See notes in First Chapter.
VIII
Kagome came to a full stop on the marsh side of the road. A sharp breeze chilled down her spine reminding her that while she was warmly dressed it wasn't precisely sufficient for this time of year. The kitsune had supplied her with an over-sized hooded sweatshirt and draw string pants. The material of both was thick and perfectly warm, but offered very little protection against air currents that moved so freely this close to the shore.
Still, it was better than her feet. Her hosts had kindly supplied her with clean socks. Unfortunately, Kagome's precipitous journey from the shrine to the clinic had left her with only the traditional sandals on her feet. With a fresh blanket of snow to walk through, her feet had quickly become soaked and, if not for the constant effort of walking, would already be half frozen.
Despite her discomfort, Kagome had one more thing to do before returning home tonight. Every visit to town included a careful examination of the town's side of the marsh for enterprising koorigamo attempting to move in on the treaty protected stretch of shore. Ryoichi-chiji-san did the same, albeit less frequently.
The brown bear's version of patrol was throwing his youki around, stomping through the reeds quite aggressively and strong-arming any violators back to their community was effective when corralling their average trespassers, the ones influenced by little more than youthful ambition, fluctuating hormones, and an overabundance of confidence. Such males felt little reason to avoid the bear, convinced of their own invulnerability.
Ryoichi's approach lacked the subtlety required to catch the exceptional ones. The ones with a little more thought in their heads and a grasp of reality beyond what they have already experienced would never be caught by a charging assault. The chiji of the area could be hidden from, his heightened senses could be thwarted, circumvented if only one were to anticipate the bear's coming and plan accordingly.
Such was why Kagome took a very different approach.
Standing in the thin layer of fresh fallen snow soaking into her borrowed socks, Kagome closed her eyes to the white glow of the moon on snow. With great care, she opened the lock on the cage that kept her reiki bound away from the world around her. Concentrating on the task at hand, she spun gossamer thin threads of her power outward, slowly building and expanding a net to fling out over the territory she protected.
It wasn't a particularly potent amount of energy, barely enough to feel like static on the chilled air, but it wasn't meant to be felt by others. It was meant to be her web, allowing her to detect the slightest amount of youki intruding on this side of the marsh. She didn't worry about the minor forest youkai that were obviously visiting for the sole purpose of retrieving whatever could be scavenged from among the reeds. There were few willing to risk coming this close to town and the ones that did were desperate. Such visitors had no intention of staying longer than necessary and would likely be gone long before dawn.
Her net established, Kagome opened her eyes and turned to continue on the road. The web slowly turned over the grounds and water, using Kagome as the hub of it's incomplete wheel.
"Hn," Came the unexpected comment from Sesshoumaru. "Your control is acute," he declared.
Kagome nodded, "Yes." She agreed with his observation without assigning any more meaning to his words than the mere fact they conveyed. He wasn't complimenting her, just pointing out that her control was greater than most.
There were four levels of reiki classes at the shrine school in Tokyo. Many shrine schools didn't offer that many. The first taught the most rudimentary and basic amount of reiki control and use. All individuals born with reiki were required to take it as a protection for society. By the end of the year long class, a student was expected to be able to "turn the tap off" as one of her teachers had put it. The class was designed to remove reiki control from instinctive, reflexive bursts to conscious containment instead. To that end, most of the class was taken up with mental exercises that helped identify the source of power, what mental paths were required to effect it, and to strengthen those pathways. It was a lot of meditating, some yoga training, and basic chanting or mantra.
It was a lot to tackle in addition to a regular class schedule, but necessary.
Kagome shivered as she remembered the traumatic experience that taught her why.
As a member of a shrine family, Kagome had grown up making friends with all species indiscriminately. He best friend for many years was a shy but imaginative ushi youkai named Mina. When Kagome's reiki began to manifest around nine years old, Mina would occasionally be the victim of an unintended zap. The girl would generally be good-natured about it, accepting Kagome's profuse apologies with every incident before returning to whatever activity they had been participating in.
Until Kagome turned ten. She and Mina had been waiting outside the school for Mina's uncle to pick her up. The girls were playing some playground game in the dirt with a stick when a small zap shocked Mina. Kagome had taken to hiding her hands behind her back, believing that her power was directed by her hands. Mina's sharp sound of minor, annoyed pain, didn't alarm their mothers, used to the occasional minor accident.
That time was different.
Kagome sighed to herself, releasing her breath in a cloud of unpleasant memory.
Before Kagome could offer her usual apologies the roar of a youkai had startled her. She looked to see a rather large, intimidating male charging at her and Mina. Instinctively she'd raised her hands in protest and released her energy to defend her friend.
She managed to stop the bull all right, but without greater control, Kagome hadn't been able to direct her power in only one direction. Sometimes, late at night, Kagome could still hear Mina scream in pain.
Everyone was lucky Kagome wasn't at the peak of her power yet, as no one actually died that day. Mina and her (previously unknown) uncle were rushed to the hospital and Kagome was immediately enrolled in the shrine school class, bumping in mid-session instead of waiting for the next term to her energy had been unfocused by lack of control, she had badly maimed both instead of killing either.
A shrine healer from the school had been called in special to minimize the damage Kagome had done. At the urging of Mina's uncle, healing efforts had been focused on the younger ushi. Still, only so much could be fixed.
Mina lost sight in one eye. Her left arm had been purified to the shoulder and reiki burns covered the half of her body closest to Kagome. The healer had managed to save the arm, but some damage was permanent. Mina's uncle lost both his forearms to the elbow. The burns were centralized mostly along the inside of his arms beyond the elbow and his barrel shaped chest.
Kagome reminded herself of why she was so careful with her control every time she used reiki outside of shrine grounds.
That incident with Mina was why Kagome continued taking the classes beyond the second one, which taught reiki users how to imbue physical objects with their power for the protection of the shrine, with its lessons in archery, crafting sutra for exorcism and shielding, and other standard uses of "holy" energy. It was why she went beyond the third class that taught those keen enough to continue perfecting control to manipulate their power into imbuing parts of themselves such as lining a hand used to strike an opponent in a fight or encasing one's whole body like a shield against youki infused attacks. It was also the driving motivation that pushed her to complete the most difficult course available as well. In the fourth class, you moved beyond charging things with energy and learned to manipulate the energy without any other medium.
Few bothered to go that far. Practical society only really needed the first and most shrines didn't need to learn beyond the second, though there was great honor in also pursuing the third class. By the time anyone reached the fourth class, which wasn't offered regularly as there wasn't much interest, you reached the realm of teachers, specialty healers, and the seemingly masochistic.
With the future Kagome had planned for herself, she wasn't required to obtain more control than containment of her natural born gift. With Mina's pain, Kagome couldn't abide anything less than complete and total control, full understanding of her capability, and the ability to fix it herself if she ever hurt someone again.
Turning her slightly distracted gaze to Sesshoumaru she considered the control that would be necessary to detect her careful manipulation of energy. His control was "acute" as well.
"Every time I come into town these days I make a point of checking the marsh," Kagome shrugged, distracting from the question he hadn't directly expressed. "I hope the need will become less immediate once the peak of mating season has passed and there is no reason to jostle about for prime nesting grounds."
Sesshoumaru's gaze remained directed down the white covered road that would take them back to the shrine. "What would be needed for the shimarisu to remain in your care once the weather warms?"
