Part 6: Unexpected
Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish for it, I unfortunately own nothing except my plot, and a few OC's here and there.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but the length of this chapter will hopefully make up for it!
A huge thank you for reviewing:
Little25victor
Maria-Reynne
Nikuci9
Reesexxoo (I'm glad you're liking the story so far!)
Kagura's #1 fan (So glad to see you are still around! Thank you for your kind words, and I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far despite my usual mean cliffhangers.)
I woke up and was disoriented for a minute. Somehow the red frilly canopy above me seemed familiar, but it was not my bedroom in my father's house. I tried to sit up to take a look around, but a sharp pain in my chest prevented me to do so. It was so painful I felt robbed of my breath. That was when I remembered what had happened. Sesshoumaru's shipment. The fight at the Factory. Zankokou's attacks. I lifted the blanket to look down at my chest, and sure enough it was wrapped in a huge bandage. I could see the edge of it from the opened collar of my favorite pajamas top. Just as my fingers were about to lift the white gauze to see the state of my injury, a voice disturbed me.
"The doctor said you should not touch it."
I whipped my head to the side, which I regretted instantly as it hurt like a bitch. My eyes did come across none other than Rin sitting on the chair next to the door of my room in Sesshoumaru's mansion. Hum this was quick becoming a habit for the teenager.
"Rin..." My voice cracked when I tried to say more. I wondered how long I had been unconscious for.
"Two days. You have been unconscious for two days."
That had not been said by Rin. I struggled to turn to my other side and saw none other than Sesshoumaru on the settee looking at me through hooded eyes.
"Rin." He continued. "Tell your uncle to call the physician. Our houseguest has finally regained consciousness."
I rolled my eyes at the last statement. I felt sooo sorry to have inconvenienced my Lord husband by daring to almost die after saving his life.
Rin took to her feet, and rather than doing as her dad asked, she launched herself at me to give me a hug. The impact felt like being stabbed in the chest all over again as it robbed me of breath, but she seemed so happy I decided not to ruin the moment for her.
"Kagura-sama, thank you for saving them. I am so glad you're okay." The teenager sent me one last bright smile before getting back up and running out of the door.
Sesshoumaru let out an undignified snort at Rin's statement.
"How are you feeling?" He asked me. I was shocked to see him sit next to me on the bed. That was not usual Ice King behavior. Sure he had left a space between us, but he was still close enough for me to fill his warmth, and reach over and touch if I wanted to. Ever since our 'wedding day' he had made it a point not to get too physically close to me, unless absolutely necessary. It had made me wonder if he also maybe felt attracted to me, and was actively fighting this attraction. Gah! I chased those thoughts away. I had sworn to myself I would not give into my stupid crush. Sesshoumaru had made it clear as day that he would never come to care for me, and the glimpses of his real self I had caught in the past days had proven to me that he and I would not be suited.
"Like I was run through by a poisoned spike." I whizzed out, still smarting from Rin's extreme hug. I hated feeling so weak. Despite sleeping for two days straight, I was tired and still in pain. I refused to show weakness in front of Sesshoumaru though. I tried to sit up, but I was unable to. Damn it!
"My doctor told me you are lucky to be alive. Despite what seemed to be a natural resistance, the poison affected you as the wound was so close to your heart." Sesshoumaru easily grabbed me with one of his arms and helped me settle more comfortably in bed. He even fluffed my pillows! Things were getting even weirder. Maybe almost bleeding to death in front of him was making the icy Lord Sesshoumaru warm up to me. Shocking.
"You are a foolish woman."
Clearly I had thought too soon.
"If that's your way of showing me gratitude for saving your life, well you're welcome."
Sesshoumaru jumped up, and stood above my bed, his eyes rived down on me. I could tell my comment had pissed him off, but I felt I was the one with a real reason to be mad. I had proved my loyalty by defending his people and saving him. Would it kill him to say thank you?!
