you either show and explain yourself or leave and not disturb me again."
Kagome was not sure how the general would take her demand, but she was really getting sick of his constant surveillance.
"What happens if I refuse your request?" Shouron asked as he stepped in her direction.
She let her eyes widen as if shocked by the familiar voice. "General Shouron?"
He let his spells drop, and Kagome instantly felt his aura again. "Why are you following me?"
Shouron took a seat beside her. His eyes narrowed a fraction with her question. "How longer have you known?"
"Known? I can be certain of few things, my lord, but I have felt someone's eyes on me for two days now." Kagome mentally tallied another point in her favor. 'Yep, I'm getting really good at dancing around questions.'
"Hm," was her only answer.
"You have not answered my question, General Shouron." She stated, reverting back to the less formal title in hopes of easing him into answering.
"And I doubt you'll get an answer as I have none to give. I do not know myself; my instincts told me to follow you, and they have never been wrong thus far."
Kagome nodded in understanding. Silence held for a moment; Kagome shifted uncomfortably.
"Did you discover anything of interest when you tracked me?" She asked trying desperately to get him to either leave or break the silence.
"You are an interesting creature, but nothing of importance." He answered after a moment of thought.
Silence. Kagome had to refrain from growling in annoyance. She hated the uncomfortable silence, and he was doing nothing to help relieve it.
But he finally decided to speak up. "I guess I took it upon myself to try to discover the secrets you've hidden from me and others."
Kagome sighed. "You are relentless." She stated in an exasperated way.
He smirked and turned to look at her. "I try."
A small chuckle escaped her. "So, what did you find out?"
"Only that you are more of an enigma than I had originally thought."
She sent him a questioning glance, but he remained silent. Tense moments passed.
Another sigh escaped her. "Alright, I'm getting tired of this. Either talk to me or leave because I can't stand this quiet."
A full laughed echoed through him. "I was waiting for your inevitable outburst."
Now irritation turned to frustration at his ploy, and she released a slight growl, but youkai hearing picked it up.
Laughter only became louder, "Fine, fine, what do you wish to speak about?"
"I don't know; you know several things about me. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"What do you wish to know?"
"Hm, where are you from? Why are you in Lord Sesshoumaru's service? How strong are you? I don't know whatever you wish to tell."
"I hail from these lands, my house has served Lord Sesshoumaru's house since it became the governing house. I consider myself strong enough to protect my lord if needed."
Kagome listened intently for any sign of treachery towards Sesshoumaru as Shouron spoke, but she found none. "Well, how strong are you compared to the other generals?"
He smiled at her question. "Why such an interest?"
She looked down at her lap. "I don't know. I see Lord Sesshoumaru training every morning, and I serve all the generals their meals in the evenings. I can't help but wonder about the techniques they use compared to those I see at dawn."
"Compared to Lord Sesshoumaru?" His brow crinkled in concentration. "You know, I have never seen him fight at full strength before, so I really don't know."
His thoughts returned to the incident in the dojo when all four generals had rushed to see to their lord. 'Come to think of it...where was she at that time? I don't remember seeing her anywhere, and if Sesshoumaru was in such bad condition, she should have been killed.' He tucked those thoughts away to reflect on at a later time.
"What type of youkai are you? I mean I know Sesshoumaru is inuyoukai, but as far as you and the other generals I haven't a slight idea."
"I am a force youkai."
Kagome looked at him. "That tells me nothing."
He laughed, "I expected nothing else. There are other ancient names for it, nature youkai, element youkai, but it still would have held no meaning to you."
"Nature youkai?"
"Partially."
She shot him a glare, "Are you going to explain?"
"Impatient aren't you?" He asked with another laugh, but he held out his hand when she was about to respond. "I can control the forces involved with nature. I can summon any type of weather; I can manipulate fire, earth, and water."
Kagome's jaw dropped a bit. "Wow."
A smile graced his lips. "There are drawbacks to my power. I am not graced with the speed of warriors like our Lord, and I am not very capable in close combat fighting. I deal more with long range battles."
"Is that why you stalk me during the day instead of train in the dojo?"
