New Work
A/N: So I was requested to do a steampunk AU by kokoronagomu and I'm quite pleased to present you the result. I hope it's to your liking! Tell me what you think about it!
o0o
Kagome was thanking all gods she could think of that she wasn't alone. She barely knew the other woman - a beautiful girl with brown hair and honest smile - but it was still nice to have a companion. The woman was just a little older than herself and her name was Sango. She was a skilled warrior, trained to exterminate vile youkai - according to Sango it was a family tradition.
Kagome knew family traditions all to well - she herself was from family of mikos and priests. She had been living in her family shrine her entire life, under care of her mother and great aunt Kaede - the former sharing with her all knowledge and skill a young woman should possess while the latter teaching her how to use her immense spiritual powers.
Now Kagome had no one of her family at her side to guide her, she was an adult, independent woman after all, a well-trained priestess. Too independent and too strong willed to be a housewife. That was why Kagome had decided to be a miko - mikos were allowed much more freedom in society, they could work and earn money without being looked down at, carry weapons walk around without a companion or even be alone in company of men not related by blood.
And Kagome wanted to do just that. That was why she was now sitting in a carriage approaching highly secured Musashi station. That was why she was making sure she was looking her best in the traditional miko attire. That was why she was anxious and excited. And, by look of it, Sango had the same feelings - the youkai slayer was holding the hilt of her short sword tightly, looking around with wide opened eyes. They had talked before, but now they both were too nerous to continue a conversation, all their thoughts focused on the job which was awaiting them.
The carriage stopped and a man opened the door.
"Ladies, we arrived at Musashi station," he said quietly. He offered his hand to help them get out of the vehicle and stepped aside, letting them see the station itself.
It was a big field, flat and covered in grass, a thick wire fence surrounding it. There were also buildings in the eastern corner of the field, near the gate beside which their carriage stood - a tall tower watching over a huge shed and an ellegant building meant for travellers to rest and wait in. The only trees and bushes were growing around them - all groomed and in perfect condition. She noticed guards - youkai and humans in black outfits - standing on both sides of the gate and patrolling the whole place in pairs. Everything was huge, but nothing could measure up in size against the zeppelin of enormous size in the westeern part of the field. Kagome gasped, unable to look away from it.
"And this is Ah-Un, Lord of the Western Youkai's private airship," the man chuckled softly. "Pride of Totosai Corporation."
"I saw it in a newspaper, but the picture didn't prepare me for the size of it," Sango confessed. The man shrugged and turned to a tanuki running from the tower to their small group.
"I think mister Hachi will explain everything to you. Have a good day, miss Higurashi and miss Taijiya."
"Thank you," Kagome bowed politely. The women watched the tanuki approach them - he seemed to be an easy-going person, wearing a wide smile and bowing to them. He was dressed in black uniform with red crescent moons on his collar - nn outfit of a medium rank servant of the West.
"Good day to you, miss Higurashi and miss Taijiya, I am Hachi of Tanuki Clan and today I will be your guide," the youkai said in a kind voice. Kagome relaxed a bit - meeting youkai was usually a stressful thing to her since mikos were often actively working to kill them - at least those who were unwilling to fit in the mixed society. Still, many youkai living peacefully alongside humans, didn't like mikos. Or youkai slayers. It was nice to see their guide had no hate for people of their professions.
After exchanging pleasantries the tanuki led the two young women in direction of the shadow cast by the zeppelin. From closer distance Kagome could see that the gondola was covered in ornaments resembling dragon scales and other features. The balloon was painted - it was the dragon's wings, spread proudly above it. It had to look stunning in the air.
A few mem were working around Ah-Un, but none stopped to watch two laies following the tanuki up a set of movable stairs and into the luxorious looking contraption. Hachi was a perfect guide - talking all the time and only sometimes letting his followers ask questions. He told them how happy he was that master Jaken had chosen them from all the candidates applying. He told them a lot about various parst of Ah-Un, filling their heads with terms and complicate descriptions. And all of it while walking, showing them where the passangers would stay. where were private Lord's rooms, where the kitchesn and pilot's chamber were, where technicians had their mechanisms and tools...
...And suddenly they were in front of plain brown door.
"Well, and rhere's the security room," the tanuki said and looked at the girls before opening the door and leading them in.
"...And when she tripped I saw her calf!"
"You're sick, Miroku."
Kagome looked around a room with simple, practical furniture and walls painted brown, a board hanging on one wall, a few closed cabinets and shelves located around the room, but almost all of it wasn't registered because of the end of the conversation she heard. Her eyes rested on a man sitting beside a table under an opened window. He was handsome, his black hair were tied in a short ponytail, his black uniform hugging his body in a way which would make almost all Kagome's friends blush and sigh in awe. His dark eyes had sparks of excitement when he looked at the newcomers.