Maybe he was right and I was the foolish one. To be honest, I had grossly miscalculated things when I had pushed Sesshoumaru out of the way of Zankoku's attack. In my mind things would have unfolded like in the movies, and we would have both tumbled away with the momentum of my tackle, safe and away from that damn spike, but that was without counting on that bastard dog demon being as hard and solid as a marble statue. While the impact had been enough to push him out of the way, I accidently got skewered.
"I had no need of you. I would have taken the situation in my own hands had you not overestimated your own strength, and thought you could save the day. Good thing I was able to do just that the minute you passed out at my feet."
I opened my mouth to deliver a burning hot retort, but he put a finger on my lips to shut me up. How dare him?! How rude of him! Oh how I wished I had my usual strength with me so I could give him a real piece of my mind. As things stood, my earlier outburst had left me already exhausted.
"Anyways you will have to stay in bed for a few more days. The physician asked for it as wind youkai are not known for their physical resistance."
Yep he sure was back to the asshole I had come to know; I felt more comfortable with that. Showing his caring side fit more with the previous fantasy Sesshoumaru I had built up in my head, and thinking about that Sesshoumaru was dangerous. The last thing I needed was to have my feelings fuck up my head. I needed to get things back on track. Surviving the fight at the Factory had been pure luck, but I could not afford to make more mistakes like this. I had formulated a plan, and aimed to stick to it. Help Sesshoumaru bring down Naraku. Get mom, and get the hell out of town.
"If you came here just to insult me, you can leave." I had almost bled to death but the man still found ways to mock me, lovely.
Sesshoumaru chuckled. Creepy. This man had the strangest sense of humor. He sat back on the bed, turned to the side table, and put in front of me a cup of tea with a straw in it. My arms felt like jelly, but thankfully he seemed content to hold the cup for me while I drank from the straw. I was parched, so the tea was welcome. The drink was lukewarm instead of piping hot as I liked it, but I couldn't be too choosy. He had arranged to have a warm-ish drink ready for me when I woke up. That was already something. I drank it up in one go. Green tea was my favorite; I briefly wondered how he knew that. The tea was delicious, even though it did have a strange after taste.
"A sleeping aid." He told me as if he could read my thoughts once again.
Dang, trust Sesshoumaru to have ulterior motives, always. I would have insulted him for drugging me, but I could not even find the energy to do so. Whatever he had put in my tea was strong. I could feel my eyes closing already.
"Sleep, get better. You are safe now."
I did not know if I had imagined him running his hand down my cheek, but the soothing gesture was enough to make me fall asleep.
I made a terrible patient. From the time I woke again after my injury, a full day after that asshole of Sesshoumaru had drugged me, I had done everything I could to get the hell out of bed. I could not wait to get out of my room, and as soon as I had managed to make it to my feet, I had done so. To be honest the most motivating factor for a quick recovery was the absence of reaction from Naraku. It had now been a ten days since I had moved into Sesshoumaru's house, and I could not shake the feeling that my dear old dad was bound to rear his ugly head. I was honestly surprised he had not yet. I knew he had placed me in Sesshoumaru's home for a reason, and was sure to come collect very soon. The disappearance of Sesshoumaru's stolen shipment was sure to expedite my father's plan. Not to mention the death of one of his most loyal soldiers. No one had told me all the details, but all I had been able to gather so far was that Zankoku was dead. While I would not mourn the bastard, I was worried about the implications of his death. My father was sure to suspect Sesshoumaru, and that could be terrible for me.
"How would you like to go shopping?"
I had been so lost in my thoughts that I had not heard Kagome walk into my bedroom. Hum, my room was fast becoming quite the meeting point.
"According to our Lord, Sesshoumaru-sama, I am not allowed to go out just yet." I did my best not to pout as I spoke the words. I was a dignified lady after all, not a child.
The human made an impatient hand gesture.
