Unliving

Chapter four – Guests and residents

She was staring at the ceiling, not caring about how late in the morning it was. Nobody had informed her of the time breakfast was to be served, so she didn't care about that. She never ate much in the morning anyway. However, she did need a cup of strong coffee. She was an addict, she knew it.

Looking out the window, she noticed the grey sky and the mist. The hills collected fog, and she was certain that it was cold outside. But it was warm inside, and she felt nice. Kagome took a glimpse at the clock on the wall. It was old and made of wood, with black metallic insertions.

It claimed it was 7:45 am. Wow, she'd slept in! Usually, she would be up at about 6:30am every day, no matter how late she'd gone to sleep. But last night wasn't normal by any account. She must have stared at that ceiling for an hour before finally falling asleep. And even then, she felt like she wasn't alone in the room.

Kagome hadn't slept well, she's been constantly stirring and waking every half an hour or so, positive that she'd heard a breath, or that she'd felt a presence.

'Maybe this place is haunted. It's certainly old enough!' she thought. Strangely enough, that thought eased her a little, and she'd finally gotten two hours of a dreamless slumber this morning.

She got up from the bed and felt sorry for the poor negligee. She was a messy sleeper. Inuyasha always complained about her kicking him in her sleep, not to mention the talking! She couldn't care less about his complaints. How was she to control what she did while asleep? That would mean guarding her sleep, and she needed to be awake to do that! It was a vicious circle.

Her sheets were wrinkled, and so was her clothing. The poor blanket hung from a side, and the pillows were spread all over the bed. She liked sleeping across the bed, instead of what she should have slept like: straight. She tried to mend the bed, and finally succeeded. It took half an hour to make her bed, but she'd done it.

"Urhhh… I need a shower." She said to herself, and walked into the bathroom. She was still amazed of how well it fit the place, although it shouldn't rightfully be there.

Twenty minutes later she was wrapped in a huge, black towel she'd found in the room. She was towel-drying her hair, when a soft knock on the door gained her attention.

'This is certainly not Ethan.' She thought, hearing the timid knock.

"Come in."

'Yes! I didn't say enter anymore. Relief…'she inwardly smiled.

A young woman entered the room and bowed.

"Good morning Miss Higurashi, my name is Emma, and I will be your personal maid during your stay at Muncaster." Her soft voice surprised Kagome. She was human, completely human. That surprised her too.

'Maybe he thought I'd feel more at ease with a human.'

Maybe he's been correct.

The woman wasn't older that 25 years, and had a wild, curly red hair, and grey eyes, with a tint of green. She was thin, but not skinny, and she wore a maid's uniform. Her hands were respectfully held on her white apron, one covering the other.

"Good morning, Emma." The woman widened her eyes.

"Oh, I see you've already made your own bed. That was unnecessary, Miss Higurashi, that's my job." Her smile was a little confusing to Kagome. And she hated the Miss Higurashi routine.

"Could you call me Kagome?" she tried, but she was almost certain that the young maid would refuse.

"I couldn't possibly take that liberty."

"Miss Kagome, then? Please, Miss Higurashi sounds too formal, it makes me feel old."

The woman nodded.

"You may blow dry your hair now, the generator's fixed since this morning."

Kagome looked at her a little off, but then she noticed that her hair was dripping with water.

"Oh, is it? Thank you I'll do that as soon as I get my luggage back, I don't have anything to blow-dry it with for the moment." She smiled kindly to Emma, who passed by her and went into the bathroom, exiting a moment later with the dryer.

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Oh, I love you." She whispered.

"This is hell to take care of!" she took a few strands of wet, tangled hair in her hand. Emma smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome." After a silent moment, the young maid asked:

"Would you like the fire in your room lit in the evening, Miss Kagome?"

Kagome eyed her, while drying her hair.

"Oh, it would be nice, thank you. It's getting cold, isn't it? I mean, autumn's well on the way…"

"Yes, it is." The look on Emma's face showed concern, as she took a glimpse outside. Then, she crossed the room and opened the window. A cool breath of air invaded the room, and Kagome realized that it wasn't that cold outside, fog and all considered.

"However, the days are still warm." Emma added. Kagome couldn't say that it was exactly warm, but it wasn't cold either.

