Chapter Fifteen: The Inu Lords Intended

The next morning, Kasumi awoke to the sounds of men fighting outside her room, yet again. She groaned her awareness, turning onto her side, facing away from where the open window that allowed light and noise poor into her sleeping mind. Try as she might, however, the clang of metal against metal rang loud through her ears, jostling her awake enough she finally sat up.

"Those boys…" She growled lowly, flinging her fathers haori from her futon. She stood up, and walked to the window and stuck her head out of it.

Blinding hot sun seared her eyes for a brief moment, and then the orange huge hue of the rising sun blanketed the waning hours of the evening sky into blues and orange and red. The splash of color awed her enough her annoyance settled, and she watched quietly as the sun slid over the manor. She smiled at the sight, resting on her window sill, admiring the colors mingle and merge until only the blue sky was present, with the bright yellow of the burning orb above them.

"M'lady?" Usui's voice came to Kasumi's ears and the fox leaned away from the window to look back at her court lady. "What are you doing hanging out of the window?"

"Oh, I was uhm…" She trailed off, cheeks burning with her embarrassment. "I-I was watching the sky change colors." She spoke quietly, and Usui walked over to the window and peered out herself.

The oni* didn't see any colors outside worth watching, but did see the house soldiers training out in the yard, swords clashing against swords, some using magic, others using fists. Some were leering over at the lady's window, and when they saw Usui peering through it now, they swiftly looked away. She grumbled and quickly slammed the window shut and looked down at the embarrassed fox.

"M'lady! Staring at the men while they train! How unbecoming of a lady of your stature. What would m'lord say if he were to discover you were watching the young ones train?" Usui chastised, her hands on her hips, and Kasumi's face instantly went more red.

"I-I wasn't staring at those hooligans! They woke me up at the crack of dawn, I planned on yelling at them when I got distracted by the sunrise. And who cares what Lord Sesshomaru says?" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away from her court lady.

"M'lord has named you his intended, its rude of you to stare at other demons when you have a lord like he as your intended." Usui proceeded to chastise her, and Kasumi flung her hands up into the air and walked over to her futon, sitting down.

"And yet no one here will tell me what that even means." She said, grumpily looking away from the window and court lady.

Usui watched her, slightly amused by her lady's behavior, but knew better than to mention it. She had her moments where she acted like a pouting child, but as she learned more about the young lady, she quickly learned the type of childhood she had lived until now, and allowed her certain freedoms. One of them of course being how much of a picky eater she was. She didn't like most things she was given, but after the meal she had with Sesshomaru last night, she added boar to her lady's favorite foods. She was happy to know she at least ate something.

"Now, m'lady, lets get you dressed for the day-" As she said the words, Kasumi's bedroom door slid open to reveal the inulord.

Sesshomaru stared out over the two girls, his eyes eventually settling onto the kit. She looked ruffled, her dark hair in a slight disarrayed mess, her green eyes shimmering even though they were still filled with sleep. Her ears were folded back, and her arms fell from her chest as she uncrossed her arms.

He's staring so intently, Usui mused, watching in amazement as her lord gazed at the fox. Her eyes shifted towards Kasumi and giggled at the sight. She's staring just as intently. It was as if they didn't even realize Usui was in the room. It seems m'lord Sesshomaru has taken an astute liking to the young lady. Usui slowly slipped deeper into the room, moving to prepare Kasumi's clothes when the young kit shrieked. She poked her head out of the wardrobe just in time to see the fox throw her feather pillow at the lord, and for him to slice it up with his claws.

Angered, he growled at the girl, prepared to reprimand for harming his ears, when he saw her attempting to cover herself up beneath her fathers robes.

"Get out!" She ordered. "I'm not dressed! What kind of Lord comes in a young lady's room when she's not even prepared to greet him!" She yelled, shrinking into herself and hiding beneath the robes.

