Chapter Seven- A Silent Bond
Kagome stared at the dark wooden door that held elegant carvings. Though she had successfully controlled her facial expression to appear calm, her blue eyes gave away the storm that raged within her.
Knock Knock Knock
The maid knocked on the door hesitantly. Feeling Sesshomaru's aura from behind the wooden door, Kagome knew he was within his study. But, as a few seconds passed by without an answer, the maid looked at her timidly and said, "I'm sorry, Lady Miko. It seems Milord is not accepting guests."
The moment the maid stated her comment, it made Kagome realize her foolishness. It was foolish of her to think that she was anything more than a guest to Sesshomaru. She was the only one who thought that she had become a bit closer to Sesshomaru. And in the midst of unveiling a dark side to the demon society, she had come to Sesshomaru thinking that he could help her with answers; that he could reassure her. A sad smirk tugged on her lips at the irony of the situation. Not a few days ago, she had felt awkward being alone with Sesshomaru. And now she immediately looked for him the moment she felt the need of his presence. Releasing a loud sigh, Kagome slowly closed her eyes.
"Come in," a stern voice muffled through the thick wooden door. As blue eyes flashed open in surprise, Kagome glanced at the astonished maid. Kagome viewed the maid nod her head before pushing the heavy door to enter.
Kagome's eyes fell upon the piles of scrolls stacked on a large desk. Observing Sesshomaru writing something on a scroll, her mind blanked as curiosity got the better of her. She inched closer to see what he was writing.
A shadow casted upon the scroll he was signing causing his hand to pause in its motion. Sesshomaru shifted his gaze to the Miko.
Already feeling the stress it must take to go through all the scrolls, Kagome asked, "How do you ever finish going through all these scrolls?" She glanced at Sesshomaru to see that he had a brow raised. Kagome rolled her eyes at the look Sesshomaru held as if she had just asked him a stupid question.
He was Sesshomaru, how could she have forgotten.
He was capable of everything, Kagome thought to herself sarcastically.
"Well, how long does it take to finish all this?" she rephrased.
"A day," he answered curtly.
Awe shined through her blue eyes as Kagome's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that all these scrolls needed to be sifted through each day! Though she knew the Western Land required high maintenance to keep order, the scrolls that piled Sesshomaru's desk were beyond her imagination.
She recalled coming across Sesshomaru several times in the past from his patrol. But once again looking at the pile of scrolls on his desk, she thought out loud, "I wonder how you had the time to patrol and read through all the reports."
Kagome knew it would be ineffective for Sesshomaru to do both, even though he was capable of doing anything and everything. It wasn't like the other Daiyoukai's patrolled their lands, she was sure of that. Did that mean they did not patrol their lands at all? Or possibly send out soldiers to patrol? Yet, both questions did not make sense to her because Inuyasha was entrusted to patrol while Sesshomaru required staying within the Western Castle as the host. Sending Inuyasha to patrol meant that this duty was not taken lightly or given to just anyone.
Realization flashed through her eyes as she exclaimed, "The duty to patrol is passed down to the Prince after their return from the 200 years of search for their own power and knowledge!"
Kagome caught Sesshomaru's golden eyes slightly widen. Had she not carefully stared at his reaction to see if her statement was correct or incorrect, she would have missed it.
He was shocked. The Miko's intelligence had once again caught him off guard.
"Indeed," he answered impassively, though his eyes betrayed his stoic mask to reveal amusement.
Kagome now understood why she felt comforted by Sesshomaru's presence. He had been the only one that did not treat Inuyasha any lower than his rank. Though she couldn't say Sesshomaru cared for Inuyasha a great deal, she knew Inuyasha wasn't hated.
He was honorable. He would not act upon a demon's reputation from society's view of him. Rather he would most likely judge for himself how the demon needed to be treated.
As a warm smile appeared on her lips, Kagome softened her gaze towards Sesshomaru. Her heart lightened at the knowledge that not everyone may hate Inuyasha as appeared. Silently sending him her appreciation, her blue eyes portrayed understanding.
Sesshomaru felt exposed by her blue eyes. It was as if she could see straight through his soul.
"What did you come for?" He voiced coldly. Noting that his question successfully distracted her from staring at him, he felt almost relieved.
