Hello, I'm sorry for the delay. Due to certain reasons its been hard for me to get back to writing. If you couldn't tell, my previous chapter went up without me doing a final read through because I knew that I wouldn't be able to post anything else for a while. Also, a lot of you were confused as to why I would end on Sesshomaru's "I await the day" its really strange right? Well, if you can hold on for a little while more you'll get some questions answered by a certain canine mother. Until then, please enjoy this chapter as well and have a geat day! ~Catclass
Chapter 9
Sapphire eyes glazed over as the young woman's vision lost the battle to her thoughts. A soft blush still adorned her cheeks even as the hours passed by. Her restless body lay across a western couch while the pregnant Asase Yaa slept in a nearby bed.
Kagome couldn't get that moment with the lord out of her mind; it played on repeat. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. The miko huffed in the darkness at the memory of seeing him already walking away when she reopened her eyes. How could he do that to a girl? He knew about her feelings. Kagome pouted at his cruelty.
But, there was that. "I await the day." He had said to her. Small teeth bit at a pink bottom lip as the blush grew again. Kagome smiled at the drop of the third person speech pattern. Sesshomaru had only ever dropped it for Chouko, the butterfly demoness, because of her curse to be loved. For a moment both the miko and demon lord loved the tortured woman, but it was still a shock to hear him use first person. Could it mean that he loved her as well? Did it mean that he was waiting until he could see her again? Why did he have to be so damn cryptic?
"Child" The deeper voice of the African goddess broke through her thoughts. "It is time. Return me to the courtyard so that I may take my children home."
Kagome shot up and ran to her side. Together they slowly waddled the laboring Asase Yaa down the hall and back outside. The dark skinned goddess hissed with each wave of contractions. Once both pairs of bare feet reached dirt and grass the earth sprung to life for the soon to be mother. The stone seat from the day before shifted into a bed with thick layers of moss growing for her comfort. Large Shitake mushrooms grew in place of a pillow as they rested Asase Yaa's heavy body on the bed of flora.
The miko held the crushing, larger hand as the older woman's contractions started coming closer together. She tried to shift around to check on the child's passage, but Asase Yaa did not let go.
"I need to make sure the baby is crowning safely."
"No, child! I'm no mortal woman."
"But, someone needs to catch the baby, right?"
The goddess, while wincing in pain, laughed at the panicking girl. "Stay here with me and watch the birth of a goddess."
Kagome wasn't convinced but with a strangled yell from the woman, yellow light filled the courtyard. Orbs of light floated from between her legs, each of them carrying curled up children. These weren't human children but snakes, lizards and dragons. They looked like they were all still peacefully sleeping inside their warm eggs.
"These are my beautiful children of a dragon lord." Asase Yaa sighed in contentment. Her belly had instantly returned to a taut, muscled stomach after the birth. With a moment of watching the orbs float about the two women, the goddess stood from her bed. Kagome observed in mild envy at how she already looked as if she had never been pregnant at all.
The tall African goddess gracefully stepped over to the shorter Japanese priestess and kissed her forehead. The warmth from the soft touch sent sparks of magic through Kagome's lower abdomen.
"This old goddess gives you her blessing, Kagome Higurashi." Asase Yaa's form shifted into leaves that fell away. They never hit the ground as a gust of wind swept them into the night sky. The glowing orbs twisted and bobbed safely amongst them like floating flowers made of starlight.
The miko stumbled to the mossy bed, taking a needed seat. The feeling within her stomach had taken a much more physical feeling of movement. Her small hand clutched at the red hakama as fear started to shiver through her limbs. What did that blessing do? Sweat started to drip over her pale forehead as a blue form swept into her vision. The ringing of metal clinging together seemed so horribly loud.
"Lady Kagome!" Oceana supported the ill girl with one pair of hands and checked her temperature with the other. The symptoms calmed and the miko regained awareness.
"Oceana? What's happening to me?" Kagome lost track as to which hands were rubbing her back or checking her pupils, but at least they weren't blurry anymore. "Something is different!"
"Calm down!" Her voice was calm and commanding, making the young woman feel no more than a child. "Kagome, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened."
"Asase Yaa blessed me." Gasps of air slowly came slower and less desperate. "She did something to my insides. Even now, I can still feel it."