Kagome considered him seriously before following his example to watch the road she was walking on. "The shrine is mostly deserted during the winter months. But when it starts to warm up, the path will not seem so onerous to take. When the fishing comes back into season, the shrine becomes an oasis of peace close enough to town to be popular," she explained. "To remain undetected, they would need to be away from the shrine much of the day. A shrine keeper has no guarantee to privacy, so even keeping them inside my quarters in the private areas of the shrine would not keep Naoki and Oki from discovery," she did not explain why that would be dangerous as a passing breeze drove shivers down her spine. Sesshoumaru was intelligent enough to know without stating the obvious. "Keeping them confined to the caretakers quarters like that would be torturous once they both regain adequate health. Young creatures of every species are naturally active, I'd rather not limit their movement cruelly, but I cannot be the one to take them out. My responsibilities to town require too much of my time to adequately monitor them. Beyond that, Naoki and Oki need to eventually be able to live as other shimarisu do, in the forest. I do not want them to become dependent on the youkai in town, that would not be healthy for them and would lead to increasing unhappiness the longer it is allowed to go on. Their species are forest dwellers by natural inclination and necessity. Making friends does no harm, occasional contact would likely be of some benefit in future. Dependency could only cause them problems." Kagome was mostly thinking out loud. If Their aunt had taken her new responsibilities seriously, neither kit would have experienced living in a shrine or staying over with town youkai. But there was no point pondering what should have happened when it didn't.
"None of the clans hidden in Nishi no Mura could teach them how to live out there with any real success, and that's what they need," Kagome declared decisively. "Those two need to learn how to be what they are in their natural environment. They need a teacher that can be trusted to treat them well and genuinely wants them to be successful at surviving on their own someday." Kagome sighed again, briefly pausing to assess the information collected by her web of reiki. There was a pair of otter youkai wandering in the low marsh. Their presence wasn't a concern as she was certain they wouldn't stay. Curiosity occasionally brought the sea mammals this far landward, but it wouldn't keep them. It was likely a mother and pup in search of food at this hour. The marsh could offer some sustenance but not enough to keep them long. The high marsh had drawn a group of nihonjika tonight. The deer were likely foraging and also unlikely to stay long. Even the youkai varieties were shy of humans in this area.
"Your reasoning is sound," Sesshoumaru's voice brought her back to the subject they were discussing. Dividing her attention was a rudeness she knew he didn't mind right now. She was working.
"The problem is finding such a teacher," Kagome added. There were not many that would be willing to take on two kits to teach even without having to house and feed them. Forest youkai were leery of outsiders and even children weren't widely welcomed without blood ties. It wasn't impossible but it would be, "Quite a challenge, I suppose." Kagome observed absently as she continued to monitor the information her web was feeding her.
She came to an abrupt stop once she felt the darting approach of a single koorigamo. "I believe the local problem community have sent an emissary to greet their daijin," she informed Sesshoumaru neutrally. They likely wanted to insure that their side of the situation was being communicated to their satisfaction. "It is possible the younger generation has convinced the elders to lodge a complaint." Because Kagome was unfairly enforcing the treaty that had allowed their numbers to recover. She wanted to scoff, to roll her eyes, to speak her true opinion of the situation.
Sesshoumaru came to a stop and turned to look in the direction of the approaching bird. Kagome kept staring down the road that would lead her home for the night. Knowing the koorigamo as she did, there was no chance she'd be home soon. She wasn't dressed for prolonged exposure to the cold night air, but it wouldn't matter. The birds would insist on her presence and even if they didn't, the daijin would. Neither would consider the elements in deciding how long this little meeting would last as the koorigamo used the cold as a weapon during combat and Sesshoumaru had a full on fur coat in his true form. It was only Kagome who was human and under dressed. The koorigamo idea of shelter was an open air nest on the marshy shore.
Kagome drew in a deep freezing breath and held it. Counting to ten slowly before releasing it in a slow effort to manufacture a calm that wasn't coming naturally.
Much as she would like to leave Sesshoumaru to deal with the birds - his people - on his own, Kagome knew that even if the birds or the dog would let her avoid this particular meeting, it would only cause her problems later on.
The koorigamo weren't above telling her that Sesshoumaru approved something he didn't and vice versa. Like children pitting one parent against the other, if they couldn't successfully achieve the solution they were aiming for through direct methods, they would use other means.
In the eyes of the young long-tailed ducks, the ideal solution would be to hand over the marsh in its entirety. They didn't have the personal memory or historical understanding of just why that wouldn't work. Yes, youkai were inherently stronger than humans, one to one. Yes, youkai were less vulnerable to the elements, spent more time in the marshes, and made greater use of its resources. That didn't mean that allowing the birds to nest on the near side of the marsh wouldn't result in a drastic reduction in population
Nesting season lasted through the first thaw and into mid spring. The road would see an uptick in traffic as seasonal fisherman returned to the area and drove their boats to launch. Classes would be brought out to the marsh to teach about its ecosystem, the water cycle, and to conduct a trash clean up, the first for the year. Mothers of young children would bring lunches so their toddlers could enjoy the sun and nature for the first time in months before the docks began to stink from summer heat. Teenagers would escape to the reeds and tall grasses to evade adult supervision.
There would be a lot of disruptions on the Nishi no Mura side of the marsh, ones that would lead stressed out, protective, nesting birds to attack regardless of human intent. It was why the boundaries were set where they were.
A few too many humans were killed by nesting birds, which had resulted in a few mobs hunting out youkai killers, which had cycled back again. In the end, the town numbers had remained robust while the koorigamo had dwindled rapidly. It wasn't like birds would act as a community while they were all busy with individual nesting demands.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," the approaching youkai addressed her companion as he landed. This male was older than the one she'd rescued Naoki from back in the fall, though he wasn't an elder. "The elders send greetings and request your attendance at a renegotiation of the treaty that no longer serves the koorigamo community." This male's face and exposed skin did not hold the telltale discoloration carried over from his feathers, a sure sign of maturity.
Kagome did not recognize him as one she had communicated with before, but it didn't surprise her. Their community was fairly large and she often made a point of only dealing with the elders.
"Hn," the inu's monosyllabic acknowledgment conveyed little of his thoughts. "They could not leave this to Ryoichi's handling?" The words themselves indicated a mild irritation at the arrogance in jumping protocol. Sesshoumaru delegated much of the everyday minutiae of governing for a reason.
Kagome remained silent. The younger birds did not like the higuma as Ryoichi generally sided with the shrine treaty. He rarely even let them talk, not that Kagome blamed him. The majority of the group who argued for a new treaty were full of whiny testimonials about why they needed a new one. Reason, historical fact, and anecdotal accounts from their elders could not sway them.
Kagome returned her attention to the road that lead home, dismissing the messenger who failed to acknowledge her. Today was just full of little rude kicks to her side. She kept her tongue about it because it didn't matter if they liked her. They could think her unfair, ignorant, and biased all they wanted, but she wouldn't budge on the boundary lines. The koorigamo weren't barred from this side of the marsh entirely, they could forage here all they wanted. It was nesting that wasn't allowed, and nesting only. Disputes over foraging territories were never so deadly as ones in protection of nesting claims.
"This requires a more delicate touch than some bumbling bear," came the wry response. Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru and saw the minute tightening of his jaw that told her that this fool had made a grievous error before the would-be negotiations had even started. Sesshoumaru had appointed that "bumbling bear" after all. To insult his choice was to deride Sesshoumaru's decision making skills. Diplomacy and tact were seemingly rare qualities in the local youkai.
"Hn," was the only thing he said though. Kagome kept her expression neutral, allowing the daijin to continue this meeting as he saw fit. She didn't know how versed the inu was in regards to this specific treaty, there were many in existence wherever youkai and humans lived in close proximity. Although, she would be surprised if Sesshoumaru hadn't made himself familiar with this one with the reports of brewing trouble.
"If it is convenient for our esteemed daijin, the elders are prepared to conduct this meeting now," the oblivious male continued. It was clear that Sesshoumaru's convenience hadn't really been considered beyond the fact he happened to be in the area.
