"Rise, Lord Miroku" Rin said formally.
The royal librarian had just made his official bow at court and the courtiers – nobles, ministers and Council members- watched with interest. Rin wondered if she was imagining the hostile feeling in the throne room. There had never been any love lost between the queen and most of her courtiers. But this hostility somehow transcended the usual feeling she got. It somehow felt darker…almost evil.
It had been given out that Kagura had accompanied Miroku for his research although Rin suspected many knew the truth or some variation of it. After all, there was no lack of gossip in the palace. Ever since their departure, she had felt a growing disquiet in her heart. Now Miroku was back, but Kagura was not. Rin felt the courtiers eye her mockingly, taunting her silently for an explanation. But her face remained impassive.
"What news, my lord?" she asked Miroku.
She observed the once-charming librarian as he presented her with a beautiful scroll. He had become a shadow of his former self, weakened by injury and burdened by terrible knowledge. However, there was a grim determination to him that was new. The elaborate scroll was one that her personal assistant Koharu had quickly got ready just an hour ago. It was only a proxy to show the nobles but Rin, nevertheless, made a show of perusing it. Had it been the real thing, then also, she would have been handed a ceremonial scroll like this one, only that a detailed manuscript would also have been delivered to her office separately. She saw several courtiers eye Miroku's strangely bandaged right hand while he presented the scroll. However, since he kept his hand hidden within the folds of his robe after that, she hoped it would not lead to too much speculation.
"I see that you have been successful in your mission," Rin stated as she handed the scroll over to Koharu standing quietly behind the dias on which the throne was situated. The prime minister Kaede who sat on the first chair on the left just beside the dias, Rin saw, was frowning at Miroku's hidden hand.
"Indeed, my lady." Miroku said. "My mentor was able to guide me to many ancient scrolls and even helped in translating many of them. I can say with complete confidence that this is a complete study on the life of Midoriko and is truly one of a kind."
The librarian was certainly an accomplished liar for which, in this instance, Rin was duly grateful.
"Very good, my lord," she said. "You shall be amply rewarded for your troubles. And please thank your masters at the monastery and accept a humble donation from me personally, on their behalf."
Miroku bowed and Rin indicated that he may leave.
"Where is the seer, Kagura?"
It was Lord Manten, Hiten's brother. A thunder demon with cannibalistic tendencies, it was a widely known fact that he said and did whatever his elder brother wanted. Manten's position in court was tolerated because everyone was too scared to oppose Hiten, who could be quite ruthless especially when it came to protecting his brother. Rin had never cared for him but had felt her energies could be better spent than in trying to evict him from court.
Manten leered at the queen and his eyes gleamed at her in mockery. His demeanour made Sesshomaru, sprawled elegantly on the queen's right, see red, literally. If not for years of practice, he would have lost control of his enraged demon, who did not like other males leering at what was essentially his. Oblivious to his peril, Manten continued to watch the queen.
"Kagura will be staying on at the monastery for a while longer." Rin returned coolly and did not elaborate any further.
A murmur went through the courtiers as they heard this. But Rin recognized the mockery in Manten's eyes even though he bowed to her in respect.
The distant sound of a bugle penetrated the throne room, indicating the opening of the gates of the palace to the people who would gather in the courtyard. Rin would be addressing them from the balcony adjoining her personal apartments in another hour. She rose gracefully and dismissed the court. They bowed as she swept ahead and turned towards the west wing. She did not notice Lord Hiten watch her with gleaming eyes. The demon was startled out of his brooding when he felt the cold eyes of the priestess Kikyou on him.
XXXX XXXX XXXX
Rin paced restlessly in her private sitting room. She had waved Koharu away as she tried to redress her hair, wishing to be alone for however short a time it was possible to be. Her head was pounding and emotions were rising up in her like a tidal wave. For some time, all she could do was wrestle with them all as she waited for Sesshomaru to arrive.
