Questions
The incidents in the Golden Pavilion had not left Kagome's mind and she was exhausted from the sleepless night she had. She simply could not fall asleep. She had returned home and was dressing up for work.
"Good Morning," she said as she sat down for breakfast at the kitchen table. Her family was already sitting down and eating their breakfast.
"Good Morning, Kagome. So how are things going on between you and Sesshoumaru?" Grandpa asked happily.
"Nothing in particularly, grandpa. We're not even dating." She said and avoided eye contact with her family as she ate her food.
"Oh" The old man was taken aback by his granddaughter's cold response as he backed away when he saw his daughter-in-law looked at him with a frown. That is not how you start a conversation in the morning. She seemed to be saying with her eyes. While Souta gave a quizzing look at his sister but dare not say anything. It was not long before the sandwiches and cups were empty.
"I'm going off to school now, Bye." Souta said and gave every one a small kiss on the cheek before leaving the house.
"Bye grandpa. Bye mom. " Kagome said as she followed him behind. The siblings would walk down the stairs to the main road together before heading for different direction. Kagome was heading for the train station while Souta cycled to his school that was ten kilometers away from the shrine.
"Take care." Their mother said as she stood by the door.
"Ne, Sis, did anything happen?" Souta asked softly as they walked down the staircases of the shrine to the main road.
He noticed that his sister had not been paying much attention this morning. Her eye bags were not obvious but he knew her mind seemed to be wandering somewhere else. She drank from her cup though she had already finished the coffee. Really, it scared him. Had the well transformed her sister to something else? It gave him the shivers as he swallowed down his thoughts of the ghost climbing out of the Television.
"Eh?"
"You are…acting strange. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Kagome shook her head and shrugged her shoulder. She did not wish to talk about anything regarding the other world now.
"Good morning, Souta! Oh, good morning, Higurashi san." Greeted Souta classmate, living a few blocks down the road. He was waiting for Souta to cycle to school together.
"Good morning," Kagome smiled back, "You two better get going," she said as she waved goodbye to them..
"You sure you are feeling well?"
"Seriously, Souta, I am not a child. Don't worry," she told him as she forced out a smile.
"See you later then," Souta said unconvincingly and he cycled off with his classmate.
"Whoa, your sister sure is a beauty," his friend said, glancing back at the older girl. He had heard of rumors about Kagome. There were gossips on how sickly she was yet still remained a beauty. "Does she have a boyfriend?"
Souta pondered at the question for a while before he answered, "Kind of."
"Aw… I was thinking of introducing her to my cousin," his friend replied as he made a funny expression to Souta. He could have guessed. "How is he like?"
"Erm…smart, handsome…" Souta began to describe his impression of his 'brother in law'.
Kagome was working in her office, looking through articles and typing on the computer. However, her mind wandered at the thought of the lovely couples, Inuyasha and Kikyo, Sango and Miroku, then Sesshoumaru and Sakara. She paused and pondered on the question that was etching on her - does she feel anything for him? Nothing much happened between them for the past seven years after Yoshiaki was born. The closest contact she had with him was sharing a hug. That's all. They had not even kissed. She just needed to visit him weekly to pass him the letter.
She wondered about his taciturn character. Man, how will he survive if he was in the modern era where people are supposed to voice their opinions openly and be socially engaged? But no he was not from the modern era at all. He was in the feudal era, five hundred years before her time.
The only reason she had gone back to the other world was to take care of her son. She would gladly stayed in the Golden Pavilion since she had finished her university. Yet, money issues unfortunately bonded her. That was something that you got to worry about in the modern times. Kagome had received a scholarship for her studies and the terms were to serve a bond of four years in the media and communication industry. That was why she started walking at the NHK as a journalist.
Though she enjoyed the job, there was not much pay given. Financial burdens had lightened slightly for her mother after she started working and Souta got a part time job. Still, it was impossible for her to pay back all the money for the scholarship if she chose to break the bond and stay in the Feudal Era. That was too unrealistic.
She long to spend time with her son. He was a good and well-behaved boy. She loved him so much. She always felt guilty of leaving Yoshiaki at the Golden Pavilion. And so were the days when she left for the Feudal Era, leaving behind her grandpa, mama and Souta. Yet, what could she do? She was in a dilemma. She could not bring Yoshiaki back to the modern era. The Lady would never allow that to happen.