Because she was watching for it, Kagome saw as the great dog narrowed his eyes at the insulting summons. The koorigamo were likely to regret such high-handed machinations. Sesshoumaru was clearly annoyed, likely more than a little. She wanted to shake her head at the botched handling of this very short conversation. This unnamed long-tailed bird was turning the favor of their daijin rather firmly against their aims.
"Higurashi-san" Sesshoumaru warned vaguely before they were once again floating in the air on a cloud of his youki. This time her flight through the air was frigid, the edge of adrenaline from the abrupt ascent wasn't enough to fight the chill and her breath stabbed through her chest like inhaling ice. The sensation made her cough fitfully and her eyes water.
Her full stomach protested the abrupt move and she struggled to end her coughing fit before her dinner ejected itself. She would have to remember to discuss a rule limiting flight immediately following any meal she consumed. It would hardly be dignified to lose her lunch all over herself and the youkai so foolish as to jerk her about like a rag doll.
It took Kagome a moment to realize that despite being in the air, they weren't really moving in any direction. Looking down she noticed that the slow witted messenger was holding them up as the bird had yet to leave the ground. Sesshoumaru couldn't very well speed them to a destination without knowledge of where he was expected. The clinic was easy to find by scent and verbal direction from Kagome earlier. It was impossible to be certain of finding a meeting place in the middle of koorigamo territory without better information.
The Jinja no Sewanin stared down at the irksome male from her perch against Sesshoumaru on his cloud of energy. Her toes tingled at the close contact with his youki giving her a warm, slightly uncomfortable sensation. Unfortunately, the rest of her was freezing fast. The height wasn't much greater than the nearest two story buildings, but it took her out of what little wind shelter was to be had from the brush that dotted the ground. The night was cooler than the day, the air spiked cold into her lungs, but it was the wind that truly cut at her.
Carefully, she released control of the sensing net Kagome had deployed over the marsh. They would be moving rather quickly; if she continued to hold it, the threads were likely to collapse in a trailing cable that would tell her nothing and potentially harm any youkai it touched. Each individual thread held a minuscule amount of power, not even enough to cause a small charged zap like static electricity. Combined in one thick clump, well it would cause a burn effect that would be slightly more painful than too much sun exposure on skin. Besides, she wasn't certain how her dragged netting would effect Sesshoumaru's youki cloud.
Without her consciously and actively willing her reiki into shape, the energy would dissipate into the atmosphere, rejoining the neutral natural energies that cycled through all life. It was only the various mononoke, youkai, kami, and select humans that took that energy in, focused it and tuned it into the charged and opposing types.
Kagome waited impatiently for their guide to clean the feathers out of his brain. Her wet hair was freezing in stick-like strands under the hood of her borrowed sweatshirt and her fingers were starting to cramp up. She grit her teeth tightly together in hopes of preventing them from chattering but she couldn't prevent the violent spasms that periodically rocked her body.
The involuntary motion lead Sesshoumaru to tighten his arm around her waist, ensuring her stability upon his cloud. Their guide finally got his rump off the ground and sped across the marsh giving her escort a trail to follow.
If the wind was bad while hovering in one place, it was much worse in movement. What little body heat Kagome managed to generate was quickly blown away behind them, increasing the frequency of her shivers.
"You are well, Higurashi," came the directive as his arm tightened about her once again. It wasn't toned as an inquiry, he wasn't asking how she was and it wasn't a statement as it lacked the confidence of Sesshoumaru's usual observations. In all likelihood, the daijin knew humans were susceptible to temperature fluctuations and exposure. Kagome had found that even the most knowledgeable youkai who spent a great deal of time around humans were a bit hazy about specifics regarding environmental effects.
Instead of answering, Kagome raised an eyebrow before turning to stare at him incredulously. Her intention was to draw his attention to his uncharacteristic behavior. Sesshoumaru was known to display reticent respect towards shrine families and officials. He did not encourage familiarity or display any pointed concern for specific humans.
She could understand greater attention, delving into her personal history because of her guardianship of his charges. Getting her help with an injury incurred defending him, wasn't a special move. Expressing worry, no matter how mild or ineffable was surreal given what the shrines knew about him. It meant he was singling her out and the only reason likely for this level of concern given his general distance from humans was the fall out from her interactions with Inuyasha. Kagome did not like to think she was being given special treatment because of her history with Inuyasha.
Kagome didn't for a minute think Sesshoumaru had any other particular interest in her. The elder son of Masashi may not have Inuyasha's promiscuous reputation, but Sesshoumaru's regular interactions with humans had made it clear that he rarely looked beyond the family lines for identification and that was among the shrine network itself. Any mortal not associated with a shrine position didn't even warrant that courtesy.
She was startled out of her design by the reality of their physical closeness. Kagome's whole side was pressed into the hard bulk of his body. The great inu's body heat seeped through the cotton of her borrowed clothes where ever their individual edges came in contact. The foreign warmth was made all the more obvious by the swift theft of it by the wind anywhere they weren't touching.
Kagome's reaction was immediate, physical, and easily communicated to the youkai transporting her across the marsh. She couldn't have hidden the sudden tension that characterized every voluntary muscle in her body. It had been years since she'd been this close to another adult body. She didn't know how to handle it in the present instance.
Sesshoumaru shared far too many physical traits with the last none family member she'd been this close to.
"Higurashi," the inu intoned. Her reaction was wouldn't be easily explained, and she didn't even want to attempt it on the verge of holding court with an entire youkai community. When Sesshoumaru bent his attention more in her direction, closing what little distance had remained between them, Kagome turned away to breathe.
For some reason, she felt unaccountably silly. Naoki and Oki were not shy about touching. More nights than not, the kits weaseled their way into Kagome's blankets for warmth and comfort. Their furry bodies snuggled against her at night made her almost too warm, but somehow didn't seem anywhere near as intrusive as talking to Sesshoumaru with only his arm wrapped around her while facing each other.
It was easier to ignore the closeness when facing away. Kagome hadn't even noticed it in their earlier trip because her attention had been fully on their destination after she'd withdrawn it from where they'd been. She'd also been protected by pain, irritation at Natsuo, and an actual goal. All three factors were missing at present.
The pain of her sore shoulder was an easily ignored ache compared with the chill. Her irritation was directed at the situation and Sesshoumaru himself, making him a little more predominate in her thoughts and keeping her attention in the here and now. As for a goal, it was a goal that had already been achieved and maintained for decades now. Kagome well knew that the koorigamo elders were all on the side of keeping the treaty as it was, remembering well how life in the marsh had been before it. There was nothing new to achieve, no resolution to be found beside finding a way to silence the whiny, self-entitled demands of the new generation.
Kagome wished for a distraction before she made a fool of herself. Being ignored by their guide wasn't distracting enough.
"Higurashi?" A real question now, Sesshoumaru's tone had softened and gone quiet with confusion.
"I'm fine," Kagome announced trying to convince herself as much as the tall male beside her. Her voice was almost normal for the short statement. She tried to project a slightly irked calm so that Sesshoumaru might assume her reactions were either due to the long-tailed bird's continued rudeness or a result of the approaching confrontation where their guide's snub would be taken up by a number of others. It was certainly a reasonable assumption. Except for the abrupt onset halfway across the marsh, leaving no immediately obvious cause.
A violent shiver racked her body and hurt all the more for the tension threaded through it. But it did shake some of her muscles loose.
Turning her attention ahead of them, Kagome realized that her hope of standing on ice instead of in snow wouldn't be realized. The marsh didn't freeze solid in winter, the difference between low and high tide were too varied to freeze naturally. It was possible that the birds could freeze a section of water for the duration of their meeting. Apparently it wasn't going to happen that way.
