Kagome Hurt: Chapter 19

An oddly composed Kagome retraced her steps through those hidden corridors that brought her such a startling discovery. With the truly delicate parchment carefully situated under her arm, she retrieved her slipper and made sure the hidden door closed properly with her on the public side of the common hallway. A quick glance around helped to embed the nondescript junction in her memory as she also wrote a mental memo to ask Kooranai about a swifter route to gain access to that computer.

Ye gods.

It still boggled her mind to think about the paradox waiting for her in that room. So many questions were engendered just by that simple piece of appliance common in her era. None of the least of which included just who Rukio Tai was.

The reason why a miko was needed seemed obvious to her. This far into the past, useful electricity had not been harnessed, and while a miko's abilities could encompass such a feat, with no reason to try, no one had thought about it. She just itched to get her hands on the diary the parchment indicated was recorded on the computer.

The primary obstacle to that goal was in getting the scroll translated. Secondary was to actually follow and understand the directions in order to provide the electricity needed.

But then again, even before that, Kagome's recently logical mind provided a caveat to her primary obstacle. She did not have the capabilities to translate the Spanish and German paragraphs here in the Feudal Era. That meant she'd have to go home. Ergo, she'd have to convince Sesshoumaru to let her go, which opened a vastly different can of worms.

Before the stunning accusations from Inuyasha had caused her to mentally develop in such a fashion, the original Kagome would have just waltzed up to the Youkai lord and demanded her freedom, never mind the fact that she had obligations, self-imposed or otherwise. With her icy detachment from fiery emotional responses, Kagome took another mental step back from the situation and realized she would have to come up with a very solid reason or justification for her returning to her 'lands'.

Just as she rounded the corner in the hall to her room, her door opened to emit a large mound of clothing seemingly hovering over legs clad in a maid's outfit in demure style and subtle colors. Right on the heels of the first, another mound of clothes exited followed by the chiding voice of Marissa.

"And remember now, those are the Great Miko Kagome-sama's garments so be extra careful not to damage them. I want them laid out so that I can inspect them before we put them away."

Only a low grumbling answered from the two moving mounds, but compared to what a harassed maid could sound like, this was a distinct sign they felt the mistress they currently were serving actually deserved the care Marissa was insisting on.

Kagome watched in bemused confusion from the shadows only a few yards away as the twin mounds of the clothes she had incidentally gathered during her stay here moved off in the opposite direction.

Marissa whisked back into Kagome's room and when the miko moved to the doorway, she saw the maid delicately packing toiletries, the hair accessories she used for the court banquets and other assorted odds and ends.

"Why are my clothes being absconded?"

There was a small 'eep' as Marissa whirled to the doorway with demon's swiftness. Kagome felt only the slightest smirk forming on her face. She had been able to hide her scent and actions from a youkai, and track Marissa's movements through a combination of her training and miko instinct. Even though she was now clothesless, Kagome was pleased with the only minimal mischief she allowed herself these days.

"My lady!" Marissa began, but quickly ducked her head in a manner that exposed a small portion of her throat due to the chastising look the miko gave.

"Erm, Kagome..."

A raven winged brow arched, but she didn't reply.

"Sesshoumaru-sama has ordered that you move into a different room. He said that this room was needed to house a late coming lower Lord."

At this, those raven brows decided to meet in the middle and squish the skin in between. Marissa just looked slyly at her mistress waiting to see if she understood the implications.

Kagome cautiously asked, "So... If a lord is to be given this room," she pauses looking at her somewhat austere surroundings, "Does that mean all of the lesser rooms have been taken?"

Kagome was still a bit puzzled over Youkai etiquette that insisted those who did not have a high fixed position like the Cardinal Lords had to start on a somewhat equal footing and progress socially as their lord found value in their services.

As she thought it through, Marissa's smirk grew and she began fussing over the items to be transported again.

