Chapter Four:

Prison of Illness

"You're wearing that again?" Lord Ishikawa eyed his daughter as she filled him a cup of tea.
"Mhmm.." Kasumi said in confirmation. Underneath her typical robes that indicated her house, she had the haori* robe she had obtained from her mysterious savior. She hadn't taken it off since. There was something about the robe that was comforting to her. It kept her warm when she was cold, it chilled her when she was too hot. It was sturdy and didn't get destroyed too easily like the other robes she had. Not to mention that even after six months of having it, it still smelled like woods and peach trees. "It's a memento." She explained simply, handing her father a cup of his tea. She ignored his eye roll as she placed the cup in front of him. "After all the man that gave me this robe is also the very man who was able to provide a cure to your ailment."
"Humph." She could hear the pout in his tone and she chuckled softly.
"Father, be grateful he helped us. He even got rid of Takami for us." Kasumi said.
"Yes but there's still the issue of your marriage." He pointed out and her smile faltered. "I won't force you to marry Takami, he's an awful child. But you still need to wed young lady and quickly bare an heir for this position. I won't live long and you know this."
"I know but... those men you picked father really weren't the greatest. They all reeked with corruption and greed. None would have benefited the kingdom. They would have brought shame to our house." She rubbed her fathers shoulder gently, reassuring the grumpy old feudal lord. "I'm a half demon, remember? I will live a long, healthy life so long as I stay within the castle walls and stay away from other demons. That's what you've told me since I was a child. I know you are strict about traditions, but perhaps I may be more well suited for this land after you pass. And the role can pass onto the man I marry, and eventually our first born son. That way it gives me time to find someone suitable."
He grumbled irritably at her reasoning, knowing she was right and openly dreading that she was. He was old, past his prime and he did not want to die like Kyah had. He loved his daughter, and she was absorbent in her knowledge, even picked up things a princess should never have learned like cooking. He still disapproved of it, but because of the way she grew up, he allowed her to learn. She seemed to love it, and was fairly efficient.
"Fine... fine..." he sighed heavily at his daughters persistence and her confidence.
Kasumi gave him a sweet smile, which he caved into quickly and smiled back at her. Yuriko was only a few years older than Kasumi when she passed, yet it still astounded him how alike they were. It was likely due to Kyahs raising, as the old woman behaved similarly to her childhood friend.
They sat in silence for several long minutes, content in the peace it brought between them, when suddenly the two of them could hear the rapid approach of a guard. His armor clanked together as he half jogged through the manner, and pulled the door open to the family sitting room.
"My lord, my lady," he said quickly, bowing at the waist. "I have news for you, my lord."
"Speak," Ishikawa said heftily, a bit annoyed the quiet tea time was being interrupted. Again.
"There are outsiders at the gate, claiming there is an evil aura hovering above the manor." The guard said.
"What kind of outsiders?" Kasumi questioned curiously. She could vaguely pick up the scent of dog, fox, and cat.
"A monk approached us, but he is accompanied by a yōkai taijjiya*, and three demons." He explained, his head still lowered.
"Send them away," Ishikawa said, again his words heavy with annoyance.
"We have tried many times, my lord, but they have insisted. The demon in red has even threatened to breakdown our walls if we did not allow them to exterminate the demon presence." The guard told him.
Ishikawa rubbed his temple and finally stood up. "Kasumi, stay put. I will go deal with these outsiders." He said and left the room, the guard following behind his Lord.
Kasumi sat in silence, watching her father go. An evil aura? She asked herself. If there was evil in the castle she would have smelt it. Wouldn't she? She hadn't paid much attention within the last several months, too worried and stressed about her fathers health, concerned he would fall ill again if she wasn't focused on him.
She attuned her senses, closing her eyes as if she would be visually distracted if she didn't. She breathed in slowly, quieting her sounds and movement. When she felt at peace, she opened her eyes again, and could visibly see the darkness in the air. She jumped up, and dashed out the room and followed her fathers path to the courtyard, and out to the front gates.
There stood a large group of five, two tall males, and two females. One of the females was holding a tiny fox, which she instantly recognized from his scent. She assumed he was one of the three demons the guard spoke of. The woman holding her wore a strange outfit. She bore a green hakama*... well what looked like a hakama that was cut short and reached low, exposing her slender legs, her feet warmers, and odd brown material her foot was sheathed in. Her tunic was long, white, green cuffs at the sleeves, and a red handkerchief resting at her breasts, encased in a green... thing she couldn't place the name of. She was clearly dressed oddly enough anyone could assume she was a demon. But Kasumi could sense the power of purity within the girl that was stronger than any priest to come to the manor before to cleanse the home. She was clearly a miko*.
Standing beside her was a man completely clothed in red, his arms crossed grumpily over his chest, clawed fingers drumming against his bicep. He bore a sword at his hip, the hilt looking worn and ragged, overused, and his eyes shimmered like ambers, bright and gold, despite the annoyance held there. What struck her most was the white tips that poked out at the top of his white hair, the locks reaching down to his waist. He had ears. Cute, small little ears that wiggled every so often when there was a new sound. She could see the pink insides, and wondered idly how soft they would be. She's never even touched her own ears.
