A/N I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters. I just had this crazy idea, and I wanted to see them handle it.
Yash reentered the room, and she studiously ignored him, making sure not to show any notice. Her snakes however were not of the same mind. She could feel them glaring at him, and then she heard one hiss. It took everything in her not to chuckle at their protective antics. They had been a part of her for so long, and she loved them. They were like her children, only they were the same age as she was. They were her closest friends, and even though they couldn't speak, they could relay emotions and some basic thoughts back and forth. She tried to hush them in her mind, but they were mad for her. They knew he had hurt her. She guessed the only consolation was that Sesshomaru had knocked when he did, or else she may have given Yash too much. She would have given him more ammunition to hurt her.
She had clearly given him more than enough of that already. She didn't look up, merely stood and walked into the bathroom connected to the room they were in. She was debating on whether a nice bath would soothe her or not, but she knew she didn't want to be in the same room as him for a while. At least in here he wouldn't follow.
She sat in the empty tub and turned the water on for a trickle. She played with it to keep her mind busy. Gently swaying and lifting it. She needed to stop thinking, but that wasn't an option. She had left behind everything she knew and was thrust into a house with a bunch of strangers and someone she wanted to trust but doubted she could. She hadn't said anything about his disguise or his abilities to anyone. Not that she had anyone she trusted, but still. It was the principle of the thing. He called his brother to tell him he was with the monster. Then he blatantly blabbed right in front of her about her being able to see.
She wasn't sure how long she sat in the empty tub. But after a while, Yash knocked on the door. "Kagome, the food Sesh sent is here. I can leave it on the table and come back later if you want me to. You'll still be safe here."
She could almost hear the whine in his voice. And even though he hurt her, it broke her heart a little. She stood and stepped out of the tub, turning off the water and allowing the ball she had been playing with to go down the drain. He hadn't meant to; she saw that, but still. How did he live so long with no self control? Or was it just because he trusted his brother implicitly? Maybe she was overreacting. It's not like he told the attacker who she was. But still, it hadn't been his secret.
She stepped out of the bathroom, still leaving her disguise off and hoping he would give her some space. She didn't know how to feel about him right now.
"You don't have to go. Just eat. I don't feel very hungry, anyway."
Yash shook his head, "Sesh sent over some good food, at least have a few bites. It's been a while since you ate anything. Seriously, if you want me to go, then I will. I know I said something stupid. I am really sorry. I don't even know why it slipped out. I really didn't mean to tell him."
His ears were drooping on his head, and his eyes looked so sad. She didn't know why his pain and sadness hurt her so much. It was ridiculous. She barely knew him, and she didn't owe him anything.
She huffed but slumped on the couch still avoiding lifting her face towards him. She didn't need to do that in order to see him, and he could see her, not that she wanted him to look at her scarred face, but maybe it would be enough to get him to stop looking at her with such desire. Maybe she would have to change her disguise so he would stop looking at her like that too. Perhaps that was another option anyway. If she could change her disguise completely perhaps the person hunting her wouldn't find her. Perhaps she could contact the witch and have her change the actual spell a bit and it would help her hide.
It had been over 1500 years since she last saw her, but she knew that witch was very powerful. She doubted she was dead. She had helped her twice in her life, both times she had been paid well. Maybe she could do it again. She had the resources and plenty of ways to pay a witch, now she would need to find her. She pulled the ring out of her pocket and held it to her heart. The witch had told her how to h=find her. She had put her signature into the ring and it would lead the girl to her. Always.
Her head lifted, she wanted to tell him, but was he trustworthy? Would he run to his brother and blab everything? She wanted to trust him. But she didn't think she could. Her head dropped. She would wait until everyone was asleep and leave. She had to find the witch. And she obviously had to do it alone. How else would she be able to protect herself. She couldn't rely on the yokai to protect her forever. She had been taking care of herself for over 2 millennia, she didn't need anyone.
She sat forward and grabbed a styrofoam container of food and popped the lid. It was filled with dumplings. She dug in heartily. After she ate more than she should have she stood up and stretched.
"I think I'm gonna turn in, is there somewhere I can sleep?"
Yash just stared at her for a second, "Kagome, it's 2 in the afternoon. Do you mean you're gonna nap, or are you really going to bed?"