"I'm afraid I've taken too much of your time. The telephone on the right is for castle personnel. I will be on the other end of it if you are in need of something. The one on the left is a regular one."

Kagome looked at the two, wondering why she hadn't noticed them before. They were just on the huge desk. 'Maybe that's why.' She thought.

"Okay, thank you." She'd said that phrase these past days more times than in her entire life. The fact seemed to amuse her. Without being ill mannered, she wasn't the most… thankful of persons. She'd always been more of a pragmatic, and used to doing things her way. So she never really needed to thank anybody.

:---:

Kagome thought she was lost. No…she knew she was lost.

'How did this happen?' she looked around and saw nothing but trees.

'Higurashi, why da hell did you enter the woods, girl? There's nothing here but insects, small rodents and plants!'

She took another look around. If she'd bothered to take the compass, she would have been able to get out from this place. She put her hands against her hips, and closed her eyes for a minute.

The forest was quiet, compared to what she's seen before. The sky was still grey, but she could barely see any of it, thanks to the tall, trees. Thick shrubbery grew everywhere. The sound of bird songs and flapping wings reached her ears, and some fussing around the bushes. She hoped they were rabbits, or something equally harmless.

Well, she'd been in the Amazon, but she had a guide and never had to kill poisonous snakes or something like that. She was just a journalist, not Joan of Arc, for God sake!

Her day had been quiet… to quiet, as some would say. She strayed up and down the gardens, observing the surroundings and taking mental notes. She did have a tape recorder, but she didn't think it was the case to use it just yet. After a full day of wandering around the garden, which had really taken an entire day to circle, she figured she could as well enter the woods nearby.

Well, it wasn't really nearby, but actually two miles away from the garden gates. She'd been warned not to stay there too long, and definitely not to allow nightfall to catch her there. Apparently, these places weren't as safe as they should have been. Kagome wondered if there still was wildlife in the forest.

Her wristwatch and the dim light both claimed she was definitely in trouble. She'd taken a wrong turn somewhere, that was all. She just had to regain her focus and she'll be out of here in a second. A distant sound caught her attention. It sounded like somebody running. The steps were crowded and fast, though, as if there were more that two legs. Kagome took a step back.

She lost the trail of her thoughts, and stared as far as she could see, in the forest. The trees were slowly bending their branches from the wind's taunting, and the ground was already covered with dead leaves. It was moist, the ground, the woods gave the impression they've just been ducked into water. She didn't realize she stood there for twenty minutes, listening to almost nothing.

A chill passed through her body, and she asked herself why she was so afraid. Fog was beginning to climb down the hills, responding to the call of the imminent dusk, and was spreading through the forest, around her feet, like smoke. It was getting cold, and Kagome slowly turned to one side. She had the vague idea that that was the right way, although she was running blind, by now. It was getting darker and darker, and the mist really didn't make things easier for her.

Her body went stiff and the blood froze in her veins when she heard the moaning of a lonely wolf echoing through the forest.

'Wolves? Do they still live here?'

She gave herself a mental slap over the face. Of course they still lived here! This was by all accounts a wild domain, thanks to the master's refusal to allow visitation. She had no idea what to do if she faced one of those creatures.

The cry finally stopped, and she continued her path, almost holding her breath. She was listening to every sound and attentive to every motion. By now, she was even aware of the small insects crawling on the surface of the ground.

The trees were still wet, proof that the sun wasn't reaching that far inside the forest, not that there had been any sun that day. And that damned mist! She was shivering, in her cotton shirt and those pants she had on. If the weather had anything to do with it, more than the atmosphere itself, she couldn't tell. Maybe both were as bad, because it was dark by now, and she was just about to give up hope, and call it a night.

She leaned against a tree, and dropped her head to her chest.

"How could I have been so reckless? It's so unlike me…" she whispered, but immediately realized that there was really no point in regretting it now. She had to get out.

Again, the wolf's howl scared her senseless. And as if that wasn't enough, she got the impression that somewhere in the distance, something was on the move. Something large in size… definitely not a rodent. She was all alone, and couldn't see seven feet in front of her. The moon wasn't out tonight, but even if it were, she doubted it would have done her much good.

