NOTE: Inuyasha isn't mine, y'hear?

O-kay! This is for you guys who like reading looong chapters. Enjoy! ^.^ ~ SMI

CORNERED

As soon as the glow from Midoriko's soul orb had disappeared from the late afternoon light Kagome felt a fragile piece of string had been severed from her limbs. Strength has suddenly left her body…was I floating? Why is the ceiling spinning?

A trio of voices cried out her name, it was all she heard, but of the three only one pierced her last bit of consciousness as she slipped into its deep and dark embrace. It was a voice that would remain with her and would forever echo in her soul if ever she would never awaken.

~O~O~O~

A sharp snapping sound that broke the silence in the Western Lord's study made Sesshoumaru jump (just a little), he was surprised when he felt warmth seep from the palm of his clenched hand. Dumbly, the demon lord stared at the red stain that trickled from his right hand then began to drip onto the report he was composing for the Cardinals of the East, North and South.

Cursing softly, he removed the parchment from further damage while keeping his bleeding hand away from his desk. He cursed again when he saw that he had to rewrite another report since the one he had been trying to finish the whole afternoon had been damaged beyond repair.

He sighed and pushed himself away from his desk. Irritated beyond words. It was at that time he belatedly remembered his still bleeding hand. Gods, why do I feel at odds with myself these days? He groaned to himself.

The thought gave prelude to a deep growl in his chest. He scowled as he opened his injured hand and with a slight shake he let the broken brush pen fall on the tatami mat. His acid melted the splinters left in the palm as he flexed his fingers as ligament, muscles and skin began to knit and heal. The demon lord propped his newly healed hand over his bent knee as he leaned back on the wall.

Nothing seemed to be getting done these days…well, on his side of things anyways. Take for example that thrice-damned report for the Cardinals…it has been sitting there for more than two days.

What's wrong with me anyway? My brain doesn't seem to be working!

The Western Lord thought of calling one of the scribes in the library but he immediately changed his mind and he also thought that he should have retained the services of a personal scribe if he wasn't so suspicious of them.

Hn, maybe I should call for Rin and have this report over and done with by this evening.

He closed his eyes in annoyance when he remembered that Rin's now patrolling. Maybe I should have gone out instead of her. Yes, I will follow them right now. I can be there before nightfall and we can change places…

But the inu taiyoukai didn't move a muscle. Didn't move. Period.

From the open veranda a butterfly wandered inside the study and leisurely flitted here and there among the furniture and scrolls. The colorful wings flapping in the still air of the room failed to so much attract the attention of the lone figure sitting so still. So still that the butterfly was fooled into thinking this was not a living being and attempted to land on Sesshoumaru's arm. Only when the fine hairs on his arm bristled at the whisper soft contact did the butterfly hurriedly took to the air.

How is she? How long is she going to get better? When is she going to wake up? She's been unconscious for more than three days now.

That blasted healer said that Kagome was suffering from the residual poison from the comb that Kyoubouna had slipped inside her room. That, and exhaustion from lack of sleep and food. Plus the fact that the miko had battled Muchitsujo for quite a long time and she had also used her aura to release Midoriko so everything just piled up to deplete her energy. The miko will wake up when her body had decided it had repaired itself enough.

I should go and see her, he thought. But on that very day when his voice rang in the castle for a healer as he carried the unmoving miko into her room, he was made, asked more like it, to leave Kagome's room (politely, of course, with a lot of bowing and scraping on the floor) by the healer so he and his attendant could see to the miko's condition.

Flashback at Kagome's room:

Sesshoumaru snarled at the man. "Do you dare tell your lord to remove himself from this room?"

"N-no! Of course not, my lord!" The healer gulped audibly and bowed lower on the floor. "But in order to know her condition…it would…we would ne-need…aherm…need to…ah-ah…dis-disrobe the miko-sama…" The man flinched and almost jumped out of his skin when he growled.

