Insistent knocking was heard at the door of a simple two-storey house tucked away in a corner of the market street in the Third Circle in the early hours of the morning, the day of the Kibonosaiten. Nabiki hurried down the staircase belting a robe over her nightdress, and started unbolting the heavy front door.
"Lord Miroku, is that you?" she asked through the door and heard a muffled reply. After a final struggle with the iron bolts, she threw open the door and looked out into the pre-dawn darkness. Miroku was huddled on the top step and an old horse stood stamping its feet nearby, its breath coming out in cold mists.
"Hello, Nabiki" said Miroku in a strained whisper and gave her a wobbly smile.
"Master!" exclaimed Nabiki as Miroku swayed on his feet. "What happened to you? Oh, my God!" she sprang forth and grabbed a hold of Miroku and hauled him inside the door. She pushed him down on a stool that stood near the door and let him lean back on the wall.
"It's ok" whispered Miroku who looked deathly pale. "Give me a moment, please".
Nabiki looked worriedly at her master. She had never seen him ill before. Despite his hectic work schedule, Miroku was one of those people who took active care of his health. Now, however, he looked as if newly returned from the dead. He was very pale and was shivering slightly despite being covered up in a heavy wool cloak, its hood pulled low over his forehead. She examined him critically, trying to see if he was hurt and noticed the bandage on his right hand and the rosary held tightly over it, looped between his fingers. Nabiki leaned down and tried to gently turn his hand, to see if he was bleeding. Her fingers touched ice-cold fingers but Miroku quickly tightened his fist and jerked his hand back.
"No, Nabiki" he said hoarsely. "Don't touch my hand".
"Does it pain you terribly, master?" asked Nabiki in sympathy. "Come into the kitchen. I will heat up some water for your hand and apply salve. It will be good as new before long".
Hearing his faithful servant's offer, Miroku started laughing quietly but there was no mirth in it. Nabiki looked at him, more worried than ever.
"What happened, Lord Miroku?" she asked again.
"Oh, Nabiki," sighed Miroku. "It will take too long to tell you of my adventures and I have not the energy". He stumbled to his feet, holding on the wall using his left hand for balance.
"Help me to my room, Nabiki," he said. "I need to lie down for a bit and then, I need to make my appearance to the queen".
"Master!" admonished Nabiki. "Surely, the queen can wait. Today is Kibonosaiten. She will be busy preparing for the lighting of the lamps in the evening".
"No, I must speak with her immediately" he stubbornly insisted.
"If it is about your mission regarding Midoriko, surely you can send a messenger to the palace with the manuscript" said Nabiki. "Surely, Her Majesty will understand when informed of your injury".
Miroku laughed mirthlessly again. "No, Nabiki dear. It's not about the manuscript which I haven't finished anyway."
"What?" exclaimed Nabiki astonished. "What have you been doing for the past two weeks?"
"Sleeping" said Miroku cryptically. "I do not seem to be good for much else now."
"What?" asked Nabiki again.
"Help me to my room, Nabiki" requested Miroku again. "And wake me up after a couple of hours. It is quite urgent that I see the queen. If I had been up to such a meeting, I would have gone right now".
He began to shuffle along the hall, holding on the wall for support. He held his right hand slightly away from his body, as though he was afraid it would get a life of its own and turn on him with ill intent. Nabiki rushed to help him, worried and confused, but still determined to help her master in any way she could.
XXXX XXXX XXXX
Mayu looked up from hanging the fancy lantern in front of the shop's main door. She could have sworn that someone had been leaning over the roof looking down at her, but when she looked up, there had not even been a shadow to see. She frowned and sent an uneasy glance towards the window beside the door. The glass had been newly washed and she could clearly see her daughter as she went about decorating the place for Kibonosaiten. Every year, the people of the kingdom celebrated the festival of hope in memory of the end of the Great War. They decorated their homes and built huge bonfires in public squares. It was the one day in the year that the palace was open to anyone and everyone. Many people would gather in the palace courtyard and would witness the queen lighting floating lamps and releasing them into the sky. There would be food and dancing in every Circle, late into the night. Today was its 500th anniversary and the queen had ordered special celebrations in honour of her ancestor, the priestess Midoriko.