"You should have been dressed and ready by now," Sesshomaru growled at her, and the girl glanced towards the window before down at the floor at his feet.

"I-I got distracted…" She muttered softly. Sesshomaru had to keep his laughter under control at her quiet admittance.

"Then hurry up and get dressed, you'll be joining me for a morning meal. Today, I will be showing you around the house, and you'll begin to learn what your duties here will be." Sesshomaru turned to leave, and then stopped himself, looking at her over his shoulder. "Oh, and wear this," he tossed a kimono out to her, and it landed softly onto her lap. It was an exact replica of his own haori, except was made more for a woman of her size. She looked up to ask him why, but the man had already parted.

She held the robe up to her nose, and lightly sniffed the brocade like fabric. It smells like him… The smell was a warm musk of woods and sun, tingling her nose with the earthly scent. She held it to her chest, and sat there a while longer before eventually standing to get herself dressed.

Half dazed from the unusual gift from Sesshomaru, Kasumi allowed Usui to force layer after layer over her thin kosode. She was so used to being dressed while half asleep, she didn't even notice the amount of layers being put onto her. And how did she miss the hakama pants? She looked at Usui, who was focused on making sure all of Kasumi's layers were displayed nicely, completely unfazed by the kit's confusion.

"Usui… do you mind explaining to me what you're putting on me?" Kasumi eventually asked.

"You're spending the day with m'lord. I'm dressing you appropriately for a noblewoman." Usui informed her, and Kasumi frowned, and motioned towards her attire.

"Then why am I wearing this?" She gestured to her entire outfit, and Usui looked at her finally, seeing the confusion in the kit's eyes.

"What's wrong with it? All high class women wear it." Usui tilted her head to the side, wondering just what exactly was confusing about it. From what she knew, Lady Kasumi was a noblewoman from a human house. Did they not dress formally?

"Usui… Noblewomen don't wear hakama's anymore. It's outdated. They stopped doing that hundreds of years ago." Kasumi informed her, and Usui's expression contorted into confusion herself.

"Why not? Most demon courtesans wear them." Usui questioned and Kasumi gave a deep sigh and tugged the red hakama's up, tugging up the edges from around her feet.

"This is why. They drag onto the floor, and get filthy. A dirty noblewoman isn't a refined one, women stopped wanting to worry about tripping over these in addition to these many layers." She dropped the hakama and looked back up at the girl, only to gesture to the twelve layers she was in. "It drags behind the other layers, it makes it difficult to walk in."

Usui pursed her lips, dismissing Kasumi's explanation with a wave of her hand. "Demoness don't have to worry about that. Much to graceful, wouldn't you agree?" She asked, and Kasumi just shook her head and sighed. With her defeat, Usui slid on the final piece, Sesshomaru's haori and took a moment to look over the lady.

"There," Usui said softly, a sweet smile on her lips that Kasumi began to recognize as her show of happiness. "You look like a proper lady dressed like this. Not that you don't always, m'lady… but the karaginumo* style suits you quite nicely." She examined her blushing lady, and smiled to herself. The style may be old fashioned to the kit, but the colorful robes layered beneath the brocade robe Sesshomaru had given her was beautifully placed, turning Kasumi into a rainbow of various shades of red and white. Her dark hair cascaded in an elegant waterfall down her back, her bangs shaping her pretty face, which had gained color and fullness since she came to them. "Now, we have one more thing to add…" She turned around and began to look through a chest by Kasumi's wardrobe. She took the moment of distraction to admire herself in her reflection, finding herself agreeing with her court lady more than she thought she would. With her hair in the taregami* style, the dark tresses looped over her shoulders, some of it sliding down the length of her arm, covering the markings over her outer robe.

"Found it!" Usui spoke loudly, and Kasumi turned her attention away from her reflection to look at her.

"What did you find, Usui?" Kasumi asked, and the oni excitedly hurried back to her lady and presented her with a closed folding fan*, with a long red and white chord wrapped around the wooden guard. She brushed her thumb over the smooth, dark wood and over the silken chords and slowly unraveled the fan, carefully sliding it open.

