CHAPTER 3: DEMON IN MY VIEW

"From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold, -
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by, -
From the thunder and the storm,
And the clock that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view."
(Alone, Edgar Allan Poe)

It takes longer to convince Koga to leave her at the gates of Sesshomaru's castle than it had taken her to convince him to actually bring her here. She supposed he had thought, incorrectly, obviously, that he would be able to convince her what a Terrible Idea this was on the run over and manage to change her mind. Her had forgotten how iron her will was when she set her mind to something, so that worked out incredibly poorly for him.

"But, Kagome – "

"No."

"Don't you think you should – "

"No."

"I'm just trying to protect –"

"No."

"If you would just listen – "

"Koga." His mouth snapped shut and he stared at her expectantly. He really was very cute, in a hound-dog sort of way – all big eyed and bushy tailed and hungry for affection. "I appreciate what you are trying to do, I really do. But I am a big girl." She ignored the way his eyes trailed over her form appreciatively. "I have big girl miko powers and everything. If you need a demonstration of how strong those powers are, I will be happy to show you – after I go in and see how Inuyasha's brother is and then meet back up with everyone in a few days."

"But – "

"No buts, Koga." She pinned him with a determined stare and he cowered back from it. If he'd had ears like Inuyasha they'd be flattened against his head right now. "You are welcome to go run off and tell Inuyasha that you left be with his big, bad brother and then carry him back here if you want." His lips curls up at the thought. "But I am doing this and you are leaving."

He contemplates ignoring her wishes and loitering outside of the gates, but he is about one hundred percent positive that a glowing, spiritual arrow would find its way over the fence and into either a leg or a vital organ before he could say "mutt face." So he just nods, says, "Alright, but I am going to tell someone where you are," gives her a quick hug because he can't help himself, and then runs off to find someone who she might be more inclined to listen to. Hopefully before Sesshomaru rends her limb from limb.

Kagome watches him go, half in exasperation, half in fondness. She thinks of Koga the same way she thinks of her little brother. He might be annoying and hardheaded and sometimes more trouble than he was worth, but he meant well and always, always had her best interests at heart. When his dust cloud is almost out of sight over the horizon, she shakes her head and turns towards the gates.

She looks up and up and up at them.

They are well over three times her height and, at one time, might have been imposing. But it looked as though they'd been in disrepair for years and years, far longer a time than the last time she'd seen the taiyoukai. She'd wondered on the run here, what she would do if Koga left her and she found a locked fortress at her back, but these gates were falling off their rusted hinges and swaying in the light breeze, creaking like hundred year old wooden floors. It was nothing for her to push them slightly open and slip in, overstuffed backpack and all.

When she turned in the courtyard, what met her was more signs of neglect and abandonment. Vines growing across the pathway, cobblestones loose and puffing away to dust. The castle, though once a probably majestic and awe inspiring sight, with its stone façade and high turrets, now looked more like a haunted movie set than anything else. It looked dark and dingy, gloomy and morose.

It felt sad.

She was starting to wonder if Sesshomaru was even here. Maybe he was traveling the land, looking for Naraku or visiting some other noble demon families. Maybe he'd abandoned this place when his father had died. She wouldn't know, since she's never asked and the thought of asking Inuyasha personal information about his brother probably wouldn't end well. There were clearly no gardeners or gamekeepers on his staff, at the very least. Maybe he'd just fired everyone because he hated the sound of other people breathing. She could relate, so it wouldn't really surprise her.

But the front door was as falling off the hinges as the front gate, which was fairly startling. For all his faults, and however much she might think he was willing to let his yard fall into disarray, she did not think he would take his ward Rin's life into such hands. He seemed… well, she couldn't really say she thought he was fond of the girl, since she'd never seem him be the least bit fatherly, at least not in her presence. But he kept her safe and clothed and fed and she seemed happy, so he must care for her on some level. Kagome highly doubted he'd leave the door, wood rotting in its frame, falling off the hinges so any old passerby could march right in.

Which is exactly what Kagome did.

