Seven Days : Day Three
Morning dawned, SesshoMaru rolled out of bed and stretched, he paused, frowning as he tried to put everything in place and remembered that Kagome was here as well. He turned around and saw her still sleeping. Snorting slightly, he moved and went on his usual morning routine.
An hour later, he stood by her side of the bed and glared at the sleeping Miko. She was currently hugging his pillow. He poked her with one of his claw and got no response. Glaring dagger into her, he wondered about the girl. Yesterday she had gotten up on orderly time, yet this morning, she has not. He knew she had no problem sleeping next to him since they were forced to and had no choices.
He wasn't going to let the elderly defeat him; he will follow in the matter and mate with Kagome, just to be free of the bond. For now, he rather to keep it under secretly for it could had pose a risk to him since being bound to Kagome was a weakness. Patience was one of the virtues of being a lord. Right now, it was running out because he couldn't leave the bedroom because she chose to sleep in.
Poking her again, yet harder than the last, he was rewarded by her batting hand. Growling under his breath, he grabbed the pillow and yanked it away from her. She gave a yawn and rolled over, searching for another pillow and found one and snuggled up into it. He seethed right then.
"Wrench!" He muttered and pulled the blanket away from her body. Yet, she curled up and snuggled deeper into the pillow again, yet oblivious to the world. He looked upward and counted under his breath and turned away to make across his room. Shortly, he returned with a tea cup in his hand, filled to the brim with water.
Kagome's screech rang through the entire palace, possible the entire Western Land, giving everyone a moment pause, wondering what had happened. In the private of the Lord's bedroom, Kagome glared at the said Lord, soaked with ice cold water. He glared back, his face masked with indifference, holding the empty tea cup. One would have to look very carefully to find mirth in his eyes.
"What the hell was that?" Kagome seethed as she peeled herself out of the bed and saw her kimono was soaked on the top, showing her nice ample bosom to the world through the white silk and gave another screech.
"Stop that infernal caterwauling. Get dressed and hurry up." SesshoMaru snarled as he placed the teacup back on the nightstand.
Kagome gave a huff, "I was having a nice sleep, thank to you, and you woke me up in unfashionable manner!" She stomped toward the wardrobe that held her kimono in.
SesshoMaru stood there, narrowed eyed at her, "You are to be my mate, the Lady of the Western Land, you will wake up on orderly manner, get ready for the day and put yourself forth in responsibility and manner as well obedience to the Lord, which is me. Today, you have wasted half of the morning, therefore, had wasted the time given to the kingdom for your precious selfishness need of sleeping in. That is unacceptable."
Kagome spun around, "Hey! I didn't ask for this. Where I come from, it's perfectly all right to sleep in once in a while!" She shot back. "And the world kept going on just fine around me. I don't see how I have to wake up for this stupid land and all that. I'm only gonna carry your baby and I am sure you're going to kick me right out, depriving me of my child and I have to move on, finish searching for the shards and give it to InuYasha and go back to my world as if this whole thing never happened."
SesshoMaru was quick and slammed Kagome to the wardrobe, his hand around her neck, he snarled in her face. "How many times must I repeat to get through your mind that you are to be my mate? You will bear me my heir. You will be the Lady of the West, ruling by my side as long I live. There will be no kicking you out onto your sorry little ass." He stood back up and loosened his hold on Kagome. Still holding her, he whispered softly, "I will not have any other woman but you…"
She stared up at him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "You… you're going to keep me here?"
"Yes. You will help me rule the Western Land. You and I have not many choices but we are to make best of this. Now, today, you will have lesson in obedience and manner." He reached behind her and pulled out a kimono and handed it to her, "Wear this today."
Kagome gasped as she took hold the kimono and held it to her chest. She watched him move toward the bed and sat down, his back facing her. She berated herself because it was a repeat after yesterday, yet a little bit different. She had saw a new emotion in his eyes and it was longing, baffled, she shook her head, it was too much for her to take in. Silently, she turned around and slipped her yakuta and dressed in the kimono given to her by him.
It wasn't until she finished tying the obi that he had chosen the kimono that matched his. It was silver with red hue on the hem and black outlined curved lines pattern. The obi was black with silver leave patterns as well. It was simple and beautiful and it had flattered her figure very nicely. Slipping on the black and silver slipper, she moved to the vanity and pulled her hair up in simple bun and stuck black lacquered sticks in her hair to hold it in place.
Still rather upset, Kagome turned and walked toward the door and opened it. She saw SesshoMaru rise from the bed and walked past her out of the room. Seething under her breath, she followed him to the office. Since they had missed breakfast served in the dining hall, the servants brought them food in the office. Kagome sat at her usual place and ate in silence while SesshoMaru went over his scrolls.
When Kagome was almost done with her breakfast, SesshoMaru had singled a servant and told him to bring Rin's instructors to the office. A tall inu-youkai of black inu clan came in and approached SesshoMaru.
"SesshoMaru-Sama, you requested me here?" He asked as he bowed before the desk.
SesshoMaru gestured to Kagome, "For next couple of days, I need you to teach her everything about being a Lady. Everything; she needs to learn them all before the end of third day. Take whatever means necessary if you must."
Kagome gaped at SesshoMaru and spat, "Hey! I can be good mannered person! I did not live in a cave!"
SesshoMaru gave her a raised eyebrow, "Oh, it is rather impolite to shoot such thing out of your mouth. One would think you live with the õkami clan in the east. Their prince, Kogua, I believe is rather blasé." He knew he had hit a spot.
Kagome's eyes went wide. "Oh!" She turned her nose and crossed her arms, "Well, I happen to think he is much nicer than you and has more manners toward woman."
SesshoMaru curled his lips at her, "Too bad. The next time he put his hand on you, I will cut them off, perhaps more." Kagome ignored him and turned her back to him. "Do what you must." SesshoMaru said to the instructor and returned to his paperwork.
The instructor introduced himself as Shinji. Kagome eyed warily at him, he looked very imitating, his hair was peppered black, his skin was dark from being under the sun most of the time and he bore lots of old war scar on his face, arms and hands. He held air of no nonsense. She wondered if he is part of SesshoMaru's army, perhaps a general, retired one as it is which later on she had learned he was.
Kagome began to relax as the instructor sat himself across from her with the low tea table between them. As soon she began to slouch, a sharp crack rang in the air and she yelped, clutching her hand. He had whacked a reed stick over her hand.
"One would think you were raised by the baboons." She winced and had a flashback of Naraku in her mind. He glared at her disdainfully. "You are a Lady of the court, you must act like one or else you would mar the name of the house of Nishi." He gave her another whack across the back of her hand.
She glared at him and he glared back.
"I am not going to go easy on you because you are a human. SesshoMaru-Sama wants me to turn you from," He gave her a look over and snorted, "that, into a Lady. In my opinion, you might as well be a waste of time." He gave another whack.
SesshoMaru had to refrain from laughing and ignored them. He kept working through his papers through until lunch time; an occasional whacking would break the silence in the air. He got up and stretched, hating to do desk job and turned to look out of the patio door that led to the garden which were separated by a tall wall that bordered the castle ground to his vast Western Land.
Shinji had stopped the lesson, allowing Kagome to join SesshoMaru for lunch in the dining hall. Lunch was short with heavy silence and occasional glaring from her. Then the rest of the afternoon was spent outside in the garden where SesshoMaru trained with his generals, doing moves and rounds. Kagome was forced to sit aside with her instructor, enduring occasional whacks to her hands in crash course of learning mannerism being a Lady.
During the lesson, her mind wandered to the lord as she watched him move with grace, practicing his swordsmanship. The last couple of days had given her insight of who the man or rather, the demon is. She had never thought he would possesses such ability to feel any emotions, all she knew of him that he was a heartless cruel man. But now, everything changed. Watching him, she realized, he was indifferent to everyone else, yet around Rin, he would keep the mask up, but his eyes and body language showed different, expressing his true feeling toward the little girl.
She saw that he did indeed care for the girl as if she was his own daughter. It was not much like a human father would care for his child, but rather, a demon father. She figured it was the only way he could express, after all, he is a demon and the kind of love he showed for the girl was tough love. Rin didn't mind, she adored SesshoMaru and had followed him around, if to the end of the earth was possible, she would.
Kagome turned back to her writing practice and wondered, would he love her? He did mention that he would have her and no other. It had sounded that he was actually admitting his feeling to her. He was a dog demon, dog, from her knowledge are very loyal and Sango had once told her, dog demons mate for life. She worried most of all in her relationship with SesshoMaru was the lack of love between the two. She looked up to find him staring at her. Blushing, she realized, whatever he give her, she will have to accept and interpret as feeling for her from him. She had no idea how a demon treat their mate and figured it was different from humans. Making a silent vow, she would find everything about demons and their expression of emotions, because it would be the only way she would know, after all, she wouldn't be receiving normal human affection, but rather, a demon ones from him.