Her blue eyes seemed to cause his chest to tighten.
"Yes," Kagome continued, "I was wondering if you know what Kura has been doing to the other 'Tsu' ranked demonesses." Holding her breathe, she hoped that he knew nothing about it. But as she saw his eyes harden, dread filled her.
Quietly placing his quill down, Sesshomaru said stoically, "What of it?"
"Wha…what of it?" Kagome echoed his words in shock. Snapping out of a daze she said in bewilderment, "What do you mean 'what of it'!? Kura should be stopped! Why are you allowing her to exploit other demonesses? That is so wrong!"
Golden eyes narrowed at the tone of her voice.
"Miko, the morality a demoness uses to gain power is not of importance. It is the end result that matters, not the procedure," Sesshomaru said with a voice coated with iciness.
His features were stiff and cold. Though she knew he always appeared so, she felt an invisible distance widen between them. Golden eyes glared at her stoically, but she saw a hint of hollowness behind them. Sesshomaru's comment continued to repeat within her mind. The cruelty behind the demon society began to paralyze her.
'He will become Lady Kura's mate!'
Her chest began pounding painfully.
'Then he will make Lady Kura gain the title of 'Hime'
Kagome's thoughts on Kura vanished. Instead, she felt the consequences of the demon society's cruelty portrayed through his stoic eyes. More than anyone else, Sesshomaru was bound to be the main target to many greedy and ambitious demons who craved for more power.
A burning sensation spread through her chest.
Anger.
For centuries, Sesshomaru must have experienced many plotting to use his status and power.
Sorrow.
As her emotions clashed, the overwhelming sensation began to numb her. Without even noticing, Kagome's blue eyes swelled with tears and soon began to overflow past her cheeks.
Sesshomaru felt his hardened heart shake. Though he didn't fully understand the reasons for her tears, her blue eyes looked at him with understanding.
"I sincerely respect you, Sesshomaru," she whispered. He had spent centuries in such a power hungry environment, yet did not allow the greed to consume him. She was sure that Sesshomaru had attained his power purely through his own strength and ability. And it was through this realization that filled her with warmth, with hope.
Blank golden eyes finally came to life with a flicker of surprise.
He heard the earnestness behind her words.
He sat frozen as he felt a tingling sensation embrace him. It was almost as if his heart knew that her tears were for him.
He knew the Miko was honorable.
He knew she would never use his status or power to her own benefit.
She had proven so during the situation with the 'Mu' rank.
Unconsciously, the hollowness behind his golden eyes disappeared as it was replaced with warmth. Though such a look lasted for only a second, it showed the slight change within the inuyoukai's heart.
After what seemed like a few minutes, Kagome calmed the overwhelming emotions that swirled within her. Blue eyes dried up as it began to shine with determination. There was still hope. She saw hope. She just needed to bring out the beauties of the demon society that lay hidden under all the corruption.
"Will you be attending the evening ceremony?" Kagome asked softly.
"No," he replied. Seeing the disappointment flash across her face, Sesshomaru explained, "There is no point attending when I am not required to."
Kagome understood that Sesshomaru was not the type to attend a ceremony to mingle. A small smile appeared on her lips.
"I will see you around then," she said before leaving his study.
-Evening Ceremony-
The sun was still shining in the sky, but the lighting had changed to appear dimmer. As Kagome entered the ceremony hall, she noticed the 'Tsu' ranked demonesses. Before she approached them she overheard them speaking.
"I can't find Lord Sesshomaru! I checked his study," one demoness said while the other exclaimed, "I checked everywhere else he could be! I can't find him too."
"He always seems to disappear to some unknown place," another demoness said.
Finally tapping the shoulder of one demoness, Kagome said, "Hello there."
Immediately all the 'Tsu' ranked demonesses stared at her with shock while some even squeaked. Kagome knew of Kura's corrupted actions. She knew the demon society did not care either, but she did. It was impossible for her to remain silent after she knew what Kura was doing. This had to stop.
Determination shined through her blue eyes as she said, "Forgive me for scaring you this afternoon. I just couldn't remain calm after finding out what Kura put you through." Each word was spoken with truthfulness and the demonesses sensed this.
After noticing that Kura herself was not present, Kagome asked, "Where is Kura?"