"Is that necessary?" Sesshoumaru's voice rose and his eyes rimmed red. The maidservants and the healer's helper cringed so much that their heads were almost touching the tatami mats.

"Ye-yes my lord. We…we need to see if the miko-sama has internal injuries…," another snarl. "my lord…for the...the sake of modesty…" The healer's voice tweaked.

"This Sesshoumaru will not leave!" He saw everyone's eyes widen. Their lord's youki has begun to swirl in anger.

"My lord," Rin's face effectively blocked the line of sight of the about to be enraged taiyoukai from the shaking healer. "if it will bring you peace of mind I volunteer to stay with Kagome-sama to assure her safety and modesty." The eyes of everyone in the room were going back and forth from the ward to the Western Lord. They waited on bated breath at what would happen hoping that as always his ward had the power to sway the Western Lord's anger and wrath.

Fortunately, for the hundredth time, his ward's firm voice broke through and settled his anger, the red from his eyes dissipated. The healer, the maidservants and the attendant glanced at each other in relief.

The demon lord looked at his ward, considering her words. "Hn. That is acceptable. I will leave. Keep her SAFE, my daughter." The demon lord and his ward nodded to each other.

As he passed by, he shot a parting glare to the healer, who was still dripping buckets of sweat, the imposing Western Lord swept out of the room to the relief of everyone.

The familiar sound of the released retractable handle made him turn around. For Sesshoumaru the sound had always reminded him of a heavy sword imbedding itself on a skull. It made the inu lord smile at the scene. It made everyone in the room cringe, again.

Rin stood there at the foot of the miko's bed like a silent avenging angel; her eyes alert, her battleaxe ready. The captain of the West would brook no argument when it comes to dispensing her father's wishes.

The healer's hands began to shake once more when his gaze fell on probably the scariest looking weapon in his entire youkai life. The man gulped as he tried not to imagine the wide blade slicing his neck from his head if he ever made a wrong move. He had thought that things would get better now that the short-tempered Inu Taiyoukai had agreed to leave. But apparently he was wrong.

He didn't know which one was scarier: the lord or his ward.

Sesshoumaru smirked with satisfaction.

Out in the hall:

After he left the miko's room he felt the need to vent some of the frustration he feels. He was still resentful that he wasn't allowed to guard over the miko. He felt responsible for her safety. When the miko fell unconscious after releasing Midoriko's soul he was the first to reach her side and catch her before her form touched the hardwood floor. She was so pale; paler than her youkai skin and it was tinged with blue. The Western Lord could barely hear her heartbeat, it was there but so faint that a bird's heartbeat would be louder in comparison.

He found the kitsune beside him out in the hall apparently he was also shooed out of his own mother's room. The boy looked lost and helpless to do anything to help. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru felt his own concern diminish in the light of the younger youkai's predicament for the boy would have been more concerned of losing his mother for the second time in his life.

"Shippo, come." The inu lord and the kitsune headed to the dojo to spend the intervening hours while they wait for word from the healer.

~O~O~O~

Sesshoumaru resolutely stood up and left the study to go straight to his bedchamber to change his attire. The demon lord decided on a dark magenta hued haori and hakama weaved with his family crest. The silk was resplendent with silver embroidery of a rampant inu on the back and on the sleeves. The hue gradually darkened down at the hem of the haori. The dark hue highlighted his golden eyes as well as turned the stripes on his cheeks darker and his silver hair even lighter. He glanced at his image in the mirror and decided to retain his blue and gold sash and the two swords but left off his armor. The overall effect was striking.

Had he been wearing this attire in the clan gathering or in the Judgment hall his handsome visage would have swooned many a high breed inu youkai female; if he ever would notice such nonsensical goings on in the first place.