"You need some fresh air. Just blame the outing on me. He won't dare say anything. Sesshoumaru is secretly afraid of me. Just consider it a gift from your sister in-law." Kagome paused to give me a mischievous smile. Sesshoumaru's people were really getting a kick out of this marriage thing.
"Besides Sango will come with us to watch our back."
I was skeptical about that last part, but I really needed some time outside of these walls. Staying stuck inside for three whole days despite it being necessary, chafed my kaze youkai sensibilities. Us wind demons need space and fresh air. It is obligatory for our well being, so as beautiful as Sesshoumaru's home was, I needed out of there. I would even take Kagome on her offer. I was not a fan of group shopping, but any excuse to get out was a good one. Still the prospect of having Sango as a chaperone did not appeal to me one bit.
"Fine then, Sango can come too as long as you guarantee she won't use it as an occasion to shoot me in the back…"
Kagome gave me a sly smile. "Things are not always what they seem."
Sitting on a bench, surrounded by humans, I remembered why the hell I hated malls. Crowded places full of humans. Most youkai found being surrounded by that many humans in a small confined space bothersome. Especially carnivorous breeds. One never knew when their primal urges would surface and the fancy to snack on some humans erupt. Needleless to say online shopping had been a wonderful invention for us. Personally I had never felt such an urge as I was mostly vegetarian. Humans had never really bothered me… although to be honest I had had limited exposure to them so far, that is until I moved in with Sesshoumaru and his ragtag group.
My dislike of malls stemmed more from the fact that I was into making my own clothes, rather than buying some generic mass-produced garments. Well of course I was not above going on a few shopping sprees from time to time. I just loved decking myself with jewelry. When I had agreed to accompany Kagome shopping, going to the mall was not really on my radar. Considering her in-laws status, and the size of her husband's bank account, I expected Kagome to shop in exclusive high-end boutiques, not the local mall. Then again I did spend a few days wearing her clothes, and I shuddered still thinking about the itchiness I had felt after wearing her synthetic material garments.
"Why did I have to come along?" I looked at my bench partner, and could not help a small smirk from appearing on my lips. It was the weekend, the kids had no extracurricular activities, and Shippou was just pissed his dad had refused to take him along to work. If only he knew how much he should cherish his innocence. It was still shocking to me to see how Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had managed to carve a normal world for their children. No goons, no violence just a close loving family. Just add a white picket fence, and the Tashios would officially be sitcom material; a far cry from the way I grew up.
The little kitsune and I were sitting on a bench watching over as hoards of humans milled up and down the corridor animated by a shopping frenzy.
"Did you not promise to help Rin pick a gift for Souten's birthday?" I took a sip of my ice tea, staring at the blushing Shippou from the corner of my eye. I was running out of ways to entertain myself, so I had to make do with messing with the poor kid. In the few days I had spent in Sesshoumaru's household I had gotten to know so much about the people living under that roof, and that included the little red haired fox demon who had a huge crush on a fellow youkai who was a friend of his older cousin.
Shippou seemed at a loss for words. Kagura Onigumo, wind sorceress, tormenter of children. Luckily for him, his mother, Rin and Sango came to join us before I had a chance to torment him further. The former two had had to use the restroom, and Sango being Rin's bodyguard had to go along with them. I was still surprised she had not dragged Shippou along, and had agreed to let me keep an eye on him. Since I had been tired of walking around, looking at storefronts full of boring generic clothes, I had decided to buy Shippou and I a drink, and wait for their return.
"Sorry it took so long, this baby is pressing right on my bladder." Kagome rubbed her swollen stomach, a contended smile on her lips.
The trio had barely reached us that Shippou jumped to his feet, and grabbed Rin by the hand.
"Come on, we better go get Souten's gift." The words had barely left his mouth that they were running towards what had excitedly been described to me earlier as Shippou's favorite magic shop. Kitsune were known for using magic and illusions as offense, so I was not surprised to find out he had a 'favorite' magic shop. I did idly wonder how Inuyasha ended up with a kitsune as a kid. Foxes and dogs were not known for being the best of friends…
After heaving a deep sigh, the ever-ready bodyguard readied herself to follow dutifully behind them.