"She wouldn't leave her room…since the mark on her wrist could be seen," one of the demonesses explained. As the 'Tsu' ranked demonesses looked at Kagome with a serious expression, Kagome found confusion in their eyes.
A gentle voice inquired, "Why do you care for us?" All the demonesses stared at her intently as if this question confused them the most.
"Because I would love to be friends with you all," Kagome voiced simply. Once again, the demonesses held a shocked expression.
"You are a 'Sho' rank! It is impossible for you to befriend-" a demoness stated before getting cut off.
Kagome interrupted sternly, "A person's rank will not prevent me from befriending anyone." She knew this would be the first lesson she would teach her new friends. A person's status would not determine the way she treated anyone. She hoped the same view could be passed down to the 'Tsu' ranked demonesses.
Suddenly noticing some of the scholars approaching her, Kagome quickly said, "I must leave for now! But it was nice meeting you!" Running out towards the gardens, Kagome felt the scholars following after her. She mumbled her annoyances under her breathe. Reaching the clearing where the huge tree and bench lay, she looked behind her.
"Lady Miko!" a voice yelled after her.
Sensing the scholars inclosing, she looked around the clearing to find a place to hide.
"Lady Miko!" a louder voice came.
Placing a barrier around her, she ran behind the huge tree. But as she turned to hide behind the tree, she was unprepared to see a person sitting there. Unable to stop herself, her foot got caught by the person's leg and fell onto the cold ground.
"Ompf," Kagome sounded from the sudden impact. Just as she was about to apologize to the person, her eyes met golden eyes.
"Sessho-!" she exclaimed, but a hand covered her mouth to silence her.
"Lady Miko!" the voice of several scholars called out right from behind the tree. After a few seconds, Kagome felt the hand over her mouth fall away. Quickly getting up, a red blush burned her cheeks.
Diverting her eyes away from him, she apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would be behind the tree."
"Hn," glancing to see that he did not appear angry with her she smiled. Positioning herself to sit right beside Sesshomaru, she leaned against the tree trunk. Wondering why Sesshomaru was sitting behind the tree of all places, she recalled the demonesses discussing how they couldn't find Sesshomaru. A smirk appeared on her lips.
"Are you hiding?" Kagome asked slyly as amusement glimmered in her eyes. Detecting Sesshomaru glare at her, she began to giggle.
Raising both her hands in defense, she said, "Okay, okay. I'll call it strategically avoiding." Seeing Sesshomaru grimace at her comment, she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. Soon her giggles turned into fits of laughter.
Though Sesshomaru knew he should feel insulted, he did not. Instead he felt intrigued by the Miko sitting beside him. It had been his first time witnessing someone laughing so carefree with him.
The tingling sensation returned.
Holding onto her stomach, she could no longer laugh for she had laughed too much till her stomach hurt. Releasing a sigh of content, Kagome then slowly turned to look from behind the huge tree. She sensed a few scholars still wandering about, but what caught her eye was the bench within the clearing. Kagome remembered that she had sat there with Inuyasha as she discussed her choice to become 'Hime'.
"So that's how you found out I wanted to become 'Hime'," Kagome thought out loud. She guessed that Sesshomaru had been resting behind the tree as usual when he overheard their conversation. But thinking that even then the demonesses were calling out his name to look for him, she once again began to laugh.
After a few more seconds had passed, Kagome ran out of laughter. Wiping away the tears of laughter from her eyes, she breathed in deeply to calm herself. Resting her head against the tree trunk, she felt tiredness weigh her eyelids down. All that laughter and drama from this afternoon took a toll on her human body.
"Sesshomaru," she managed to mumble with a yawn, "wake me up after a few minutes, okay?"
Feeling the Miko's hand grasp onto the end of his sleeve, Sesshomaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
Kagome fell into a light slumber without hearing his answer to her request. She somehow knew he would.
As the sun began to set, the sky darkened. Time ticked by as the two remained seated behind the ancient tree. The Inuyoukai sat still immersed in his own thoughts while the Miko slouched against the tree asleep. Her hand still grasped onto the inuyoukai's sleeve even as she slept. And the inuyoukai did nothing to pull away from her touch.
There, under the evening sky, a silent bond was made between the Inuyoukai and Miko.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Thank you for reading,
Your reviews are cherished.