She dropped her bag with a booming thud in the foyer. "Hello?" Her voice echoed throughout the halls, bouncing back and forth until the air was pinging with the sound of her query. When the sounds died away, she waited for an answer that never came. "Uh… Lord Sesshomaru?" Nothing. "Rin?" Nothing again. "Uh…" Crap, she'd forgotten the name of that little toad that was always traveling around with him. Oh, well.

She took a few steps forward, calling out again. But again, there was no answer. So she continued throughout the first floor, peering into rooms, all empty, looking for any sign of life or inhabitants. But she found nothing.

Plumes of dust kicked up from her feet across the floor. The furniture was dusty and moth-eaten. Several tapestries lay in tattered shreds across the carpet, thorn, by the looks of it, by ragged claws. Plants were brown and withered in their pots. She saw no signs of the large staff she would have expected to see running so large a castle. No butlers or maids, no cooks or valets. No one, not demon or human. Weirdly, she didn't even see any animals. If the castle really was empty, she'd expect that wildlife, mice and raccoons and birds, would want to seek shelter from the elements and predators. But she saw nothing. Not even any signs that they'd been there at any point.

It was like, there was simply nothing living inside the castle at all.

Her nose crinkled in disgust when she popped her head into the kitchen. Though she didn't see signs of any people, she could smell that, whatever food had been left her when they vacated, was rancid in the larder. As empty as the place might be of mammals and birds, she saw enough flies to know she'd probably find an entire ecosystem of insects living their best life in the staff-free kitchen. It smelled to high heaven and she left in a hurry.

As powerful as Sesshomaru was, Kagome was staring to worry.

He was always so distinguished, so cool and refined, whenever she saw him. Even in the midst of battle, she rarely saw him with a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his clothes. In her time he could have been a model, so poised and notable were his features. This, none of this, seemed to fit with the very little she knew of him. He seemed to take great pride in being Lord of the Western Lands. Wherever his seat of power actually was, she couldn't imagine him letting something attached to his name, attached to his father's name, fall into such an obvious show of neglect. It would scream of weakness. And that was something that Kagome know Sesshomaru would rather die that display.

So, yes, she was very worried.

When she reached the back of the house, she thought about checking the other floors, but if no one had answered her calls by now, she highly doubted anyone was there. She'd go back later and check, of course, to make sure no one was ill or injured and perhaps couldn't answer her. But for now, she stepped delicately out onto the back deck, a massive sprawl of stone and stairs leading down to what was once an impressive garden.

It would have been astonishing once upon a time, even Kagome could tell. Fountains were filled with algae coated water, statues were green with mold or overrun with vines. But she could imagine how the meandering paths would have looked in the height of the garden's splendor: filled with the sound of birdsong and the scent of blooming flowers. She could picture spills of roses and lantana and foxglove. She could almost hear the tinkling sound of running water. Maybe even the quiet laughter of others who were wandering the paths, enjoying a spring day. In fact, she could almost hear –

She turned a corner and came suddenly face to face with a scaled beast. "Ahhhh!"

It snorted, eyes flaring wide as it backed up several paces in surprise.

Before her fight or flight response takes over, Kagome's brain catches up with her limbs and she realizes she recognizes the creature. "Ah-Un?" The two-headed dragon snorts and makes a soft lowing noise, inching closer to her. "What on earth are you doing out here by yourself?"

At her quiet voice, no longer yelling in surprise, he takes several more steps forward, lowering his head and staring up at her with wide eyes. He looks so much like a dog asking for attention that she reaches out to rest a hand between the eyes of the closest head without thinking about it. At her gentle touch, he crowds closer, butting his heads against her, demanding more of her caresses, more attention. He seemed half-starved for attention and that's another worrying sign about the potential location of his master.

A sudden thought occurs to her. "You must be the beast everyone is so frightened of."

Ah-Un makes a noncommittal noise, still rubbing against her for affection. But the sudden voice that calls out softly, but commandingly from behind her, chills her from the top of her head, all the way down to her toes. "No, that would probably be me."