I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this up, I'm especially sorry to those who have been waiting my loyal viewers...It was difficult to find the time to post...anyways, here we go!
Kagome woke up when she felt Sesshomaru move against her. She cracked her eyes open to see the sun was just beginning to rise. She twisted her head slightly to look back at Sesshomaru, who's eyes had just opened as well. He looked down at her, then leaned forward slightly to nuzzle her neck, inhaling her scent. Kagome closed her eyes and smiled, hearing him purr.
"Good morning Sesshomaru." Kagome muttered, laying her arm along her side. She was surprised when she felt something fluffy resting across her hip. Her hands ran through the soft fur of Sesshomaru's tail.
"Good morning." Sesshomaru breathed against her neck, nipping lightly when he felt her fingers caress his tail. He closed his eyes and growled lightly as she continued to stroke his tail.
Kagome rolled over so she was laying on her back, looking up at him. He claimed her lips in a quick kiss, before pulling away from her. Kagome whimpered at the loss of him against her. He looked back at her and smirked. "The other Lords are coming today. I must leave you now. You need to get ready for when they arrive." then he turned serious. "When they get here, I want you to stay close."
"Hai, Sesshomaru." Kagome nodded, sitting up.
"I will come and get you soon." he stated, before leaving the room.
'I forgot the other Lords would be coming today.' Kagome thought, then rolled out of bed and began to get ready.
"Inuyasha..." Shippo complained, grumbling irritably. They had spent most of the night walking. Inuyasha glanced back, forcing back a laugh at the face the kitsune gave him.
"Inuyasha, we have walked far enough today. Let us rest." Miroku stated, ever the one to keep the peace.
"Feh." Inuyasha replied though he had to admit they did look tired. He walked over to a near by tree and simply sat down.
Shippo curled up in Sango's lap and feel asleep instantly. The kitsune had rarely left Sango's side. After all, who was he going to talk to if not her? Miroku sat down beside Sango and sighed.
"Houshi?" Sango questioned, knowing there was something behind that sigh.
"We have asked a lot of villagers and none of them have seen her. Why continue in this direction?" Miroku huffed silently. He didn't want to wake the kitsune and dampen his returning happiness.
Sango shrugged then looked to the Hanyou sitting beneath a large oak tree. "He's leading us. Ask him."
Inuyasha had been unsure about going this direction to begin with. But he had caught something on the wind. This was his brother's territory, so of coarse he could faintly smell him. But Inuyasha was sure he smelled Kagome too. It worried him slightly that Kagome's scent was mixed with his ever present brother's scent. It worried him even more when he had picked up other Youkai's scents. Powerful Youkai that could be nothing other than Lords. If they had just been wandering monsters, his brother would've dispatched them by now.
Glancing at the sun, Inuyasha figured they would reach Sesshomaru's Palace within three days. Inuyasha smirked, trying to imagine his brother's face at his arrival.
Sesshomaru walked in the study, surprised to find all three Guardians there. Roku, Reshki's brother, stood against the far wall. He was a tiger demon, well muscled. He wore the same kind of attire as Reshki. A tight shirt and loose pants. Roku was the more serious of the brothers, the stronger one as well. He had faint lines that shown on his face, neck, and arms. He had short, golden hair that was just long enough to hang slightly in his eyes. Roku's eyes were like Sesshomaru's. They gave away nothing.
Kari and Reshki looked up when their Lord entered the room, smelling of Kagome. But neither smiled. They knew he would be mad at Roku for not sending word of what was going on in the South.
"Kari, Reshki, leave us." Sesshomaru stated, standing still where he stood. Reshki and Kari jumped up from where they were sitting and immediately left the room. Roku's gaze never left his Lord. Once the other two were gone, Sesshomaru spoke again. "Report."
"As you thought, it was a demon behind the attacks. What kind and where is information I have not been able to come by. The only people awake during the attack was a servent. And they seem to have 'forgotten' that night. If they knew anything, believe me, they would've talked." Roku stated, meeting his Lord's gaze.