During dinner, SesshoMaru watched Kagome eat her dinner. She had been with him in the last three days, and not even once she expressed about her friends. Surely, must by now she would be asking about them or wondering if they were worried about her. Her eyes met his and he tilted his head slightly in curiosity, "You have not mentioned your friends since you arrived here."
"I have thought about them. They must be searching for me by now, usually, InuYasha come and get me after three days in my time." She saw his sliver brow rise and rolled her eyes. "InuYasha can't stand me being away so long. I am not worried, Kikyo and I share same soul, and she will tell him if I am in danger."
SesshoMaru frowned slightly at the thought of Kagome having any connection with the undead Miko. "You share the same soul, therefore, you can relay message to her?" He asked.
"No. Only emotions and feelings. If she feels my emotions in the last few days, she would know I am all right." Kagome said offhand and took drink of her tea.
"So, I should be expecting them to come within few days once they find your scent trail." SesshoMaru said as he finished his cup of sake.
"Maybe. InuYasha is not going to like this."
"He has feeling for you." He bluntly put, staring into her blue eyes.
She nodded and shrugged. "Yes and no. We thought our relationship was progressing but he kept getting me and Kikyo confused. I broke it right off, telling him that I can't keep going like that. I rather to be friends with him, nothing more." She rested her chin on her hand, looking at the lord. "Truth to be told, I've never told anyone this…" She took the broken marble from her necklace up to her face, "The Shikon no Tama, I had thought a long time about it and I've already decided my wish. It requires a selfless wish in order to make it disappear."
"And you have one."
"Yes. I'm going to wish for Kikyo to have a soul of her own and live again so she and InuYasha will have a second chance."
SesshoMaru's nodded, "That is rather very selfless of you to wish that."
The rest of dinner was in comfortable silence until Shinji came to them, requesting to continue lessons with Kagome for the rest of the day. SesshoMaru caught a pleading look from Kagome, asking him to rescue her from Shinji, he gave her a shake of a head and smirked, seeing her fume and glare angry look at him.
As the evening rolled around, SesshoMaru had to do his round around the palace, meeting with every retainers and head servants, getting news and giving out instructions for the rest of the year. Kagome was forced to walk along with SesshoMaru, enduring humiliation balancing a china bowl on her head. Each time she achieved the distance, her instructor would add another bowl to her head, making it difficult for her to keep up with SesshoMaru at his pace and not breaking the bowls.
Kagome sighed in relief as they approached SesshoMaru's bedchamber and followed him in and made a bee line to her wardrobe, pulling out her night yakuta. She quickly dressed with her back to SesshoMaru who had done the same on the other side of the room.
As SesshoMaru slipped into bed, he sat up and gave Kagome a pointed glare. "For your disobedience earlier today, you are going to sleep on the floor tonight." He picked her pillow and blanket and dropped it on the floor beside the bed.
Glaring at the stoic lord, she grabbed the pillow and the blanket, turned her nose high and stomped her way out of the bedroom, out of range. She knew it would hurt him as much it hurt her. She also knew his pride and stubborn was equal to her own and would not succumb to defeat. Wincing as the excruciating pain of being apart from SesshoMaru, she allowed the pillow to hit the floor and she laid herself down and draped the blanket over her body. Biting her lips, she fought the pain and finally, after a while, she passed out.
At first, it was amusing to see her ticked off but now, with her out of the boundary, the pain hit him as well. He waited a while, enduring the pain and realized she wasn't coming back. Growling under his breath, he got out of the bed and staggered toward the door. He pushed it open and glanced around, finding her in pile on the floor down the hall way. The pain was starting to become less as he approached her. He picked her up and sighed in relief as the pain subdued yet it still lingered. He couldn't believe how exhausted he felt as he carried her back to the bed and tucked her in on her side and finally, he collapsed beside her, allowing himself to fall asleep.
AN:
You all were begging for update sooner than Thursday, so here it is. Thank you for wonderful support and keep up, I am actually enjoying this. Water and Fire will be also updated at the same time along with this story. Be sure to read the story and review over there too. Thank you all so much!
I bet you all were wondering about InuYasha and the others. Where InuYasha stand with Kagome, I had to bring in Kikyo, I generally don't like her very much. When it comes to InuYasha, I rather to have him pair off with Kagome, but then again, to make it work where Kagome is paired off with SesshoMaru, I gotta pair him off with Kikyo. I like to keep it original. Thanks!