She swivelled the snakes' heads and looked out a window. The sun was shining and the sky looked bright. Huh, she must've been more out of it than she thought.
"I guess nap, then. I just feel tired. It's been a long couple of days. I'll be up in a few hours, I hope."
Yash nodded but looked like he didn't believe her. He stood up and walked down the hallway. He opened one of two doors, revealing a plush king-size bed and a dresser. It had a sliding glass door that led to a small porch that was letting the sun filter in. She entered and opened the sliding door, reveling in the breeze it let in. She saw him give a small smile as she twirled in the fresh air.
She plonked on the bed and faced the outside. She knew she wasn't going to sleep. Now she just had to figure out how to get out of here without being noticed.
Yash shut the door and left her to sleep. He could smell that she was lying, but he didn't have it in him to call her out on it. At least she had eaten something. It had been a long few days, though. She was stuck in a house with him and a bunch of strangers. Someone was searching for her, and they didn't know what they wanted. It was a nightmare, and he didn't know how to protect her. And now, because he had been the biggest idiot of all time, he had betrayed her trust and she didn't even want to look at him anymore. How in the fuck could he fix this? This might have been beyond his capabilities to repair. But he needed her. If she didn't want him, he doubted he'd be able to get his demon to understand.
He arrived back on the couch and turned on the tv, keeping one ear trained on the room in the back. He didn't know if she was really tired or just trying to avoid him, either seemed possible, but he needed to keep her safe. No matter what. He flipped through the channels until he landed on an action movie and half watched it. Then he pulled out his cell and scrolled through social media. The tv was a good distraction, so he wasn't basically stalking the woman trying to sleep in the other room. What a bastard he was.
Kagura had arrived back at the lair believing she had been unnoticed. In all pretenses she had failed, but she had come up with an idea. She approached Kanna before going to Lord Naraku's chamber.
"Kanna, can you recognize the signature of the blocking spell?"
Kanna stood with no emotion on her face, "Of course I can, Kagura. Why would you ask such a question?"
Kagura let out a little sigh. How was this child so petulant? "Is there any way you can look through the city for a matching block and then I can search in one of those places? There was no hint as to where she went at her apartment. I am hoping this may give me another lead."
Kanna nodded her head and lifted her mirror up a little higher. Kagura could see a bird's-eye view of the entire city, and there were several places that seemed shadowed or murky to the mirror.
"I will mark the places that are using the same cloaking spell. However, it might have been purchased from a witch and there may be several. I can sense at least 10, I believe. But if it will give you some places to look, Lord Naraku will be pleased."
She took a piece of paper and wrote down the locations and handed that over. Kagura took it gratefully and went to speak to Naraku. He would be angry if she returned and didn't check in.
As she knocked on his chamber, she heard an angry attempt at a growl, "This better be important."
She opened the door and kneeled just inside the doorway. His voice took on a greasy undertone, "Ah, Kagura, you have returned. And where did my little prize go?"
She flinched for a second and raised her eyes slightly, "My Lord, I did not find any clues to her location at her apartment, but I did have an idea. I spoke to Kanna already, and she has helped me find some possibilities so long as she is in the city.: She pulled the folded piece of paper out. "I had her match the cloaking signature across the city and I will go check all of them."
Naraku smiled, "Well, well. Aren't you a smart slave? Then go. Find her and bring her to me. If you can not extricate her easily, then come back and I will send in someone who can. But if you find her, we will consider your job a success." As she looked back up she saw 3 naked women lying in the bed, one was most certainly dead and the other two looked beaten and broken. She didn't dare to say anything else. She bowed her head and left without turning her back to him. She had been one of the women in his bed too many times. Luckily, she had never ended up dead. She was too valuable. Lucky her.
Kagome waited what felt like forever, but was actually only about fifteen minutes. Then she stood as quietly as she could. She ventured to the sliding door and stepped out. The air was crisp and clean. She could see a garden and a hedge maze not too far away. She placed the ring on her snake so that she could fit in and possibly escape. She searched the grounds looking for a female. She could change some of the basics of her disguise, but mostly it was her body. It was her face shape. If she could make some minor changes, she might be able to look like someone else, but it took a lot of power.