"Asase Yaa? The woman I saw you helping down the hallway yesterday?" Dark hair shifted with the subtle nod. "If it's a blessing then it isn't meant in ill intent. Is it getting better or worse?"
"Better."
"Ok. That's good." The blue skinned goddess sat with her, comforting her, until the miko finally calmed completely. "If you are well enough, I shall search my father's library for some answers. Will you be able to last until sunset to await any theories I may come upon?"
The tired girl nodded again, watching the golden jewelry glisten in the pre-dawn light. Oceana had dropped the scrolls and books she looted from somewhere in the castle and now had to pick them all back up. It was quick work with those light blue, decorated arms, but Kagome smiled at the dragoness's kindness.
After a few more minutes watching the rising sun add color to the morning sky, the miko finally stood from her spot. She deeply inhaled the sweet fragrance of the foreign flowers and blooms to grace the garden-like courtyard. It was enough to give her the strength to return down that long hall and into the shared bedroom.
Sesshomaru wasn't there. Kagome, even exhausted, didn't let that stop her. She climbed into the western, four-poster bed and clung to the pillows from his side. Even in his absence, his scent alone comforted her into a much needed slumber.
Black lashes fluttered open and she wondered the length of time that had passed. With a yawn and stretch, blue eyes scanned the room. "Good morning Sesshomaru."
A silver brow rose as gold irises traveled to her form. He grumbled. "It is midday."
Quiet growling noises from her small form triggered embarrassed giggles. Kagome moved to brush and put up her hair before motioning to the door. She inwardly decided not to worry him with her blessing mystery and offered, "Would you like to join me for lunch?"
With his usual "hn", the two walked to the dining room. The miko told him about her morning and how the children came out as floating lights. She grew very loud and excited as she gushed over the goddess's recovery time. Of course, Kagome made sure not include the rest of the tale.
The large room with the long table sat empty. The tableware still looked polished and pretty, but only two servants stood in the room. Every noise seemed to echo just a little bit more than it did before. However, it was to be expected after the departure of so many people.
The servants seemed happier than before, smiling as they brought out a bountiful meal. Just like the rest of the oddities of this estate, there were several foreign aspects to the dishes. Cheeses and bread adorned a plate next to a darling bowl of cut mango and apples. Kagome ate while it switched to Sesshomaru's turn to report on his morning.
"Lady Kimiko will be remaining here to regain control over her land."
"Is that where you were this morning?" She asked between bites. The lord's hum was the last thing she received from him vocally during the meal. So, there was another name she needed to cross off her list of possible mates. They had met fifteen girls and so far only three had passed.
As Kagome excused herself from his company, she knew there was one possible mate still at the castle. Or at least she hadn't seen her leave with the others. The miko started on her hunt for the orange haired Pyro.
These last couple of days had given her a wind dragon that preferred gardening, a nature dragon that preferred seduction, and a water dragon that preferred reading. The dark haired girl was still caught in surprise as she found the fire dragon watching boats at the edge of a dock. Her curly, orange hair stayed bound in two long braids framing her face as pale feet swished back and forth through the water.
"Excuse me, may I join you?" Kagome asked when she finally reached halfway over the wood planks. The girl jumped, her face was round and her eyes were beautifully big.
"Oh, please do. I um, I've forgotten your name. I'm sorry. I'm Pyro. Wait, you probably already know that. Sorry." The darling dragon stumbled over her words causing Kagome to smile.
"I'm Kagome." She offered a silly, small wave to comfort the girl. "Do you like the water?"
"Well, kind of." Pyro admitted while blushing. "I like boats more. Did you know there are different boats for every nation? The land of my mother has fast boats for warriors or so I've heard from Oceana."
"Oh, really?" The miko rolled her pant legs up to splash her feet in the water as well. "You are from the land of Odin, was it?"
"That's what father always said."
"Why don't you just go there and see for yourself?"
"Despite everything, this is my home. Plus, aren't I a possible mate to um the lord?" Kagome eyed the girl who may have already forgotten Sesshomaru's name. She didn't want to be the reason that 'the one' got away, but this meek girl didn't seem ready to manage the western land.
"Only if you want to be, it is your choice to marry Sesshomaru." She offered.