'I may not be the real queen'. The thought penetrated and abruptly drained her of strength. All her life, she had trained to be the queen, watched over by her domineering father. She had rarely been able to have fun. Other than Kagura, she had no real friends growing up. Even now, she was essentially alone, left to deal with the terrible knowledge that had been thrust upon her. How true it was that you realised how much something meant to you only when it was about to be taken away. Rin cared deeply about her people and was fiercely proud of her ability to make a difference in their lives.
Rin flung herself into her favourite chair and wished Kagura were here right now. Loneliness seemed to oppress her from all sides and she felt like crying for her long-dead mother, to be held in her arms. She did not realise that tears were flowing down her cheeks until she felt strong fingers tipped with deadly claws wipe them away gently. She turned and stared into the golden depths of Sesshomaru's eyes. She hated being seen like this, especially by him. But she could not find the strength to be her usual brisk self. At this moment, she felt all the inadequacies of her young age reduce her will power to dust.
Sesshomaru could not bear to see his Rin break down like this. His nature demanded that he slay all dragons for her, but there were no dragons to slay here, just terrible knowledge. The impotency was eating him alive and he finally did what he had wanted to do for a long time. He scooped her up in his arms and sitting in the chair himself, placed her on his lap. Rin immediately curled up like a cat and settled her head beneath his chin and snuggled. Suddenly it seemed as if all her cares and worries had melted away. Sesshomaru had never been so openly affectionate with her. She felt cherished and protected. It was impossible to be lonely when Sesshomaru, the one whom she had been crushing after for years, held her like this. Rin wondered if she should mention her theory regarding their relationship, but decided she wanted to enjoy this moment more. Both of them sat in silence, content to take comfort in each other's presence.
After a while, Rin spoke.
"Sesshomaru?"
"Hn."
Hearing his characteristic response made her smile.
"Will you do something for me?" she asked.
"You know that I am yours to command."
"Not as a General to his queen," she said "As a friend to another friend. We are friends, right?"
Sesshomaru sighed and rested his cheek against her hair and said, "Rin."
It had been a long time since he had openly called her by name. Rin shivered in pleasure as the single syllable rolled off his tongue in a deep timbre. Sesshomaru unconsciously tightened his hold and allowed himself to enjoy the simple pleasure of holding his mate.
The world continued to darken outside.
XXXX XXXX XXXX
The shadows danced across Kagome's room as she got ready for the bonfire. The sun had almost set, lighting up the city in a swath of reddish orange glow. She was wearing her best dress, which had been a gift from her mother on her 15th birthday, now three years past. She hardly ever wore it except on important days. She sighed a bit as she thought about the last bit of hem that she had let down, in order to accommodate her growing height. Despite this, the dress now reached only down to her ankles, showing the brown boots that she had on. It did not match the dress per se, but it was her best shoes. The dress itself was a deep green colour and the material hugged her body. The neck was heart-shaped and cut low, exposing her graceful neck and giving a hint of cleavage. The sleeves were long and fit her shapely arms. Mayu had stitched it in such a way that it could be altered as Kagome grew. This was a good thing since her body had definitely filled out this year.
Kagome looked at herself in the small mirror in her room. A beautiful young woman looked back at her. For a moment, the shabby clothes dipped her spirits. But then she thought of Inuyasha, about how he did not even have any shoes to wear. She had been thinking a lot about the strange young man she had met on that night, nearly a month ago. She hoped to run into him at the festival tonight. Everyone came to these things and she hoped she would finally get to know him, perhaps even dance with him. A light blush rose to her cheeks as she thought of being encased in his strong arms. She had not seen him stand up, but he had looked quite tall. And all that gorgeous hair… it almost made her jealous. Kagome sighed once again, but there was a simple smile adorning her face now. She skipped out of her room and into shop below, anxious to leave.
Mayu came down the steps slowly and watched Kagome sway to a simple tune that she was humming softly, while she stood in front of the glass window watching the people drift towards the town square. The front door suddenly burst open and Kagome whirled around, only to be almost knocked over by her three very enthusiastic friends, Ayumi, Eri and Yuka. The girls had all grown up together and even though Kagome felt that they were sometimes very silly, she loved them all very dearly. Mayu shook her head fondly as all 4 began to chatter about the upcoming dance around the bonfire. She went to the ledge under the window and lighted the single lamp they had. The rich people decorated their houses with beautiful lamps during the festival. This being the Tenth Circle, not many would be found. But Mayu was determined to burn one every year. The lamp was actually a family heirloom, handed down from her great grandmother.