"Sango, no need to follow them inside the store." Kagome probably wanted them to have fun as any child would without having a bodyguard following their every move. From our spot we could clearly see through the window the two kids having fun exploring the aisles of the shop.
"Sesshoumaru-sama said…" Sango never got to finish her sentence.
"What he doesn't know won't kill him." Kagome for some reason winked at me. "Why don't you go get yourself some refreshments? Kagura and I will keep an eye on the kids for now."
Sango looked like she wanted to argue, but after one respectful nod, she headed away. I was surprised she had not given us a speech about how Naraku's daughter could not be trusted to look after her charges.
"Ugh I need to get off my feet for a minute. All this walking made them swell." Kagome sighed as she heavily sat next to me. For someone as advanced in her pregnancy as her, I was surprised she had been able to visit so many shops, and buy so much stuff in such a short amount of time. Her purchases were in bright bags all around my feet. She had dumped them there during her bathroom break.
I was sure the huge weight sitting on her stomach was also making her feet hurt. "When are you due?" I found myself asking. I decided to do some polite small talk since it seemed we were fated to spend quite a bit of time in each other's company. Plus she did get me out of the house, and for that I was grateful.
"Hum two weeks ago. I am officially nine months and two weeks pregnant." She must have seen my shocked look because she chuckled. "I don't know if you're familiar with this, but the thing about hanyou fetuses is they have a mind of their own. There are no ways of knowing as with human or youkai pregnancies exactly how long they will last. Inuyasha was born after only 6 months; my hanyou always had a stubborn streak." She laid her hands on her belly and smiled to herself.
I frowned at that last information. That was quite a short time. As far as I heard, most youkai pregnancies lasted 9 to 15 months depending on the breed. While it was true that hanyou gestational periods varied, never had I heard of such a short one.
She must have noticed my frown because her fake smile disappeared.
"I don't know if you've heard about Izayoi Tashio's death. She passed shortly after Inuyasha was born. She developed a fever just days after his birth, and despite all the best medical help, she did not survive. Touga, her husband was devastated. He never remarried, and showered Inuyasha with love. They were very close, so his death was also a blow for Inuyasha."
My chest felt tight. How sad for Inuyasha. No wonder he always had a scowl on his face. My heart ached for Sesshoumaru too. How was his relationship with his father? I thought back to our previous conversation about his father's murder. All he seemed to care about was seeing his death avenged and the honor of the family cleansed. Had Touga favored his younger son, born of his beloved deceased second wife? That would explain why Sesshoumaru had developed such an icy personality. I may have been deprived of love by Naraku, but my mom had always made sure that I was cherished. Just thinking about her, where she was, and how much I wanted to set her free felt like a stabbing pain. It hurt just as much as Zankoku's poisoned spike.
"Let's talk about something else." Kagome said on a shaky voice. She had paled and seemed quite upset.
Was she scared she would share a similar fate to Izayoi? I saw now why Inuyasha was so overprotective. Before I realized it, I had reached for Kagome's hand and squeezed it. I had not been raised in an environment that fostered emotional health, so I still had a hard time expressing my feelings. I hoped my reassuring gesture would be enough. Kagome sent me a gentle smile, it thankfully brought much needed color to her cheeks.
"Well Kagura, there is something Sango wanted to tell you." She yelled that last part to make sure the bodyguard would overhear her even from her spot next to a nuts vendor.
As if on cue the Tajiyah came to step up to me. I stood up straighter; I needed to be ready to defend myself in case of need. I may not have my fan, but I was a kaze youkai, and still had mild command of the wind, and would be able to get rid of Sango if need be. She had spoken way too many death threats for my comfort. To my surprise instead of attacking me, she bowed formally in front of me. How bewildering!