The kit in the Miko's arms was wearing a kosode* of turquoise, a fur wrapped vest over his shoulders, fox like feet, and a fluffy cream colored tail. She thought he looked cute, and suddenly she had the desire to hold him herself. In front of the miko and the dog demon, were too humans, a small two tailed nekomata* by the woman's side. The woman was obviously the taijjiya, as she was the only one holding a large weapon on her back shaped like a boomerang. Kasumi briefly assumed that it had been a demons bones at one point, as she vaguely recalled yōkai taijjiya used left over demon remains to forge weapons that helped kill more demons. She wore a simple kimono, dark pink and a light pink, outdoor sandals, a green apron, and a blue pouch she had tied around her neck. She was pretty, at least in Kasumi's eyes. Her dark brown hair reached her waist, tied together near the end. She was toned, even beneath her kimono, she could safely determine the taijjiya was a strong woman. The monk, standing slightly in front of her, wore traditional monk garbs, a staff in his hands, mala* beads around his right hand, which was mostly cover, and Kasumi thought that was strange. He was average looking, to her at the least, but he had a friendly voice and face.
"Please, we beg you," the monk pleaded, now to the guards and Ishikawa. "This evil aura over your home can kill everyone in it. We must act quickly."
Her father scoffed. "Begone, monk. This here estate is regularly cleansed by a priest from the temples up in the mountains. There is nothing here for you."
"Alright fine, then well just force our way in!" Th dog demon in red exclaimed, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He had a rough way of speaking, but she could somehow sense that he too was worried about the estate. Or at least about the aura.
She could see her father rearing up to argue back, and Kasumi took the chance and approached them. She place her hand on his shoulder, and the other on his upper arm. He looked down at her, his anger now directed towards her.
"I told you to stay put!" He exclaimed, but she just smiled gently at him.
"I know father but I had to tell you myself." She said.
"Tell me what, girl? Can't it wait?" He questioned.
She shook her head slightly. "I'm afraid not, father. If we do not allow these people to assist, then surely many evils will befall upon us. They are correct, about this evil aura surrounding the estate. It is foul, and it will take a hold of the area soon." She said softly, her eyes still on her father. She could feel ten pairs of eyes on her as she spoke, and it made her a bit nervous at the attention. She was grateful that her barrier was perfected enough no one could smell or see her demon blood.
"Then we will call a priest from the temple over. We won't take help from these mistfit outsiders." He gestured to the group, and she could hear a faint growl from the dog demon.
"I fear that would not be wise," she said slowly. "It would take the priests too long to get here to clear our lands. This awful aura grows stronger by the second. Let these people stay until they can clear out the demon. I will handle the guests, father. You needn't worry about their presence."
"I won't allow demons to stay here." He grumbled. Kasumi held back the need to roll her eyes. Instead she walked past him, eliciting a panicked response from Ishikawa, to the group in front of the gates. This was her first time standing beneath the archway that lead to the outside world.
She could see the large expanse of dense trees, a paved dirt path leading through it, and the horizon beyond, illuminating a village off in the distance in orange. They were on a hill. Kasumi had never noticed before, but they were on a large hill that overlooked the lands they owned, starting with the village and extending outward beyond her eyes reach.
She blinked a little to get herself to refocus, and turned to face her father. She placed a small hand on the monks wrist. "This man is a monk, father. He has great spiritual energy." She then placed her other hand on the taijiya's shoulder. "She is a demon slayer, likely from the yokai taijiya village in the mountains. I am sure she has been training since she was very young." She moved her hands away from them and gestured to the woman in strange clothes. "Despite this ones demon like attire, she is a miko. A very strong one, too. I could feel her spiritual energy from within the manor. And the dog demons sword is quite powerful. He also has a strong energy. This a group of people who sought out our estate to help clear the air. They are experienced enough that they were able to sense that which has been hidden to me until just a few moments ago. These are capable, strong people, father, and they wish to help us. Demon or no, they have no ill intentions. And I am sure you are aware not all demons have ill wills." She gave him a hard look, and he seemed to retract his earlier words.
He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Girl, you should learn to keep that all knowing confidence hidden." He said dryly, getting a small giggle from his daughter. "Fine. Since my daughter has convinced me of your intentions, you may stay here until you rid this demon. Be warned though, my daughter can sense these evils too, and she will know when it is taken care of. If we discover a lie, you will not leave this estate alive." Ishikawa turned abruptly and started to walk away. "Kasumi, prepare the rooms for the guests, and inform the servants of their presence here."
"Yes, my lord, right away." She bowed to him slightly, unable to hide her pleased smile.