"Shall we go, girls?" Mayu asked.
"Oh Mama!" Kagome exclaimed. "I didn't see you come down!"
Mayu simply smiled and shepherded all of them outside. All of them had shabby but warm cloaks thrown over their shoulders, since the night was bound to get chilly soon. Mayu shooed the girls ahead while she locked up and followed. The rundown street looked shabbier than ever, with sparse decorations here and there. Waiting at the corner were a few women who lived nearby. Mayu fell into step with them, keeping an eye on Kagome and her friends who walked a little ahead of the older women. Unbeknownst to them all, a silver-haired hanyou was following them along the roof tops.
After arranging with Jinenji to meet up at the town square, Inuyasha followed Kagome. She looked beautiful in her green dress.
'Delicious,' his demon rumbled.
'Shut up, you!' Inuyasha barked at his beast as he tried not to lose his quarry in the crowd below. Very soon, he was forced to jump down and follow them along the street. Many a person scowled at him and moved away, seeing that he was a hanyou. But for the first time in his life, this did not bother Inuyasha. He was wearing a dull red yukata over a threadbare undershirt that had been white a lifetime ago. He rarely wore these clothes anymore because it was difficult to blend in with the dilapidated surroundings of the Tenth Circle. However, during Kibonosaiten, most people dressed in brighter colours than they usually did. Inuyasha loved this yukata. It somehow reminded him of being cared for and loved. He had always worn this yukata when he was younger. It was made out of fire-rat fur which was very rare and magical. These clothes never needed to be washed or mended and protected him from cuts, bruises and burns. However, as he grew older, other demons began to eye the yukata with covetous eyes. So, he kept them hidden in his underground home and took to wearing threadbare hand-me-downs and other rags that he found.
As he walked towards the central square where they would light the bonfire, Inuyasha made sure to keep with the crowd, in case Mayu or Kagome spotted him, although he was pretty sure that neither would recognize him. He walked in bare feet with his hands thrust inside the sleeves of the yukata; the cold rarely bothered him when he was wearing his fire-rat robes.
"So, Kagome," began Ayumi "Who is it?"
Kagome blinked at her friend in confusion. She turned to the others for an explanation, but Eri and Yuka had a strange teasing glint in their eyes.
"Who is who?" Kagome asked, a little disturbed by her friends' apparent descent into insanity.
"The boy you dressed up for" Yuka replied promptly.
"W-What boy?" Kagome asked a little nervously, pink dusting her cheeks.
Break-ins were common in the Tenth Circle and Kagome had always told her friends whenever they experienced one. But she had never told them about Inuyasha. She did not want to share even his memory with anyone else. Now she wondered if her crazy friends were psychic as well.
"Don't play dumb, Kagome," Eri admonished, shaking a finger in front of her face. "You usually just put on a dress. But today, you seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to look pretty."
"No, I haven't!" Kagome said, even though she had in fact raided Mayu's old make-up box while getting ready. But she did not want to tell her friends that she was hoping to run into Inuyasha, since she would first have to tell them who he was and she did not want to do that either. The interrogation continued all the way to the central square and Kagome's face looked like a ripe tomato by the time they reached it.
The central square had once held a beautiful fountain. Now it was just a huge bowl of dull stone, with no water and a pile of stones in the place of whatever might have been the centre piece. The people now used this fountain to build the bonfire. As Kagome and her friends reached the square, they saw a huge pile of wood stacked in the middle of the empty fountain, ready to be lighted at sundown. Seeing the fountain used like this always upset Kagome, but she had learned to hide it as the years passed. Now she turned her back on the fountain and continued chatting with her friends. She would only turn back, once the bonfire was lit and she need not see the dilapidated remains of the once-beautiful fountain.