Mayu went inside and pitched in to help finish the decorations so that they would be in time for the lighting of the huge bonfire that would be held in the main square in the circle later in the evening. Every Circle held its own celebrations. When Queen Rin came into power, she had tried to unify the city's celebrations. But the people had been too much set in their ways and had not yielded to her requests. Mayu felt that it had been a great pity; she also understood that selfish people always took advantage of such generosities. The first assassination attempt at the queen that had occurred soon after her first Festival as queen was proof enough.
"What are you thinking of, mom?"
Kagome's question jolted her out of her thoughts, which immediately dived into another direction.
"Nothing dear." She said, not wishing to worry her daughter, and understanding that she would not appreciate her concern anyway. "I was trying to decide what to make for tonight's dinner."
"Oden, of course!" Kagome laughed as she named her favourite dish. Mayu had to laugh with her.
"Alright, alright!" Mayu said, shaking her head at her daughter "Just like your father…"
Kagome beamed when she heard that. She loved being told that she was exactly like her father in many ways.
"I better start preparing the dish now itself, if we are to go see the bonfire at sun down." Mayu said. "Can you finish decorating by yourself, dear?"
"Of course!" Kagome smiled.
Mayu smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. In many ways, she was still a child even though she was 18 summers old. She sighed as she thought of her dead husband. She wondered how long she could protect Kagome. She had grown into a beautiful woman and many a leering man had eyed her with greed. Many of the intruders in their home had been after Kagome. Of late, no one had bothered them. But that shadow Mayu thought she had seen made her uneasy. It was not the first time she had spotted it in the past couple of days. She wished she had someone to turn to, to protect her daughter.
'That had been a close call with Mayu.' Inuyasha thought as he lay down on top of the roof and closed his eyes, remembering the pain of the past two weeks. Ever since his talk with Jinenji, Inuyasha had been troubled. He had often wondered if he had been abandoned because he was a hanyou. Now the truth seemed uglier than before. Apparently, he had been tossed aside because of this mate thing. On top of that, he himself had now found a mate. Inuyasha was still not sure what to think of that. In his initial anger and confusion, he had tried to purposefully stay away from Kagome. It had worked for about a week. The effort had left him exhausted and in pain. Yet, he had been unwilling to let go of his stubbornness. He did not know what he was trying to defeat, his past or his possible future, which seemed horrifying and tempting in equal measure, though he would be hard pressed to explain why. All he had been able to tell Jinenji was that he did not ever want to repeat what his parents had done.
"It won't be like that, you idiot! She is your mate!" Jinenji had yelled at him.
"Why…have me? So…pure. Don't …want..abandon…" Inuyasha had rasped out between the pain and agony his beast was putting him through.
He had hardly made sense to himself, but Jinenji had understood anyway.
"It won't be like that, Yasha…" he had pleaded. "Please… you can't die… you are my only friend." He had finally sobbed out.
That had been the turning point which had brought him back to his senses. He had been weak, but the moment he decided to go back to Kagome, his beast settled down, the pain began to subside and he felt a little less dizzy.
"Help me… Kagome…" Inuyasha had croaked out to Jinenji.
And poor, frightened Jinenji had done the bravest thing in his life. That night, he had dragged Inuyasha to the roof top of Kagome's building. Jinenji had collapsed on the roof, but for Inuyasha, it was like breathing pure air for the first time. It had taken nearly 3 days for his strength to come back, after constant care from Jinenji and by never leaving Kagome's building.
Inuyasha had thought a lot in those three days. He decided he could never abandon Kagome, but she need not know about his vigil, mate or no. She deserved a better life than being the mate of a filthy hanyou. And so, he had gone back to his pattern of guarding her house at night and leaving in the morning. But sometimes, he could not help coming back during the day, just to listen to her and to try and catch a glimpse of her face.
Inuyasha's ears twitched as a window was opened on the floor just below the roof. He knew that it was Kagome's room and his heart started to beat faster. His beast was excited and jumpy. It took all of his will power not to jump from the roof and into the bedroom, to see her. Every passing day, it became more and more difficult to maintain the limits he had set for himself. He gritted his teeth and forced his body to stay still as the sun travelled across the sky.