Light colored eyes stared hard at the water's surface before slowly turning to Kagome. "I want to change. I want to be stronger and I can't do that if I'm married to a stranger who simply takes care of me."
They came to a silent agreement before lightly bantering over the fashion in the castle. Pyro almost died of embarrassment at the thought of wearing Terra's outfit but gushed over Lady Kimiko's dresses. They laughed together when she admitted that she thought Sesshomaru was a woman when she first saw him, but both thought of him as very pretty.
The miko looked anxiously at the sun and wondered why it hadn't moved as fast as it had some other days. Not that she wasn't enjoying the dragoness's company, but she really wanted to hear Oceana's findings. It was two hours until sunset so Kagome did what she had to.
Saying goodbye to her new friend, the young woman returned inside to update her scrolls. Jakken stood next to the lord as he finished signing some important document. The toad joyously took the scroll and ran from the room. Kagome just paused for a moment, watching from the doorway.
"Jakken will be using Ah-Un for the time being." Sesshomaru generously explained to the staring girl.
With a shrug, she went back to the task at hand. "Pyro is also a 'no' because she is unwilling." Kagome explained as she sat across from the demon to unravel her own scroll. That meant of the five dragonesses suggested there was only one deemed suitable and willing to mate him. It unnerved her that most of these women had been judged way too fast. But, that's what the next selection stage would be about.
"Was that a message to Inuyasha?" She asked once the records were switched out with old text books.
Sesshomaru nodded before replying, "This Sesshomaru would like to have a home to return to and a new ruler in the south may profit the west."
"Why did you choose him to watch over the Western Palace?" The book just sat there, forgotten, under her elbows.
"The hanyou will guide the pup should history repeat itself." A soft frown twisted the young woman's features as she thought on his cryptic words. Kagome figured he meant the death of his father, and how Sesshomaru must have been left to take over prematurely. She wasn't sure if that was right but the lord had made it cryptic with that purpose.
A glance to the window had the miko on her feet. Black hair was already disappearing around the corner as she quickly spouted, "Promised to meet Oceana. Gonna be late. Be back in a bit!"
Small feet carried her to the courtyard and down the path she had seen the blue toned dragoness take earlier. Two large doors ended the trail, so the young woman entered. It was another massive room with miscellaneous furniture from different countries spread out across the marble floor. Soft sounds of turning pages and the jingling of jewelry came from a twisted stairwell.
Up she climbed, pausing to hear the subtle signs of life. The room she entered was just as big as the floor below, but books covered the walls. Scrolls were tucked in refurbished wine bottle racks against the walls that looked the dimmest. The miko vaguely wondered if this was how the Library of Alexandria had looked.
Off to the side, Oceana flipped through several books laid before her while one of her hands scribbled away at notes. She had not noticed Kagome at all, and continued to be wrapped up in her work well into the time the miko spent reading over her shoulder.
"Oceana?" Kagome softly poked one of the nearest arms.
"AH!" The blue beauty slammed down her books and pen and stood in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is it that time already?"
The miko laughed and took a seat. Oceana began, "You knew that Asase Yaa was a land goddess, but did she mention she sometimes delves into fertility?" Kagome shook her head as she continued, "Well, there aren't any direct correlations to this blessing and another in these records so I looked at other blessings. It ranges from normal things like painless childbirth, healthy kids, or you'll be very fertile to not so normal such as virgin pregnancy, fully divine children, or prophesy children."
After a moment, the young woman spoke, "Well, those don't sound bad at all." She sighed in relief as she mentally went down the list again. "A virgin pregnancy wouldn't be too terrible, but what do you mean about 'fully divine' and 'prophesy'?"
The dragoness hesitated to answer as she flipped open a book with unrecognizable writing. "It may be a stretch but I found a couple stories where a human woman gave birth to full gods instead of demi-gods as others had. Then, a child of prophesy would mean that your child would have fate twisted around him or her. They would be destined to do either great things or terrible things."
"Wait" Kagome held her breath, "Are you saying there is a chance that I could give birth to a god? What about a demon? Could I give birth to a full blooded demon?"
"Well, yes. I imagine the magic would work both ways." Oceana blinked at the strange priestess who had wrapped her pale arms around herself. "Do these theories satisfy you?"