A flash of silver caught her eye and Kagome looked up to see a young man, a demon by the looks of him, with flowing silver hair. He wore a dull red yukata which looked strangely majestic on him. What caught her attention was the twitching white puppy ears peeking out from the top of his head. She had an insane desire to rub them between her fingers. The demon was certainly handsome, but what spiked her curiosity was that, she could have sworn that he was looking at her a moment before. As she watched him discreetly, she saw him move to the shadows and speak with a hulking shape. It seemed he had a huge demon friend. Kagome had seen many demons. The city was a mix of many races and unlike many humans, she did not have any prejudice against demons.
"What are you looking at, Kagome?" Ayumi asked.
"Huh? Oh… uh…nothing." Kagome said, having forgotten her friends' presence. "I was just looking for my mother."
But as the friends continued to chat, the face of the silver-haired demon did not leave Kagome's mind. She had a strange feeling that she knew him from somewhere, although she was certain that she had never seen him before in her entire life. Features like his, especially those puppy ears, were kind of hard to forget.
"Kagome?"
She turned to see her mother beckon to her from the shade of a building. The sun had set and the ceremony was about to begin. Kagome excused herself and went to her mother.
"Why are you standing in the dark, Mama?" Kagome asked as she reached her mother's side. "The bonfire is about to be lit."
Mayu said nothing, but looked around with a grim look.
"Mama?" Kagome lightly touched her mother's hands and was surprised to feel them tremble.
"Kagome…" Mayu whispered "Can you not feel it? The cold wind?"
"Huh?" Kagome said "Mama, its after sundown and winter is almost here. Of course, there is a cold wind."
Mayu shook her head slightly. "No child. This is not the weather. Something bad is going to happen. Stay close to me." She pulled Kagome further back into the side of the building.
"Maybe we should go home," she muttered to herself.
Mayu had been feeling uneasy all day. And as she neared the town square, the feeling had only become worse. She did not understand why, but a nameless fear gripped her heart. She thought about going back home with Kagome. But the streets would be empty now. What if someone attacked them? Seeing the safety in numbers, she decided to stay in the square with the other people. Meanwhile, Kagome was becoming very worried about her mother. She did not understand what Mayu was muttering. She suddenly felt quite young and helpless. She did not know what to do.
"Do you feel it, Jinenji?" Inuyasha asked. They were hidden between two buildings. They did not have a clear view of the bonfire, but neither of them minded that very much. In fact, Jinenji had only come because Inuyasha had insisted. The latter kept his eyes trained on Kagome and Mayu. He wondered why they were huddled by the side of a building instead of up front like the other people. He was pretty sure that the both of them had been in the front a short while ago. He looked up and saw the entire city wrapped in darkness; not even a lamp winked anywhere. The first bonfire would be lit at the palace. Only after that would it be lit at the central squares of each Circle. If he squinted, he could make out the tallest towers of the palace rising against the inky black sky.
"Feel what?" Jinenji asked.
"The silence."
It was rather quiet, except for a howling wind that seemed to be picking up. The people were also murmuring in low voices now. The happy chatter and laughter were long gone. Everyone was looking about uneasily. Inuyasha looked up and saw a black mass of angry clouds gather across the sky. The entire city seemed to be swallowed up in darkness.
"Is it going to rain?" Jinenji wondered.
"No," Inuyasha said quietly. "Something is about to happen. I feel it in my bones." After all, his instincts were yet to fail him. His beast was restless, demanding he protect Kagome. He moved out of the mouth of the alleyway where they had been waiting and slowly began to walk closer to Kagome and Mayu. It was a good thing that they were standing at the edge of the crowd as otherwise, he would have had to push between people to reach them, drawing attention to himself.
"Yasha!" Jinenji whisper-yelled at his friend who was moving out into the open. He did not like crowds and did not want to follow. Inuyasha looked back and gestured for him to stay where he was. The two women were only a few paces ahead of him. He turned back and saw Jinenji's worried face peek out from the alleyway. His heart skipped a beat and his beast roared. Following an ancient instinct, Inuyasha leapt and tackled Kagome and Mayu to the ground just as a dark wind rushed past them and an explosion shook the earth.
