The Heart of the Nile: Blades of the Wishing Stone
Kagome and Sesshomaru were lounging together on one of his reclining chairs when a knock was heard at the door. Kagome quickly hid behind one of the pillars in the room while Sesshomaru went and answered the door. When he found it to be his half-brother he quickly inviting him inside. After they walked over to the chairs by the pond he had him sit down so they could speak.
"What is it you wanted to talk about so late?" Inuyasha asked while yawning.
"This one would like to show you something very important. You must tell no one of this, not even Kikyo," Sesshomaru commanded just above a whisper as he stared at his brother down.
"Sesshomaru, you know I don't keep secrets from my wife," Inuyasha sighed.
"This is a matter of possible life and death Inuyasha. The future of our kingdom could be at great risk," Sesshomaru pointed out.
"Well shit… what is it that's so damn important?" Inuyasha asked with wide expressive eyes.
"Do you promise to not speak of anything under the witness of the gods?" he asked.
"Yes! Now what is it?" he hissed.
Sesshomaru got up from his chair and walked over to the pillar where Kagome was hiding behind. Extending his hand she took hold of it and the two of them made their way over to Inuyasha. As Inuyasha watched his brother come out of the shadows his posture stiffened in surprise. He took great care in memorizing the beautiful woman before him. She wore a dark blue gown with long loose chiffon strands down the arms.
When the wind blew through them they whipped out from behind making her look like she had feathered wings. Her hair was black against the night and had a loose curl to it. It was in a half up half down style with a gold ring securing the topknot on her head. She wore a single gold snake shaped band around her left upper arm and two gold bangles on her exposed ankle making them jingle when she walked. Her light blue eyes almost glowed against the darkness. She was a goddess of the night.
"Little brother this is Princess Kagome, daughter of the Sea King Triton of the lost city of Atlantis and the power of the treasure," Sesshomaru introduced he brought Kagome into the moonlight.
"She is what our uncle is after. It was decided since there was the potential for him or one the Band of Seven causing danger that it would be best for you to meet her in case of an emergency," he finished and sat on the chair next to him and brought Kagome to sit on his lap. He then brought his arm around her waist holding her against him.
"I, I… I don't understand. How could you be the power? I thought it was some kind of weapon?" Inuyasha stammered after shaking his head with a confused scowl on his face.
"Oh but I am the power Prince Inuhotep," Kagome said. Her voice was rich and had a lyrical quality to it. It rung softly against his ears and was pleasant to listen to. He thought it fit her vision perfectly.
"You see, I was cursed by the Greek god Hades and was sealed into a weapon called the Wishing Stone. During the daytime I am stuck inside the stone and at night I am released. If I am taken away from that black box sitting over by the bed and away from your brother while I am in my human form however I will die after the next sunrise," she explained. Inuyasha stared in aw and shock as she continued to tell her tale.
"The people of Atlantis were known for powerful magic and strong spiritual energy. We could manipulate water and had healing powers strong enough to bring back the dead at least once. My mother Midoriko was very beautiful and could do all of these abilities. She was also able to purify anything spiritually unclean and this is what caught the attention of Hades and why he wanted to take her as his wife. My father refused to give her away and thus my city and all of my people were sunk to the bottom of the sea. Because I look so much like my mother and possibly have her same abilities Hades sealed me inside this stone as torment to my father. My powers are very valuable and along with the curse I can grant one wish.
It must be a pure wish or curses and plagues will spread across your lands. If you remember my last master was lost at sea in a terrible storm. This was his punishment for making a selfish wish. He sailed away with all of his most precious possessions trying to escape the wrath of the curse but it followed him until the storm took his life and he lost everything he held dear. If someone takes me and wishes an impure wish while under your brother protection it could be very bad for your people." she finished looking at Inuyasha with a serious stare.
Inuyasha just sat there as he digested everything that had been shared. This was very serious and if anything happened to her or the stone shit would hit the fan.
"What must I do?" he asked after a while.
"Did you bring the sword?" Sesshomaru asked Inuyasha.
"Yeah I brought it. What are you going to do with it?" he asked as he handing it over to Sesshomaru.
"I am going to give you a gift by putting a protection spell over it." Kagome explained.