A rumble just ten feet away from her made Kagome wince and let out a startled cry. Her eyes were wide open and she was clenching her fists and teeth. She was almost prepared for the wolf to jump out and grab her throat. And soon enough, a deep growl reached her ears.

She backed further more into the tree behind her, as the growls intensified. There was a deep sound, like a bark coming from some sort of beast she couldn't make out, and the sound of bones cracking. She heard, or more like felt something rapidly approaching her, and she froze against the tree closing her eyes, waiting for claws to rip her apart.

Instead, she heard a sharp swoosh, and felt a body hitting the ground just at her feet. She felt something warm being splashed on her face and neck, and trailing down to her chest. Her nails were thrust into the tree now, and she didn't realize she'd let out a shivering sigh as her face was being splashed with blood. She could smell the coppery life liquid, and she felt paralyzed.

Slowly, she opened her eyes only to find two golden bees sting at them.

"What are you doing here?" his voice clearly stated he was a bit angered. Kagome blinked and cleared her throat.

"I …"

'God, this is gonna sound so stupid!' she thought, but nevertheless, it was the truth.

"I got lost." She'd been right. It did sound incredibly stupid. She took a quick look at his right hand. His claws were a little longer than usual, but just before her eyes, they gained their normal length. However, the fact that they were dripping with blood wasn't the most settling of sights.

"Weren't you instructed not to leave the gardens after nightfall?" he stepped towards her, and Kagome found that his imposing figure could be as threatening as the wolf trying to take her life, a few seconds earlier. The poor beast rested lifeless at her feet, drenching her shoes in its warm blood.

"I'm sorry, it was daytime when I got here and…" her voice suddenly fell into nothingness, when he stretched his arm to her in a rapid movement. She took a look at his blood stained claws, and he slowly moved his fingers. Kagome couldn't do anything but stare at his hand.

Those long, perfectly shaped, white fingers, covered with the bright red blood. She could bet it was still warm, and felt the urge to touch his hand. She'd actually begun moving her arm to his, when he said:

"This was by no means pleasant." Kagome's eyes shot up at his motionless face, and she dropped her hand.

"I try to avoid killing perfectly healthy animals who live in my forest, Miss Higurashi. The habitat is ill balanced as it is, you see. Maybe…" he took another step, and he almost touched her chest with his own, as he bent his head to look her in the eye.

"….Maybe I should have let him eat you." She winced and widened her eyes at his cold attitude.

"What?" she cried out, noticing that he'd said him regarding to the wolf. He was talking about it as if it were human.

He tilted his head and a few strands of white hair brushed her cheek. She watched as a drop of blood made its way to his chin. If the look in his eyes had been drastically different, he would have looked like that angel in the painting. He smiled, but it was such a shadowy smile that she wished he would have glared at her.

"Well, I guess it's too late now. He's dead." He took a look at her feet, where the creature laid dead. He leaned to her, and lightly pressed on her chest with his torso. One of his hands was placed on the tree behind her, and his face came closer and closer. Kagome didn't know what to think.

It really wasn't a romantic situation; there was a dead wolf bleeding at her feet! But Sesshoumaru's lips moved to her ear, and she could feel his warm breath.

"Don't worry; I wouldn't let a mindless beast take your life." She thought he smiled… like, a real smile, but she couldn't see his face.

Then, he rapidly moved away from her, and she felt exposed. Shooting a glance at the young woman from the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru allowed her to regain her composure. She'd handled this fairly well, all matters considered. He'd especially enjoyed the fact that she didn't scream. Even as he'd splashed that blood over her face. He wanted to do that from the moment he saw her.

Her skin was so smooth, and her violet eyes too clear… The red of the blood suited her, so he took the chance offered to him, and within a second, he plunged his claws in the wolf, and deliberately splashed her face with blood.

'I must say, she was brave. And she looks so beautiful now… Wild and blood stained.' Sesshoumaru thought. He resisted the urge of licking the blood off her face, as he leaned to her. If it were her blood, he wouldn't have stopped himself. But as it were…

"Are you coming?" he asked in that low, emotionless voice, and she pulled the tips of her feet from under the wolf's carcass. They were covered in blood, and she felt a little disgusted.