XXXX XXXX XXXX
"Your Majesty" Lord Miroku bowed before the queen as she sat in an armchair in her private sitting room, adorned in a resplendent orange kimono with a beautiful green pattern, a delicate tiara on her brow. It had taken Miroku a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep and a bowl of hot noodle soup to bring back a modicum of his strength. He was still tired but not so weak that he might collapse at any moment. It was now late afternoon and the queen was clearly preparing to address the people prior to lighting the many floating lamps at sundown which would mark the start of the festivities for the Kibonosaiten this year. Normally, the lamps were lighted signalling the final stage of the festivities ending in a spectacular firework display over the palace. However, this year being its 500th anniversary, Rin had declared a week of celebrations.
Lord Sesshomaru sat on another armchair facing the royal librarian. Rin had been increasingly worried about Miroku and Kagura, not having received any word from them for the past two weeks. She had expected them to be back long before this or at least send word. Looking at the pale and thin royal librarian who had been hale and hearty when he left, Rin felt her worry escalate although she did not show it.
"Where is Kagura, Lord Miroku?" she asked.
"She is back at Bodhidera, Your Majesty" he replied. "She intended to work with the monks to get her powers back. She also stayed back to help protect the monastery".
"Oh" murmured Rin as she thought of Kagura's struggle. Then, something registered.
"Protect the monastery from what?" she asked sharply.
"From demon attacks, Your Majesty".
"What?" exclaimed Rin in shock even as Sesshomaru leaned forward, his eyes rimming red.
"Explain, monk" he decreed in his most icy voice.
"Your Majesty," began Miroku wearily, but Rin interrupted him, waving him to a chair.
"Sit down, before you fall, Lord Miroku" she said. "Let me send for some refreshments."
"No, Your Majesty" said Miroku as he sank gratefully onto a well-padded chair with armrests. "Please do not send for anyone. I do not wish to be interrupted".
Rin raised an eyebrow at him but Sesshomaru suddenly snarled and jumped in front of the queen and turned his blood-red eyes on the hapless librarian who looked completely shocked at this transformation of the general and paled even more.
"There is a dark demon aura surrounding you, monk!" rumbled Sesshomaru, uncaring of Rin prodding his back in an effort to see Miroku for herself. "You are possessed!" He began to reach for his sword Bakusaiga as Miroku yelped and raised his left hand in defence. His right hand lay almost lifeless on the arm of the chair.
"No, Lord Sesshomaru!" he cried. "Please, you must listen to me. I am not possessed!"
"Then why do you have a dark demon aura?" demanded Sesshomaru.
"It's my hand" said Miroku hurriedly, even as he internally trembled at the transforming demon in front of him. Perhaps he should have insisted on speaking with the queen alone. "I was attacked by a strange demon and it wounded my right hand. That is what you sense".
Sesshomaru looked at Miroku's hand lying on the chair, bound tightly in a piece of purple cloth, tied over with a string of beads and frowned.
"Those beads," he said slowly, "they too have a demon aura".
"They do?" asked Miroku in surprise. "Well, he did say they were demon crystals but I didn't think it would have an aura of its own".
"He who?" demanded Sesshomaru.
"Totosai, the demon swordsmith" replied Miroku.
That, apparently, was the last answer Sesshomaru expected because he blinked in shock even as the red in his eyes receded, replaced by their normal golden hue.
"Totosai?" he said "Is he still alive?"
"Sesshomaru, move!" ordered Rin, giving a final push that he deigned to acknowledge and moved away to stand immediately behind the queen who glared at him in irritation before turning to her librarian.
"You had better start at the beginning, Lord Miroku" she ordered.
Miroku nodded and told them about how he and Kagura has travelled to Bodhidera on her magic feather and the troubles faced by the monks. Rin looked grim and worried as she listened to his report of escalating demon attacks across the countryside and turned to Sesshomaru with a questioning look. He slightly shook his head, indicating that he too had no idea regarding this.
"That is worrying news, Lord Miroku," said Rin. "What did Kagura say to all this? Had she any inkling of it?"
"No, Your Majesty" replied Miroku. "She had had no inkling of it ever."
"Oh" said Rin. "And her abilities still have not returned?"
"Well, when I left her, she had a flash you and Lord Sesshomaru, Your Majesty" replied Miroku. "It might have returned by now". However, he did not sound very optimistic. Neither Rin nor Sesshomaru failed to pick up on this.
"So, you decided to return immediately and left Kagura with the monks" said Rin with a frown. "According to you, that was two weeks ago. Where were you until now?"