"So you all are searching for this demon, Naraku?" Kasumi questioned as she poured tea for her guests.
"Yes, and we have reason to believe he's in these lands. We sensed his aura hovering over this castle, but it seems he just passed over it." The monk named Miroku explained.
"Yes, that powerful aura I sensed earlier is slowly dissipating." Kasumi agreed, relieved that the evil aura was leaving the castle.
"It still lingers, however. It would be best if we stayed until it was completely gone. Usually whenever there's a strong demonic presence all other demons either come out or stay in hiding until it's gone, and then come out." Miroku stated.
"I will make sure to placate father, so as he does not send you all out before you believe it is safe to leave." Kasumi informed,
"Thank you, princess." The monk said, giving her a friendly smile. "Might I ask you, are you a married woman?"
"No, sir monk, I am not." She could feel her eye twitching. She could sense the vibes coming from the two women, and could sense the sudden Ill intent in the monk.
"That's a shame, a princess as beautiful as you are should have the finest husband." He said.
"Yes, I should. The last man who tried to wed me without my consent wound up getting covered in burn scars. The next man who tries to do so, will likely get far worse than that."
The friendly look on the monks face turned pale, and the two women kind of seemed surprised, but giggled at the monks harsh rejection before it could even become a confession.
The monk cleared his throat, trying to extinguish the conversation he was trying to start in favor of a new one. "So my lady, how can you sense this evil aura?"
"My mother came from a long line of exorcists and monks and priestess. She was the third daughter, so she didn't need to practice the trade but it came very easy to her. I suspect I inherited my skill from her, though it took long hours of perfecting. I can at least sense when someone has ill intentions." Kasumi saw no need to hide this aspect of her life. What she said about her mother was 100% true, but her accuracy in sensing what she could sense likely came from her demon blood more than her priestess blood.
"Is that why we can't sense anything from you?" He questioned. "We've noticed for some time now, you do not radiate any energies. We can of course sense you are a live person, and are human, but nothing else about you seems to be monumental enough to show you have spiritual energy strong enough to sense evil."
She was prepared for this line of questioning. She always had been. From her sleeve she pulled out a fake sutra. It was fake enough that it radiates spiritual energies of strong monks but the sutra itself was nothing more than parchment with words written on it. "My father has been overprotective of me since I was still an infant. When I was born, the monks gifted me this sutra to protect me. It holds a barrier around me, that protects my aura, keeps it hidden so to speak."
"He's over protective of you?" The slayer questioned.
"Yes. It wouldn't do to have a woman with as strong an aura as my own to be sensed even by mortal men. Plus I've been known to attract the attention of unwanted observers."
"What's wrong with a woman having a strong aura?" The Taijiya Sango asked, a deep frown etched on her pretty face.
"While things may be different where you come from, Sango, as a lady of the estate I have to remain practically unseen. In most social occasions I'm merely decoration. If my aura is too strong, then I will be noticed. I can't appear strong to any. I must appear weak, and humble. Such is the fate of most women in my position." Kasumi explained, slowly sipping at her tea.
"That doesn't bother you at all?" The miko Kagome asked.
"On occasion, it can be quite frustrating, especially since my father can be an unreasonable man at times. I'm honestly surprised he didn't yell at me for stepping in earlier. If he does, he might do so later. But I've since accepted my role and what's expected of me. I've grown used to not being allowed certain freedoms." Kasumi gave the women a warm smile, noting their displeased expressions, but their silence showed the lady that they wouldn't press further.