They had already passed the areas of the marsh that were currently submerged. This late in the evening was high tide. She supposed it was unreasonable to expect it. The waters, whatever the tide, were always in the prime nesting zones. No chance outsiders would be invited there at any time.
Sesshoumaru may be the northern daijin, but he wasn't koorigamo and therefore a threat to nests and young. Besides, before the peace, inu were known to hunt all sorts of birds for sport. It was in their nature, some instinct kept in the greater species from the lessor.
This only meant that Kagome would inevitably be standing in a pile of fresh, quickly melting snow. Her feet would be soaked and freezing before she managed to make it home. Frost bite might even be a risk if the meeting lasted long enough.
Once they crossed the edge of the marsh and explored a ways into the tree covered expanse beyond, their destination became obvious. The rustle of feathers brushing against each other as birds moved and settled into wait could not be obscured in the winter quiet. A soft murmur of impatient voices blended with the physical din that even Kagome's human senses picked up several minutes before anything of the flock came into view, even with Sesshoumaru's speed.
A clear space was left for them next to a tree. The majority of the gathered birds had settled about the area facing that spot. Kagome bit her lip to stifle a sigh, she wondered who had displayed the forethought to insure that Sesshoumaru was not forced to put his back to any group of youkai. With all the false moves that had already been made, she wanted to applaud the intelligence evinced by this result.
She bit harder on her lip when the big inu carrying her alit in the space provided. The increased pressure on her chapped lips helped to trap a hiss of annoyance as Kagome's socks were almost immediately soaked through with snow melt.
The moment Sesshoumaru released his grip on her waist, Kagome stepped away from would both need room to maneuver if things became unpleasant. The older youkai would refrain from making aggressive moves unless they felt directly, physically threatened. The younger generations were more impulsive, impetuous. The more prideful males would attack for any perceived insult. That was another reason Kagome preferred to deal with the elders almost exclusively. They had the confidence and security to let petty insults slide, as they knew such insults were more a reflection of the nasty individual issuing the insult than the one being insulted.
Besides, even a completely peaceful negotiation could be unduly influenced by appearance. If she stood too close to Sesshoumaru, it would appear that she had influenced his judgment. She wanted to snort her opinion of that possibility. The shrine families were quite solid on the reality that nobody influenced Masashi's eldest without being measured, vetted, and then usually ignored anyway. Sesshoumaru made his own judgments. But not everyone was privy to the shrine pools of information on the influential youkai in Japan.
Still, some things were basic. Such as not standing behind an inu facing off with a crowd. Which is exactly what Sesshoumaru was doing however this little "meeting" turned out. He held no real common ground on this particular treaty. It didn't directly affect him. Kagome rather doubted the ones demanding renegotiation had thought of that.
Kagome glanced over the flock that was slightly obscured by the trees blocking the moonlight. She was thankful for the additional glow from the snow on the ground to help her see, even if it was making her feet go numb where she stood. She was prone to the same illusions of safety when it came to sight as other members of her species. She'd be more nervous faced with such a large horde if she couldn't see most of it.
As it was, she very carefully tapped into her reiki to coat every inch of her skin in a thin protective layer to block any energy attack thrown her way. All youkai had faster reflexes than she did. Kagome would be struck before she even knew she'd been attacked if one of the crowd decided to move things in a more physical direction.
Her new energy armor wouldn't exactly protect her from a punch, kick or slap. Impact would be felt if she was knocked off her feet, but she wouldn't be frozen solid in a youki attack.
Movement to her side drew Kagome's attention back to the daijin only to find Sesshoumaru's shrewd golden eyes, narrowed at her. "Hn," was the only sound he made, but just that soft note was enough to tell her that he'd felt what she'd done.
Kagome raised her eyebrow and widened her eyes innocently. The move she'd made was defensive, though the second skin would enhance any attacks she made if the Jinja no Sewanin did strike out. She'd basically imbued her whole body with energy opposed to him and the entirety of the people around her.
Any other high ranking youkai in Masashi's government might take it as an act of aggression if she wasn't associated with the shrines. If they could sense what she'd done in the first place. Kagome had used the slightest amount of energy needed to deflect youki and protect her hide. If she wanted to block an attack entirely, that would take far more energy. Once again, Sesshoumaru's own level of control was the only thing that had alerted him that she was using any energy at all.
Kagome swept her eyes pointedly towards the crowd before she returned her gaze to Sesshoumaru. His eyes narrowed and his chin dipped minutely to communicate he'd gotten the message.
"What is she doing here?" demanded a young male Kagome recognized. It was the same arrogant fool that had nearly drowned Naoki. There had been several encounters since then as the male refused to accept the inevitable.
"You are out of line, Daiki," An elder Kagome had dealt with before tried to rein the youngster in. Ayaki was one of the most respected elders due to his considerable size, his travels in his long ago youth, and his lingering brute strength. He was usually a fairly even-tempered youkai, but this latest crop of newly minted males were wearing on him as much as Kagome and Ryoichi.
"This Sesshoumaru is not in the habit of wasting time," the daijin cut in. "This is a negotiation of the current treaty, therefore the shrine must be represented and weigh in on any talks towards alteration," the inu droned on. It wasn't hard to figure out that Daiki's ignorance was annoying Sesshoumaru.
"She is decidedly biased towards the humans," Daiki petulantly continued in marked disrespect for his elder and completely missing the hint at the danger he was in. Sesshoumaru was known to lash out at fools that failed to evince certain levels of self-preservation.
"Indeed," Sesshoumaru replied in a quelling tone.
"If you want to live, I suggest you stop talking, Daiki," hissed the male that continued to snub Kagome. "The woman was with him when I approached the daijin, there was no help for it."
"But she won't even hear of adjusting the treaty," Daiki whined loudly. "The humans aren't using the marsh for anything. It should be ours."
"The youth today are all fools," Ayaki sighed in embarrassment. "I apologize for their uncouth behavior in the presence of visitors. We have reminded them that the humans return to the marsh before nesting season ends but they do not listen."
"We have taught them what nesting on the far side of the marsh brings," another elder continued. Chizue wasn't as old as Ayaki, but she had other experiences that brought her great respect. "They dismiss it as no longer possible because they have never suffered through it."
"The humans are weak!" Daiki scoffed.
"Individually, maybe," Ayaki conceded. "But no nesting koorigamo pair has ever been hunted by a single human."
"Higurashi-san," Sesshoumaru called flatly.
"Sesshoumaru-dono," Kagome replied quietly.
"The treaty sets the boundary of koorigamo nesting grounds based on physical distance from town," he stated for the crowd of chittering birds.
"Yes," Kagome agreed though he hadn't truly asked a question.
"The town has not moved."
"No," Kagome confirmed evenly.
"Then there should be no reason to adjust the boundary line," Sesshoumaru concluded pointedly.
"There's not enough room for us here!"Daiki protested.
"Is there truly not enough room? Or are you lazy cowards unwilling to try for position and fail?" Sesshoumaru countered. "To settle on the town side of this marsh is a death sentence for more than just the fool who attempts it. Higurashi-san," he invited her to expound.
Kagome took a deep breath, stalling to allow her to draw up the specific facts of the last incidents before the treaty was put in place. "Humans do not come close to the marsh very much in winter, this is true, but after the first thaw the marsh road sees a lot of traffic. Supplies and migrant workers are brought in to make ready for the production season near the shore. It is now, as it was then, the first change in entertainment to be had for months. Mothers bring the children out to watch the parade of vehicles coming into town on that road. Decades ago," Kagome swallowed to wet her dry mouth as another violent shiver raced through her chilled limbs. She could no longer feel the sting of cold in her feet and she was beginning to worry about her benumbed toes. "Decades ago, the traffic was mostly carts drawn either by hand or animals. One such animal was a nervous creature, displeased to be driven so close to the marsh, hemmed in by carts behind and ahead and plagued with excited children on all sides. Something caused the animal to let out a cry of nerves or fear or maybe pain and a nearby nesting koorigamo attacked. There was no one near the marsh, they were all by the road, but the youkai attacked anyway.