Then there was the alliance between the western and northern lands. No doubt Sesshoumaru would keep his promise and Sakara would be the Lady of the Western lands. It would be a perfect wedding alliance for the lords and people of the two lands. It was not an unusual thing in the Feudal Era. Princesses were often married off to other lands to strengthen the forces of their own homeland. It did not involve commoners like her. Yet, she could not help but felt poignant about the issue.
The other day, she had requested to stop visiting him, and she was glad he understood her reasons. Maybe nothing more will ever happen between them. They were too different, bond together by a pup. Is this obligation or responsibility? And to make matters more complicated, they were from different eras. Oh, how she really hoped her life could be as normal as any other girls in her era. Many of her friends had moved on with their life.
"Higurashi san," suddenly a voice pulled her back from her thoughts.
"Yes! Hojo kun?" she said, surprised to see Hojo standing in front of her office table. Hojo was working in the same company as her. Since he had graduated one year early, he was her senior and had been promoted to the place of a junior manager, leading a small group of journalists in the company and Kagome happened to be one of them.
"My, what are you typing?" He asked as he looked at her computer screen. She had mistakenly typed some sentences wrongly due to her distractions, making an article on the arrival of the America ambassador to Japan becoming an entertainment article of an American pop star coming to Japan.
"Opps, sorry." Apologized Kagome as she moved on to delete the paragraphs.
"It's all right. Just make sure it does not get published," joked Hojo before he continued. "I would like to ask you out for dinner tonight. Would that be all right?"
"Tonight?" Yes, she was free.
"Actually, it's more like a business discussion. I want to discuss with you on the project that is going on this year." Said Hojo, smiling at her.
Hojo had stopped asking her out after he was attached to a girl he met in university. She had met the girl a few times and they were deciding to marry soon. During her times in university, Hojo had volunteered to be her tutor and she was grateful for that. He even recommended her for this job. Really, Hojo was a great friend.
Business. "Okay," agreed Kagome.
"Great. So I will meet you at the lobby at six thirty sharp. I will be driving," added Hojo beaming.
"Sure."
After work, Kagome promptly came down to the lobby at five minutes to the scheduled time and she saw Hojo already there waiting for her. Then, he drove them to a restaurant in Shinjuku district, which was famous for its western food.
"I would like spaghetti," Kagome said as she settled down on the table and looked at the menu. The lists contained food that couldn't have been served in the Feudal world.
"Right, spaghetti and beef steak, please." Hojo said to the waitress.
"So, what are we discussing about?" asked Kagome.
"That's right, here take a look at this" he took out a file full of papers. "The executive had said the company would like to send two journalists overseas to discuss with the workers there and one of them is me. They said I could choose an assistant, and I decided to choose you to accompany me to Europe, France to be specific, Higurashi san. Are you alright with that?"
"Me?" Kagome asked in disbelieve. There were many more talented journalists out there. She was considered a novice in this job.
"Yes. You are capable of and know how to speak French. Most importantly, you are someone I could work well with," It was true that she does know how to speak French which she took up as a minor course for her college but that did not mean she could speak very fluently. She was still afraid to speak French in front of native speakers.
"But wouldn't the trip take a weeks long?" Kagome asked.
"Maybe longer, depends on the situation."
A week or longer, that means she would not be able to return to the Feudal Era during the trip. If the days add up, it might mean that she would not be seeing her son for two weeks or so.
"Hojo kun, I am really glad that you have chosen me to take part in this project. But I need to think about it," Kagome said finally. Yes, she needed time to plan out her thoughts. In normal situation, she would gladly and happily accept the offer. She had always wanted to travel to France. She loved the French language and the beautiful sceneries over there, which she had viewed on magazines and televisions. It was such a rare opportunity for her.
"Are you worried about the money?" Hojo asked. He knew about the situation of Kagome.
"No… I mean yes," Kagome replied. Of course, how could one not worry about money issues? Unless, your father owned some oil company or was the CEO.
"Don't worry, the company would pay for all the fees, including air tickets, lodging. And if you do well for this project, you may given be given a bonus," Hojo said excitedly and encouragingly.
"Really? That's wonderful." A trip for free to France was like money dropped down the sky to her. Though she told herself it was a business trip, which meant work. She was excited about the proposal. It would be really great to visit France one day.