Miroku sighed and wondered how to answer the queen. He would, of course, tell her how he was attacked by the strange demon and his encounter with the ancient demon swordsmith. However, he still did not know how to tell her everything that Totosai had revealed to him despite wrestling with the information during his long and tiring journey back to the castle.
"Monk…" rumbled Sesshomaru, growing impatient.
"I was attacked on the evening of the same day I set out from Bodhidera, Your Majesty" said Miroku, and tried to ignore the rising aura of the powerful dog demon standing behind the queen.
"What?" exclaimed Rin in horror. "Who was it?"
"Not who, Your Majesty," he replied, "'what' would be more appropriate" he smiled in grim remembrance.
"It was a strange demon dressed in a long white baboon pelt. I have never seen or heard about anything like that. His aura felt strange, all twisted and dark. His powers are also strange, and also deadly. I think I might have been followed from the moment I set out from the monastery. Anyway, he attacked me deep in the forest. There was nothing I could do." Miroku gave a mirthless chuckle.
"All my training and so-called expertise in using spiritual magic…everything was useless, or maybe it was just me" he mused morbidly. "I did not even have time to consider any counter-spell before I was hit with a dark energy so powerful that it broke my old master's shakujo and pierced my right hand". He raised his right hand and extended it out towards the queen.
Sesshomaru leaned forward and looked with distaste at the aura he sensed around it.
"I can hear a howling sound from your hand, monk" he said
"It's the portal" explained Miroku wearily as he dropped his hand on the armrest once again.
"Portal?" Sesshomaru blinked, confused and angry at this potential danger so near his mate.
"Totosai had sensed the demon's aura and had come to investigate" Miroku continued with his story. "If he had not rescued me, I would have been worse than dead now".
"Worse than dead?" asked Rin faintly.
"Indeed, Your Majesty" replied Miroku gravely. "According to Totosai, the demon used an ancient curse to open a portal to another dimension on my body. However, the shakujo in my hand had been an old and powerful weapon. It partially blocked the curse and confined the curse to the centre of my palm. Thankfully, Totosai arrived immediately and bound it with this demon crystal rosary delaying its action."
"What do you mean?" demanded Sesshomaru whose eyes were starting to become red again, his demon so close to the surface that it was taking all his considerable will power to keep it restrained.
"The portal is supposed to widen, to allow the entry of… 'things'… from another dimension to this one" he said. "Totosai was not very clear on exactly what he was afraid would come through… I got the feeling he did not know. However, what he did know is that this," he held up his injured hand again, "is only a temporary fix. The portal will continue to widen over time, eventually consuming me and everything in my vicinity".
"What!" exclaimed Rin in shock as she sat forward and stared in horror at Miroku. "But surely, there must be something we can do. Curses should have counter-curses, shouldn't they?" she turned and demanded of Sesshomaru.
"Obscure curses need not have counter-curses" he replied, his eyes a strange shade of reddish gold, the markings on his face elongated. Miroku could not help but be disappointed on hearing this; although he had expected this answer, he had hoped that perhaps Sesshomaru, being a powerful demon, might know of a solution.
"But getting rid of the curse is easy enough" he continued as Rin looked up with hope and Miroku turned to face him warily. "Kill the one who cast the spell and the spell will be no more".
"That is what Totosai said as well" sighed Miroku
"Who is this Totosai person, anyway?" demanded Rin
"He is an ancient demon, nearly a thousand years old". It was Sesshomaru who replied. "He is a legend among our kind, a very gifted swordsmith". He touched the hilt of the rarely-used Tenseiga at his hip. "He made Tenseiga for my father, Inutaisho".
"What?" gasped Rin
"His weapons are all unique" continued Sesshomaru, contemplating the knowledge that here was finally a possible solution to finding out the secrets of Tenseiga. If not for Rin, he might already have left in search of the ancient swordsmith.
"Yes, he mentioned your sword" said Miroku as he too looked at the fabled sword in question. It looked like an ordinary samurai sword to him, but hey, what did he know?
"He said he made it for your father" he continued. "He also mentioned another sword but I cannot recall the name"
"Tetsusaiga" whispered Sesshomaru as his eyes gleamed.
"Yes, that!" said Miroku in surprise. "Is that another famous demon sword?"
"It was the preferred weapon of my esteemed father, made from his own fang, just like Tenseiga" he replied, still lost in thought. "Tetsusaiga…a sword that could kill a hundred demons in a single strike!"
