CHAPTER 14: SHINES LIKE GOLD

"Show me
The most damaged
Parts of your soul
And I will show you
How it still shines like gold."
(Show Me Your Soul, Nikita Gill)

So sneaking around Sesshomaru's big, empty castle to rifle through some of his paperwork for a little bit seems like it should be easy. It should definitely be easier that rifling through her mama's closet in a tiny house with a little brother constantly underfoot trying to figure out if her mom bought her that new iPod she'd been asking for. There were heaps of empty hallways here, lots of places to hide. It sounded like it should be a piece of cake.

But what her family and her cat didn't have, where a demon's keen sense of hearing that meant even the lightest of her footfalls were discernable. They didn't have a dog demon's keen sense of smell. She knew there was no where she could hide from Sesshomaru, even in this big empty maze of rooms.

That meant she had to resort to Plan B.

Which was: Reinforcements.

"So you want to help Lord Sesshomaru be happy?"

Kagome nodded, looking down gravely at Rin. She knew this was a conversation that would go better if she treated Rin less like a child and more like an adult.

"Isn't he happy with me?"

She can't help but reaching out and hugging the little girl tightly to her. "It's not that, Rin. I just think he's been sad for so long. You make him happy, but I think he's still hurting from lots of other things."

"Like his face?"

She nodded. "Like that, yes. I want to see if there's anything I can do to help him."

"None of the doctors could help him."

Kagome filed that information away for later use. Maybe she could find some records of what the doctors had done that she could bring home and show someone. Did doctor-patient confidentiality exist in the Feudal Era? She somehow thought not, but she was equally sure Sesshomaru had threatened them into silence, so it might turn out to be a gigantic bust. But at least it was something to look at. "Well, I'm not like other doctors."

"Because you're a priestess?"

And from the future. "Yeah." It was as good an answer as any.

Rin stared up at her from where she still perched in Kagome's lap. Her eyes are wide and innocent, but there's an intelligence in them that doesn't come from listening to Kagome read her stories or teach her math or English. It's a worldly kind of knowledge that comes from growing up in an era where it was live or die, not matter your age, where she had to fight for survival. It was… mature. "And how I am I supposed to help you?"

"Well," Kagome lowered her voice conspiratorially, making Rin lean in closer, "I need to get into Sesshomaru's office."

Rin's eyes widened. "But we're not allowed in there. He gets mad."

The memory comes unbidden to her of what happened the last time she stepped inside that room, springs to her mind. "Yeah, don't I know it? But that's what I need you for." She boops Rin on the nose. "I need you to keep Sesshomaru busy while I look for something that might help me."

Rin stares at her for only a moment before breaking into a wide grin, her eyes crinkling into slits. "Okay!"

For all that she is a little girl, Rin proves to excel at distracting Sesshomaru. Or perhaps it is merely because she is a little girl that she is so good at it. She drags Sesshomaru from place to place, wanting to show him a new things she had learned from Kagome, or a new game she had invented, or that there was a family of rabbits living underneath one of the benches in the garden. Her wide-eyed, innocent expression never garners a moment's doubt or hesitation in him, that Kagome can see anyway. He merely follows along behind her, as placidly as a cow being tugged along on the end of a rope, the expression on his face the one she has learned is bemusement.

Kagome uses this time to creep through his office, but he's smarter than she gave him credit for. She had assumed that, as a male, he would have thought she would obey his command to stay out without question. But either he knew her better than that or he simply didn't trust her, the point was, he had hidden away all the papers she'd come across earlier. He hadn't locked the door, just cleaned up every scrap of information that she might find useful.

It's maddening.

It's also extremely disheartening. For both her and Rin.

"I just want Lord Sesshomaru to be happy," Rin sniffs to her one night, as Kagome tucks her into bed.

Kagome cocks her head, listening for the sound of Sesshomaru lingering outside the doorway. Sometimes he likes to listen in on her bedtime stories to Rin, though he would probably never admit to that aloud. "Me, too, sweetie. We'll think of something."

"Perhaps I can help."

The two girls yelp in shock at the sudden voice, most assuredly not Sesshomaru, that comes suddenly from the doorway. Jaken stands there, glaring at them as they compose themselves, head tilted towards his lord's room, but there's no sound of sudden investigation. Perhaps he is elsewhere in the castle. "If you two are quite finished?" They nod at him in meek confusion. "If you get Lord Sesshomaru out of the manor tomorrow, Rin, I will help the miko open the hidden safe in his office. That's where all of his papers are that you are looking for. I will only do this once and if we are caught I will tell him you forced me."

Kagome had a feeling Sesshomaru wouldn't believe that but she didn't want to press her luck. So instead she just asked the one question that was burning on her mind. "Why are you helping us?"

There's a beat of a pause. "I know what happens if Lord Sesshomaru loses his title." He won't tell her more than that, but he would do anything to keep that half-breed from sitting where all the great taiyoukai's of the past had sat. The glorious lands of the west would no doubt crumble into obscurity. "And that's all I'll say!"

He trots off, muttering to himself about interfering girls, and how no one appreciated how much he did for this great house. Rin and Kagome just stare at each other in surprise.

There was always the slim possibility that Sesshomaru would want to know why Rin wanted to drag him outside at any given opportunity, but that day was not today. Rin merely barreled into the sitting room where Kagome was doing math homework and Sesshomaru was staring interestedly over her shoulder, and exclaimed that he had to had to come see! When he finally untangled her garbled speech enough to understand her, he raised a slim brow at her.

"Butterflies?"

"So many, Lord Sesshomaru! You have to come see!"

He turns to Kagome, his brow asking a question as he cocks his head at her. She makes a face and shakes her head at her books. "I've got to finish this while I'm on a roll, but you can both show me tomorrow."

