Chapter 2
A little background into my story:
Kagome never drank alcohol before. She thought it was juice but it was wine made from rare berries grown in that village. She is still carefree but can be airhead and clumsy.
Inuyasha is in love with Kagome but she doesn't know it since he hasn't told her. He shys away when they get too close because he is unsure how to tell her and fear rejection.
Sesshomaru is still the stoic demon lord but he has begun to open up to the idea of demons and humans coexisting with no prejudice since taking in Rin.
Miroku is still the ladies' man who deeply loves Sango but thinks she doesn't feel the same.
Sango is in love with Miroku but she feels he won't acknowledge her the same way.
Shippo and Kilala are back in the village with Kaede
Rin is back in the western palace with Lady Mizuki and Ah-Un.
Lady Mizuki (Sesshomaru mother) lives in the palace and has become a little open minded about humans but Rin is special and the exception.
Jaken is still Jaken!
And not to forget, Sesshomaru's beast is an instigator, tease and likes trouble!
Notes:
'Sesshomaru inner beast voice'
'Sesshomaru inner voice'
The next morning after the annual summer masquerade…
Kagome and Sango woke up close to mid morning. They both have massive headaches. Thank goodness Kagome had headache medicine to help them feel better. They got dressed and went outside to look for Inuyasha and Miroku since they were not in their room. The guys were sitting under the tree next to the inn. "It's about time you two got up! We were supposed to be already on our way to find the next jewel shard!" yelled Inuyasha.
"Take it easy on them. It's their first hangover." chuckled Miroku.
"Don't yell Inuyasha. Our heads hurt." sitting down next to him.
"Yeah. Lesson learned, alright." Sango hissed back.
"Let's get some breakfast for our ladies Inuyasha. We can leave afterwards." as he motioned to a nearby food stall.
"Hey Sango did you enjoy yourself last night?" Leaning back against the tree.
"Yeah the food was great but Miroku was flirting with every girl." huffed Sango.
"I saw you were having fun. Who was the tall guy you were dancing with? You're lucky Inuyasha didn't get mad and start a fight."
Kagome was recalling her night and she remembered her first kiss with this unknown man with golden eyes. Her face turned red. Sango noticed and pushed for more details. Kagome told Sango what happened from dancing to ending up kissing this guy and Inuyasha showing up looking for her.
"Oh my gosh Kagome! No more drinking for you! Do you think Inuyasha knows about the kiss?"
"I don't think so. He just scolded me for drinking when I thought it was juice! By the way, where did you and Miroku disappear to? I was looking for you guys?"
Sango sat quietly until her face turned red. "Oh my… Miroku and I kissed!" Sango told Kagome what happened.
"Did you confess your love for him?" Kagome asked with wide eyes.
"No I didn't. If I wasn't tipsy it would have been perfect in the garden under the moon." Sango sighed.
"We're back ladies." Miroku and Inuyasha returned with food.
"What's up with you two? Why ya faces red?" Inuyasha looked close to their faces.
"It's nothing. We're feeling a bit hot." Kagome nervously brushed him off.
"Yeah it's hot" Sango helped Miroku with the food.
The guys looked at each other and shrugged it off.
It was just past noon when they finished packed up and headed west. Since the girls said it was hot, Miroku surprised them with soft cotton yukatas to keep cool. Kagome's yukata was pink with lilac hydrangeas and a purple obi. Sango's yukata was lilac with white hydrangeas and a yellow obi. Both had hair tied up in a bun to keep off their neck. With Miroku's thoughtfulness, he got a hug from each girl but a well-deserved slap on each side of his cheek for touching their round butts. Inuyasha just laughed and kept his comments to himself. He wanted to tell Kagome that she looked beautiful in her yukata but decided to tell her later when they set up camp.
The foursome reached at the end of the village. They came across a beautiful estate with a mansion surrounded with a colorful garden and koi pond. Just then a human woman ran out frantically. Miroku stopped to ask her what happened.
"It's my lady! The baby is coming and the midwife is not here. I was going to get the innkeeper since she has experience delivering babies." trying to catch her breath.
"I can help. I have delivered babies from our village." Kagome offered.
"I can help too," Sango chimed in.
With tears in her eyes "Yes! Please come with me." The girls rushed off with the woman leaving Inuyasha and Miroku standing in the road.
"Awww come on! We are wasting time!" Inuyasha complained.
"There is nothing we can do. Kagome is a miko and she will always help others. I guess we will be here another day or two. I am sure they will offer accommodations. Come on let's go." Miroku walking towards the mansion. Inuyasha followed grumbling.
Kagome and Sango followed the woman into the mansion. Her name is Miya and she is the head maid of the mansion. The lady is the wife of the village leader. Her name is Anzu and she is the fox demoness they heard about. Kagome stood before her, gazing at her beauty. She has curly strawberry blond hair, hazel green eyes, porcelain skin and full pink lips with a beauty mark by her lip just like Marilyn Monroe. Snapping back to reality, the women were busy getting water and towels ready. This happens to be the second child for the village chief and his wife. It turns out she went into labor early and was panicked that the midwife left to go help out to the village close by. She thanked the girls for being a blessing in disguise to help her and said a little prayer for the safe delivery of her baby.