Rin blinked at the note of worshipfulness that seemed to enter Sesshomaru's voice when he talked about Tetsusaiga.
"Your sword Bakusaiga is equally powerful, isn't it?" she asked.
"Oh no, my queen" said Sesshomaru shaking his head and finally turned to face his mate. "Bakusaiga…is nothing…nothing, compared to the might of Tetsusaiga"
"Oh" said Rin softly a she watched various emotions play across his beautiful features, his habitual Ice Prince façade broken. "Where is this mighty sword?"
"Lost" he said shortly.
"Lost?" asked Miroku "How can you lose something so powerful? Surely, it would have been safe-guarded by your family…" he trailed off as Sesshomaru turned piercing reddish-gold eyes on him.
"I was far from home when my father was betrayed and killed" he said softly. "The retainers who brought his body back did not bring his swords. They claimed he had none with him". There was no mistaking the deadly anger that ran underneath his words. "As though my father, the most powerful inu youkai to walk this planet, would go into battle against his greatest foe without his powerful swords by his side!"
"Sesshomaru…" called Rin
Her voice snapped him back from the past and he turned and gave her a short bow.
"Forgive me, my queen" he said in his ordinary voice. "I am still searching for Tetsusaiga and its fate is a constant source of irritation and anger".
"I see" said Rin, storing all this away for future contemplation. She had learned more about Sesshomaru in this past half hour than in the past 10 years that she had known him.
"Did Totosai come to the city with you, Lord Miroku?" she asked. "I would like to express to him my gratitude in saving the life of one of my trusted council members."
"Nay, Your Majesty" Miroku shook his head with a wry smile. "He will not leave his beloved forest. Indeed, he only accompanied me initially because I was so weak after my injury. And he came only till the fringes of the forest where I could find other humans to help me return to the city."
"I see" said Rin as she leaned back and contemplated this. "Does your injury still pain you?"
"It's more like an irritation and discomfort than outright pain, Your Majesty" replied Miroku. "It took my body nearly a week to recover enough to travel. Totosai was of the opinion that long rests and avoiding anything stressful like travelling will help slow down the widening of the portal, and would also help my body adjust further until we can find a way to reverse this".
"Hmm…" said Rin
"And what of your original mission, Lord Miroku?" she asked after a while with a smile. "I suppose you forgot all about the priestess Midoriko in the aftermath of all this. Nevertheless, we will need to present something to the court. Perhaps a ceremonial manuscript presentation is in order before I address the people?" She turned questioning eyes to the demon standing beside her.
Sesshomaru merely grunted 'hn'; however, Miroku began to look uncomfortable.
"What is it, Lord Miroku?" asked Rin in concern. "Perhaps we should send for the palace physician to look at your hand, just in case."
"No, Your Majesty" said Miroku. "I do not wish to advertise my condition to everyone just yet" But he continued to hesitate as he wrestled with his consciousness. He dearly loved the queen who was nearly ten years younger than him, whom he had always seen as a younger sister. He had always admired her courage in shouldering such a huge responsibility at such a young age with aplomb. He had no desire to hurt her. However, he also remembered the wording of the ill-fated prophecy. So much else was at stake here and he had no other option but to reveal the full truth.
"Actually, Your Majesty," he began with a deep breath. "I might have forgotten Midoriko, if not for Totosai".
Sesshomaru looked down at the librarian's troubled visage and felt the faint stirrings of unease. What had that old toot Totosai said?
"Totosai again?" said Rin with a slight smile. She would have to find some way to meet this ancient demon. He sounded far too interesting than anyone else she had ever met. Perhaps she could persuade Sesshomaru to take her.
"Indeed, Your Majesty" said Miroku gravely. "He apparently knew Midoriko quite well".
"What?" exclaimed Rin in shock. "How is that even possible?"
"Demons have long life-spans, my queen" said Sesshomaru in amusement "Or, had you forgotten?"
"But Midoriko lived 500 years ago!"
"Totosai claims to be a thousand years old, Your Majesty" said Miroku wryly. He could sympathize with her. Despite the increase in human-demon interaction over the years, most humans could rarely visualize what it meant by having long lifespans.
"How old are you, Lord Sesshomaru?" demanded Rin abruptly.
"Perhaps we should hear what Totosai said before investigating my age" he replied with a twitch to his lips. Rin scowled and turned back to Miroku.
