Authors Note: Well here is Chapter 2! He's finally going to meet her! Thank you to all the lovely people who have reviewed this story so far and given me your support. I hope you enjoy this segment.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them, this is the sad truth.
Chapter 2: A Painful Transformation
"I will go in Rin's stead." The kings voice rang out, sure and strong. There was a fearful gasp from Rin as she was released from Bankotsu and Ryoukotsseis grasp.
"Is that so? But we can not let our king abandon us." Naraku replied, condescendingly. He swung his arms, motioning to the protesting people of the noble court.
"Surely you wouldn't leave us Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken squealed from his post next to the King. Sesshomaru stood firm.
"It seems he would." Naraku chuckled. "Well then, are you sure you wish to leave Sesshomaru?"
The King nodded coldly, not wishing to dabble in Narakus' word games. Surprised intakes of breath filled the courtroom, echoing in a most displeasing way.
"I see. Though it will be a hardship, the idea is not so far fetched. You did raise this child so her lack of discipline is your fault alone. Of course, the punishment must change. It must be suitable for a King!" He snapped his fingers and the other 7 council members surrounded their leader. Soft murmurs were heard from the eight Mers, and within seconds they seemed to have reached a decision.
"We have reached a decision. Sesshomaru, King of the Mer people, shall be banished to the human world from this day forward." Through all the whispers and chatter of the mers hearing of the sentence, Rin burst out.
"No! You cannot. This was my mistake and mine alone. Please don't punish Lord Sesshomaru!" The young Princesses face was marred by tear streaks as she pleaded with the Council.
"Rin, be silent." Anger. Sesshomaru's face was stern as he delivered the angry face. A fresh batch of tears ran down Rins face. "That is a more than contradictory sentence Naraku-san."
"I was not finished. You shall be sent to the human world as a human. And to further prevent talk of our kind you will not be able to speak." The council head smirked, daringly.
"You do not trust your own King?" Sesshomaru asked, stoically.
"Of course not. But precautions must be taken even with the leader of our people."There was a slight pause as a battle of stares passed between King and Councilman.
"The most important question. When will I return?"
"That, Sesshomaru- sama, is decided by you and one other." Sesshomaru eyebrow rose as Kagura spoke up within her safe enclosure of other council members. " There is no need to look so confused. You shall be allowed to return to the Mers when you fall in love. Deeply, soul changing,irrevocably love."
"And have that love returned." Naraku cut off the slightly whimsical speech of Kagura as the final conditions were named. Sesshomaru sat back on the throne, calmly yet a keen eye would sense the distress in his gesture. "What do you say, Sesshomaru?"
The King glared piercing daggers at Naraku for the lack of respect, yet the merman was unphased. Sesshomaru could not argue. He could ponder the matter all he wanted but he knew that he had to agree to Narakus terms and face the human world. On his honor he had to protect Rin.
"I agree." Sesshomaru's answer rang out, as unchanging as sun.
"Surely you jest Lord Sesshomaru?" The toad yelped from behind.
"You can't Sesshomaru-sama." Rin whimpered, defeated. She was fully sobbing.
"What about your people? How are we to govern ourselves?" Anger was the rest of the room. Defiance towards the Kings choice and decision to take sudden leave.
"Silence!" The command hushed the crowd as the King stood, respect quieting their lips. "My absence will not be in vain. There are many things unknown and undiscovered of the world of man which I will have the opportunity to witness. There is much to be gained by traveling here and learning more about unknown territory. You will not be left without a ruler. The heir to the throne will take a temporary time of rule. Respect her as you would myself. I shall not be gone long." The crowd stayed quiet for long moments after the Kings informative speech.
"And perhaps his return will bring us a long awaited Queen." Kagura exclaimed, nobly yet comically and the noble hall cheered at the thought.
Sesshomaru knew of the danger, but his speech held some truth. There were many secrets to be learned, making his time spent in the human world less wasteful than he'd first imagined. And he would not be gone long. Though he was not sure how, Sesshomaru would return to his people soon after.
The King was sure of only one thing; he would not fall in love.
Kagome tuned out her cousins babel on romance as they walked along the beach. She didn't do it purposefully, but Sango had a tendency to ramble when it came to anything in her love life and Kagome just wasn't all that interested.
It was much easier for her to submerse herself in what was around her. The gulls twittering above her. The wind whispering in her ear as it whipped her hair around. The waves roaring as they crashed down, transforming into light kisses of water upon her bare feet. Yes, focusing on such calm and simple matters was far more pleasant than thoughts of her own life.
The North was becoming persistent. There were a clan of demon rulers, and it was obvious among the court the displeasure that this brought to them. Still, the royal family had been careful in keeping there wishes in mind. There was no point in feuding with another country, especially one considerably stronger than yours.