Taking both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's swords that had been given to them by their father she along with both brothers cut their thumbs. She ran her blood over both swords and Inuyasha smeared his blood over top of hers on his sword while Sesshomaru did the same to his. Once that was done she began to chant into the swords making them glow a light blue color before returning to their natural state. The blood soaked into the metal sealing the spell inside. She then handed the swords back to the brothers.
"Prince Inuhotep, I have given you the gift of killing a 100 men in 1 swipe of your sword. As the second in command it is your duty to be the armor of the kingdom. May it protect your people and do justice on the battlefield," Kagame said with a light smile. She watched his face reflect surprise and awe as he checked out his new blade. It humored her how similar he looked to a little kid receiving a gift on their birthday.
"And to you Lord Pharaoh Sesshothumote, guardian of the Wishing Stone, I give to you the gift of saving a 100 men in 1 swipe of your blade. As the King it is your duty to be the heart of your people. You now possess all of my ability to give life," she said while smiling sadly. "Although it can only bring someone back to life once it doesn't always listen. For even the gods know when someone is not meant for another chance at life. May the power and magic of the people of Atlantis be a blessing to your people," she said.
Sesshomaru gave her a look of gratitude mix with a strange emotion in his eye she could not recognize.
"Their powers will respond to no one else. You cannot even use each other's swords. When you join your forefathers in the afterlife they can be passed down through your lines to the firstborn son of every generation, thus continuing the protection to your people if you wish. The reason for you both not being able to use each others swords is because it removes the ability of ultimate power that can easily be misused. These swords hold great responsibility. They are like water, a small amount can bring life but too much can cause death. Use them well," she finished as she sat back down in the chair by the pond as the brothers continued to inspect their gifts.
The moon was low again in the sky and she would be returning soon to the darkness of the stone. She loved the colors of the morning but was never able to enjoy them nor was she able to feel the warmth of the sun against her skin. How she longed for these simple pleasures once more.
"Thank you… I… I, I don't know what to say?" Inuyasha stammered, as he looked away from the sword in his hands to the angelic maiden sitting across from him.
"Protect your people Prince Inuhotep, just like I hope you will protect me," Kagome said as she began to fade away. When she was gone the jewel sat nestled in her blue dress and golden jewelry. Not wanting to leave her unprotected Sesshomaru slid his sword into his belt and picked up the stone. Once she was safely inside the box he turned to look at his brother.
"We must protect the Wishing Stone at all costs. Is that understood? No one, and this one means no one is to know about this." Sesshomaru commanded.
"Understood," Inuyasha agreed. The brothers stood together next to the pond in silence as the watched the sunrise.
"So this happens every night huh?" Inuyasha asked after a while.
"Yes, only if this one opens the box and the jewel is exposed to the moonlight does she awaken," he said. "She is a prisoner in our own home Inuyasha. It saddens this one that he cannot offer her more."
"Why not have her attend Rin's party tomorrow night?" Inuyasha asked.
"Did you not just listen to what we just talked about?" Sesshomaru hissed. "Did this entire conversation slip your mind little brother in how serious it is to keep her identity a secret?"
"Yes I did! But tomorrow night is the party leaving her locked up inside the box all night! Have her dressed as one of the servant girls! She can even be your personal servant for the night. Then you can keep an eye on her and she can enjoy the party!" Inuyasha suggested.
"This one agrees that he does not wish for her to be locked up in the box but he does not like the idea of her identity being open for people to recognize her power. People who work here will realize she is new and question her sudden appearance and inexperience at serving. A few nights ago however, we did manage to sneak around the palace without being detected. She wore a vale over her face hiding her identity from those who might have spotted her. This one wonders if it would be possible to have all of the servant girls wear vales for the evening? She would not stand out if all the women wore them." Sesshomaru said while he rubbed his hand on his chin in thought.
"Sounds like a great idea to me. This way everyone is happy," Inuyasha agreed as he stretched his arms above his head with before he yawned. "Well, I best be getting back to bed before Kikyo wakes up and finds me gone. Thank you brother for entrusting me with this. I will see you later today at some point."
One he was gone Sesshomaru walked over to the balcony. As he leaned again the banister as he continued to watch the sunrise in the sky. He had always enjoyed watching the sunrise but now it seems to have lost its warmth. Since spending more time with Kagome he has come to realize that he was growing attached to her. He'd only known her for a few days but the emotions he was beginning to feel were nothing like he'd felt before. It frustrates him that he hadn't figured out a way to free her. He swore one day soon she'd be free of her prison. She would become his wife.