"Totosai knew your ancestor very well" he continued in a soft voice, not daring to look up at his monarch. "He also knew Xahar".
"From the prophecy?" asked Rin as she sat up with interest. Perhaps, they could finally solve the mystery of that accursed prophecy.
Miroku nodded and continued, "She was Midoriko's friend, as mentioned in the prophecy. She was also her sister-in-law".
"So, Xahar was the sister of the princeling who killed King Onigumo" mused Sesshomaru. "I suppose she was a powerful Seer?"
"No, Lord Sesshomaru" whispered Miroku and continued to study his feet sticking out from beneath his purple robes, wishing he did not have to continue. "I mean, yes, she was a powerful Seer, but she was not the prince's sister".
"What?" asked Rin, confused.
"She was the sister of Midoriko's first husband, a simple farmer who fell in love with her. They got married and lived in this very castle. This, apparently, used to be Midoriko's ancestral home. However, she had no living family at the time of their marriage. They were very happy for a while. They even had a daughter. But, when the daughter was 5 years old, the husband was killed in a demon attack. It was that which prompted Midoriko to undertake the long campaign to end the terrible war. It was afterwards that she married the prince. That was apparently more of a political alliance than anything else. Midoriko had given birth to a son shortly before her final battle. After her death, the prince raised both the children together even as he tried to establish the Crystal Kingdom. But he died too soon and it was his son who finally established the kingdom and built Fountain City. However, nothing more was ever heard of Midoriko's daughter. There was no one who even knew of her existence outside the prince's family, and they had always treated her like an outsider".
Miroku finally looked up at the queen. Rin was staring at him with a blank face. Sesshomaru had gripped the top of the chair she sat on and was looking at her. His eyes were once again rimmed with red.
"So you see," continued Miroku in a soft voice, "the prophecy was correct. The Keeper is lost. And Darkness is rising in the land. If not for that, I would have never…"
Rin abruptly raised her hand, interrupting him.
"Thank you for telling me, Lord Miroku" she said in an even voice. "I understand the implications very well. I suppose it is no longer relevant asking when the prophecy will come true. We must prepare for it immediately." She rose gracefully.
Miroku hurried to his feet and said, "Your Majesty, if I may?"
He sank down on one knee and looked up at his queen, "I swear undying fealty to you, my queen! By my life or my death, if I can serve and protect you, I will!"
"But I may not be your real queen, Lord Miroku" said Rin softly, a sad smile on her face. "I have often wished to be free of my burden and live an ordinary life. Perhaps, I shall get my wish after all".
"I beg you to not trouble your heart with this knowledge, Your Majesty," implored Miroku "Let us try to find this lost Keeper first, in the interest of resisting the rising Darkness. We will worry about the technicalities later."
"I thank you for your kind words, Lord Miroku" said Rin as she bent and touched his shoulder. "Rise now and be at peace."
She turned to Sesshomaru who was still standing behind the chair, watching her carefully. "Please summon the Council and the ministers to the throne room."
"That would not be wise" Sesshomaru's voice could have frozen hell itself.
"Arrange for a ceremonial manuscript presentation to be held" Rin continued as though she had not heard him. "I must formally welcome back my librarian. Afterwards, please attend to me in my private sitting room before I meet with the people to begin the celebrations".
"Lord Miroku," she turned to the librarian who was staring at her in frank admiration. "Have you told this story to anyone else?"
"Of course not, Your Majesty" he replied.
"Good" she said. "Let's keep it that way for a while. No doubt I will be divulging everything soon enough. Meanwhile, I order you to take complete rest during this week. After the Kibonosaiten, I would like you to start tracing any descendants of this lost Keeper".
"What guarantee is there that such a person would exist, Your Majesty?" asked Miroku "Because Midoriko had an elder child is no certainty that she had progeny and that her line still exists".
"Of course, there is a certainty" said Rin "The prophecy clearly says so."
"But…"
"No." said Rin as she opened the door and asked the guard to send for her personal assistant.
"We need to make haste. It is nearly time to address the people and light the lamps" said Rin "Come and make an official appearance before the court, Lord Miroku. Afterwards, please take the week off and rest well. I forbid you to do otherwise until after the festivities have ended." She swept out of the room, leaving Miroku and Sesshomaru staring after her.