She felt a smile tug at her lips. "Is this another gift from Lord Sesshomaru?" She asked. The leaf of the fan was wooden as well, stained white, and a simple cherry blossom stretched across the length of the fan, with pink blossoms blooming on the branches, some of the petals scattered across the length of the leaves. It certainty seemed to match Sesshomarus theme of cherry blossoms, but the gentle simplicity of the design touched her heart more than she thought it could.

"M'lord wishes everyone to know who you are to him. The colors… the symbols, even the smells, m'lady. All so that no one here will harm you." Usui explained softly, but Kasumi only seemed confused by her words, not understanding Sesshomaru had to… has been publically claiming her before he announced her.

"He seems to have taken great strides in assuring I won't be harmed here. For someone you claim to be terrifying, Usui, he's… rather caring. Isn't he?" Kasumi looked up at Usui, and the oni flushed a little.

"I'm afraid you're wrong, m'lady. Lord Sesshomaru isn't a kind demon at all. He's actually quite vicious here. He's known for killing men from time to time because they annoyed him too much. We were all quite grateful when he left for his travels, and he hardly returns home." She paused a moment, watching Kasumi, but the kit hid her expressions well. "He only behaves this way around you, m'lady. In fact… he's stayed here with you for three months. He never stays longer than a week here."

So this behavior of his is unusual… Kasumi mused to herself, finally rewrapping her fan and motioning for Usui to continue her job. The court lady straightened and opened the door.

Silence passed between the two of them as they ate their morning meal. This time around, Sesshomaru had gone and caught her something that was lighter on the stomach, pheasant. He watched, pleased to see her eat for him when she wouldn't eat for anyone else. He hardly touched his own food, and by the time she had finished, his had gone cold. He barely registered the temperature when he finally did eat, tearing his gaze away from the kit girl to his meal. Usui had done well to prepare the girl in her attire, and he enjoyed seeing her in his colors. Red suited her nicely, it was a color the amplified the girls' natural serenity, perhaps even the quiet strength he sometimes saw in her eyes. Strength and peace. Red, and white. The colors complimented her and her personality elegantly.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Sesshomaru asked her, and Kasumi nodded her head, keeping her gaze down cast.

"Yes, my lord." She responded, nodding her head.

He growled a little at her quiet response and stood up. He walked over to her and pulled her up by the arm. He surprised her enough she squeaked, but it didn't stop him from leading her away from her rooms and out into the open hall. He heard her suck in a breath, either in shock or fear, he couldn't place it, but with the way she smelled, there was a hint of an excitement in there as well.

He released her arm and started walking away from her, and she hurried to keep up, walking behind him a few paces. They went down a few halls without running into anyone, and she wondered how many people lived in his estate, for it to be as empty as it was. That thought was quickly squashed however when they turned into a hallway lined with guards. Kasumi marveled at their shiny armor and unique weapons. More than that, she could sense each one of them was a different type of demon. Some were uniquely colored, blues or greens, but most were tan or pale skinned, and looked more human than the others.

"Keep up," Sesshomaru said, and Kasumi hurried up to stand directly behind Sesshomaru. He looked down at her, and pulled her to his side, and she looked up at him, her face impossibly warm. "I'll make this clear to you now, girl." He said, and she swallowed at his deep voice. He suddenly sounded strict with her, she wasn't used to it, but it wasn't at all scary to her like it probably should have been. As she glanced at some of the guards within ear shot, she knew she was right about her assumption. Some of them had the rigidness of fear in their stances. "You walk beside me, never behind me. You are the Lady of the House, you are my intended, and an intended does not linger behind her lord. She stays next to him, walks with him. She doesn't follow him around like a lost pet." She turned her gaze down, embarrassed when she felt his cool fingers on her chin, tilting her face up. "And don't look down." He said sternly, and Kasumi had to force her eyes to remain glued to his.