They had idle chit chat for several long hours, lasting through the evening and well after the moon had reached its peek in the starry sky. Kasumi was amused by the group. The hanyou* Inuyasha was particularly amusing as she discovered the dog demon was half human, like herself. He behaved so naturally around his humans, and the humans responded equally as such. She enjoyed watching them, and wondered if this was how all groups of friends acted around each other. Servants shied away from her, so she never once witnessed them being sociable, and even Kyah hadn't been sociable unless she was scolding something the princess was doing.
She sat there in silence, the background noise of the group filling her ears yet not reaching them. Thoughts of her caretaker still filled her with pain and sorrow, and it was quickly taking a hold of her thoughts. She didn't even notice the servant calling out to her until she heard the miko call her name out in concern.
"Hm? Oh, I apologize. I seemed to have lost myself for a moment." She gave them a tender smile, and turned her attention to the servant. "Yes? What can I do for you?"
"My lady, please excuse me for interrupting you and our guests, but the lord has been calling out for the lady Yuriko again." The servant said.
"He is? Did he not take the medicinal tea?" She asked.
"His afternoon tea was left unfinished after our visitors arrived, and the lord hasn't left his study since. He has refused to allow anyone to traverse inside. We can hear him weep for his loved one from the door." The servant said steadily, and Kasumi held back her sigh.
"Very well, prepare his tea, and something to help him sleep. Bring it to his rooms, I will lead him back." Kasumi stood, and then bowed to the group of friends. "Please excuse me, I have other duties to attend to that demand my attention. Please, enjoy your stay here." She said, and quickly excused herself and left the room.
She walked swiftly to her fathers study, and slowly opened the door. She was grateful the servants had enough sense in them to leave before she could arrive. No one needed to hear her father act beside himself. She slid the door open, and slipped inside soundlessly. Her fathers study was typically a room kept tidy, wooden shelves held various bamboo bound parchment her father called books, a few scrolls, and various other knickknacks. The center of the room was her fathers desk, typically kept clean despite the amount of parchment that littered its surface. It was fairly plain room for a lord but her father, despite his title was a simple man with simple tastes. Even the decorations around the estate were simple until Kasumi took over the estate lady's duties. She never did get her hands on his study though. Looking at the room now, however, she was somewhat grateful she hadn't been able to. The typical spic and span room was thrown into a disarray, the wooden shelves empty of their contents, the floor littered with books and scrolls, ink brushes and bottles staining the tatami mat, his desk thrown over onto its side, the parchment thrown over the edge, the ink staining it so none of the words were legible on its surface. Her father was standing at the back of the room, holding a painting of a beautiful woman clad in a pink kimono, standing next to a strapping young man she recognized as a younger version of her father. She pressed her lips together, and slowly approached him. He seemed easier to console when he was like this if she behaved as a four year old, she had even altered her shape to appear as the small kit he would likely remember. "Papa?" She asked softly.
He turned sharply to face her, and she could see the anger and sorrow in his eyes, the guilt even. "Kasumi, what are you doing up so late?"
She hurried over to him, and hugged his waist. "I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with papa tonight?" She asked, giving him a gentle squeeze.
She could feel him relax after a few minutes, and his hand was in her hair.
"You should really learn to sleep in your own room, Kasumi." He said gently. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He took her hand and lead her to his room. She was grateful the servants had already prepared the tea and left it in his rooms. Her father dressed in his sleeping clothes, and sat by the futon. Kasumi made her way onto his lap, and was pleased by his chuckle. He sipped his tea till the kettle was empty, and before she knew it, he was fast asleep on the futon, his daughter laying right beside him.
Since his mind has been failing him, she often slept in his room regardless, and the second futon was laid out as if it was normal. She scooted into the futon, and laid down, facing her father. She watched him sleep a while longer until she eventually drifted herself.

"...umi! Kasumi!" Loud yelling broke through the dreary blanket of sleep for the young princess, and her eyes opened. She saw orange and red around her, and was unusually warm. She wiped the sleep from her eyes with one hand, and the blurry bright colors came into focus. Fire.
Her fathers rooms were cast ablaze, and her father was laying on the floor, so far away from her. She could vaguely make out red on his white yukata, and could smell the sickening metallic stench of blood. "Father?" She asked, as he was getting further and further away until she could see the gaping hole in the roof. "Father!" She screamed, reaching a hand out to him and trying to get to him. A tight squeeze around her small frame stopped her movements long enough for her to look up.
An orc held her over his shoulder. His skin was as red as the flames below her, his hair a dark mane down his back. He had large tusks protruding from his lips, and a gnarly snarl emanating from them. She screamed and tried to shove away from him. She pounded at his back and screamed for her fathers help. "Father! Father!" She yelled and cried. The orc got further and further above the estate and she could see the entire building set a blaze, the roof caved in in several areas, demons surrounded the area, distracting the group of travelers as they fought desperately to rid the manor of them.
"Unhand me at once, you vile creature!" She yelled, hitting his back with as much strength as she could muster. She only got a grunt of annoyance from the demon. Suddenly a flash of pink and purple darted straight for the monster, angled straight at his back. The light bolstered and pulsed and then faded to reveal an arrow moments before the monster began to deteriorate. Suddenly she was falling, the castle growing larger and larger the closer she got, until she felt something grab her hand. She looked up quickly, and relieved to see Kagome and Sango upon the nekomata Kiara's back. The two women tried pulling her up, but a demon slammed into the cat demons side and threw all the girls off.
"Kagome!" Kasumi could hear the hanyou's cries as his humans were thrown off.
Kasumi closed her eyes tightly, trying to will her fear away from her impending death. She could hear Inuyasha grab Kagome, and Kiara grab Sango.
The demon foxes robes whipped around her wildly as she fell through the sky, and then suddenly it stopped and she felt a strange whooshing push through her. When she opened her eyes again, her estate and home was no where to be seen. She was hovering above in the sky, nothing but the expanse of trees beneath her. She looked up at her savior, only to see anther captor. A demon who appeared human, but she could see and smell the evil in his eyes.

Haori: Robe like Kimono

Yōkai: Demon

Taijiya: Slayer

Hakama: Type of kimono pants (the red pants Kikyou uses is a hakama, Kasumi is assuming Kagome's skirt is a hakama because of the similar style)

Miko: Priestess

Kosode: Type of clothing

Nekomata: Demon Cat

Mala Beads: Buddhist Prayer Beads

Hanyou: Half human, Half Demon