"Hn,, so, do think about it and tell me your decision next week. I hope you won't let me find another partner," Hojo continued and lowered his voice as if afraid someone might hear them. "This is the first time I am telling someone, Michiko is going with me. She was worried I could not take care of myself," added Hojo. Michiko was his girlfriend.
"You mean she ordered the air tickets already?" Kagome asked in disbelief.
"Yes," nodded Hojo sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, Michiko did nag me to choose you as my partner; she wants someone other than me to accompany her to do the shopping, you know. So please give me your consent as soon as possible."
"Sure, thanks." Kagome laughed. She had gone shopping with Michiko to choose the dress to wear for her dates with Hojo since they were introduced to each other through Hojo. She enjoyed talking with Michiko, who was sweet and friendly. All Kagome needed to do was to sort things out. The business trip was one of the happiest news she ever heard.
Bienvenue en France!
Kagome was reading a brochure attached to the documents that Hojo passed to her about the project. She was lying on her bed and she had a towel draped over her head to dry her wet her from showering. It was really a good opportunity for her to assist Hojo in this project. Not only was she able to work with a prestigious international company, she was able to fulfill her dream of visiting Europe. She had been dreaming about going to France for a long while, she wanted to see the Eliffel Tower, to eat the French delicacies and to walk along the Seine River.
However, the project may take more than a week and she was not going to see her family, her son. She knew Yoshiaki would miss her and she will miss him as much, she has promised she will be back in the Feudal Era to visit him every week.
"Work over family, or family over work. Great, I am going to become a workaholic." She thought to herself.
There was a knock on the door. It was Souta. "Sis, may I come in?"
"Yes, what is it?" Kagome said as she sat up on her bed, the documents were left neatly spread out on her bed sheets.
"Can you help me with my research paper? I need to search through some past years articles on it," said Souta. He knew his sister could allow him to gain access to the News Archives and it would save him so much time.
"Sure," answered Kagome after she looked through the thesis her brother was currently working on.
"Thank you!" Souta chirped happily.
"You are welcome," said Kagome with a smile.
"What are those?" he pointed as he took notice of the documents on the bed sheets.
"Work. Hojo has asked me if I would like to assist in a project overseas, in France." Kagome picked up the document and let her brother browsed through it.
"France? All fees waived? A bonus? This was a great offer, sis." True enough, the offer was too good for any novice journalist, who wished to beef up their portfolios and gained exceptional experience.
"Yeah, but it may take more than a week," she sighed, still in a dilemma to make a decision.
"I see, that means not being able to visit Yoshiaki. I'm sure he will be missing you," nodded Souta as he passed back the documents back to his sister. He had never seen Yoshiaki in person before; he only managed to see him via the photographs his sister took. He was sure his nephew was a fine young prince. He looked exactly like the young western lord, with the exceptions of inheriting his sister's eyes. It was upsetting to be in his sister's situation.
"I know, that's why I have not decided, yet."
"Right," agreed Souta as he understood his sister situation. "Did something happen at the Feudal Era?" he asked hesitantly. He had read the reply by Sesshoumaru and found it peculiar that the young Western lord asked about how his sister was doing lately. That was unusual, he thought. The young lord never mentioned about his sister in the letters before. Surely, they do converse during her visits, don't they?
"If you really want to know, Sakara has arrived at the Golden Pavilion." Kagome said as she contemplated on the appropriate words to describe the happenings in the Western Lands.
"Who?"
"The future Lady of the Western Lands. She comes from the Northern Lands."
"The future Western Lady?" exclaimed Souta. "Wow! I didn't know Sesshoumaru onii san was engaged. Tell me more about it." He pulled up the chair from Kagome's table and sat down, looking at his sister. He wanted to know what the situation was. He wanted to understand it.
"I didn't know about it too and I rather not talk about it." Kagome replied. She did not think she was in the position to speak about the political alliance. She had tried to understand the accord from Satsuki, her attendant, but only briefly. After all, this matter did not concern her. At least this was what she thought.
"Please...I am really interested," Souta urged, he was definitely not going to let his sister avoid the question.
"Souta, I only learnt that the Western Lands and the Northern lands were allies for many centuries, just a day before. And the Northern Lord and his daughter were now residing in the castle to discuss about the marriage. There was nothing else I could tell you about the alliance. It was beyond my knowledge. Satsuki had not talked much about it to me."