Rin immediately scampers off, pleased with her success. But Sesshomaru lingers another moment longer, until Kagome feels the urge to fidget under his gaze. Just when it seems like he's about to finally say something, he merely inclines his head at her. "Until tomorrow then."

She watches him go, until she shakes her head and stands. Time to find Jaken and break into a safe!

Jaken, obviously, mutters obscenities throughout the entire event. That Sesshomaru was going to find him and kill them both. That maybe the safe was booby trapped. That he was going to get fired. That he was coerced. None of that was true, by the way.

The draw opens with a click as smooth as glass and Kagome immediately starts rifling through the papers like a card catalogue. "It's not here," she finally says dismally, sitting back on the floor. Failure surges through her.

"Perhaps he knew you'd do something like this," Jaken hisses under his breath.

"I don't understand, why you'd even lock all of this away. It's just letters from some guy named Tetsu."

"Tetsu?"

Kagome turns at the perked up sound of Jaken's voice. "You know him?"

"He was once Lord Sesshomaru's advisor, and before that he was his father's advisor. I did not realize they were still in contact, though it makes sense."

"Why?"

Panic. "No reason! No reason at all!"

Kagome stares at him suspiciously. "Then I don't suppose you'd mind if I used Ah-Un to send this Tetsu fellow a letter, would you?"

"I – " Jaken breaks off, giving her a long, searching look. "Why are you doing this? And don't tell me because you think Lord Sesshomaru is sad!"

Her mouth falls closed as she thinks. "I… I want him to be happy."

"Why? You don't owe him anything. He's tried to kill you on numerous occasions."

"Well… he deserves to be happy, doesn't he?"

Jaken, silent for another long, contemplative moment, finally slumps with a sigh. "Tetsu has a ball in Kyoto every year, he has for centuries. Lord Sesshomaru never goes, but it's in two days and you could speak to Tetsu directly there. I will send a letter to Tetsu telling him to expect your arrival." Jaken had no doubt that Tetsu would be thrilled to hear from a female so interested in their Lord that she would travel all the way to see him. He didn't want Inuyasha in charge any more than Jaken did.

"But how will I get there?"

"I suppose you'll have to convince Lord Sesshomaru to take you."

"You said he never goes to the ball though, so how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

Jaken shrugged. "I'm sure you'll think of something. It's a masquerade ball, if that helps anything."

It did actually, but at the same time it still absolutely did not. But she wasn't one to back down when she was so close to answers. "I'll make sure to be there. Somehow."

"I'm sure you will be." Jaken watches as she rights everything in the room, making it seem like she was never there at all. He didn't want to tell her that her lingering scent of lavender would alert Lord Sesshomaru immediately that she'd been here. Hopefully, it wouldn't matter, because Jaken had his own idea about how to get her to that advisor. All he had to do was tell Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!"

"Yes, Rin?" He turns to her calmly, removing his attention from the birds Kagome is happily tossing seeds to.

Rin pants for a minute, out of breath, but grinning. "I was in the portrait gallery, the one that Master Jaken just cleaned and I saw a big painting of your parents at a party with pretty masks on their faces."

His eyes grow far away in thought. "I had forgotten about that painting. Father had it commissioned after one of his advisor's masquerade balls. Mother always loved them and wanted to remember it." There's warmth in his voice as he speaks of his parents.

"Did you ever go?"

"This Sesshomaru has no time for such trifles."

"But it looks like so much fun!" She twirled in a circle, imagining a fancy kimono swirling around her. "Have you ever been to a ball, Kagome?"

She laughed. "There aren't any balls where I'm from, Rin. And I don't own anything fancy enough to go to one anyway."

"Aw, you'd look so pretty in a kimono like that." She turns impishly to the demon lord. "Don't you think so, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Kagome feels her breath catch at the intense look in his eye, like he is imagining her dressed to the nines at a ball. His golden eye is lit with heat. "Indeed, I do."

She saved from having to answer when Rin exclaims, "You and Kagome should go!" They both turn to her with varying expressions of surprise. "I asked Master Jaken about the ball and he said it was tomorrow! I wanted to go, but he said it was only for grownups!" She pouted for a split second, before breaking into another smile. "But you can go! Oh Kagome you'll look so pretty! You'll be like a prince and princess from one of your stories!"

"Rin, I – "

"This is impossible, Rin." Sesshomaru's voice is growling, but Rin turns to him defiantly, her hands on her hips.

"Why? Master Jaken said it's a masquerade ball, which means you can wear a mask, even though Kagome doesn't care about your burn, you can still cover it up. And Kagome has been teaching us all kinds of smart things and I'm sure she wants to have fun and it would be like a fairy story!" Her eyes grow sly. "Don't you want to take Kagome to the ball?"

He's been staring at Kagome for Rin's entire rant, looking at a complete loss for words. If Kagome had to choose an emotion for his expression, she would say he looked lost. "You don't have to – "

"Yes." She blinks and, surprisingly Sesshomaru clears his throat in apparent nervousness before continuing. "This Sesshomaru wishes to take you to the ball."

"Oh. Oh!" She smiles at him brightly, for a moment she forgets all about Tetsu and the papers, for a moment she is merely a girl being asked to a party by a boy she likes. "Yes! That would be wonderful!"

There's a slight crinkling to the corner of his eye when his lips tilt upwards in a small, relieved smile. "Very well, I shall make a gift to you of something to wear." He stands and, impossibly, gives a short bow in her direction before walking back towards the manor.

"Master Jaken had a good plan, didn't he?"

Kagome turned down to Rin, who was grinning up at her impishly, incredulously. "What?"

"He said all I had to do was get Lord Sesshomaru to picture you in a fancy outfit and he'd ask you to the ball himself."

Her face burns with embarrassment. "Well, better wish me luck for this next part, Rin."