Falling Rain
Chapter 5
Bold = Beast
The bright rays of the sun cast strange patterns on the floors within the main house of the citadel, shadows dancing in and out of the warm arms without care. Servants rushed to and from their respective stations to ready the city for the new day.
Kagome sat on her bed in contemplation, having been awake since well before dawn. She stared up at the ceiling with her one good eye, the other still covered by a small patch with a strange smelling salve; already it was less swollen than it would have been without the healer's attentions. She would need to thank him for his help soon unless she wanted to appear rude.
Her nightmares plagued her though, keeping her rooted in place with the torment they brought her. It was as if what Inuyasha had done was finally solidifying in her mind, reality showing its ugly face and splitting her in two.
When her nightmares had scared her awake the first few times, her heart racing and gasping for air, she simply cried until she fell asleep again. But this last time she had woken up the tears simply would not come. The reality of the situation pressed down on her like a boulder on her chest, and yet she found herself unable to feel much of anything.
It felt strange to have energy and yet fell exhausted all at once, tense but too relaxed to move. It was unknown to her, foreign in every way, but she didn't really mind it. She couldn't find it in her to care about much of anything really and had no intentions of doing anything.
If was as if everything that had mattered enough to fight for before today no longer mattered at all.
She stayed there staring at the ceiling, thoughts flitting in and out of her mind, and confused mesh of incomplete awareness. Whether it had been minutes, hours, or even days she didn't know and she didn't truly care.
When a knock resounded through the room, Kagome looked to the door to bid them enter but found that her voice was lost somewhere. Thankfully the person came in anyhow. It took her a minute but she recognized the demon from last night. Sesshoumaru had called her Takara.
Kagome tilted her head to the side in curiosity; the demoness reminded her of someone but she couldn't think of whom at the moment. When the demoness bowed to her, Kagome merely blinked and waited to see what she wanted.
"My Lady, I have drawn you a bath and ordered your breakfast in for the morning. It will arrive by the time you are through with your morning wash"
She let a short breath leave her lips at that, noting that she wasn't sure she would ever be ready, but nodded nonetheless.
"Thank you miss"
"Oh just Takara. I am no lady"
Kagome raised her brow and pushed the sheets away, not having the energy to reply. She looked down to her bandaged wrist in confusion and wiggled her fingers, noticing that the pain was gone completely.
"My Lord had you sent to Daisuke. He is the greatest healer in the western lands. His talents are beyond explaining though; it is best not to question such because you might drive yourself mad. Your wrist was simply fractured so it should be completely healed by tomorrow I'm sure"
Kagome found the demoness' answer to be strange but she wasn't one to question odd things happening, not after her fifteenth birthday and her first trip down the well at least. She might be more inclined to question the normal rather than the abnormal after everything she'd been through.
Kagome stood and wrapped her sheet tightly around her body before following Takara to the door at the side of her room. What she found made her breath escape her.
The room was large and featured a man-made hot spring in the center, steam rising up welcomingly. She listened with half an ear as Takara pointed out the various soaps and scent rocks that she could add for her relaxation.
Once Takara left, Kagome removed the sheet but noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye. She turned sharply in fear that someone was in there with her but instead came face to face with her reflection.
Her eyes travelled the length of her body, her hands removing various bandages along the way so that she could see the extent of damage left behind by careless claws. Once cleared and bared to her own eyes, Kagome cringed and shied away a bit. She looked hideous!
Her one eye was swollen and a horrid shade of purplish-black, though she could see out of it again, meaning it had looked worse yesterday. There was a map of cuts, scrapes, gouges, and bruises that littered her entire body, a mess like a collage of pain. Truly she probably looked better than she should and she knew that it was all because of Daisuke.
When she finally pulled herself from the mirror, Kagome walked to the large pool of water and slipped in, hissing when the heat and minerals stung deep and made her acutely aware of her scarring body. Once the stinging stopped, she reached for the soaps and began to wash away the grime, the blood, the memory, his touch.
She ran her hands down her body, tears slipping down her cheeks in memory of her moments of pain. Her eyes closed and she saw the angry red eyes of her once-friend shining with sadistic glee.
She felt her heart break at the thought that she had done this to him, that somehow this was her fault.
She replayed the memory over and over again until finally she stopped and looked up, the rain falling down on her like tears, soft and cold. The long white hair plastered against pale skin and framing amber eyes filled with nothing more than odd curiosity.
Kagome allowed herself to see Sesshoumaru, to understand that he had saved her; she gave merit to his idea that she should stay in the citadel, even in the main home with him. When she thought over everything that happened again, it didn't hurt as much. It was just her reality; cold, cruel, harsh reality.
"My Lady, you will shrivel up to nothing if you soak much longer"
Kagome snorted and looked up to find Takara staring at her with an amused smile. Having her there in the bathing room while she was naked didn't seem to bother her as much as she thought it would. But then, maybe that was just because she was a servant.
"If you think that then you'd be horrified if you knew how much time I usually spend in the bath at home"
Takara merely raised her own eyebrow in response and walked forward, a large fluffy towel held in front of her. Kagome, with a bit of help from her companion, got out of the spring and was wrapped up in the towel. She was then led into another conjoined room which she could only describe as a closet fit for a queen. It was large, had its own fireplace to keep it warm, and open even while holding an enormous amount of clothing, shoes, and various other trinkets.
She was instructed to sit on of the many large cushions placed around the room and once settled, Takara set to work on her hair.
"Takara, can I ask you something? It's probably stupid but…"
"What do you wish to know?"