"Kagura-sama, thank you for saving Miroku and me. If it had not been for you, we would have died. You distracted that youkai long enough, and protected us, which led to your own grievous injury." I could tell Sango was upset. She probably saw having to be saved by little old me as a failure. "I wish to ask for your forgiveness for having been so rude to you since you moved in. It was wrong of me to judge you through the actions of your father, and I apologize."
"Hum… You're welcome." I guessed that made the two of us cool now. I was glad not to have to look over my shoulder while in Sesshoumaru's mansion anymore. Being stabbed once was an experience I was not keen to have repeated any time soon…
"Anyways, I've been meaning to ask, what did happen after I got stabbed. I asked Inuyasha but he just said 'Keh!' and walked away from me without answering." Since Sesshoumaru had made himself too scarce for me to interrogate him, I had to ask my next best source of information. No way was I going to willingly put myself though a conversation with Miroku; no information was worth this damn much…
"Well after you passed out…" The bodyguard seemed to struggle to continue on.
"From blood loss and poisoning." I helpfully supplied, making Sango squirm.
"Well… by then Inuyasha had reached us and snuck behind that youkai, and knocked him out cold. Before Miroku had the chance to neutralize him with his ofudas, Sesshoumaru-sama joined us and…" She sent Kagome a quick look before turning her attention back to me. "He decapitated the youkai."
That was shocking information. I had guessed Inuyasha to be the one to do the killing. He was after all known for being his brother's enforcer. Any enemy that needed disappearing was taken care of y the younger Tashio. Sesshoumaru might be nicknamed the killing perfection, but everyone knew the hanyou's claws to be deadly. So, I did find Sesshoumaru's decision surprising; especially considering that he had been the one to insist that no one should be killed during the mission for fear of attracting too much attention.
I did make note of the fact that it was only after the hedgehog demon had been disposed of that I was taken back home to be looked after by Sesshoumaru's physician. I guess making sure his team disposed of the enemy was more important to Sesshoumaru than a bleeding wind witch. I could just picture the scene. Him leaving behind my broken bleeding body to jump down on the docks, and dispose of Zankoku before going back to my side and seek medical help. Lovely, truly nice to see how much he really cared for me. We youkai tended not to be ill or injured often so we had no actual hospital, instead we had youkai physician do house visits when needed. I could just imagine how long it took to drive me back to the Tashio mansion and call the physician. Truly it was a miracle I had not bled to death before being treated.
I guess a part of me should be glad Sesshoumaru had killed Zankoku. I hated the bastard and was glad Sesshoumaru killing him was like he avenged his attack of me. That damn dog demon would probably justify it as rather him safeguarding his people than wishing to avenge me. He had made it clear he was not concerned about me…
Sango must have noticed the conflicting emotions coursing through me, because she decided to tell me a bit more.
"I have worked for the Tashios for over a decade, but never have I seen Sesshoumaru-sama this upset. He simply flew down, his sword in hand, and attacked before we had the chance to do anything… The last time he had looked this angry, was when Rin had fallen in volleyball class and broken her arm." Sango's frown could almost make me believe that Sesshoumaru had executed Zankoku out of concern for me. Sure I would have bought that if the man had not left me alone in a bloody heap on a rooftop in the middle of a freezing cold night.
"Hum Sango, you are on to something." Kagome thoughtfully tapped her chin with one of her fingers. "I've never seen Sesshoumaru act like this; especially not where a woman is concerned. Despite that marriage document, he didn't have to bring you home. The family owns stash houses and real estate for rent all over the Western corner of the city. You know Kagura, you moved into the Western mansion faster than I did." The young human chuckled to herself truly amused.
"Don't try to romanticize things. Our Lord Sesshoumaru needs me, but does not trust me, that is the only reason why he brought me close to him, so he can keep an eye on me." I tried my best to keep the bitterness out of my voice as I remembered how explicit Sesshoumaru had been about that point.