"That one attack brought the young season's death toll up to twenty one. That's twenty one in a single fortnight. Sixteen of those deaths were young children. One was the headman's only son. That attack caused the headman's wife to go into pre-term labor which resulted in the stillbirth of his daughter." Kagome gazed pointedly out into the crowd of birds that were half ignoring her words. "It was decided that twenty one deaths in fourteen days was far too many and the townspeople organized a troop of exterminators that invaded the marsh."
"That's just a mother's tale told to scare chicks into compliant behavior," the guide countered flatly. "It never happened."
"Ask Chizue if it ever happened," Kagome glared hard at him. "That one spring reduced the numbers of your people by more than two thirds. There were only three koorigamo to survive the town side of the marsh. She was one of them."
"We didn't even realize how badly our numbers had diminished until summer hit," Ayaki added. "We'd been reduced to less than fifty strong."
"Well, it could never happen now," Daiki insisted.
"You think not?" Sesshoumaru challenged the obnoxious youth's reasoning.
"Humans have better weapons now than several decades ago. They won't be limited to fishing tools and hand knives," Kagome pointed out. "Not to mention the unabashed specism found in town. You take out even one of their babies because you set up house too close to the marsh road and a child exploring the reeds spooked you, I doubt they'll stop even at the current boundary line."
"We still have a problem with nesting space," the other male insisted to echoing agreement.
"Enough Arata," Ayaki scolded the guide. "The solution you sought is not one any of us can approve. Either find another solution, or make do."
"Make do?" Arata scoffed. "That's easy for you to say, you no longer seek the nesting grounds. The drive to protect the egg has deserted you -"
"Regardless," Chizue cut in, "The fact remains that there will be no adjustment to the boundaries established by the treaty. I'll not witness another spring like that one. The three of us that made it through weren't even related. My partner and my eggs were destroyed. I only survived because I was near death and rescued by the Jinja no Sewanin of that time. I took on a chick that had been orphaned and left alive only because it was buried by the broken shells of its siblings. The third was a male that lost an eye, a leg, his partner and their chicks." It was the first time Kagome had ever seen the elder female moved to anger. "Sesshoumaru's judgment was accurate, any male who seeks to avoid tense competition for nesting space on the approved grounds is both lazy and a coward and not worth breeding with in any case. Laziness does not make for much help in feeding a nesting female or hungry chicks. Cowardice does not speak of worthy skill in defending a nest from predators, trespassers, and other threats. If a male will run from a fight over where to put a nest, what's to prevent him from fleeing a fight with much higher stakes."
Kagome wanted to agree, but she wasn't here to pass judgment or tell the birds how to live their lives. Her job was just to enforce the treaties in place for the protection of both communities. Besides, there were enough fools in the crowd to dismiss their elders words just because Kagome agreed with them.
"This Sesshoumaru offers a better solution to your population problem," the inu cut in. "Any male caught attempting to nest out of bounds will be rendered immediately and permanently sterile." The verdict was handed down with some mildly obvious satisfaction. The younger koorigamo had successfully irked Sesshoumaru enough that the harshest punishment would be dealt out. "As your reason for trespassing is directly related to a need to breed, repeat offenders will no longer be a problem. A diminishing return of virile males will reduce the competition for available, lawful nesting sites, thus solving the problem."
Silence settled over the crowd, and Kagome held her breath not to disturb it. It wasn't the route she would have chosen, but it wasn't exactly something she could have chosen anyway. Not even Ryoichi could have handed down that motion.
"That would leave a disproportionate number of females without partners," Chizue pointed out calmly. "It is a punishment that harms more than the criminal."
"Had you bothered to implement responsible population controls, such would not be the case. There are always other populations to draw partners from," Sesshoumaru dismissed the concern blandly. "Perhaps future violators should pray Higurashi finds them, as her methods of sterilization may not be as bloody as Ryoichi's or this Sesshoumaru." He lifted his clawed hand, allowing a few drops of his inherently caustic poison to drip from the points and burn through the snow. "Before anyone else makes an attempt to argue against this decision, remember, you brought this on yourselves. Such may not have been the case, if it had not required a daijin to step into a situation a chiji could have handled," golden eyes speared Arata before sweeping over his compatriots. "For that matter, the community elders and the Jinja no Sewanin should have been enough. This problem was not so dire, nor so difficult to sort through. Your people were just noisy and belligerent, arrogant and spoiled."
"What kind of daijin are you?" Daiki burst out in disbelief. "We're youkai, you should take our side!"
"He governs more than just our community of koorigamo, fool," Ayaki glared at the petulant male insisting on waving his self-centered ignorance in the face of the great Masashi's eldest son. "His protection extends to the youkai living in town also."
"What youkai would be so weak as to take shelter with weakling humans? Have they no pride?" Daiki scoffed.
"There are many breeds of youkai that thrive more in a human filled environment than a less populous one," Kagome informed him. "Just as there are breeds that do better avoiding human interaction. The town has existed for several hundred years and been surrounded and filled with youkai since its founding."
"Liar!" Daiki snarled as he sent his youki out to strike her in short-tempered reaction to having his character maligned by the daijin, his views discounted by his elders, and his concerns put down as resulting from his own flaws and immaturity. He wouldn't attack Sesshoumaru who was without doubt much stronger than a fledgling male that still hadn't managed to master a human face.
The wave of freezing energy blew around Kagome's body, buffeting against the energy she'd lined her skin with and passing beyond her without diminishing in strength or speed. The tree behind her hosted a frost lined silhouette of her body, testifying to the effects it should have had on her flesh. Instead she sighed, as a shiver racked her body from the ambient temperature rather than being frozen solid and the resultant wind created by Sesshoumaru's move.
"You attack the shrine representative for educating you about the world," Sesshoumaru hummed disapprovingly as he held the fool up by the neck.
"I'm fine," Kagome announced.
"That's not possible!" Daiki gasped out around his closing throat.
"Higurashi is not so weak as you believe," Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at the wide frightened, confused eyes of his captured prey. "Are you not aware of the existence of reiki users?"
"Those are myths!" Arata declared.
"Then how did Higurashi-san avoid the attack thrown at her?" Chizue demanded. "She didn't move and Daiki's energy was certainly effective given the damage taken by the tree behind her. If the Jinja no Sewanin had not reiki to protect her, how is she still standing?"
"Hn," Sesshoumaru observed the gaping birds around him, still holding Daiki above the ground. "Perhaps a practical demonstration is in order."
Kagome glanced at him a little annoyed. She wasn't in the habit of doing parlor tricks to prove her abilities. It was a tool she kept mostly to herself, used in subtle ways most youkai would never notice. Clenching her teeth as her body shook with cold again, she held out her free hand and concentrated on illuminating just the layer of reiki that surrounded her hand. She didn't want anyone to know the full strength of her energy or that she had coated her entire body in it. A practical demonstration didn't require that she scare the feathers off the whole crowd, just that she ruffled some enough to know it was there.
Once her hand glowed brightly, she turned her back to the flock to tend the tree damaged by Daiki's tantrum. Trees and other plants neutralized energies, cleaning them of their respective charges, picked up from youkai or humans. They could be damaged by abrupt contact with a great deal of one type of energy or the other, just like they could drown in a flood or die from too much sun. Kagome carefully manipulated her energy to find the damaged spots and heal them, soothing the sting of frozen youki and sending the glow of her energy up the trunk. She had to be careful. Too much energy of her type would send the tree into an early growth period that would cause damage when it almost immediately chilled again.