Inuyasha and Miroku were led to the garden by one of the guards. They saw a little fox hanyou playing with his ball. He was about 4 or 5 years old and the size of Shippo. He had black hair, hazel green eyes and a fluffy tail. He hid behind a bush when he saw the guys and was peeping out. Inuyasha caught a scent in the air and started to grind his teeth. The village leader came into the garden to meet his guests followed by 2 others right behind. "Nobu, why are you hiding? Come here to papa. Let's meet our guests together." Running to his arms and scooping him up, the village chief went to the guys. "Welcome to my home. Please make yourselves comfortable. I am grateful for your companions to help my wife. I am Rei, the village chief."
Miroku gave a bow and elbowed Inuyasha to do the same. "Thank you very much. I am Miroku and this is Inuyasha."
"Pleased to meet you. Let me introduce to you the lord of the south, Taro and lord of the west, Sesshomaru."
Looking up to greet them "Pleased to meet you Lord Taro. Pleasure to see you again Lord Sesshomaru."
"Oh I didn't realize you knew Sesshomaru-sama." Rei was amused.
"Monk. Brother." Sesshomaru responded coldly.
"Brother!" both Rei and Taro exclaimed.
"Half brother" scoffed Inuyasha.
Knowing that it would be quite interesting having new guests, Rei asked everyone present to have tea in the garden as they await the arrival of the baby.
"I'll pass. I'm going to hunt." Inuyasha scoffed and leapt into the nearby forest.
"Please excuse my friend for his rudeness." Miroku sighed.
'That explains why we smell that deliciously intoxicating human woman. She is here.'
'Interesting. I was planning to leave but I think I will stick around since the village chief offered for me to stay longer.'
'Yes do that. That hot headed boy is not happy.'
'Who cares. I want to know how she handles a hanyou birth.'
'Why? Do you intend on mating a human?'
'No I am curious how she handles this. I have seen her power and abilities. This is a first I will witness.'
'Stay close by to her. Maybe we can get another taste.'
'Seriously, that's all you can think about?'
'What?! I am a beast and I follow my instincts since you want to be all high and mighty.'
'Hmph'
The lord of the southern lands, Taro is a crow tengu with straight jet black shoulder length hair, black eyes and wore the traditional tengu outfit. Since he is in his human form, his wings are hidden but his skin has a reddish tan color. He is also Sesshomaru's childhood friend and ally. Unlike the stoic demon lord, he is friendly but still a demon lord to be feared. Like the village chief, he is married to a human woman. (We will hear more about her later!)
The men were sitting in the garden drinking tea while they watched Nobu playing with his ball. "I am glad to finally meet your brother, Sesshomaru. I can see the resemblance." Taro teased.
"Pardon my ignorance Sesshomaru-sama. I did not know you had a brother. It looks like he is younger than you." Rei added.
"Hnnn" was all he said as he did not want to discuss it.
Feeling the tension, Miroku changed the subject "Rei-san I am curious to know how you bring this village to live peacefully and co-exist?"
Rei smiled "I've known Anzu since we were little. Her father and my father had been childhood friends. After spending time and doing everything together, I was sent away to my uncle to continue my studies when I was 12. During that time, we kept in touch writing to each other. I came back when my father got ill when I was 18 and took over his position not too long after he passed away. It was a hard adjustment for me since I was the only child. I had no emotional support, except for Anzu. She has always been there to help and support me. We fell in love with each other and wanted to marry. Many people were against it. They believed she tricked me using a spell, but she never did. I was threatened that I was going to be overthrown and banished if I did marry her. I followed my heart and married her. Not too long after, some bandits raided and destroyed the village. I was hurt badly but she protected me by taking up my sword. She fought back in my place and regained control of the village. I fell into a coma for about a month from the injuries. Anzu rebuilt the village and united everyone. The people respected her and loved her from that day. Our story has been told of our union in other lands and our village welcomes everyone. We openly accepted demon and human marriages such as ours. Our village grew in size and is the largest in this region. After the village was rebuilt, we held a festival and decided that it would be an annual event. I was happy that we hosted the annual conference of west and south here this year and I suggested having it when the festival would take place so I can show everyone how we live."
Miroku sat there amazed with the story he heard "that is amazing. Your village has been so welcoming to us and I sensed no evil. How long have you been married?"
"It's about 20 years. We dedicated ourselves to this village and sharing our ideals. We held off on having children until about 5 years ago when Nobu was born. This is our second child. I know it has been difficult for my Anzu and she sacrificed so much. I would do any and everything for her." as he smiled looking at Nobu.
Sesshomaru and Taro have heard about how Rei and Anzu met along with everything they have been thru, but it was the first time hearing it from him. Both demons held respect for the couple and their ideals.
The sun was getting ready to set when Inuyasha returned with a huge boar. He dropped it and turned to Rei. "I have caught dinner to thank you for allowing us to stay here, Rei-san." He walked off and jumped into the tree above.
"Well that is interesting. Inuyasha is learning some manners. I guess I'm rubbing off on him." joked Miroku.
"I heard you!" yelled Inuyasha.
"Thank you! I will have my servants prepare it for dinner. Please let me show you to your rooms so you rest and freshen up." Rei signaled for his servants and called over Nobu. They all went inside to relax until dinner. Inuyasha stayed up in the tree looking over the village lost in thought.