Kagome's smile only widened after my little declaration. Creepy.
"So Kagura, how long have you been in love with Sesshoumaru?" The knowing look in Kagome's brown eyes made her look older and wiser that she seemed. I could feel as though she could see right through me. Dangerous human.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Damn my pale skin, I could feel my cheeks flush.
If Kagome's smile stretched any wider, her lips would split and her cheeks crack. "You know, he's been single and lonely. I've tried to find him a good woman who could be a good fit for him, but I had no luck... that is until now…"
I jumped to my feet, this conversation had gone on long enough.
"I'm still recovering. I'm starting to get tired. We should head back."
The gloating look on Kagome Tashio's face let me know she was far from dropping the subject.
Sesshoumaru had been pissed about our little outing, so he had forbidden me to leave his house once again, so I had no choice but to work on getting better so I could be ready to fight Naraku when the time came. That meant eating, lounging and spending lots of time sketching in my room. I might be locked up, but I could not remember a time when I had been in such a relaxed and carefree environment. No looking over my shoulder, scared to run into Naraku or Hakudoushi.
"And then the teacher said; that's right Miss Tashio!"
A sing-song voice interrupted my train of thought. As soon as she finished, Rin started giggling. Soon her giggle escalated to a fit of laughter, and she was almost rolling on the floor laughing. I was skeptical. Did the kid always have that terrible of a sense of humor, or did it come from being raised by Sesshoumaru. I know she was trying to cheer me up during my convalescence by regaling me with stories from her daily school life, but her jokes just plain sucked.
"Rin, you know I love you, but this was the least funny story I ever heard. You should trust me, I'm a kitsune and we know all about humor."
Shippou was rewarded for his opinion by having Rin give his bushy tail a firm tug. Not enough to injure him, he was youkai after all, but enough to hurt him; as was proven by his yelp.
"Shippou be nice to your cousin." Kagome gently chided her adopted son.
We were all sitting by the warm fireplace in Sesshoumaru' "family room" as they called it. It was the room where everyone met up after dinner or during the afternoon to hang out. It was not unusual for fights to break out about the TV, but today we were content to spend the afternoon looking at the flames and telling each other stories. Ever since I had woken up after my injury I had spent a lot of my time here reading or sketching. While Sesshoumaru and his crew were at work, and the kids in school I had the room to myself as Kagome was too busy setting up her nursery. She was in full nesting mode as she called it. Sadly, my peace had been disturbed by Shippou and Rin about an hour ago. Even though I gotta admit they did know how to alleviate boredom with their antics.
"Mom! She's the one who attacked me! I'm the victim here!" The fox youkai stuck out his tongue to his older cousin, who did the same back.
The kids were a nice distraction, but they couldn't compete with having my freedom to roam. As nice and cozy as Sesshoumaru's home was, I could not wait to get some more fresh air; I was a wind youkai after all.
"Kagura, come to my office."
I turned to see none other than the master of the house. Damn his ability to quietly sneak in. Ever since that time in my room three days ago, he had yet to even speak to me. Even his order not to leave the house after our mall excursion had been relayed by his little toad like imp Jaken. I still had a hard time believing what Rin told me just the day before. According to her, Sesshoumaru had kept a close eye on me during the days I was unconscious. Going as far as sitting by my side for hours. I seriously could not believe that fact; especially, considering how he completely ignored me ever since. My guess was he wanted to make sure I would not die. Naraku would probably have used my death as some sort of ploy.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!"
"Uncle Sessh!"
Rin and Shippou exclaimed in unison as a greeting. Too bad for them, the man they were addressing had already walked on.
"Keh! What kind of way is that to greet your uncle?" Inuyasha stepped inside the room as well. His amber eyes lit up as soon as he saw his wife. Envious sigh, when would a man look at me this way?
"Well, Shippou takes his cues from his father. If you showed more respect, your son would too." Kagome waddled to her pouting husband to plant a smacking kiss on his lips.