There was a hiss of in-drawn breath all over the clearing. There was no denying Kagome had done something outside the realm of ordinary humans. With just a touch, the old tree had lit up like a glow stick. Any normal human would have been required to paint glow-in-the-dark chemicals over the bark or thread electric lights around it to produce the same effect.
After she was certain all ill effects had been corrected, Kagome began to withdraw her attention from the tree. The visual affect made it look like Kagome removed her energy from the tree, drawing it back into herself. The reality was simply that she let go of it, letting the energy disperse as it would. The tree would use whatever lingered for its better health. It was a procedure she performed regularly with the trees around the shrine, the better to avoid accidental release that would cause undue harm to those around her.
It was a widely accepted belief that reiki couldn't harm plants, animals or humans. It wasn't true of course. If it was strong enough, the introduction abrupt enough, reiki could do as much harm as youki. Perhaps not in the same way or to the same degree, but sudden change of any type will cause harm to a living system.
If it was administered correctly, it could also heal even youkai. Youki had never been demonstrated to do the same, though Kagome imagined it had more to do with training and education than anything else. Or maybe it was an aptitude thing. Certain breeds of youkai were more apt to display certain types of energy manipulation. These particular birds fought with youki generated ice and freezing temperatures. Many youkai native to Hokkaido did. Kitsune and tanuki were better with illusion, shape shifting, and other things. Sesshoumaru's specific line of inu used a caustic toxin that could be willed into specific attacks.
Sesshoumaru dropped Daiki on the frozen earth. The bird landed with a loud, dull impact sound that was likely painful. Kagome observed from the corner of her eye, over her shoulder. The bird laid there wheezing air through his painful throat as the burn of the daijin's toxin ate lightly at the skin formerly pricked by claws. From this distance it didn't look as if the upstart had suffered anything permanent. Unless he was far weaker than Kagome had cause to believe. She'd taken his measure with the stupid aggressive acts he'd pulled.
Daiki was lucky. Sesshoumaru could have done worse with very little effort.
Kagome dismissed his condition as she stepped back from the tree and turned to face the semi-awed crowd gathered around them. Another sharp shudder racked her chilled limbs. Her feet remained uncommunicative blocks of ice, and she still had to trek back to the shrine before she could do anything about it. Now would be a good time to leave, even if Sesshoumaru wanted to stay to bully a few more brats, she hadn't the time or the patience to linger and watch. There was no need to perform any more parlor tricks and she wasn't going to give the daijin opportunity to ask for more.
Her patience ended with the Fujimoto leash. Her physical fortitude was currently being tested to the limit. And beyond. It wouldn't surprise Kagome if she lost toes from this venture. Insult to the earlier injury.
But there was no need to stay. All decisions had already been made and set in stone. Mostly. Kagome had absolutely no intention of sterilizing anyone against their will. Another violent shiver racked her body and she nearly bit her tongue.
She missed the amber eyes that narrowed at her, considering.
"Hn," Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the gathered elders. "This negotiation is over." His glare returned to the belligerent male at his feet. "The boundaries stay where they are. Any found attempting to nest where they do not belong will be permanently relieved of their reason for nesting anywhere."
Kagome discreetly peered around her trying to figure out which direction would offer the shortest path back to the shrine. She didn't normally come this far out into the wilderness. She knew the way back to town, but if she could find a shorter route she'd take it.
She wasn't expecting Sesshoumaru to say a few final words to the gathered flock before sweeping her up off her feet and away from the scene. It wasn't like riding on the cloud formed by his youki, going up before moving over. The inu moved in a straight, dashing line holding her tightly to his side with her feet trailing behind them. Kagome felt somewhat like a rag doll. The initial, unexpected launch had stolen her breath. When she finally regained it, Sesshoumaru was gently setting her feet down outside the keepers quarters of the shrine.
Upon facing the doors to her home, Kagome realized she'd lost a sandal. It wasn't from any discomfort or sensation, but more because she found herself to be lopsided when reaching to slide open the doors. Her body ached from the violent trembling the temperature caused. Tomorrow would not be fun, standing out in the cold again, achy, wearing a sling and emotionally exhausted.
But it was her duty and she would do it. The numbness in her lower extremities caused Kagome to stumble as she climbed inside and negligently kicked off her remaining sandal. She didn't bother to line it up pointed outward again or to tuck it up into the designated space for it. The set was ruined with the loss of its mate and the only person likely to suffer from her untidiness was herself. She didn't worry about Sesshoumaru even though he followed her inside.
She was more worried about making it to the kotatsu. Her soggy socks left muddy residue on the tatami mats that Kagome would have to clean up later, but it was more important to get warm and assess the damage. The absence of feeling in the soles of her feet lead to a misplaced step that pitched her forward. Her face nearly planted on the edge of the table if not for her guest's quick thinking.
"Higurashi?" came the rumbling question.
"My feet are numb," she replied blandly, settling to the floor at the kotatsu and clicking the heat on its lowest setting. "I just need to get warm."
"If it was dangerous to be out there, you should have said something," Sesshoumaru admonished her.
Kagome hunkered low against the table, lifting the blanket edge as high as she could while still trapping heat under it.
"If I'd been allowed to change attire before leaving the shrine, it wouldn't have been," Kagome sniffed, irked that he felt the right to scold her about something that wasn't really his business and was partially his fault. "I don't normally wear my shrine robes into town this time of year. Water proof boots are warmer and offer better traction, and there are clothes that offer the same benefits in comparison to traditional ceremonial robes, even when the robes haven't been aerated by volatile teenagers."
"The Kitsune provided garments," Sesshoumaru replied.
"The clothing loaned to me by the Fujimoto leash would have been suitable for the short trip from town to the shrine," Kagome acknowledged. She reached up and unclipped the belt of her sling, freeing her arm to stick both hands under the blanket and into the heat. "Any farther distance with greater exposure to wind, such as can be found in flight, has proved this borrowed wardrobe insufficient. If I'd known I'd be flying after dark, I'd have dressed in something more waterproof and wind resistant," like the heavy coat she wore this time of year. Every time Kagome left the shrine grounds, she wore a few more layers than necessary. The townsfolk like to jeer at her about lacking tolerance for their colder clime, but Kagome planned for the unexpected. One never knew when a call to police the marsh came through. Or when some uneasy wild youkai would stumble too close to the edge of town and need to be warned off or redirected. Not to mention the occasional call to serve some remote home along the shore road out of town that would draw her from town and shrine.
Most the people in town never left the settled area until the snows began to thaw in the spring. It was a very different thing to be out of doors in town and to be out in the surrounding wilderness or on the water. The local youkai gave Kagome a hard time about the layers she wore too, but theirs opinions was cast more against her entire species than just her specifically.
When the pins and needles of returning warmth began to become uncomfortable, Kagome removed her damp socks under the table. She flexed and relaxed the muscles in her feet to encourage renewed blood flow and hasten the end of the prickly sensation. Her hands weren't nearly as troubling as her feet despite being fully bared to the weather.
Eventually she curled her legs closer and began to massage her feet under the table. Kagome needed to inspect them for any possible damage, but she was reluctant to expose them to the chilly ambient temperature of the greater room so quickly. She would need to change clothes, layout her futon, and go to bed sometime soon, but soon wasn't right now.
"That farce of a negotiation did not need to happen this evening," Sesshoumaru growled in response, amber eyes watching her hunch over the flat surface.
"If not now, then tomorrow," Kagome muttered. "They obviously heard you were in the area and took the opportunity it presented."
"There are channels," the looming inu scoffed.
"And the koorigamo are not the first who have sought to take a short cut to their desired outcome," Kagome reminded him absently. "Hopefully, tonight's fiasco will have cut off any major incidences for this mating season."
"Just a season?" he sounded appalled.
"Koorigamo growth puts next year's crop of new breeders in with the babies during this time. There is no prior exposure to politics before adulthood and a first mating season." Was the explanation. It may take more than a year to mature from hatching to maturity, which usually kept parents from breeding during the seasons necessary to care for their young, but at least two seasons before a new bird was old enough to breed their parents were set free of their duties and driven to breed again. It left two years for the soon to be adults to help care for younger chicks and learn to fend for themselves more fully. Not every long-tailed duck survived those interim two years, free of their parents' care and protection to adulthood and breeding chicks of their own. In fact, koorigamo flocks didn't recognize a new member fully until entering their first breeding season as a participant.
Kagome stiffened abruptly as she felt the Seishin-tekina shouheki communicate the approach of multiple youkai. Without saying a word she scrambled around the table so that her back wasn't facing the door. Barely making it in time, Kagome drew up the blanket as her door slid open to admit three female koorigamo individuals who couldn't be bothered to knock.
"You have no purpose here," Sesshoumaru informed the impertinent trio.
"We return the Jinja no Sewanin's belonging," the tallest of the three declared and Kagome's lost and dirty sandal was dropped unceremoniously on her formerly clean table.
"This required you to barge into her home without courtesy or invitation," Sesshoumaru declared in such a tone that the more timid pair in the small group ducked.
"Our presence was announced by the shrine protections," the bold one defended their actions. She was taller than the other two, likely older as her human facade had little skin discoloration to give her away. The other two had unusual striping on their faces and in their hair. Nothing incredibly obvious, as females were slightly more subtle in their plumage naturally, but enough that Kagome could tell.
"Maybe so," Kagome cut in, "but entering someone's home without knocking and being invited in is exceedingly rude. The doors are there for privacy. A similar offense would be if I were to join you in warming your eggs in your nest while expecting you to entertain me without having leave to eject me from your territory."
"Really?" one of the previously silent birds questioned innocently. "Did you know that Ikuyo-chan?"
The bold one scowled at the question.
"This is my nest," Kagome announced firmly. Sometimes it was prudent to alter the vocabulary to get a point across. "It may be empty much of the time, but no one should enter it without my permission, especially if I am present. Humans will defend their homes in the same way your people would defend a nest. Others have died for doing what you have."
Ikuyo blinked before speaking up, "Then we apologize, we weren't intending to offend you." Her tone was grudging, the words most likely spoken only as a way to insure Kagome would still do whatever it was she wanted.
"No, you came seeking about something that was brought up tonight," Kagome sighed as Sesshoumaru shifted to lean against the wall behind her. She didn't like having a youkai she wasn't terribly familiar with at her back, but there wasn't a polite way to tell him to shift three steps to the side of her instead either. "The judgment handed down by the daijin was uninfluenced by the shrine network. He has handed down his edicts and we must live by them to the best of our ability."
"Oh, we're not here to protest Sesshoumaru-sama's decision," the quieter speaker declared.
"We're more interested in the idea that a reiki user can sterilize a youkai without physically maiming them," added Ikuyo. "We'd like to volunteer."
"There is no way for reiki sterilization to be healed from or reversed," Kagome informed them. "This is not something to be used for birth control."
"That's just it, human," Ikuyo huffed, the words were indication of just what the bird thought of Kagome and her shrine. If Ikuyo actually respected either, Kagome would not be merely 'human'. She would be something associated with the shrine, not named, as she doubted the birds knew Kagome's individual or family name, but definitely something associated with the shrine or even just 'reiki user'. "There is no birth control. And if Daiki and Arata are the choices available, I'd rather not breed at all."
"You will live for a long time," Kagome shook her head. "Sterilization is permanent."
"You're not listening," Ikuyo sniffed, clearly the only words worth hearing must come from her own mouth. Kagome's responses weren't more than hot air and raised concerns the bird was simply blowing off. "We don't care to breed with inferior partners. Our numbers are over abundant, but instinct doesn't pause when worthy males are non existent or overpopulation is an issue."
"And we don't even like males," the softer spoken female protested as she clutched hands with the still silent female beside her. These two offered a truly valid reason to desire sterilization. Preferring female partners would make breeding with males physically repugnant even while failing to prevent it from occurring. "Males being prodded to act by instinct don't respect that."
"I understand your problem, and if it were a reversible or even a temporary procedure I would have no issue assisting you," Kagome shrugged her shoulders and withheld a wince when the move tugged at her stitches. She was sympathetic to the quieter two. "But as it is permanent I feel this is something you should discuss with your elders first. I'll not have your entire community at odds with the shrine because I used my inherent abilities to render you three permanently infertile. Not after Sesshoumaru-dono just decreed it a punishment for attempting to nest out of bounds."
"Your whole community appears to lack an understanding of protocol," Sesshoumaru observed.
Kagome ignored him as she tried to advise the trio still standing across her table. They'd never shut the door behind them and her already chilled room was now frigid. "Go back to your elders, discuss it with them, and have them approach me on your behalf. Any other approach risks an already fragile peace in this area."
"I," Ikuyo swallowed sullenly, "I understand what you are saying. What do we do if the elders refuse to consider our request?" The female obviously had trouble conceding that much to Kagome's judgment. To her, Kagome should just work her reiki on command and shut up about the consequences or the reasons why.
"There are no rules that require you to live in this community," Sesshoumaru answered shortly.
"I am not the only reiki user in Japan," Kagome calmly offered a new action. "You may seek out the shrine school in Tokyo as a free youkai." Free youkai did not answer to any power beyond that of the over-arching government founded by Masashi. Declaring themselves free youkai would leave them without a species specific community to draw support from, but it would achieve what they wanted.
"That is not a solution," Ikuyo glared at Kagome.
Many youkai believed being separated from their species specific communities was cruel and torturous. The non humans around the world almost universally lived longer than humans. It was a long time to be separated from your own kind, but there were still plenty of individuals that were driven to sever ties. Kagome rather expected the quiet pair lingering behind Ikuyo would be fine without the flock so long as they had each other. And it wasn't as if there weren't plenty of free youkai to take up with. They just wouldn't be koorigamo.
Ikuyo didn't feel the same.
"There are no actions that do not change something for the better or worse. There are no choices without consequences," Kagome pointed out. "If your elders allowed you to do this, you would still be a part of the community, but your over all standing would be greatly diminished. You would not be a courting prospect and would be reduced to the pre-adult position of assisting with chicks and taking care of yourself without much voice in community decisions. If your elders don't allow it, the next choice is whether you will accept it and breed as instinct and mating season urges or you pursue sterilization outside of the community after which you will not have a flock at all." The pair of females that clung to each other looked slightly downcast but accepting. Ikuyo looked ready to erupt.
"You are no help at all!"
"Oh, my heart is broken," Kagome scoffed, her limit long surpassed. "I've failed to help a group of young, rude cowards that resorted to emotional manipulation after they didn't get what they wanted."
"Now who is being rude?" Ikuyo sniffed.
"You," Sesshoumaru interrupted abruptly. "Now leave."
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," the gently disheartened voice conceded to the dismissal. "We apologize for the intrusion." The quiet duo bowed respectfully to their daijin and Kagome before easily slipping back outside through the open door. Ikuyo stubbornly remained behind.
"I don't know why you linger," Kagome sighed, more than done with the loud-mouth. "My decision will not change."
"You are such a hypocrite!" Ikuyo accused her host hotly. The feather head must be used to always getting what she wanted.