Yet a lesser court noble had let slip his disdain for the demon clan and his confidence that the West, Kagome's land, was surely strong enough to defeat such pests. This man, who obviously lacked tact, had stated such things in the presence of a northern demon who had visited the palace delivering news of his country. The demon left angry and brooding, rushing to his King and Queen as soon as he arrived. The demon Majesty's were furious, for they were naturally very proud people.
That was when Kagome's parents began to receive the threatening letters. The Western King and Queen tried as best as they could to extinguish the feud, but the damage had been done. Now, the Princess could see no other outcome than war. And there was no doubt that a war would do more harm than good. She sighed, quietly under her breath.
"Kagome, what's the point in me talking if you're waltzing off into la la land? I might as well save my breath." Kagome turned to face her glaring cousin. She smiled apologetically.
"Sorry Sango. The issues with the North are just a little bit distracting. Look, Mirkou likes you and you like him so I don't see what the problem is?" The brunette rolled her eyes.
"Oh Kagome, you're so naive. There are certain steps to be followed when you're thinking of courting someone. You can't just march up to a man you like and pronounce your love!" Lady Sango tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a casually innocent move but anyone who knew Sango knew it was something she did when acting superior.
"That's so idiotic though. The more time you waste playing games, the less time you have being a couple. I just don't see the point." Kagome replied, flopping down onto the sand.
"Kagome,thats just gross. You're going to get wet and sandy." The princesses only reply was sticking out her tongue, childishly. "Ah, very mature. Just like a princess."
" Oh, would you have some fun. I wouldn't be allowed to wear this dress again anyway. And there's nothing special planned for me today, so who cares if I get a little wet?" Kagome giggled, as a wave lapped at her feet ruining her dress.
"Whatever. If the future leader of our people is doing it, who am I to oppose." Sango said sarcastically. "However, I will not be joining you. I happen to like being dry." Kagome raised one eyebrow.
"Really?" And before Sango could register the oncoming attack Kagome had flipped her hand and splashed her cousin with water.
"Ugh! Kagome! Get back here! We are going back to the palace, NOW!" Sango screamed, losing her ladylike manners as she reached for her cousin.
" You'll have to catch me first!" Kagome exclaimed, running from her cousin leaving a trail of water splashes along the way.
"Are you prepared?" Tsubaki, the sea witch inquired from her King and he nodded. "It will be like nothing you've ever experienced before. Pain and unfamiliarity can be overwhelming. I'm warning you now that there will be hardships ahead."
"This is something of which I'm well aware. Please let us be finished." Sesshomaru stood calmly, awaiting the change of his life.
"Very well my King. You will have ten minutes before the change. Obviously, the time should be used to swim closer to the shore." The potion was handed to him and in seconds Sesshomaru downed the strange liquid. The sea witch laughed curtly. " Now I'd start making my way to the shore, if I were you."
The King glared at the woman for her rudeness, but turned nevertheless and swam out the exit of her cave and towards the surface. Her useless chatter of warnings had been grating on his nerves. Like he needed the warnings of a infamous witch. She spoke as if he, Sesshomaru, knew less than her. The gall.
The King knew of the dangers in the human world far more than anyone else. It had held the key to down falls for not only his great grandfather, but his father as well. Both being so foolish as to fall in love with people of that world, though his father had made the larger mistake of falling for a human. Yet he knew that good things were as finely intertwined as the bad. Had his ancestors not traveled to the human world, he would not carry the strong blood of a demon within him. The political things he could gain from the escapade could be enormous if he acted accordingly.
This was not to say that he wasn't aware of what he would face. His status would be nothing like his current rank. Still, Sesshomaru was positive he could overcome such a minor obstacle. This same principle was applicable to the term of love. He was the most powerful merman in all the ocean. Love would be no match for him. He could see only two possible outcomes.
He was the King, and when it was realized that he had been gone for some time and had no intentions of finding a love, this term would have to be dropped. His people would need him eventually and he would have to return.
However if this did not seem the case he would have to improvise. Sesshomaru was more than confident of his acting skill. If it came to such matters, choosing a female to pose as his intended would be simple. All that would have to be done is convince the council that he was in love and than be transformed back. Of course, the girl would be dumped afterwords.
Those were the steps he would take if need be. Even so, he knew there were many flaws with such a plan. Naraku didn't seem the kind to lay such an easily foiled plan. No, there were undoubtedly complications.
The Council was power hungry, this he was absolutely certain. They would most likely wish the throne for themselves, or at least the ability to rule. The longer Sesshomaru was gone the easier this would be to accomplish. Yet, Sesshomaru had not left only Rin in charge. Jaken was there, as well as many of his loyal subjects. Jaken, incompetent as he was, he would not stand for the defiling of his Lord. This Sesshomaru was absolutely positive. Even if that toad could do nothing else, he would protect Rin and his lords honor with his life.