Not wanting to be witness to more gushing public displays of affection, I left and headed straight to Sesshoumaru's office, which happened to be two doors down. I settled across from his desk and crossed my legs, waiting for him to sit down as well, which he did after securely closing the door.
"What did you want to talk to me about now?" I wondered if Naraku had finally responded to the stolen shipment. It was so unlike my father not to retaliate, but to this day he had yet to even move a muscle. What else could Sesshoumaru want to talk about?
"Here." Sesshoumaru replied by throwing to me a long velvet box across his desk.
Was he offering me jewelry? Maybe the man was not so hopeless after all, and realized he would need to offer me a gift to thank me for saving him and his crew. Seeing the size of the box, I was already imagining a large diamond necklace. Needless to say I should have remembered Sesshoumaru was no usual man.
Imagine my surprise when my eyes were greeted by the most unexpected sight: a fan. He had gifted me a fan. It was such a beautiful piece. White, with sharp red stripes, oddly reminiscent to me of the markings adorning his own face. I trailed my fingers on its delicate surface and felt the strong youki bound in it. My poor previous fan was a child's toy in comparison. This fan was a real weapon. I had worried about my lack of fan status as sadly my old fan had been destroyed in the shuffle that night on the docks. Ever since its loss, I had been plotting on how to acquire a new one. I was too endangered without a weapon. Unfortunately I did not have the kind of ready cash necessary to purchase a replacement, and just as I had gathered my nerves to ask Sesshoumaru to lend me money so I could purchase one, he had given me another much more powerful than I could have ever imagined, or afforded. The one I now held in my hands was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I felt I could accomplish anything with it. I opened it with a well practiced flick of my wrist, and was awed by its power. I wonder what kind of youki it was infused with. Whatever youkai body part had been use to make this fan must have come from one hell of a strong demon. Somehow the youki signature seemed familiar, but I could not quite place where I had encountered it.
"When I called you weak, it was inadequate. The miserable excuse of a fan you were using was weak, not you."
Hearing the words come out of his mouth pleased me beyond words. I had been called weak for being a wind youkai my whole life. Hearing a youkai as strong as Sesshoumaru say otherwise warmed my heart, and swelled my pride. This on top of his beautiful gift meant the guy was not as bad as I thought.
"It is so beautiful, thank you Sesshoumaru. I can't wait to try it." I gently fluttered the fan, causing a gust wind to breeze through his desk and mess up some of his files. I gave him an apologetic sheepish smile. This fan was a lot stronger than I expected.
"I will lend you Jaken for target practice in the garden."
The statement almost made me choke. The last thing I expected was for the Ice King to crack a joke. Maybe he was not so bad after all indeed.
"Now onto serious business. I had long suspected Naraku of being the root cause of my disappearing shipments, but had no proof. Now thanks to you I do."
My, my, was the frosty dog demon not being a sweet piece of fluff today. I was shocked to hear him heap so much praise on me. If he kept on, my head my swell beyond repair.
"My spy never reported anything amiss, so I had to take matters into my own hands. This Sesshoumaru is glad I did so." He cracked his knuckle, the only indication of his displeasure.
"Who's your spy?" I was not surprised to hear Sesshoumaru had spies in my father's outfit. Men in their line of business thrived on information after all.
He seemed to chew on my request for a while, and to be honest it saddened me to see he still doubted my allegiance. Did I not just almost die protecting him and his loved ones?! I simply ran my hand over my chest. My injury had closed up, but I still had a faint mark. It might not be visible over my clothing, but I knew, he knew what I was referring to.
"Yura." He finally answered.
"Yura?!" I was incredulous. "Yura of the Hair?!" Then again the more I mulled over it, the less surprising it was. The woman had appeared out of nowhere and seemed to always be around. I had seen right through her little game, but I guess her huge breasts and love of deep cleavage clothes muddled the brains of most of the goons working for Naraku. Sadly for them, she had quickly tumbled in my father's bed.