"Who is Kouga bringing with him?" Sesshomaru asked, knowing Roku would've come up with that information as well.
"Himself, and his Guardians. Lesser Lords in his area. That is all." Roku answered.
"And are they cleared?" Sesshomaru asked.
"They are all clean." Roku answered. Sesshomaru nodded.
"Get everything ready for when the Lord's are to arrive." was his last order. Roku bowed, then walked fluidly out of the room. Sesshomaru had a feeling that the attacker would make a presence at the gathering.
"Kari." Sesshomaru stated, knowing the demoness had appeared without turning to look at her.
"Yes, my Lord?" Kari asked.
"I am assigning you to protect Kagome." Sesshomaru stated, turning to look at his Guardian's.
"Yes, my Lord." Kari bowed, about to leave when Sesshomaru stopped her with a dark look.
"Kari, know this. If Kagome is hurt, then your pain will be ten times worse. Do you understand? She will spend most of her time around me, but I cannot take her with me to the meeting." Sesshomaru growled. Kari had never seen her Lord so serious before now.
"Y-yes, my Lord." Kari bowed once more, then scampered out of sight.
By the time Kagome was satisfied with the way she looked, a light knock came to her door. It was late in the afternoon and she had taken a considerable amount of time to get ready. Kagome smoothed the dark purple kimono around her hips before moving to open the door. Sesshomaru stood, looking down at her.
'She's beautiful.' was all he could think. She stood before him in a dark kimono, her hair brushed until it shone with a raven like glimmer. She looked up at him, her eyes asking if he approved. With how she looked, and her scent, he was fighting not to reach out and ravish her right there.
"How do I look?" Kagome asked, twirling slightly. Her hair fanned out, then rested on her shoulders in waves.
"Good." he breathed, causing Kagome to blush. Then Kagome looked down his length, looking at he what he was wearing. Instead of the usual white and red clothes he normally wore, he had on black and silver. Kagome gasped and brought her hand to her lips, staring at how good he looked.
"Come, we have to greet the other Lords." Sesshomaru stated, breaking the silence. He offered her his arm and she took it, a small smile claiming her lips.
They both walked to the front gates, where the other Lords and Ladies would be arriving. They both stood by the door, Sesshomaru on the left, Kagome on the right and slightly behind him. The sun was still high in the sky and a light breeze kept the weather fair. The first demons to appear looked like snake Youkai. They had sharp features and extremely thin bodies. The female had light green eyes and, who must've been her husband, had dark green eyes. Both walked over followed by six or seven others.
"Lord Rashka and Lady Sylvani. The West welcomes you." Sesshomaru stated in the traditional greeting.
"We are honored, Lord Sesshomaru. The East humbly accepts your hospitality and agree to this being a neutral meeting." Lord Rashka and Lady Sylvani stated in unison, repeating the traditional phrase. They both bowed then walked through the doors followed by their servants and children.
The next to walk up looked like dragon Youkai. They had leathery wings and were quite tall. They had more dragon features then human. They both had the head of a dragon, and the long neck of a dragon as well. They did have longer arms and legs, but the male was thicker with muscle, while the female looked almost delicate. Their skin looked kind of rough and they matched Sesshomaru inch for inch. "Lord Derenti and Lady Ventai. The West welcomes you." Sesshomaru greeted once more.
"We are honored, Lord Sesshomaru." Lord Derenti stated, his voice deep like rumbling boulders. "The North humbly accepts your hospitality and agree to this being a neutral meeting." They both bowed and walked inside, followed by their children and servants.
After them, came a single Lord. He approached Sesshomaru arrogantly, followed by only four others. This demon had to be wolf. He wore armor instead of nicer clothes like the rest. "Lord Kouga. The West welcomes you." Sesshomaru stated, slight annoyance in his voice.
If Kouga heard it, he pretended not to. "I am honored, Lord Sesshomaru. The South humbly accepts your hospitality and agree to this being a neutral meeting." Kouga replied, almost in a bored tone. Kagome knew these two were not the type to get along. Kouga gave Kagome a once over, before walking in followed by four males.
"Come, Kagome." Sesshomaru barely contained his growl, following Kouga into the large ball room. Kagome was surprised when they entered the extremely large room. It was filled with people who were mingling and sitting, even dancing.
"Stick close." Sesshomaru stated. Kagome nodded, then glanced behind her, smiling to see Kari in a light green kimono to match her eyes. Reshki walked beside her, wearing his usual outfit of black. And a large tiger demon walking beside him, wearing the same as Reshki, only the outfit had an orange tint to it. Kari returned Kagome's smile.
Kagome glanced around her, seeing every kind of Youkai imaginable. Who knew that there were so many different kinds. She caught snippets of gossip as they passed some. Most females either glared her way or sneered, while Kagome blushed at some of the looks she was receiving from the males.
Sesshomaru approached the dragon Lord from earlier. "Lord Derenti." Sesshomaru stated.
"Ah, Lord Sesshomaru. Me and my mate were just talking about you." Derenti rumbled, pulling his mate closer, who smiled easily. Kagome noticed two other Dragon Youkai close, but they were more human in characteristics. 'They must be Lord Derenti's children.' Kagome thought, then saw two snake Youkai and two wolf Youkai standing close, glaring suspiciously at anyone, including Kagome."Those four are Guardians." Kari whispered to Kagome. Kagome looked at Kari.
"Why does Lord Derenti and Lady Ventai have four Guardians, while Sesshomaru only has three?" Kagome asked.
"When a demon Lord takes a mate, he gets another Guardian's to help watch over her. All other Youkai lords do this, except for Kouga. He had four because his mother ordered him to get four." Kari explained, standing closer to Kagome.
"How have you been, Sesshomaru?" Kagome heard the dragon Youkai rumble.
"I have been good as all ways." Sesshomaru replied. The dragon Youkai were the only Lords Sesshomaru remotely trusted.
"Sesshomaru, where are your manners? Introduce us to your guest." Ventai pretend scolded.
Sesshomaru took Kagome's hand and drew her forward slightly. "Lord Derenti, Lady Ventai, this is Lady Kagome." Sesshomaru introduced them. Ventai smiled at the human. 'I never thought I'd see the day when Sesshomaru had a human guest, and a female Miko non the less.' Lady Ventai thought happily.
"Hello, my dear. Has Sesshomaru been treating you well? He has this reputation for being harsh." Ventai chuckled, seeing Kagome ease slightly.
"He has been quite kind, my Lady." Kagome replied, returning the demoness's smile.
"Please, just call me Ventai." Ventai smiled, taking Kagome's arm in hers. "Come, let's leave these males to talk. We would not like to embarrass them with our brilliance." Kagome immediately decided she liked Ventai.
Sesshomaru shot Kari a glance, silently warning her. Kari quickly took off, following Kagome and the Lady demon through the crowd.
"My apologies, Sesshomaru. You know how my mate can be." Derenti chuckled. Sesshomaru nodded.
"No need to apologize." he stated.
"Since when have you been interested in females?" Derenti out right laughed at that statement. "No insult intended, my friend. But in all my years alive, never have I seen you with a female for longer then an hour or two."
Sesshomaru allowed a small smile appear on his lips. He guessed the Dragon Lord was his friend. "She is more then a mere female, Derenti." Sesshomaru replied.
"Ah, a future mate perhaps?" the dragon asked, smiling. Sesshomaru chuckled.
"Come now, Derenti. We have much more important matters to discuss." Sesshomaru attempted to change the subject.
"And plenty of time to discuss them. Let us speak easy now for there will surely be arguments later." Derenti replied, catching Sesshomaru around the shoulders. "Now tell me more of this female that has caught your eye."
Ventai led the human Miko over to where they were serving drinks. "It is nice to have someone to talk to finally. I never thought Sesshomaru would find someone." Ventai chuckled at the blush that spread across Kagome's face.
A servant poured them both a glass of something sweet. "Now, Miko, tell me about your self." Ventai prompted, wanting to get a response from the human woman.
"You...don't care that I'm human? Or even a Miko?" Kagome asked in surprise.
Ventai smiled. "Of coarse not! If Sesshomaru deems you good, that is all the assurance I need. I hold no grudges like other demons do. Why, my lands are full of human villages." Ventai explained. Kagome smiled."With all this fuss going on, I'm surprised Sesshomaru has found the time to court someone." Ventai muttered off-handedly.
"..."Kagome was speechless. Ventai noticed her lack of reply then tilted her head a little bit.
"Do you not like Sesshomaru?" Ventai questioned, sipping her drink.
"Well...no..that is..I do...but..." Kagome didn't know what to say.
"Ahh...I see." Ventai muttered. 'Oh Sesshomaru, ever the silent one. I can see you desire her. Why not just tell her and get it over with?' Ventai thought, then sighed.
"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see." Ventai smiled once more.
"What about you and Lord Derenti?" Kagome asked, hoping to change the subject.
Ventai got a dreamy look in her light blue eyes. "I have been his mate for nearly two hundred years."
"Two hundred years!" Kagome repeated, shocked.
"Yes. A good two hundred years at that. And two children." Ventai stated, then glanced about. "Where have those two ran off to?"
Ventai must've seen someone she knew, because she waved them over. A female Wolf Youkai appeared. She was one of the wolf Youkai that Kari had said were Guardians.
"Tesh, go find my children and bring them to me." Ventai asked. The female bowed, then disappeared into the crowd.
"I have a son about your age in human years, his name is Tsume, and a daughter a little younger. Her name is Suki. Ah, here they are." Ventai stated, looking at the approaching demons. Kagome was surprised to see that neither of the children took after their parents. Instead of mostly dragon features, both had more human features. The son, Tsume, was tall, with long black hair. He was built much like Sesshomaru.
And following behind him was a shorter demon, with hair down to her ankles. Her golden hair flowed behind her, and her green eyes held mischief.
"Yes, mother. You called for us?" Suki asked, looking at Kagome and smiling.
"Yes. Meet Sesshomaru's guest, Kagome." Ventai introduced. Tsume took her hand and placed a kiss on it.
"It is nice to meet you, Lady Kagome." he greeted smoothly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Kagome smiled.
"Oi, brother, move." Suki shoved Tsume, who scowled down at her. "Hello, my name is Suki. Excuse my brother, he often gets caught up in all this formal crap."
"Suki." Ventai scolded. Suki flashed her mother a pout.
"Behave." Ventai scolded, but her voice lost all of its anger.
"Where is father?" Tsume asked, looking to his mother.
"He is speaking with Lord Sesshomaru over at our table." Ventai answered. Tsume excused himself and went to find his father.
"How old are you?" Suki asked, not even noticing her brother's disappearance.
"Nine-teen." Kagome answered.
"Wow! I keep forgetting humans age quicker then demons. Oh well." Suki muttered, grabbing something to drink. Kagome looked around, seeing a particular group of females glaring in her direction.
Suki followed her gaze and scowled at the females. "Don't mind them. They're just jealous." Suki stated, sipping her sweet drink.
Kagome faced Suki. "Jealous of what?" Kagome asked. 'What would a bunch of demons be jealous of?' Kagome thought, her face scrunching up in confusion.
Suki laughed. "A lot of females have paretically thrown themselves at Sesshomaru. They are jealous because he showed up with you."
"But that doesn't mean anything." Kagome stated, crossing her arms and trying to ignore the glares she received.
"Sesshomaru is definitely one of those 'hard to get' types. He has never, let me stress never, shown remotely any interest in any female. Hell, even mother offered me to him!" Suki stated, then shuddered. "Like I would want to be mates to Sesshomaru."
Kagome looked at the floor and fought a blush. "He's not that bad." she uttered. Suki looked at her like she was crazy.
"You must see something that I missed then. All the luck to you." Suki smiled to ease the tension. "Besides, the only reason any of those females want him is the power he holds."
"That's kind of sad." Kagome stated, seeing that Ventai had gotten distracted by talking to another Youkai.
"Not many Youkai mate out of love. They only do it to gain power, or wealth, which ever they want. My mother and father are one of the rare couples that mated for love. I guess that's why they both are really happy." Suki shrugged and glanced at her mother.
"And you? Have you had any...offers?" Kagome smiled at the look Suki shot her.
"I have no desire to have a mate." Suki replied indigently, crossing her arms. Kagome laughed.
Ventai ended her conversation with the Youkai and turned to her daughter and Kagome. Seeing the room had somewhat emptied, Ventai stated, "Suki, I'm going to find you father. Do not stay up too late."
"I won't mother." Suki replied, slightly rolling her eyes when her mother left her.
"Where can we go around here?" Suki asked, looking around.
Kagome smiled. "I'm not quite sure where I am aloud to go. Sesshomaru didn't want me running off."
Suki snorted then stated, "You're not really going to listen to him, are you?"
"Yes she is." Kari answered for her, walking over to stand beside Kagome. Suki looked somewhat disappointed at the appearance of the Guardian's.
"Party pooper." Suki mumbled under her breath.
Kari ignored her and turned to Kagome. "Sesshomaru is not busy anymore. If you wish, we could go to him now."
Kagome looked to Suki. "Maybe I will see you tomorrow?" Kagome questioned hopefully.
"You bet you will." Suki grinned, "I'm not spending all my time here with my drag of a brother."
"Come now, Suki. Surely I am not that bad." Tsume stated, walking up from behind his sister.
Suki roller her eyes but smiled. "Ok, you're not that bad." Tsume reverted his gaze to Kagome.
"Perhaps I will see you tomorrow as well." he stated, flashing her a smile. Kagome returned his smile warmly, then bowed her head to the two siblings.
"I'm afraid I must leave you now. I will see you two tomorrow." Kagome stated, then turned to leave with Kari leading the way.
Suki waited until Kagome was out of ear shot. "Aww, brother, I think someone has a crush." Suki laughed, spinning to face her brother.
"Perhaps." he smiled, then turned to leave with his happy sister in tow.
YAY, all done! New people added too so I want u to tell me what you think about them, PLZ! Lemon is in future, not close future, but still there, tee hee...anyways, plz review! The more reviews, the sooner I post chap 11! lol
And now time to thank my reviewers! U guys are the greatest!
x napunakuma x (LOL, im sorry. and yes, Sessho's is drop dead sexy!), Dragon Rae, Kaora (lol, thanks for pointin out my stupid mistakes , thats what happens when you dont have some one to review!), GreenDragonSpirit (you have no idea...cant wait till lemon smiles evilly), RedeyedRave (I'm glad u like my stuff, and its really cool that ur a writer too...it took a lot of courage to post my story..i didn't think ppl would like it), Orchidaceae (hope it was everything you were lookin for!), Me! (lol, i say that too 'Im lovin it' hahahaha), PeachesDani (had to add a lil flavor there, lol), Rabid-inu-girl (Yes, i have already typed it, its just gonna be a lil longer, within the next 5 chappies i think ), Kitsuneminkchan (munching on chocolate bars ya, i've read some like that, while they're good if ur a super pervert like i am, it kinda ruins what they've got between them. Thats why i'm waiting on the lemon..), tessie-fanfic (tee hee, i just had to put them together, i would never forgive myself if i didnt), Cresant moon 99 (thanks for the spellin mistake, i slapped myself on the forehead when i saw that, lol), Cymarel (hahaha, thanks!), Bloodbunny (sorry it took me so long to post)