"B-but, my lord-" She started be he silenced her with a look.

"I don't care what you were taught." He said. "I don't care what others say. When you speak to me, you meet my eyes. Everyone else should look down when speaking to you, not the other way around. You are higher than them, and you are mine to do with as I want. And I want you to look at me when we talk. Always." For some reason, it irritated him that she looked down when she addressed him formally. It was a show of humbleness, he knew, and was required by most ladies to trail behind her lord and look down as her lord addressed her, but meekness was something that didn't suit his intended. He liked it when she met his eyes and spoke to him like she would Usui, even with the times she said something she shouldn't have. He could smell her discomfort, her fear and anxiety. Each negative emotion tainting her sense into something that disgusted him.

"My lord… I-I can't do something like that…" She said softly, tearing her gaze from him only for him to force her to look at him once more.

"You are my intended," he said strictly. "You are my equal, not a subordinate."

She pressed her rosy lips together in a thin line, her eyes shimmering with uncertainty, but the taint of her negative emotions was slowly dying down. "I will obey, my lord, only if you tell me what it means to be an intended." She said, her sudden uncertainty fading into the stubborn kit he saw too often.

"It means, when you are old enough, I will make you my mate." He said slowly, watching the color drain from her face with an amused gleam in his golden eyes.

"Y-you're what…?" She stammered, and he let her go. She stumbled a little, her eyes turning to the floor to try and hide her shock and embarrassment.

"Now, we have things to do," he walked off again, stopping only when she wasn't following and he turned to look at her. "Now, kit, before I lose my patience with you."

"I-I… Y-yes, my lord." She hurried over to him, and stood by his side, walking only when he started to leave again. She was all too aware of the eyes following them down the hall.

Sesshomaru showed her around to the most important areas, places she would like spend the most time in once she was fully taught. She was able to remember each path he lead her down, and told herself she wouldn't cause trouble by getting lost because she wasn't paying attention. As they walked around the estate, she became distinctly aware of how many people actually lived in it, and how large it really was. Her home had been a main house like this one, but it was subpar in comparison to the grand structure, to the land even. The amount of lesser demons within the estate astounded her, but she reminded herself that they had to be the working class for the house. People who did the cleaning and cooking and repairing, pretty much kept the entire house above ground. She noted, as they walked past a group of whispering women, that they weren't very well trained servants. They bowed their heads to them as they walked past, but Kasumi could feel their gazes once they were at their backs. Curiosity bested everyone, but it certainly wasn't the first impression one should leave on the Lady of the House. The only place that stuck out the most to her was the gardens.

She was surprised to see the modern strolling garden. She expected something ancient, like her clothing, but was pleasantly pleased to see the large pond, the vibrant blue waters. The terribly tall trees that practically blanketed the entire area, and the specks of unblossomed cherry trees.

"Back home, we had a garden like this." She said softly, staring at the garden from the doorway. "I used to call it my garden… but of course, it wasn't really mine. It was fathers… as he made quite clear when he destroyed my caretakers pagoda." She breathed in the clean air deeply, releasing it slowly. Sesshomaru listened to her intently, intrigued to learn more about the kit. "I grew up in those gardens. It was the only place I was allowed to play outside." She smiled tenderly. "I used to climb the trees we had. And we had all sorts of them, but my favorite was always the peach tree. It was special. Father asked mother to marry him under a tall peach tree. When she moved into his estate, she planted a peach seed in the garden. My caretaker said it was her favorite fruit." She giggled a little, Sesshomaru shivering slightly at the melodic sound. "Father even changed the symbols of our house to peach blossoms to make her happy. When she died, the garden didn't get taken care of as often. I think I was about four when I told my father I was adopting it, and I made it my own play area." She remembered the white sand that felt like silk on her feet, the dewy grass filling the area with its scent. The cool blue water of her koi pond, her colorful koi. It didn't matter to her it was small. Barely even enough room to stroll through. "We had tsubaki's*, sumire*, momo* of course, sakura*, sakurasou*… In the springtime, it was so full of color it was almost blinding sometimes. I asked father to get me a seed of each plant, and on my birthday he would gift me what I asked for. I'd plant it till my color was vibrant with color."