"She's been sleeping with my father for months, so I wouldn't put it past her to have fed you wrong information, and in turn given to Naraku all the intel she could about you and your operation." The woman had all the trappings of a gold-digger, and certainly saw the potential of my father as a meal ticket. What she was now earning as Naraku's lover far outweighed whatever it was Sesshoumaru had paid her to spy on my father.
Sesshoumaru swore, his eyes bleeding red momentarily. Couldn't blame him, I'd be pissed off too if I found out about such a betrayal.
"She will pay for making a fool out of this Sesshoumaru." The growl made me shiver. It promised serious retribution to Yura for crossing him. I would have felt bad, but I hated the bitch. I still remember how a few months ago Naraku had made her sit in on one of his disciplinary sessions. I'd never forget her laugh as she used hair to bind my wrists while my father flogged me.
Sesshoumaru managed to compose himself, the red of his inner demon surfacing was replaced by the usual honeyed gold I loved so much.
"Wind witch, it is high time we conduct serious business. You have proven your loyalty. Speak then, tell me what you desire in exchange for your help taking down Naraku."
While he had not told me yet what it was that he wanted out of me to bring about Naraku's downfall by exposing him as a murderer, he did finally ask me about my wants, and I was allowed to speak.
I refrained from giving a snarky answer. "My mother. I want you to free my mother."
Since he did not say more I decided to expand.
"For the past couple years I've worked as a portraitist and sketch artist. It was the ideal way to make money without Naraku realizing. Two years ago, I had amassed what I thought would be enough for mom and I to run away. We had packed up all our essential belongings. Got fake papers to be able to cross the border, and thought that would be enough to finally run away from Naraku." I chuckled mirthlessly still thinking about how naive we were. "Too bad Naraku saw it coming, and had us intercepted. The bastard waited until we made it just out of town to let us think we'd actually manage to escape, before dragging us back home. He gave me to Hakudoushi and Zankoku for punishment… I almost did not survive it." Just thinking about those nightmarish days was enough to make me shiver. I ran my hand down my chest. Kami, was I glad that asshole was dead.
"Naraku locked mom up in a mental hospital. He had her declared clinically insane by some quack on his payroll, and she's been institutionalized ever since. I don't know if you're familiar with kaze youkai, but being locked up is the worst thing you can do to us. We need to be free. We need the wind to be able to survive. Mom has been so strong surviving these last two years, but I know she won't be able to last much longer. I am terrified of what will happen to her. I need to have her declared sane by a court, so she can get the hell out, and she and I can leave town. I just don't have the resources to mount a legal offense."
I did not add the part about not being allowed to see my mother in the past six months. Naraku had had my visitation rights revoked as he said it was too upsetting to mom to see me. All the news I had about her and her status I got from a nice nurse who would give me a call once in a while. It was just not enough. Ever since I had come to live at Sesshoumaru's I had received no news, and that worried me. I did my best to push down the tears I could feel creeping up my nose.
Sesshoumaru leaned forward to wipe a tear I did not even realize had slinked down my cheek.
"If you help me eliminate Naraku, I promise to do my utmost to make your wish a reality."
Sesshoumaru looked me straight in the eyes as he spoke. I knew he meant every word of his vow, and I knew I needed to keep my promise to him. Taking down Naraku was the surest way to ensure mom and I could be freed. I made an internal vow to do whatever it took to assist Sesshoumaru on his mission. No more wasting time, I had to jump into action.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and reached for it. I needed a distraction away from Sesshoumaru's caring attentions.
What I saw on the screen turned the blood in my veins to ice. A text message from Naraku, and it read: "Come see me." The wait was over.
To be continued…
A/N: Dun dun dun! Things are heating up and feelings getting tangled. What could Naraku possibly want? Find out in the next installment: Revelations. In the meantime, I long to hear your thoughts, review and let me know!