Shouron raised an eyebrow at her bold statement, but he was pleased that she seemed more comfortable around him now. "I suppose so." He said in a dry voice.
Kagome smiled at him. "I thought so."
Kagome finished up her conversation with Shouron and headed towards where she could feel Sesshoumaru's aura.
The information provided by the general lead her to one conclusion: she had no idea what to expect from any of the generals.
Looking around with eyes and senses, she made sure no one was around. Then she disappeared.
Her intent was to find Sesshoumaru and ask him on the strengths and weaknesses of his generals. She felt she needed to know more about them in order to decipher their intentions.
Kagome made her way down a hall she had never been to before. She let her aura flare a bit, to alert Sesshoumaru of her entrance.
Sesshoumaru looked up from the paperwork in front of him when he felt Kagome approach. He expected to see the door open, but that never occurred.
One moment she was on one side of the door, the next she appeared in front of him, illusion gone and her aura unleashed.
His mask held, but he had never seen her do such before. 'Yes, I chose well for my spy.'
"We need to talk."
'Though no doubt, I could have found someone with more respect.' He thought grimly. "What do you need?"
Kagome took in a deep breath to begin her explanation, but the aroma of food was brought in along with the air. She glanced over to a delicious looking food tray sat to the side of Sesshoumaru. He hadn't even touched the meal.
It was around three in the afternoon, and she hadn't eaten anything since dawn. She hadn't realized how late it was because of her conversation with Shouron, and she forgot to eat.
'First thing after I talk to Sesshoumaru, I'll go to the kitchens.' She assured her now throbbing stomach, but it didn't agree.
Sesshoumaru had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when he heard her stomach growl.
Kagome laughed, embarrassed by her stomach's declaration. "I'm sorry. I lost track of the time. I haven't eaten since before our training session, so I'll make this quick."
The lord nodded in assent.
"I need to know about your generals. I just realized how little I know about their abilities and backgrounds." She began but, once again, her stomach interrupted.
Sesshoumaru looked at her with his indifferent mask. "Take the tray and sit down, this may take a while."
Her brows knit in confusion.
"Eat." But his command came in loud and clear.
She took the tray and sat down across from him.
He began to tell her first of Shouron's background. This was information she already knew, but she stayed attentive to find any discrepancies between the two accounts.
Sesshoumaru was just about to tell her of Samon, when she started feeling very strange. Strange turned into light-headed, and suddenly she saw Sesshoumaru's form become smaller as she fell backwards.
She remembered looking up at the ceiling briefly before everything went black.
The taiyoukai watched as Kagome's eyes glazed over. He was about to reprimand her for wasting his time if she wasn't going to listen to information she had requested, when she started to fall backwards.
Eyes widened as he dashed across the low table and caught her head before it collided with the ground.
He turned to the tray in front of her. Sesshoumaru was very knowledgeable on the topic of poisons because of his own ability with it.
The venom present in the meal meant for him had completely surpassed all of his senses. Scent and instinct were not alerted to the danger that had been laid before him.
But he quickly remembered the girl before him. Her head was still supported by one of his hands; he listened for a change in her breathing and heart rate.
He was about to call for a healer; the thought of his secret agent being exposed didn't matter for the time. Something close to worry nagged at him.
Before he could alert someone, he saw her start to glow.
Kagome was drifting. She felt the rise and fall over waters pushing her in the rhythms of a tide that she hadn't known existed around her.
She tried to open her eyes to chase away the darkness, but she couldn't. 'Do I even have eyes? Am I dead?'
Blackness encircled her as the tides kept her off balance. Her thoughts were not coherent but she had a distinct feeling of wrongness. Something wasn't right. This darkness wasn't something welcomed in sleep.
It was something else.
Kagome tried to remember what had caused this obsidian tide to trap her in its currents. Where was she? Who was she with? Better yet, was anyone else drowning in this riptide with her?
She tried to reach out mystically to see if she was alone, but instead of feeling auras around her, she was focused on her own.
It was fading. Why? She hadn't suppressed it. What caused it to...
Then the feeling of wrong crashed into her again like the waves thrown against a rocky cliff.
She tides faded and she felt the pull of liquids flowing through her veins. Her blood throbbed across her body. A pulse began to grow in strength, beginning from her heart and spreading to encompass all of her, from her head to the smallest toe.
She vaguely recalled her aura begin to grow again. A feeling of relief joined the pulses that radiated from her.
But the rhythm of her blood was changing. The darkness which surrounded her was no longer black. The shadows brightened until grey. Then the grey took on a rust color, rust lost its orange, and red remained.
Scarlet, matching the blood thumping through her veins, consumed her sightless vision.
She was no longer tossed between tides, but she still felt weightless, no control over her body at all.
Again she tried to think. What had happened? Why is this happening?
The crimson background became tainted with a streak of another color. A comets tail of sickly green repeatedly flashed across the setting.
A sense of urgency overtook her with the flashes. It was as if they were a warning, and her veins once again began their dance.
But the dance was burning this time. Her body was demanding something, but she still couldn't decipher its message.
Just then a sharp pain shot through her arm. The feeling was akin to needles passing through her system. With each pulse the pain rose and fell.
The flashes of green settled into the same rhythm. A streak soared across crimson with the pain then vanished until the next throb.
The pain was lessening, the pulse was stopping, and her aura was fading.
'My aura is fading? My pulse is stopping.' The urgency took over again. 'I'm dying!'
The scene in Sesshoumaru's study struck her hard. 'His food was poisoned, and I ate it.'
Her wits about her once again, she became determined to right the wrongness. 'I know I can save me; I wouldn't have been brought to this place if I couldn't.' Kagome thought setting her jaw firmly.
Now that her senses had returned, she could feel everything in her body. The pulses of her blood were just the beginning, muscles twitched, stomach churned, heart slowed; everything in her was trying to stop the venom from spreading too far.
Kagome could pinpoint the toxin's path. No matter where it went, a sense of invasion and wrong alerted her to its location.
It was spreading; her limbs were becoming numb. 'I have to hurry.'
She realized with great relief that she could control her internal chemistry. She slowed her heartbeat dramatically so the venom could not spread without her permission.
Kagome took control of the major veins and forced the toxin in her arms back towards her stomach. Once the toxin was banished from her arms, she concentrated of relieving her legs of the intruder.
The poison from her legs joined its brethren from her arms in her stomach. She concentrated on her torso's expanse. 'Not much left.' But she felt her strength weakening.
With great effort, she sifted through the blood headed to her vital areas. Cleansing her heart, lungs, mind, she forced the toxin into her stomach once again.
With the final vestiges of her strength, she expelled the acrid substance from her body.
Sesshoumaru had watched her in worried fascination as she fought the poison flowing through her.
He had seen her aura flare and fall, her breathing deepen and thin, and could feel her pulse change.
Shock overcame him when the pulse in her arms stopped while everything else remained. When the pulse in her arms resumed only to cease in her legs, he knew she was controlling it. How he knew, he did not know.
Very few demons had such control over their body's function; a human had never exhibited such, but Kagome had never followed the rules.
He saw her body shudder and instinctively knew to move, move very quickly.
Sesshoumaru praised his instincts when he saw Kagome come back to consciousness, roll onto her side, and purge the venom introduced to her.
A breath he didn't know he had held escaped as he saw her turn, and blue eyes stare at the ceiling. Her eyes clenched tightly seconds later as a fit of coughing seized her.
Sesshoumaru reached for the glass of water on his desk. He had been drinking it earlier, so he was assured of its safety.
"Here, take this; it is safe." He said gently.
Shaky hands reached for the cup. 'She won't be able to lift it. She is too weak.' He realized as she tried and failed to lift her head to sip.
He guided her hands back to the floor. A strong hand slipped under her neck, entangling with shadowy locks, and lifted slightly. He angled her face towards the water and brought it to her lips.
Kagome tried to drink greedily, but he kept her from taking too much too quickly.
When she had enough, Kagome heard his voice. "Are you alright?"
A faint groan was his only answer.
She felt so weak; she looked up to where he hovered above her. Kagome thought she registered concern in his facial lines, but she was really too exhausted to think about that.
Kagome once again slipped into the shade of darkness, but this time, it was safe.
Sesshoumaru watched as she gave in to her fatigue. She had saved his life again, and again, he was tending to her.
'I have become a housemaid to my own servant.' He said with a slight sneer, but upon looking at her serene face, her remembered how he felt when he thought she was about to die.
Pain of Loss. Loss that he hadn't felt since childhood consumed him at that time. Maybe he really was starting to care for the little miko.
He shook himself and bent to pick up the female. Covering the both of them with an illusion and suppressing all evidence of their presence, he took her to his chambers to recover. 'Again.'
Hello there! I hope you liked. I have had a couple of people ask me about what types of youkai the generals are. WELL, I told you Shouron's race because it would be difficult to describe in battle, but as for the others...I really want it to be a surprise. You'll find out pretty quickly. I have their attacks all mapped out. It's gonna be awesome!
I'll update again next week!! Til Then Syrinx
Chapter 19 The Deadly Tide
Kagome awoke the next morning, and, as her routine demanded, met Sesshoumaru outside the dojo. There was no sign of Shouron this morning, and Kagome let out a sigh of relief.
Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome approached the dojo as usual. His eyes narrowed as he looked behind the girl; he sent a questioning glare at the general who, once again was following Kagome. This time Shouron was hiding his aura and appearance.
He turned to enter the dojo and erected his barrier shortly after his spy entered. Kagome set down the tray and crouched, readying herself for Sesshoumaru's inevitable attack.
At his words; however, she straightened. "Shouron is following you again."
She gave him a look that clearly told him she hadn't noticed him.
"He is hiding his aura and appearance. You must be more cautious."
She nodded, but her thoughts were running rampant. Why hadn't she noticed? Surely she was strong enough to override his illusion, if she was close to Sesshoumaru's combat level. Why didn't she see through it?
Her thoughts were interrupted by his words. "What have you learned?"
Kagome let out a sigh. "Nothing. I know the general's favorite haunts in the evenings, and I also know about the personalities they exhibit. Further than that, I have not had a chance to explore." She said, almost pouting.
"Did I find the wrong person for this job?" He asked with a flat voice that hinted at the threat carried within it.
Kagome huffed, "Sesshoumaru you plan isn't working."
He shot her a glare, "My plan isn't working, or you are incompetent?"
This time is was her turn to glare. "It doesn't matter if I'm a human, female, servant, or other. Everyone in this palace knows that most servants love to gossip. If one finds out, the whole palace finds out. Eventually one of the servants who is loyal to you, no matter human or youkai, will alert you to the actions or words of a traitor. No one who has any intelligence would openly speak of an assassination plot towards their lord."
He was irritated by her words, but they did hold reason. "Then what do you suggest?"
"Kill me."
Eyes widened in shock, but he quickly recovered and raised a brow in silent question.
"Not really, just kill the servant. We can make up some excuse; I angered you, and you disposed of me. Something around that which sounds more like your actions. Find me a place to sleep where no one would sense my aura, and let me be invisible constantly. Right now I can't do anything for fear of Shouron discovering my little secret. I'll make espionage my first priority instead of being the submissive servant."
She saw him smirk. "You really hate bowing to others."
Kagome sniffed a little in annoyance, "Yes, that, too."
"Very well. Play the servant role for two more days, and then you will disappear."
"Why two days?"
"Are you so eager to die?" He asked, causing a shiver to travel down her spine. Kagome was fairly certain that she was safe from his wrath, but still, those words coming from his mouth...
Kagome recovered from her shiver and rolled her eyes at his comment. "Why two days?" She stated more than asked.
"I will be leaving at that time to visit another fortress I own. I need to check on my ward and retainer."
'Ward and retainer...huh?' He must have seen the question because he continued.
"I sent them to my other home when I realized the danger. I sent only my most loyal servants and soldiers to guard them, but it has been quite some time since my last visit."
Kagome then realized she hadn't seen the small, green youkai that used to follow Sesshoumaru around like a little lost puppy. 'But who is his ward?'
"Until that time, find out what you can about an assassination plot. One must exist because I would not fall to a random attack."
"I don't know..." Kagome drawled out. "I got the best of you once." She teased him with a playful smile.
A slight upturn of his lips showed her he hadn't taken offense to her comment. "As I said, luck was your ally; it will not happen again."
Her smile faded as her head drooped, and Sesshoumaru began to wonder if he had offended her, only to reprimand himself, for what he could assume was, caring.
"But it would only take once, my lord."
Blue eyes filled with emotion turned to lock with his. Something, he couldn't tell what, flew through his veins when he saw the worry that surfaced with her words.
He mentally shook himself from his thoughts.
Kagome knew that, even if he didn't feel a friendship towards her, she considered him a friend. He was no longer the callous lord who temporarily stripped her of her family to become a servant. She had come to view him as a friend who needed her assistance, though he would never admit it.
The thought of his murder caused her a feeling of great loss. A pain, which she had only felt when she thought Inuyasha was critically injured, tore through her chest.
'Calm down girl, he's not that easy to kill. Plus, I'm here to help, too.' She reprimanded herself for being overemotional in front of the ever-stoic lord.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "How long will you be gone?"
"No more than a week, I will need to be present for the change of soldiers. With my absence, I think information will be easier to obtain."
Kagome nodded in understanding.
"Now..." Sesshoumaru's lips twitched in anticipation of the battle which was about to commence.
She recognized his tone, and immediately prepared for his attacks.
He had come to eagerly await the mock battles between them. She was always spontaneous and unpredictable which forced him to stay constantly on his guard. He was never bored when it came to her. She could dream up new attacks and plans on a second's time, and he always felt exhilarated when she was finally defeated.
Another boring day was dragging by with Shouron, no doubt, right behind her. She decided to head to the gardens once again.
She found a small isolated corner and sat down. She watched unobtrusively as people passed by, her presence going unnoticed. She saw everything from people rushing by to a casual stroll across her vision.
But the amount of passersby dwindled, and she became bored once again. She suddenly had an idea.
Kagome quickly relived several times in her life when she felt extreme happiness. Funneling the feelings through her, she took a firm grip on her emotions. She looked over to where, she guessed, Shouron was standing, watching her.
Right on target, she saw a distortion in the air where his illusion was the weakest. She summoned a bit of her healing powers and formed a butterfly from the yellow orb that she willed to appear in the bush beside her.
Shouron saw her look directly at him and narrow her eyes. Shock took over; there was no way she could know that he was here, but he distinctly felt discovered. 'Nonsense, she doesn't know I'm here.' He reassured himself.
He was brought out of his thoughts when a yellow butterfly fluttered past the girl. It was brilliant in its coloring, almost as if it radiated its own light instead of reflecting the sun's rays.
Kagome smiled as she let her butterfly land on her fingers. She willed her creation to slowly open and close its wings as a true creature would.
He watched as if hypnotized as the one seated before him giggled at the insect on her fingers. The butterfly once again took to the air and flew towards him.
Shouron froze; horrified because the butterfly just landed on his robes, he was unsure what to do. It was obvious that it had landed on something, but would Kagome know what had happened?
Then a whispered voice reached his ears. "I know you are there. I don't know why you are following me, but I insist that you either show and explain yourself or leave and not disturb me again."
Kagome was not sure how the general would take her demand, but she was really getting sick of his constant surveillance.
"What happens if I refuse your request?" Shouron asked as he stepped in her direction.
She let her eyes widen as if shocked by the familiar voice. "General Shouron?"
He let his spells drop, and Kagome instantly felt his aura again. "Why are you following me?"
Shouron took a seat beside her. His eyes narrowed a fraction with her question. "How longer have you known?"
"Known? I can be certain of few things, my lord, but I have felt someone's eyes on me for two days now." Kagome mentally tallied another point in her favor. 'Yep, I'm getting really good at dancing around questions.'
"Hm," was her only answer.
"You have not answered my question, General Shouron." She stated, reverting back to the less formal title in hopes of easing him into answering.
"And I doubt you'll get an answer as I have none to give. I do not know myself; my instincts told me to follow you, and they have never been wrong thus far."
Kagome nodded in understanding. Silence held for a moment; Kagome shifted uncomfortably.
"Did you discover anything of interest when you tracked me?" She asked trying desperately to get him to either leave or break the silence.
"You are an interesting creature, but nothing of importance." He answered after a moment of thought.
Silence. Kagome had to refrain from growling in annoyance. She hated the uncomfortable silence, and he was doing nothing to help relieve it.
But he finally decided to speak up. "I guess I took it upon myself to try to discover the secrets you've hidden from me and others."
Kagome sighed. "You are relentless." She stated in an exasperated way.
He smirked and turned to look at her. "I try."
A small chuckle escaped her. "So, what did you find out?"
"Only that you are more of an enigma than I had originally thought."
She sent him a questioning glance, but he remained silent. Tense moments passed.
Another sigh escaped her. "Alright, I'm getting tired of this. Either talk to me or leave because I can't stand this quiet."
A full laughed echoed through him. "I was waiting for your inevitable outburst."
Now irritation turned to frustration at his ploy, and she released a slight growl, but youkai hearing picked it up.
Laughter only became louder, "Fine, fine, what do you wish to speak about?"
"I don't know; you know several things about me. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"What do you wish to know?"
"Hm, where are you from? Why are you in Lord Sesshoumaru's service? How strong are you? I don't know whatever you wish to tell."
"I hail from these lands, my house has served Lord Sesshoumaru's house since it became the governing house. I consider myself strong enough to protect my lord if needed."
Kagome listened intently for any sign of treachery towards Sesshoumaru as Shouron spoke, but she found none. "Well, how strong are you compared to the other generals?"
He smiled at her question. "Why such an interest?"
She looked down at her lap. "I don't know. I see Lord Sesshoumaru training every morning, and I serve all the generals their meals in the evenings. I can't help but wonder about the techniques they use compared to those I see at dawn."
"Compared to Lord Sesshoumaru?" His brow crinkled in concentration. "You know, I have never seen him fight at full strength before, so I really don't know."
His thoughts returned to the incident in the dojo when all four generals had rushed to see to their lord. 'Come to think of it...where was she at that time? I don't remember seeing her anywhere, and if Sesshoumaru was in such bad condition, she should have been killed.' He tucked those thoughts away to reflect on at a later time.
"What type of youkai are you? I mean I know Sesshoumaru is inuyoukai, but as far as you and the other generals I haven't a slight idea."
"I am a force youkai."
Kagome looked at him. "That tells me nothing."
He laughed, "I expected nothing else. There are other ancient names for it, nature youkai, element youkai, but it still would have held no meaning to you."
"Nature youkai?"
"Partially."
She shot him a glare, "Are you going to explain?"
"Impatient aren't you?" He asked with another laugh, but he held out his hand when she was about to respond. "I can control the forces involved with nature. I can summon any type of weather; I can manipulate fire, earth, and water."
Kagome's jaw dropped a bit. "Wow."
A smile graced his lips. "There are drawbacks to my power. I am not graced with the speed of warriors like our Lord, and I am not very capable in close combat fighting. I deal more with long range battles."
"Is that why you stalk me during the day instead of train in the dojo?"
Shouron raised an eyebrow at her bold statement, but he was pleased that she seemed more comfortable around him now. "I suppose so." He said in a dry voice.
Kagome smiled at him. "I thought so."
Kagome finished up her conversation with Shouron and headed towards where she could feel Sesshoumaru's aura.
The information provided by the general lead her to one conclusion: she had no idea what to expect from any of the generals.
Looking around with eyes and senses, she made sure no one was around. Then she disappeared.
Her intent was to find Sesshoumaru and ask him on the strengths and weaknesses of his generals. She felt she needed to know more about them in order to decipher their intentions.
Kagome made her way down a hall she had never been to before. She let her aura flare a bit, to alert Sesshoumaru of her entrance.
Sesshoumaru looked up from the paperwork in front of him when he felt Kagome approach. He expected to see the door open, but that never occurred.
One moment she was on one side of the door, the next she appeared in front of him, illusion gone and her aura unleashed.
His mask held, but he had never seen her do such before. 'Yes, I chose well for my spy.'
"We need to talk."
'Though no doubt, I could have found someone with more respect.' He thought grimly. "What do you need?"
Kagome took in a deep breath to begin her explanation, but the aroma of food was brought in along with the air. She glanced over to a delicious looking food tray sat to the side of Sesshoumaru. He hadn't even touched the meal.
It was around three in the afternoon, and she hadn't eaten anything since dawn. She hadn't realized how late it was because of her conversation with Shouron, and she forgot to eat.
'First thing after I talk to Sesshoumaru, I'll go to the kitchens.' She assured her now throbbing stomach, but it didn't agree.
Sesshoumaru had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when he heard her stomach growl.
Kagome laughed, embarrassed by her stomach's declaration. "I'm sorry. I lost track of the time. I haven't eaten since before our training session, so I'll make this quick."
The lord nodded in assent.
"I need to know about your generals. I just realized how little I know about their abilities and backgrounds." She began but, once again, her stomach interrupted.
Sesshoumaru looked at her with his indifferent mask. "Take the tray and sit down, this may take a while."
Her brows knit in confusion.
"Eat." But his command came in loud and clear.
She took the tray and sat down across from him.
He began to tell her first of Shouron's background. This was information she already knew, but she stayed attentive to find any discrepancies between the two accounts.
Sesshoumaru was just about to tell her of Samon, when she started feeling very strange. Strange turned into light-headed, and suddenly she saw Sesshoumaru's form become smaller as she fell backwards.
She remembered looking up at the ceiling briefly before everything went black.
The taiyoukai watched as Kagome's eyes glazed over. He was about to reprimand her for wasting his time if she wasn't going to listen to information she had requested, when she started to fall backwards.
Eyes widened as he dashed across the low table and caught her head before it collided with the ground.
He turned to the tray in front of her. Sesshoumaru was very knowledgeable on the topic of poisons because of his own ability with it.
The venom present in the meal meant for him had completely surpassed all of his senses. Scent and instinct were not alerted to the danger that had been laid before him.
But he quickly remembered the girl before him. Her head was still supported by one of his hands; he listened for a change in her breathing and heart rate.
He was about to call for a healer; the thought of his secret agent being exposed didn't matter for the time. Something close to worry nagged at him.
Before he could alert someone, he saw her start to glow.
Kagome was drifting. She felt the rise and fall over waters pushing her in the rhythms of a tide that she hadn't known existed around her.
She tried to open her eyes to chase away the darkness, but she couldn't. 'Do I even have eyes? Am I dead?'
Blackness encircled her as the tides kept her off balance. Her thoughts were not coherent but she had a distinct feeling of wrongness. Something wasn't right. This darkness wasn't something welcomed in sleep.
It was something else.
Kagome tried to remember what had caused this obsidian tide to trap her in its currents. Where was she? Who was she with? Better yet, was anyone else drowning in this riptide with her?
She tried to reach out mystically to see if she was alone, but instead of feeling auras around her, she was focused on her own.
It was fading. Why? She hadn't suppressed it. What caused it to...
Then the feeling of wrong crashed into her again like the waves thrown against a rocky cliff.
She tides faded and she felt the pull of liquids flowing through her veins. Her blood throbbed across her body. A pulse began to grow in strength, beginning from her heart and spreading to encompass all of her, from her head to the smallest toe.
She vaguely recalled her aura begin to grow again. A feeling of relief joined the pulses that radiated from her.
But the rhythm of her blood was changing. The darkness which surrounded her was no longer black. The shadows brightened until grey. Then the grey took on a rust color, rust lost its orange, and red remained.
Scarlet, matching the blood thumping through her veins, consumed her sightless vision.
She was no longer tossed between tides, but she still felt weightless, no control over her body at all.
Again she tried to think. What had happened? Why is this happening?
The crimson background became tainted with a streak of another color. A comets tail of sickly green repeatedly flashed across the setting.
A sense of urgency overtook her with the flashes. It was as if they were a warning, and her veins once again began their dance.
But the dance was burning this time. Her body was demanding something, but she still couldn't decipher its message.
Just then a sharp pain shot through her arm. The feeling was akin to needles passing through her system. With each pulse the pain rose and fell.
The flashes of green settled into the same rhythm. A streak soared across crimson with the pain then vanished until the next throb.
The pain was lessening, the pulse was stopping, and her aura was fading.
'My aura is fading? My pulse is stopping.' The urgency took over again. 'I'm dying!'
The scene in Sesshoumaru's study struck her hard. 'His food was poisoned, and I ate it.'
Her wits about her once again, she became determined to right the wrongness. 'I know I can save me; I wouldn't have been brought to this place if I couldn't.' Kagome thought setting her jaw firmly.
Now that her senses had returned, she could feel everything in her body. The pulses of her blood were just the beginning, muscles twitched, stomach churned, heart slowed; everything in her was trying to stop the venom from spreading too far.
Kagome could pinpoint the toxin's path. No matter where it went, a sense of invasion and wrong alerted her to its location.
It was spreading; her limbs were becoming numb. 'I have to hurry.'
She realized with great relief that she could control her internal chemistry. She slowed her heartbeat dramatically so the venom could not spread without her permission.
Kagome took control of the major veins and forced the toxin in her arms back towards her stomach. Once the toxin was banished from her arms, she concentrated of relieving her legs of the intruder.
The poison from her legs joined its brethren from her arms in her stomach. She concentrated on her torso's expanse. 'Not much left.' But she felt her strength weakening.
With great effort, she sifted through the blood headed to her vital areas. Cleansing her heart, lungs, mind, she forced the toxin into her stomach once again.
With the final vestiges of her strength, she expelled the acrid substance from her body.
Sesshoumaru had watched her in worried fascination as she fought the poison flowing through her.
He had seen her aura flare and fall, her breathing deepen and thin, and could feel her pulse change.
Shock overcame him when the pulse in her arms stopped while everything else remained. When the pulse in her arms resumed only to cease in her legs, he knew she was controlling it. How he knew, he did not know.
Very few demons had such control over their body's function; a human had never exhibited such, but Kagome had never followed the rules.
He saw her body shudder and instinctively knew to move, move very quickly.
Sesshoumaru praised his instincts when he saw Kagome come back to consciousness, roll onto her side, and purge the venom introduced to her.
A breath he didn't know he had held escaped as he saw her turn, and blue eyes stare at the ceiling. Her eyes clenched tightly seconds later as a fit of coughing seized her.
Sesshoumaru reached for the glass of water on his desk. He had been drinking it earlier, so he was assured of its safety.
"Here, take this; it is safe." He said gently.
Shaky hands reached for the cup. 'She won't be able to lift it. She is too weak.' He realized as she tried and failed to lift her head to sip.
He guided her hands back to the floor. A strong hand slipped under her neck, entangling with shadowy locks, and lifted slightly. He angled her face towards the water and brought it to her lips.
Kagome tried to drink greedily, but he kept her from taking too much too quickly.
When she had enough, Kagome heard his voice. "Are you alright?"
A faint groan was his only answer.
She felt so weak; she looked up to where he hovered above her. Kagome thought she registered concern in his facial lines, but she was really too exhausted to think about that.
Kagome once again slipped into the shade of darkness, but this time, it was safe.
Sesshoumaru watched as she gave in to her fatigue. She had saved his life again, and again, he was tending to her.
'I have become a housemaid to my own servant.' He said with a slight sneer, but upon looking at her serene face, her remembered how he felt when he thought she was about to die.
Pain of Loss. Loss that he hadn't felt since childhood consumed him at that time. Maybe he really was starting to care for the little miko.
He shook himself and bent to pick up the female. Covering the both of them with an illusion and suppressing all evidence of their presence, he took her to his chambers to recover. 'Again.'
Hello there! I hope you liked. I have had a couple of people ask me about what types of youkai the generals are. WELL, I told you Shouron's race because it would be difficult to describe in battle, but as for the others...I really want it to be a surprise. You'll find out pretty quickly. I have their attacks all mapped out. It's gonna be awesome!
I'll update again next week!! Til Then Syrinx