"I see. Then how is this Northern Princess like?"
"Well, I only seen Sakara once in a tea ceremony. She is really beautiful and elegant. I guess you can compare here to the royal family. They probably followed similar trainings in decorum and speech."
"Right," Souta said as he nodded in agreement. It sounded more like another fairytale to him. He had read many life stories on political marriages in the past times; it was still present in the modern days.
"It's getting late, you probably still have much homework. I heard you have a math test tomorrow."
"Um," said Souta but he remained seated. "Anyway, still feel this was rather unexpected. I mean, it was predictable that Sesshoumaru onii san would have been betrothed. He is a powerful lord, after all. Still I can't believe you only learnt about this recently."
"Nobody tells me anything. Most of the time, when I was at the Pavilion, I was with Yoshiaki or Satsuki," said Kagome in a low voice.
"Sis, I just want to tell you, we will always support you," said Souta as he eyes softened.
"I know," smiled Kagome, feeling so much lighter.
"By the way, these are the photographs you took." Souta said as he held up a small package to his sister and stood up to leave.
"Thanks a lot," mumbled Kagome as she lied back on her bed, while Souta exited the room. Carefully, she opened the envelope and took out the printed photographs. They were mostly photographs of Yoshiaki and some of her attendants and friends in the Feudal Era. Looking at the photographs, Kagome smiled as saw the twins and Sango cleaning the laundry while Miroku was at one side trying to stop their son from crying. They made a great couple. Then there were more pictures of Yoshiaki, practicing swordsmanship with precisions and elegance, just like his father. He resembled more of the young western lord each day. And Kagome could not help but wondered back to their complex situation.
She only had one photograph of the young Western Lord, which she secretly took. Sesshoumaru was not fond of taking photographs. She remembered trying to take one photograph of him, when he suddenly dodged the camera lens after Kagome clicked the shuttle bottom. He had declared the camera to be destroyed for it makes unusual sound and smelt of ink. Seriously, the lord was not one who she thought would appreciate modern technology.
It was a promise.
The young lord stated the obvious reason. She understand the importance of a political alliance, it was manly to secure the power of the two clans. Just like collusion between firms in the real world. She wrote articles on these issues before and she was aware of the duty of leaders. However, she was unsure if these applied to the youkai society. She saw many parallels in their political system, their social class and traditions. And breaking a promise with a clan would lead to hostilities and even war. Neither any country nor clans would want to start a war with their own allies. It would only end up with casualties and hatred.
Yawning, Kagome stretched herself and touched her hair to check if they are dry before deciding it was time for her to sleep. She put away the documents and slipped into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Yet she could not sleep and stared at the ceiling. After a long while, she vaguely heard the Souta switched off the lights as his room, which was opposite to hers, and finally succumbed to the precious sleep her body needed.
. ….
Lady Sakara realized that the human girl was not present in the Pavilion for more than three days. That was strange, she thought. Sakara knew the girl was a priestess the moment she met her. Her aura was pure and powerful; moreover, the human girl was presentable and good looking than the human beings she had seen. Naturally, there was a hint of jealously in her heart when she saw Kagome.
The human girl had captured the Western Lord's attention once. Sakara could not help but compare her with herself. She wanted to understand this human, the woman who gave birth to the prince, Yoshiaki.
Sakara met Yoshikai a few times more in the Pavilion, however, they merely exchanged greetings and off he was gone to play with his playmates or to attend a lesson. Yoshiaki was still just a pup and she adored him earnestly. In any case, he was the child of his lover and the prince of Western lands. She would do her utmost best to treat him well.
She approached her attendant, Koemi to seek her answers to the whereabouts of the human girl. Dutifully, Koemi familiarized with the priestess attendants and asked them, yet they merely shrugged their shoulders or vaguely stated the Lady Kagome has gone home. With further questioning, she learnt about the girl's escort, Jaken.
She walked along the corridors, according to the direction given by the other attendants. She heard a childish laughter and the toady voice. It was the boy from the first day. The prince.
"Prince Yoshiaki! " shouted Jaken as he ran towards him frantically.
"What is it? Jaken sama?" asked the prince.
"It is time for your calligraphy lesson. The master had arrived."
"Aw, can I not play a while longer?"
"This is the lady's order." Jaken stressed.