Kagome stared at the demoness through the mirror, watching as she focused on detangling her long hair instead of meeting her eyes. She really felt stupid for asking, but she wanted to see him.
"Do you think I can see Lord Sesshoumaru today? Or do you think he'll be too busy?"
Takara tugged a bit when the brush became tangled from her jerking in surprise. Kagome heard her apologize when the tugging caused her to wince in pain.
"You'll be breaking your fast with him this morning. He's requested your presence in the gardens"
"That explains why the food's not here yet"
At that, Kagome sat quietly and let Takara work on her, manipulating her hair to do whatever she wanted it to do before releasing her to get dressed.
*FR*
Sesshoumaru walked through his gardens, flicking his hair away irritably each time it flowed over his shoulder. It would seem he would need to start pulling it away like his father used to do.
He glanced to the doors of the main house, irritation and impatience warring for dominance within his mind. She was taking a long time. What could possibly take so long?
She will come. Patience!
Sesshoumaru sighed inaudibly. His patience was legendary, but with her it was nonexistent.
He stopped beside the small garden table that had been prepared for their morning meal and glanced towards the doors again, then back to the gardens around him. He was proud of this particular part of the castle because he had personally built this after Rin had arrived.
He looked down at the table and noted that the water for their tea was still steaming, so waiting a bit longer wasn't really a problem.
Unnecessary…she is here
Sesshoumaru turned at that moment to see the doors to the castle open and close. He steeled himself for an apology, not something that was within his arsenal of perfection, but then stuttered within his own mind when she came into view. Even with her battered body and bruised face she was beautiful.
Her hair was pulled back at the top, the rest of it flowing down to rest over her shoulder and dance at her waist. He hadn't realized it was so long. The kimono she wore was a beautiful sapphire and silver undercoat with baby blue trimmings and waves patterned throughout the fabric. It hugged her frame and flowed around her, leaving room for a man to have to imagine the curves hidden beneath her curtains. The way it flowed made it seem like she was floating.
As she came closer, he noticed the small flower pins placed throughout her dark locks, adding a young and carefree felling to her outward appearance, though he knew she was anything but.
It was her face though that captured his attention, the skin left untouched apart from the small bits of powder covering her bruises and cuts. Her eyes were lightly outlined with a rich black coal, the deep blue of her eyes shining and sharp with its effects. A glossy red paint shimmered on her lips, barely a shade darker than he remembered her lips to be.
Though he realized he should not in fact remember what her lips looked like at any time over these past years.
Her quiet greeting broke his thoughts and she stood before him with her head bowed. He spared only a small glance at the smirk on Takara's lips before waving her away, taking note to mention his appraisal of her work later.
"Did you sleep?"
He noticed her hesitation and narrowed his eyes, unsatisfied when she nodded, a smile lifting her lips. He on the cushions in front of the low table and watched as she followed him down, her movements slightly stiff with the injuries underneath.
Her hand reached for the tea and he watched in fascination as she proceeded with the traditional ceremony, relaxed for the more intimate nature of their meeting. He hadn't known that she was trained in such things.
"My apologies for leaving your chambers so suddenly last night; it was ill of me to storm away in such a manner"
Her hand shook with her shock, but instead of blurting out her surprise, she surprised him with her response.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, I am a guest in your home…an extremely grateful guest. You have no reason to explain yourself to me"
"Hn"
He would press the matter, but if she was not offended by his actions then there was no reason for him to flounder through another forced apology. He did feel that she should be comfortable and that he should treat her as the honored guest she was, but he did not feel as though he had reason to seek her forgiveness. Especially not when she found no reason to give it either.
He studied her for a moment, watching as she sipped her tea, her eyes closing in pleasure. Still there were lines under her eyes and a weariness to her composure that spoke of a sleepless night.
"Did you sleep enough?"
He found her hesitation returned when he changed the question a bit; her ability to get out of answering this one would be tested. The way she pulled her lip in and nibbled on the edge, smearing the red paint across her teeth made him want to smirk. She probably didn't even realize that she did that.
"I had some nightmares, but nothing to worry about really"
Her admittance made him edgy, noting that there was in fact something of worry there, but there wasn't much he could do for it. He knew too well what troubles some endured after an experience like hers had been; she was not the first he had rescued from such a fate.
Before another word could be uttered, the smell of food reached him and he turned to see two servants with several platters closing in. Once the food was set down and the servants dismissed, Sesshoumaru grabbed a single piece of fish, signaling to Kagome that it was okay for her to retrieve her food.
He watched her eat while he nibbled a bit here and there. He was distracted by her presence, wondering over and again why he was bothering with her.
She dressed up well and he was not upset at having to admit her beauty; indeed such could be found in the strangest of places. However, he still had no reason to be breaking his fast with her other than for the simple fact that he chose to. But why would he choose to do such a thing? He had no interest in her. She did not matter!
"Lord Sesshoumaru, where is Rin?"
He focused on her again and tilted his head to the side. He'd forgotten the girls had once been close. It had been a while since they had last seen each other as well and Rin was beginning to get…testy lately. Perhaps there would be another use for Kagome's presence.
"Her studies began early today. She will come to find you when she is free, of that I am certain"
He watched her lift her fruit to her mouth, the action strangely enthralling. It reminded him that he had another reason to call her out here though.
"There is another matter I wished to inform you of this morning"
He watched as her mouth paused above her fruit, her dark eyes blinking up at him owlishly in response. As she placed the fruit back onto her plate and sat up straighter, he fought another smirk. Something was wrong with him!
"I believe I know what has happened, what is happening, to my half-brother"
*FR*