Blue eyes sparkled with a sweet smile, "Yes. They are all wonderful." Kagome stood up to leave the dragoness but remembered, "Thank you very much." With a formal bow, the girl returned to the stoic lord and packed her bags for the morning's travels.
After three days, the lord and miko finally left the Southern Palace to travel up the western coast. With Jakken using Ah-Un to travel to Sesshomaru's estate, the pair chose to casually walk to their next destination. It was barely half of a day's journey, so Kagome wasn't in need of too much rest when they arrived.
After the odd palace, this classic Japanese estate felt nostalgic with its walkways and koi pond. This time, the miko knew that they would probably not stay long. The lord grew more anxious the closer to home he got. Or, that is what she wanted to believe.
The meeting with Michiko was not immediate, but Kagome enjoyed the refreshing drinks they offered while waiting. When she entered the room, her face hid behind an ornate fan. Layers of her green kimono dragged over the floor as she sat in front of her human guest. With a snap, the fan closed. Honey eyes locked on blue.
Michiko was a brown dog demoness from a family of fire elementals. Her pelt hung low over her kimono sleeves as a boa. Pointed ears and orange stripes gave away her demonic nature. She had average beauty in comparison to the others, but only Kagome could see that with the closeness that the lady was staring. She was indeed quite close.
"You are a beautiful specimen." Her honest tone seemed to cancel out the peculiar wording. The miko hoped her thanks would be enough to return the meeting to business, but her hopes went unheard. "What is your name, lovely?"
"I am Kagome and this is Lord Sesshomaru." She tried again. Pushing the acknowledgement to the quiet lord's presence did nothing. The demoness merely smirked and leaned closer.
"Kagome, that is such a fitting name. It is almost as cute as you." A soft blush reddened the young woman's cheeks with a glance to Sesshomaru. The dog demon met her look with silent amusement at these turn of events. The miko lightly pouted as she found herself alone against the flirtatious woman.
"We have come to see about the general's promotion of you as a possible candidate to become Lady of the West." Kagome rushed the last of her words when a sneaky hand caressed the bare skin of her wrist. Michiko's intentions were quite obvious to everyone in the room at this point, but she did it with subtle grace. That delicate and devious thumb started rubbing pleasant circles over the sensitive underside just past her palm.
"My father may have promoted me to become a wife, but I would much rather have a wife of my own. Might you be interested?" The coy head tilted and innocent batting of eyelashes furthered the miko's blush. A sparkle in those brown eyes almost bewitched her into agreeing, but the feeling of fingers caressing her bangs broke the spell with awkward giggles.
"If you are unwilling, then why be promoted?" Her voice trembled meekly as she tried to stay strong against this kind of opponent. It wasn't that she hadn't met a homosexual before, but this much pleasant attention was hard to ignore regardless of gender.
"Father is always right, you know?" With the sarcastic response, Michiko pulled away from Kagome. The black haired girl sighed in relief at the returned space between them.
"Well, then, thank you for your time. It was a pleasure to meet you." Kagome formally bowed as she moved to leave. Honey eyes watched in playfully as Sesshomaru followed after. The miko didn't need to check to know he was behind her. She just wanted to believe that he was.
Having to walk with such a tall man ended up more exhausting than Kagome had predicted. Don't misunderstand, the miko has been training for endurance since the moment the Shikon jewel shattered, but walking with Inuyasha all day or running laps around the village only helped the short girl so far. It felt like every three of his steps equaled to five of hers.
In all honesty, Kagome knew it was three to five because she had gotten bored enough to actually count them. Blue eyes glared at his legs the whole time that she did so.
It went on this way for hours as the odd pair headed north up the western coast. Finally, Kagome caved and ended the silence. "So, there are only four more left. Do you think there will be any winners amongst them?"
A subtle frown appeared as she watched him think about her question. Kagome watched as the shadow of a cloud softened the light over his painted face. Golden eyes turned to meet hers before the lord answered with his simple "hm". Those same eyes then rose to the skies and the frown became more pronounced.
Upon noticing this show of emotion, the miko looked to the sky and paused in her step. There, nestled amongst large, white clouds sat an ornate tiled roof. Kagome knew they were headed for the Palace of the Wind but she hadn't imagined it would be sky bound.
"Troublesome." Sesshomaru all but growled out.