Rin was competent as well. Though she had made a large mistake in meeting with a human, it was unavoidable. Even if she had not met with the human, Naraku would have found a way to do away with the King. Rin's weakness had only made it easier. The girl however, was very intuitive. She had always been smart and quick with reason, though she was considerably more emotionally driven than himself. Yet, Sesshomaru trusted Rin, partially because she was a horrible liar but mostly because she was very respectful towards him. She had a very good understanding of her foster father and Sesshomaru was nearly positive that she would rule as closely to his ways as was possible.
Regardless of all these things, he did not intended on being gone longer than was necessary. While being on land he would gather as much information as he could and quickly locate a suitable candidate for his 'wife'.
The King could see the sand of land ahead of him. He would be there soon. As if mimicking the ocean, waves of heat washed over his body and the king foresaw the change in the next few moments. As the heat began to build Sesshomaru worked his way over to the shore, allowing small relief to settle as he sat near the shore. But the relief only lasted for a moment as the heat overcame him.
The King had known that the transformation would be painful, but no amount of knowing would have prepared him for the pain he endured at that point in time. He could feel his majestic tail ripping in two, and with it a place inside of him. There was a burning sensation upon his cheeks and arms as his class markings were ripped from his flesh. Long locks of silver became sullied with the commoners color of soot. But the feeling that drove Sesshomaru over the edge was the feeling of losing his soul that swept through his entire body. Sesshomaru let loose a booming growl as the pain hit a climax before he fell limp, half emerged in the water.
Every fiber in his being was telling him to stay where he was, to rest and recover. But his mind forced him to stand on those wretched legs and wander to find a safe place. The water was flowing into a darkened cavern, and it took the lord only moments to stagger his way into the dark room. Sesshomaru was not aware of his position, only that he was not immediately exposed to enemies in this cavern.
As the dark fully settled upon his new human frame, the former king allowed himself to collapse on the cold granite floor in the darkness. His legs throbbed and his heart felt strangely empty, and though he would never admit it, he willed for sleep to be his escape.
"Yellow and Black roses with yellow lilies,black viola and hollycheck as accents." The servants shot the princess a questioning look and she sighed." The North's ruling colors are gold and black. It will show our admiration if we send flowers in their colors. Wouldn't you agree mother?"
"Of course! What a marvelous idea, Kagome darling! Exactly what I would expect from my daughter." The Western Queen ruffled her daughters hair, affectionately and Kagome smiled back
"Well, if that's all that you needed mother, I should leave. I promised Kohaku I would help him pick seashells today."
"Oh Kagome, I really wish you wouldn't do such things. Playing on the beach with a young boy is not the most royal thing to do."
"Oh Mother, I really wish you wouldn't worry." Kagome mocked her mother, mimicking the over done worry in her voice. "Really, I'm just helping my cousin to make a gift for a girl. I won't even touch the water." During her attempt to assure her mother, the princess silently crossed her fingers behind her back. Well, no one has to know...
"Very well, dearest daughter. Thank you for your help." Kagome did a small bow, before exiting the common room.
It bothered her that the West though sending something as simple as flower arrangements would patch things up with the North. Something as thoughtless as that would do as much to stop the war as sending a letter saying they were sorry. It was a pointless effort, but it was all they thought they could do. Hopefully, sending enough tokens would persuade the North to reconsider. A foolish belief on her fathers part. This cowardly approach only made the West look as such; cowards.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream was of a woman, and came from the lower level of the palace. Alarmed, Kagome rushed towards the stairs leading downward.
One of the palace maids was near the entrance to the bathing pool shrieking, holding a few towels in her hands. Kagome followed the point of the maids finger and saw the source of her scream. Collapsed in the midst of the bathing waters was a dark figure. Trying to remain composed, Kagome gently covered the mouth of the screaming girl.
"Hush. There is nothing to be afraid of. Whomever has wandered into our bathing pool has surely done it unintentionally." Kagome gave a reassuring smile to the frightened maid. " Now,would you please allow me to borrow one of those towels for a moment." The maid stared up at her princess, shell shocked for a few moments before regaining her composure.
"W-why of course, milady!" The girl quickly outstretched her hands, offering up the towel to her mistress.
Kagome moved into the shallow waters, disregarding the shocked intakes of breath from the maid that the princess was dirtying her dress. Slowly, she approached the limp body.
Long, silky black hair clung to a contrasting pale,lean, and muscular body. The man was completely naked, though thankfully lying on his stomach. Kagome took no time in throwing the towel over the exposed man and leaning down gently to get a better look at his face.
The man was indeed handsome, with flawless skin and perfectly straight, angled features. She moved her hand, placing it lightly atop the mysterious mans forehead. It was burning with threat of a fever.
"Maid, please call for some male servants! Tell them to bring this man to the guest room in my wing. This man is officially my guest in this castle, and he should be treated as such."
Authors Note: Well, that's all for now folks. Hope you enjoyed it! Please, Please, Please, review!