If this lower lord needed her room, which was certainly better than a good majority of the others, then that meant all of the lower caste rooms were taken. If she had to move, then that would mean only the higher caste rooms were left. She was moving into a higher caste room?

"A suite, you silly ningen. Lord Sesshoumaru is showing that he thinks you have value. Certainly more than any lower lord who could not arrive in a timely fashion."

Kagome directed a cutting eye toward the maid who had finished with her fussing and was herding the miko toward the door. As the two women exited, they left behind a bare room ready for occupancy and a lingering jasmine and night scent that had been absorbed over the course of the miko's stay. That lower lord would certainly feel soothed during his nights.

The door smoothly shut as the muffled words of the kitsune to the miko faded into the distance.

"You'll just love the terrace. It overlooks Rin-chan's suite across the inner gardens and is in the family's wing..."

------

The one and only icy, imperturbable stoic demon lord Sesshoumaru was back to doing something in his study he wanted no one to witness. His movements were swift, elegant, deadly even with their conservation of energy despite the fact that the pacing itself was due to - nerves.

Uh-huh. Sesshoumaru was currently just a wee bit nervous. His face and eyes would never show it, as ingrained as the habit was, but his legendary control over his body had silently frayed over the course of the day. Ever since he had done the unthinkable, and made a foolish command. Now he was waiting for the fruits of his labor to come storming into his office demanding an explanation. One he was all too loathe to give, since it would mean delving into the exact reasons why he had chosen to evict his miko hostess from her comfortable locale.

Over the course of her month's stay at his castle, Sesshoumaru had only recently found himself patrolling the halls in close proximity to her room when her presence had not intersected with his for a prolonged amount of time. During those patrols as he called them, very important those patrols, the Lord had noticed the necessity of roaming a fair bit before arriving at the miko's hall.

In his subconscious where his chibi-lord lurked, it was an entire waste of time just to travel from his side of the castle with the high caste suites all the way over to her wing despite his phenomenal speed. Somehow, these thoughts melded into a decree reminiscent of that mongrel when the late lower lord arrived and presented him an opportunity.

The icy male froze mid-step.

The faintest hints of jasmine snaked subtly into his study. It seems the chit was not even bothering to hide her approach. For some youkai, it might appear to be an insult, that she felt they weren't able to sense her under normal shields and circumstances. But Sesshoumaru, as much as it galled him to admit, even to his chibi-lord, knew the miko's habits. She was more likely respecting his position and abilities he held. She wouldn't be able to sneak up on him anyway, so why bother? If, by some hades induced fluke, she did approach without him knowing, it was his obligation to dispose of the threat to his lands. Again, so why bother?

By the time the night power in her scent matched the jasmine, the Taiyoukai was as composed as the block of ice Kagome so often compared him to. He was seated at a table when he bid the miko entrance. That positioning could mean several things. He could believe that whoever was with him was of no threat. It could mean that the Cardinal Lord admitted he was in fact 'lower' than the other occupant... Or...

Or, it could simply mean that he was comfortable with Kagome's presence. That he trusted her subconsciously enough to put himself at a momentarily weak position so that he could appear busy and not nervously anticipating her questions.

An gamine face popped through the doorway, azure eyes shielded but curious. Her glossy hair fell over a shoulder and its silken lengths rippled with the mellow light of the lamps and candles. She studied his face. His attention was presumably on the scrolls and assorted reports before him.

With no further invitation forthcoming, Kagome padded lightly into the study closing off the study after crossing the aperture.

When the stubborn male only flicked a gold eye in her direction, as much acknowledgment as she was going to get, Kagome sighed and seated herself on a cushion opposite the demon lord with the table between.

"I have a request."

The reply was immediate as Sesshoumaru completed a brush stroke creating a character in the youkai script.

"No. I am not allowing you to relocate once again. Dissension will not be sown among the servants which will occur if you insist upon moving after all they have done."

He never looked up. Confidence or cowardice?

"It... It isn't about changing rooms, Lord Sesshoumaru."