The other man was sitting on the windowsill, his back turned at the room. All Kagome could see was a waterfall of silver bound with red scarf on the nape of his neck. To her surprise he had also white furry ears on top of his head - he was a youkai, which was not surprising since many humans and youkai were serving under Lord of the West. It was just rare to see a white dog, Kagome knew only about two inu youkai, one being the Lord of the West himself and another his younger brother about whom she heard just rumors. He had a katana on his hip.
"Oh, goodness!" the black-haired man exclaimd and jumped to his feet to greet them. "Two most beautiful women of Japan graced our humble selves with their presence! Pray, tell me, fair ladies, what can we do for you today? Hachi, is there any problem?" he looked at all three of them with a wide, charming smile. Both women blushed and were unsure how to answer, not used to such flattery.
"Those are miss Kagome Higurashi who is a miko and miss Sango Taijiya who is a youkai slayer," Hachi introduced them properly. "They're the new security officers. Ladies, this is mister Miroku, our monk and... Inuyasha of the West, the head of Ah-Un's security team."
Both women greeted Miroku with a smile, but upon hearing the name Hachi uttered next Kagome's gaze drifted to the white-haired man, who turned to look at them. She felt her heart skip a beat when their eyes met - her dark brown, his bright amber. He was probably more handsome than Miroku, but the scowl he had on his face was making him appear annoyed and unapproachable. His ears swiveled her way even when he turned to look at the tanuki.
"Hachi, if Sesshomaru hears you calling me that he'll gut you," Inuyasha warned and jumped inside the room. As soon as he stood on the floor he folded his arms in front of his chest and eyed the women, tilting his head a little. Kagome knew he was examining them, so she didn't look away from him, showing him she was not afraid. Both Inuyasha and Miroku had crescent moons, but white instead of red - it was a sign of their high rank.
"So you will work with us?" Miroku asked the girls.
"Yes, we are determined to do our best," Sango gave a nod of affirmation.
"That's wonderful! Miss Sango, miss Kagome, I am here if you need anything, all you need is to ask and all I require as a payment is a chance to press my..." a clawd hand clasped on his mouth prevented him from saying another word. Inuyasha growled at his partner.
"Don't listen to him, he's a lech," Inuyasha said. "If he offends you or something just kick his ass, I'm sure you can fight, you'd not get this work otherwise. He won't do anythin', just talks like a moron."
"Mmmf!" disagreed Miroku.
Kagome wasn't sure at which man she should stare - at the monk trying to free his head from the iron grip of his youkai partner or at the youkai himself. She had heard that the Lord's younger brother was an brash and rude person, but she had never dreamt about meeting him - and in the Lord's security service! She chose to stare at the latter, finding his intense yellow eyes and twitching fuzzy ears much more appealing that the former man's features.
"Have a problem with hanyou, miko?" he growled at her, obviously unhappy of her stare. Kagome blinked and blushed, looking down immediately.
"I'm sorry, I was just surprised by your statement," she said softly. "I bear no ill will towards youkai or hanyou," she added. It was pretty obvious, the daiyoukai wouldn't allow a youkai-hating human work for him because he hated when his servants were wasting energy for hating each other. Sango quickly added her own apology, Kagome realized the other woman probably had been staring as well. She prayed Sango's stare target wasn't the cute-eared man in front of them.
"We will remember your advice, Inuyasha," Sango added and looked at Miroku who sighed.
"I'm not that bad..."
"Yes, you are," Hachi voiced his opinion on the matter and visibly shrank when Miroku glared at him. "You will take each of our new security officers as your partners for the next month, so they can get used to everything, master Jaken suggests that miss Higurashi should work with Inuyasha and miss Taiyija with you, Miroku. This way Ah-Un will be always protected by a person wielding spiritual power and a fighter."
The group of four people he was talking to looked at each other, Kagome felt a new wave of excitement and had to swallow a giggle when she saw his ears swived her way.
"Ah-Un is leaving in two hours, maybe we could go and have some lunch?" Miroku suggested.
"That sounds nice," Sango agreed. "We could discuss our duties and learn a little about each other."
"Better grab something to eat before Sesshomaru arrives from his meeting with the human government," Inuyasha turned to the window. "Rin is with him so I'm pretty sure someon will try to attack us on the way to the Sky Palace," he glanced at three humans and the tanuki. "I caught scent of some ugly youkai some time earlier."
"What type?" Sango asked. Everyone knew one could trust an inu youkai's nose.
"Birds. So... I'll order chicken for everyone, get going, we'll meet in the restaurant," with those words he leapt out of the room, leaving the rest of Ah-Un's crew to stare after him through the window.
"Chicken, huh? Ladies, shall we follow our dog-eared friend?" Miroku said with a wide smile
"Um, yes, but let's use the door," Kagome uttered.
A/N: So? Is it bad? Is it decent? It's definetely waaay too long for a Barks chapter, but I don't want to cut it in two.
Also remember - two more people can request Barks cuz we're approaching 50 chapters