"Fine." Yoshiaki knew his grandmother's words were law. He could not take the risk to break them. "But before that I have a request for you?"
"What is it?" asked Jaken quickly, they were running late and he did not want to be punished for the inability to discipline the prince.
"Close your eyes." The young prince said, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
However, Jaken was too worried to take notice of it and closed his eyes obediently. As long as the prince went to the study room, he would not be in trouble.
The young prince slowly crept behind the toad, he was a foot taller than him now, and dropped a gigantic beetle on the toad head and ran away quickly, snickering as he went for his lesson.
"Gawk! Get off me." Jaken exclaimed as he tried to remove the beetle on his head. He momentary wondered if he had a better life than with Rin.
Just then, the beetle was removed from his head. He looked up and saw an unfamiliar face.
"You must be Jaken. I am Koemi, the attendant of the Lady Sakara northern princess," said Koemi as she placed the beetle on the ground.
"Yes, I am Jaken and thank you for your help," Jaken greeted back.
"My lady seeks the answer to the place you escort the girl, Kagome, to. Pray tell why is she not in the Pavilion?"
"I am afraid this Jaken is unable to answer," Jaken stifled at the mention of his lady's name. She was one of his responsibilities and he would not betray her.
"You are the only one who could answer Lady Sakara's questions."
"This Jaken lips are sealed." Jaken replied firmly. He knew not why the northern princess was interested with the priestess. He dared not guess her intentions.
"I see, your lack of intelligence has made you just a escort of a wretched being."
"Don't you dare insult my lady," warned Jaken. He was not stupid and he loved his job.
"A lady? I am aware she held no position in the Western lands."
"She does and she will," replied Jaken,
"Shall I remind you, Lady Sakara will be the next Western Lady." Koemi stressed, she was slightly taken aback by the toad youkai's behavior. She thought he was really dense but she did not expect it to be so resolute. She knew that she too would protect Lady Sakara in the same way.
"This Jaken do not care who your Lady is and you are definitely not going to get any answer from this one," retorted Jaken.
"Very well, I shall report back to Lady Sakara," Koemi said as she realized there was no way to get the toad to speak of the matter. "But do pay us a visit if you change your mind. Good bye," Koemi bowed before leaving. Though she despises the toad, he was still the attendant of the Western lands and she needed to show courtesy to protect the image of the Northern lands.
….…..
The main building of the new Pavilion was about to take shape; the wooden blocks that made up the corridors were in need of polishing and the left and right wing were half way done.
"Is this to your liking, Sakara?" Lord Tsunanari asked his daughter.
The Inuyoukai were taking a tour to inspect the construction of the new Pavilion. It was custom for the Western land to provide a new quarter for the future lady. The Northern lands did not interfere with the design or the construction of the new Pavilion. And the Northern lord was worried his only daughter could not adapt to the new environment.
"Yes father, it is perfect," Lady Sakara answered modestly.
"I can't wait to see this done. What do you think son?" The Western Lady asked, looking at her son who had not spoken for the past few hours.
They had been actively discussing the arrangements of the wedding, as well as, the political strategies and strengthened alliance. The young Western lord had been quiet and stoic throughout the discussion and Lady Sakara sat quietly beside her father, listening to their conversations. Occasionally, she would glance up to look at the young Western Lord, sat opposite to her. However, Sesshoumaru paid no attention to her at all, nor listened much to the discussions.
"Sesshomaru?" The Western Lady said his name and he snapped out of his trance of thoughts.
"Yes, mother?" the young lord replied.
"It is important to make our guests feel welcome," the lady scolded gently, "What do you think about this new Pavilion?"
"It is satisfactory," Sesshoumaru answered.
The Western Lady laughed lightly. Her son really needed lessons on courtesy, especially to noble guests. Thinking no more of her son's lack of enthusiasm to the subject, she moved on to introduce other areas of the new Pavilion that were to be built. Lord Tsunanari would be making his way back and only to return for the wedding ceremony. He was pleased with the arrangements and the mutual benefits from the marriage of convenience for both clans.
The Northern lands had been allies with the Western lands for centuries and Sakara's marriage to the young western lord would improve and strengthen their bilateral ties. He knew his daughter, Sakara loved the young lord with all her heart but he was wary of the lord's emotions. He has no doubt the young lord would treat his daughter well. Sakara was his only daughter, and he only wished she would be taken care of.