Sesshoumaru had no idea why he wanted go through this effort of changing to go visit the miko when she couldn't even see and hadn't seen his changes of attire for the past three days. He just wanted to. It made him feel good. Perhaps at the back of his mind he was hoping…

The Western Lord sighed as he turned away from the mirror as if the action would also be symbolic of abandoning this pathway of thinking. Such activity made him all the more confused and unsure of what he wanted and why he wanted to pursue such thoughts.

As he was about to exit his chamber his eyes fell on an item on top of one the decorative shelves in his room. His spartan-looking room held selected precious personal mementos. The extensive volume of his family treasures were scattered throughout the castle. He debated whether he would bring the item with him tonight like the other nights. Before he further changed his mind into going or not the demon lord quickly exited his room his silver hair trailing behind him.

~O~O~O~

The halls were quiet as the Western Lord walked in the direction of the women's wing. Many of his servants who saw him smiled and bowed at their lord and then continued on with their duties. His only response was a flare of his youki to let them know he was pleased.

Yes, he was pleased and he was actually looking forward to this visit.

Only looking forward, Sesshoumaru? Or perhaps you're a little excited as well?

Hn, perhaps. The taiyoukai answered his own questions.

"Good evening, chichiue." The inu lord was so engrossed at his own musings that he didn't even notice his ward standing a few meters away from the miko's room.

"Good evening my daughter." The lord noted his daughter's change of attire as well. Gone were the warrior garb and the battleaxe. But the lord was sure that at least five weapons were concealed within her person.

Rin's wearing one of the kimonos he had given her for the spring festival, the one she had declared was one of her favorites. With a start Sesshoumaru suddenly noticed that his ward had changed into a very pretty young woman. Where had the time gone?

"May I say that my father looked very distinguished this evening." Rin smiled and bowed at her father.

"Yes, you may. This father would also say that his child looked very pretty and happy this evening." Sesshoumaru's smile reached his eyes whenever he was amused as his daughter giggled and blushed at his praise and was reminded of the small girl who followed him throughout the Western Lands.

It was one of their light banter and a personal exchange between father and daughter and was never seen by any of the servants. This was too precious and too private for public viewing. It is only at these moments when the Western Lord lets down his guard and drops his cold demeanor.

The servants would never believe that their lord is capable of such emotion.

"Will we expect you for dinner, father?" The taiyoukai turned when he heard the door of the miko's room open and Shippo walked out. The kitsune was also attired for dinner.

The inu lord shook his head. "You may proceed with dinner." Sesshoumaru was quick to notice the admiring glances the kitsune was giving his daughter. The inu taiyoukai narrowed his eyes at the oblivious young man.

"Sesshoumaru-sama" Shippo respectfully greeted him with a low bow.

"Shippo." The kitsune quickly raised his head in confusion at the tone of the demon lord. The young man looked at the lord and found that he was glancing at him and his ward with slightly narrowed eyes. Shippo paled a little for he instantly knew that Rin's very observant parent had caught him admiring his daughter; the narrowed and pointed stare at him was a sort of warning. Oh, darn.

"Enjoy your evening, father." Rin stepped near and gave Sesshoumaru a kiss on the cheek. When the demon lord bent to accept Rin's kiss the action gave the lord a chance to give Shippo another message-laden stare.

"Enjoy yours as well, my child." When Sesshoumaru straightened he had none but tenderness in his eyes for Rin that the kitsune was surprised if he had not imagined the death stare.

~O~O~O~

The haunting melody had been one of the three taught to him by his mother when he was still a pup and he had never forgotten it. She would play it for him to lull him to sleep. He had been a difficult sleeper and very hyper before bedtime. He would drive his nannies up the wall with his games until one day he heard his mother playing the flute and when he stopped to hear her play he fell asleep on her lap. Since then his mother would play the flute before bedtime and he would sleep peacefully. Everyone was amazed.

He wanted to play this piece his mother last taught him that reminded him of quiet afternoons in her study as she taught him how to play the flute. His father had argued that musician-warriors were unheard of in their family…

"What in hell is that noise?"

~}O{~