She finally saw a gardener. She focused on their features as best she could and then touched the ring, imbuing it with her power. She felt the disguise change and morph around her. She stepped out and went the opposite direction of where the gardener was sitting and pruning. She couldn't let them see her. She walked around the house and saw the gateway. Damn, did they have a long driveway. It was going to be hard to not get noticed. She tried to make herself look like she belonged. But walked at an even pace. She wasn't stopped by anyone for the first several minutes until.
"Aoi, hey. Where are you going? Did you change clothes? Why aren't you in uniform?"
The man looked puzzled, and she knew she was stuck. Her voice wouldn't match. What could she do? Then the thought struck her. She ran to the bushes and pretended to vomit. If she was sick, he would assume she had changed her clothes because she had gotten them filthy. If she was sick, it would explain why she was leaving, and if she had vomited in her car, it would explain why she wasn't in it. Lastly, why she wasn't speaking.
"Oh, damn Aoi. Do you need me to call you a ride?" She grunted a nuh uh, and fake coughed a few times. Coming out of the bushes and wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
She spoke low and tried to keep her voice deep, "I have to go." and she turned around and left.
The man didn't follow her, and she was so relieved that the ploy seemed to have worked. Perhaps she could get out of here and home without being noticed.
She reached the end of the driveway and there was a guard there checking the gate. He nodded at her and was about to open the door, when his earpiece buzzed.
"I'm sorry Miss. Lord Sesshomaru would like to speak to you before you leave."
She began to fake gag in order to try to trick this man too, but he offered her the waste bucket and didn't move anywhere else. Damn. She shook her head and took a deep breath.
It only took a few seconds before he arrived. She was able to see through his disguise easily, "So you have decided our hospitality is not what you want?"
She felt her shoulders slump. How could she tell him that she couldn't trust them? They hadn't hurt her. They hadn't done anything other than talk about her behind her back, which bothered her, but didn't do any harm.
She didn't respond at all. "Hmmm, it seems you do not yet know. It seems the idiot failed to do as this Sesshomaru bid him. Or perhaps the damage was already done, and you did not give him a chance to try to correct it. Either way, you are no prisoner here, but if you leave, you will no longer be under my protection. You will be completely alone. As I am sure you have been for the entirety of your existence. So perhaps to you it is not something you care about. However, for this one's idiot brother it matters. You matter. A demon's instincts are clear. You belong to him, he must love, cherish and protect you. And now you are not letting him do what he feels he must. You have taken away his choices just as he has taken away yours. However, he did it by accident. You are doing it out of anger and spite. I wonder which is worse."
Her head raised up in a challenge, "It's not spite! I had an idea, and I needed to try it. But since he can't be trusted with secrets, that meant I couldn't tell him. The last time I trusted him, he decided to instantly tell you. Why should I tell him anything? He doesn't deserve to know my secrets. And who asked for your protection?"
"He did. He asked me to protect you. And even though he is an idiot, he is still my brother. Yes, he made a mistake, but he did not intend to betray your trust. You, however, intend to do so. By leaving here like this you will alert anyone looking for you that this is where I live, and I can not allow that. I still have secrets of my own, you know."
Her head dropped back down. He hadn't done it on purpose, and no, she hadn't asked for protection, but he had protected her. When she needed it most. He had been there to save her. And here she was sneaking out, trying to get away.
"I remembered something. I wanted to see if I could find the witch that made my disguise spell and adjust it or add a cloaking spell to it. I figured that way I wouldn't have to hide."
"You told me, you didn't know where she was. Were you lying then?"
"What? NO! I remembered that she wove her signature into the ring and that if I needed to find her I could follow it. I was going to try. You already seem to know all of my secrets. Can I go now?"
He shook his head, "I already told you I cannot allow you to simply walk out. I will have to drive you so you cannot give my location away. But I will have a car brought around. You should change out of Aoi's face. It doesn't suit you. If you would like to change your disguise I can help you, also if you would like to meet one of my sorceresses they can possibly give you a temporary cloaking spell. Which would you like to do?"
She was floored. She had been about to leave and blow his secret, and he still offered to help her. "I- I guess I would like to meet with one of your sorceresses. If they can help me hide better, it would probably be a good idea."
He nodded and began walking away. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow or not until he stopped and glanced back, "are you coming or not?"
Oh. well she was definitely supposed to follow. She ran to catch up and hoped she didn't seem too eager.