With a last look behind, she began walking behind him, as mist surrounded them both. She could barely see anything now, and Sesshoumaru wore that long black cape. His shoulders were broad, and his movements as flowing as ever. The thing that stood out was his white hair. Actually, that was her main point of orientation, because of the color. It was reflecting the little light still around.

:---:

Within minutes, they were out of the woods. She'd been correct about the direction she first took, before the wolf had appeared. 'Well, at least I know my skills aren't completely useless!' she thought, staring at Sesshoumaru's back.

"Are you a child?" she heard his emotionless voice, and felt a little odd.

"Excuse me?"

"Children walk behind me, usually. Are you a child?" He didn't stop walking, and she tried to keep up by his side.

'That sure was a strange way to put it… Wait! What children?'

Kagome hadn't seen a single child at Muncaster. Well, he did live for so long, maybe he had encounters, or… did Sesshoumaru have any children? Suddenly, she realized she didn't know anything about that aspect of his life. Hmm… her investigation journalist beeper did a click, inside her mind.

He was walking silently beside her, eyes set on Muncaster's Eastern wall, now in sight. She followed his gaze for a minute, and then stared up at him. She didn't really know how to ask this… The blood was beginning to dry on her feet ant it felt uncomfortable.

She tried to ignore it, remembering a much more uncomfortable feeling: being half underwater, with snakes swimming around in your pants. Now, that was uncomfortable! Ah, the good old days when she was in the Amazon! That river was death impersonated!

She took another look at the taiyoukai. His profile was strong, well shaped, his nose was bound to give him that aristocratic look, his chin up all the time, although he was a tall person as it was, his shoulders slightly pulled back, and his back stiff. His eyes were rarely straying about the place, except for the moments he was truly interested in something.

"Yes?" his voice woke Kagome from her reverie. She blinked.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" he continued, seeing as she didn't say anything. He really wasn't used to being the one who would start a conversation. People usually nosed into his life, curious and presumptuous. He'd thought she would do the same, after all that was her job… both officially and unofficially.

But Kagome wasn't nosing. She was just listening at his doors. That thought almost made him smile. She was forming a question, he could tell. She had look of deliberation across her blood stained face. She hadn't wiped those drops off. That was an interesting detail, he thought.

"I wanted to… thank you for… saving my life." Those words felt like they were being pulled out of her mouth with a forceps. This was new! She'd never said that before.

He looked at her, almost amused. Almost.

"That's not it." He said all calm and know-it-all. She dreaded his attitude. She felt like a toy in his presence, and wondered if he was doing it on purpose, and if he was doing it to everybody, or was she a special case.

"No, it's not." She confessed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, have you got any children?" the words sounded more pertinent than she'd thought.

'Wow, the journalist inside is certainly taking the credit for this one!'

She saw him narrow his eyes for a second, and thought she saw a wave of grief passing over his face.

"I did." There was a tint of sadness in his voice that Kagome wasn't prepared for. She eyed him a little compassionate, and decided not to ask more of it. If she could read a shade of sadness in his expression, there was bound to be something truly hurtful about this child.

"Don't you want to know about her?" He seemed a little surprised about her silence. Kagome shook her head.

"I don't want to disturb you." He widened his eyes a bit, but Kagome didn't see it. It was too dark, and she wasn't looking at him anyway.

Sesshoumaru appreciated the gesture, and noticed that this woman could, awkwardly enough, read his emotions. That was interesting. He was usually impossible to read, especially by mortals. Well, immortals also, if he were to think of it. It was "a must", as one would say, in order to survive this long. He took a glimpse at this mortal, and unwillingly set his eyes on her neck.

He pressed his eyelids together for a second, turning his head from her direction. Sometimes, he hated the Hunger. Actually, he hated it quite often. Good thing was, for tonight he was settled.

They walked in silence to the garden gates, where he opened them easily and allowed her entrance. The fence was tall and massive, painted in a dark shade of green. The gate had an arching vault on which used to bloom some roses. They were dead now, but she could imagine how beautiful it looked, in the summer.

Sesshoumaru closed the gate and she waited for him to join her walk on the alley, towards the main entrance.