"Why spring flowers…?" Sesshomaru questioned, and she looked up at him with a sweet smile.

"I was born at the beginning of spring. Father named me pure blossom. The first blossom of the season." She explained.

"For a man that wasn't your father… he named you appropriately." Sesshomaru commented, his eyes on the garden he honestly thought was boring.

"What do you mean, my lord?" Kasumi asked, and he looked down at her for a few moments.

"Despite what you have been through, you still manage to be pure in everything. It would be disturbing on anyone else, however, you continue to baffle me with the amount of surprises you throw at me."

Kasumi's cheek warmed and she looked back at the garden, only to have an excuse not to look up at him. This was definitely not the lord Usui feared. He was far too kind in his words and addressment to her.

"My lord, why are you-"

"I will be leaving in a few days." He cut her off before she could finish, and she looked up at him to see him gazing out at the gardens. "I've spent too much time here. I have things to do outside the estate, and I need you here to keep things running for me. I will return at least once a month to check on you and your studies. When you have learned more, I will give you more responsibilities. Usui will act as your personal court lady as she has been so far, but if you require more, simply ask. If anyone is to give you trouble, you send someone to me right away, and I will handle the issue. You don't need to worry about the politics of the house while I'm away." He finally turned to face her, and was giving her a serious look. He would just let his work pile up until he absolutely had to finish the paper work and the dealings of everyone and their crap. He wished he could hoist this responsibility onto someone else as well, but knew better than that.

"When will you leave, my lord?" She asked softly, and he smelled sadness from her, but it wasn't nearly as repulsive as it had been the first time he smelled it on her. It was bitter to his nose, but there was hint of sweetness in the smell that told him she was sad about him leaving.

"Two days from now. You will have access to the kitchen to cook your own foods to your liking if you prefer, but you will eat. If I return to see you haven't been eating…" He didn't have to say more and she nodded quickly in understanding. "Good. Now, lets go talk about those noisy guards you mentioned earlier…" He said softly and motioned for her to walk with his hand, and the two left the gardens.

Oni: Ogre! Or troll whichever but it's mainly used to reference an ogre. So yes, our cute soft spoken Usui is actually an ogre

Karaginumo: Also known as jūnihitoe which literally translate into twelve unlined robes. A lot of rich courtesans wore this style in the Heianera (794 - 1185 A.D.). The sengoku period in which the inuyasha time line takes place is 1467 - 1603 A.D. So the fashion sense is in deed outdated. If you need help picturing the jūnihitoe fashion, think of Inuyasha's mother Izayoi, her kimono style is this style. Hakamas are traditionally worn with this style.

Taregami: This one is pretty simple. All it is is a straight hair style with a part in the middle. Long hair styles like this typically had purposeful loops that framed around the face or hung around the shoulders and arms

Folding fan: I'm sure all of you know what a folding fan but the folding fan is actually essential to the jūnihitoe style. It's not a requirement, but it was used to hide a court lady's face and her expressions and all that other stuff (think of Mulan two if you ever seen it when the three princesses are constantly holding up their fans). Some women used the sleeve of their kimono as well to cover their face... I'm sure some of you may have noticed that in the manga/anime (pretty sure its in one of them if not both). If the fan isn't being used, its typically wrapped up in a thick chord or rope

tsubaki: Cameila flowers

sumire: Violets

momo: Peach Blossoms (Momo means Peach)

sakura: Cherry blossoms

sakurasou: Primula sieboldii, which is a japanese primrose

AN: If I missed anything, let me know! And as always, thanks for the support!