"Refusing to use my reiki on a youkai whose community might take it as an act of aggression, instigating violence between two communities, makes me a hypocrite? In what way?" Kagome tilted her head to the side. She was tired, physically and emotionally. She'd been attacked more than once today, verbally and physically. Kagome was only human and she'd met her bullshit limit hours ago. "My job is to maintain peace between species. It is not to cater to the tantrums of selfish, self-important individuals of any species who do not want to submit to the reality around them."
"This Sesshoumaru agrees with Higurashi-san's decision," the tall male threw his weight in on her side. "Goading her into an unfortunate reaction will not give you the end you desire." Ikuyo sulked at him.
"I do not throw my reiki around in anger. If I did, you would be disfigured and maimed, not sterilized," Kagome informed the petulant female. "Sterilization requires intense concentration of finely controlled energy in a pinpointed location. An uncontrolled burst of reiki from a source of any strength would result in serious burns that will not heal if not out right death." Kagome rolled her eyes at the startled look on the bird's face. Her self-control had been tested and lost somewhere in the last confrontation and likely wouldn't be renewed until she'd had some downtime. She hoped it would happen at least a few hours before she had to get up tomorrow. There was one more day of Hatsumode left. One more long day to get through while already injured and surrounded by a populace skeptical of her place and species.
Kagome was so damn tired. She just didn't have the energy to deal with more sophomoric drama.
The whole world would have to forgive her if she just didn't have the stamina to continue putting up with all this crap at the end of the day in her own home. Besides, if they could disrespect her, she could be a little rude. Nothing she'd said had been found objectionable by Sesshoumaru so Kagome figured she hadn't crossed a line yet.
"Run back to your current elders and pursue the proper channels," Sesshoumaru ordered firmly. "Or remain and suffer the consequences at the hands of this Sesshoumaru."
"I haven't done anything wrong!" Ikuyo protested. "And if she's too much of a weak coward to use her reiki when a perfectly reasonable request for it happens, or when someone angers her, then there is no danger!"
"This Sesshoumaru's hand is not staid by the same rules as Higurashi's," Sesshoumaru returned coldly. "Your request was very reasonably refused and a path to achieve your desire was laid out for you. To linger is a petulant display of immaturity or a decidedly selfish desire to put your insignificant individual wants above the safety of every living thing in this area."Ikuyo huffed. "After being informed that action on Higurashi's part could end in retaliatory moves taken by your community, leading to an eruption of violence in an otherwise peaceful area, any continued effort to persuade the Jinja no Sewanin to act could be considered treasonous by the laws of this one's esteemed father."
"Treason?!" the word exploded from a mouth growing beakier by the moment. Ikuyo had lost some of her concentration and control over her current form was slipping. "Don't be ridiculous! Just what about this situation could possibly be treasonous?"
"You are deaf, self-centered, and ignorant," Kagome scoffed. "Both I and your daijin have informed you just why your actions could be considered treasonous. Any effort that would disrupt the peace of a region or area, breaks the highest laws of both youkai and human societies. Urging someone to act against such laws is just as treasonous as taking the action personally. Sesshoumaru-dono can witness that you were informed of the consequences of what you want. That you continue pursuing it in this manner only proves you care nothing for those around you or the laws that keep you alive and safe."
"Hn," Sesshoumaru agreed. "It might be more beneficial for your community if you were ejected from them for their safety."
"The suggestion has merit and will receive due consideration among the elders," Chizue called from the open door. "Harassing our esteemed Jinja no Sewanin for such selfish reasons, in such an impolite fashion, gives our community much to think about when exploring the options of voluntary sterilization." The elder stared the younger female down. "We certainly do not wish such bad behavior to perpetuate itself lest we lose all kindness from the shrines."
"Kindness?" Ikuyo scoffed. "We don't need their kindness! They should serve us, that is their purpose. Even if it weren't we are their superiors - "
"I do apologize, Higurashi-sama," Chizue cut the pompous feather head off. "We try to keep the unruly children from harassing those outside our community, but there are a great number too many of them to watch them all until they graduate from such foolishness to the ranks of elders."
"Time won't cure everything," Kagome muttered.
Chizue laughed brightly, "Unfortunately that is true. Some of our selfish children will never achieve wisdom and therefore will forever be barred from leadership by all right thinking communities."
"That is insulting! I am not deficient in intelligence!" Ikuyo protested. "I just don't want to breed, thereby helping to correct the population issues the current elders were too inept to -"
"There is more to that problem than just the logistics of increasing numbers," Kagome pointed out. "The nesting territories are sufficient for the numbers already present in the current community and even allow for a moderate amount of growth."
"The problem is the increased area each nesting male believes he needs to secure his space," Chizue added. "In the times of my hatching, nests were close enough that neighbors could rescue chicks in the absence of their parents' immediate presence. Some were even close enough to be in sight. It was only the more territorial and aggressive males that felt the need for so much space as to resort to the town side of the marsh. And there is more to being an elder than just intelligence. You have proven too selfish to be considered anything more than a child or a breeder. And you would prefer not to breed."
"I am not a child!"
"Higurashi-sama if you would be so kind as to eject this troublemaker, I will undertake the task of returning her to our territory," Chizue ignored the outburst.
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again Kagome tapped into her reiki forcing it into a shape more solid than the ethereal net she'd built earlier. She attached two ends to the sides of her open doorway, stretching the energy back to encompass the huffing bird still standing inside her home. The setup would look rather like a giant sling shot, but the reiki wasn't visible and had no elasticity. The force it would use to propel Ikuyo from Kagome's home would be consciously controlled with constant speed. The hardest part of this maneuver was keeping the energies from injuring the feathered pest. Someone with less control wouldn't be able to do it, but Kagome managed it while shoving a protesting, selfish brat out the door into Chizue's waiting arms.
The pair disappeared from sight leaving an empty, open door behind them.
Sesshoumaru flashed to slide the door shut and Kagome stood from the kotatsu reluctantly. Her feet still tingled and her muscles remained sore, but she needed to change into her sleep clothes and lay out her futon if she ever wanted to sleep tonight.
Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang. She should have known that Inuyasha would call now, when she least wanted him to.
"This Sesshoumaru will take care of that," her guest growled with a glare at her phone. "Go about your usual evening routine."
Before Kagome could protest, even though she didn't really want to listen to Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru had picked up the phone announcing that her caller had reached the Higurashi Shrine. There was always the possibility that it wasn't Inuyasha calling. It was a slim chance for this hour.
Which was neither here nor there when Sesshoumaru started lecturing the person on the other end of the call for harassment, proving it was the hanyou she'd expected. She didn't need to pay attendance to the show to know what was likely to happen.
Kagome dragged her futon out of the cupboard to lay out before grabbing her pajamas and fresh undergarments and socks. The kitsune supplied garments were comfortable in an over-sized way, but they were now damp in places and dirty in others. Besides, changing clothes gave her an excuse to leave Sesshoumaru alone with the phone.
Kagome would likely suffer the consequences of Sesshoumaru's harangue next time Inuyasha called, but she would try to forget that right now. Instead she would focus on brushing her teeth and figuring out how to braid her hair. She would see about washing her borrowed clothing and setting her rice maker to start up in the morning for breakfast.
By then her phone was subjected to a growling series of threats and warnings Kagome was certain received only angry yelling and dismissive cursing. She had to be thankful that Sesshoumaru wasn't prone to more dramatic forms of speech. Kagome didn't think her nerves could handle it right now.
When Sesshoumaru finally slammed down the phone with a snarl that proved siblings could bring out the worst in anybody, Kagome was already trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. It would take some shifting, she normally slept on her back but her injured side making the ability to find a position that wouldn't pain her stitches and one she could sleep in rather difficult. Eventually she managed. Exhaustion both emotional and physical allowed her to sleep even with a wide awake inu youkai in the room.