"Do you care for dinner, Kagome?" he asked, as soon as they were in front of the stairway. Ethan popped out from nowhere and threw Kagome an almost disgusted look, while taking Sesshoumaru's black cape. He didn't ask about the blood stains, which she found somewhat weird.

"Yes, thank you." She really was hungry.

"We'll be having dinner as usual, Ethan." Kagome didn't know exactly what he meant by that, but assumed he was talking about the menu.

"You'd best clean yourself, and so will I. Dinner will be served within an hour. Emma will lead you; I trust you've met her by now." She took a look at her blood drenched feet, and decided she needed a shower. Badly.

"I have."

He nodded, and she did the same. Kagome headed for the stairs without further ado. The angel was still pleating for something… she swore she would understand his plea, until it was time to leave this place. The paining was too unsettling, and she wanted to know what was so special about it.

:---:

She'd just finished her shower, not bothering to wash her hair again. She would ruin it, if she were to wash and blow-dry it that often! And she liked her hair… It was nice and wild. Never could make it sit still. But she liked it.

Surprisingly, her luggage was in the room, and she smiled widely at the sight of it.

"Thank you, dear God!" she said out loud. She couldn't sleep another night in that negligee. She took the large black towel off and put on some underwear. However, she decided not to wear her clothes in the evening, but to compliment her host for going through the trouble of offering her those gowns.

And besides, she loved them. She hated the negligee, but she loved those delicate dresses resting in the closet. She rarely wore stuff like that. Not that she couldn't afford them, but she didn't have the chance. She was always on the move to strange places, and her outfit had to be adequate to traveling.

So she put on another dress, this time choosing one of an electric blue color, with an uneven cut. One of her shoulders was left bare, as the other was covered in a long, bell shaped sleeve. Her breasts were caught by a small corset, which let the dress unfold just beneath them. That made her look like she was gliding, when she walked, seeing as the dress was also very long and silky.

She went to the door, but the moment she touched the handle, a cold breeze gave her goose bumps. She stopped in that position, looking over her shoulder. The window wasn't opened, it was too cold outside. She wanted to open the door, but had the distinct feeling that someone was just behind her.

She rapidly turned her head around and caught what she thought was a whisper. It scared her a little, and she turned to face the large room. There it was again!

'What the hell is going on here?' Kagome was beginning to wonder if this place really was haunted!

She thought she'd heard a muffled woman's voice, and rushed to the window, but there was nobody there. The alley in front of the castle was cold and empty.

She stared into the night, attentive, and felt a cold shiver pass through her.

"Take me! Please take me!"

Kagome flinched at the whisper, and turned as if she were burnt. She'd heard the woman's voice echoing through her mind. She took in a few violent breaths, and clenched her hands on the window curtains, eyes wide open and searching the room. Now, this was truly scaring her.

The knock on the door almost gave her a heart attack. Emma's soft voice could be heard, after a minute in which Kagome couldn't say anything to the poor maid.

"May I come in?" Kagome was still shivering. That voice had been so real, so sad, pleating for something… It was a moan.

"Yes." She managed to say, and saw Emma's pleasant face appear across the room. The girl changed her smile for a worried look when she saw Kagome backed into the window and scared senseless.

"Miss Kagome? What's wrong?" The young maid approached Kagome and stood still just in front of her.

"I thought…" Kagome began, but figured the woman would think her crazy. She didn't seem the type who would believe in things like ghosts.

"Yes…?" Emma was eyeing her confused. Kagome shook her head and blinked a few times, taking in air.

"Nothing. Is dinner served?" Emma seemed a little distraught, and momentarily looked about the room.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru awaits you." She gave a small, awkward smile, and Kagome nodded, following the maid into the dining room.

Before she opened the large doors of the dining room, Emma looked at Kagome attentively, and said the strangest of things.

"I think you've just met our Kikyo." She raised her eyebrows, and Kagome looked at her confused. Then, Emma pushed the doors open and Kagome couldn't ask her anything. It was rude to talk to the personnel, while ignoring the host. Sesshoumaru was seated at the head of the large table that rested in the middle of the dining room.

Kagome heard the doors falling closed behind her and she again felt exposed. His eyes were stuck on her once again. She vaguely wondered who their Kikyo was, and tried to keep her walk steady as she approached the taiyoukai. Boy, was he unsettling!

:---: