Chapter 6: Japanese Rollercoaster Ride!
Rin made such a sharp turn that Kagome thought that the little girl was going to rip of her arm in her excitement as she changed direction to go down a separate hallway from the first. This one was even darker, less used and Kagome felt the silk slippers drag and lift up clouds of dust about her feet. Why was this part of the castle untouched by servant hands? Where exactly was Rin taking her?
She continued to be dragged for a few more minutes and was relieved when the long, dark hallway finally ended; stopping at two large oak double doors that had shafts of light pouring through the cracks. Before she could say a word, Rin anxiously threw open the doors, a sudden blast of dim white light momentarily blinded Kagome as she stumbled into the new room.
When her vision cleared and her eyes adjusted to the brightness after being the dark so long, Kagome found herself in a gorgeous ball room.
She rested a hand on the polished wood of the spiral staircase leading down to the floor and stood in awe at the magnificence of the room. The walls and wood were a golden color, carved with images of dog demons as it glittered prettily in the dim light that reflected off the crystal chandelier that towered high above the overly spacious floor. On the ceiling were also painted pictures of demon dogs, glorious in the clouds of the heavens as they watched imaginary ball guests enjoy themselves. Its floor was massive with perfect wooden tiles that shone a golden color as they lead out on to a huge balcony at the far wall of the room, with white pillars and glass doors to keep out the snow and wind. In fact, she could see the fury snow for the whole wall on the side of the balcony was nothing but pane after pane of glass.
Utterly beautiful… Kagome thought, trying in vain not to gape.
But as she made her way to the start of the steps, she paused as she began to notice how deserted it was. The room was dim using only the light of the winter day that shone through the windows, lacking the torches that were present all throughout the castle. Dust had collected upon furniture covered in white sheets and on the floors in which people used to dance on, the only thing that danced now were the shadows and dust that flew across the wall in a fast blur. This room had not been used in a long time.
She was brought out of her thoughts by a giggle to her left and she looked down to see Rin standing beside her at the top of the spiral staircase, smiling at her awe. "Pretty isn't it? I come here all the time!" Kagome could only nod, still dazed by the room's beauty, only partly diminished by the dust and shadows. "Yes it is very pretty." She mumbled in response.
In her mind, Kagome could just picture how it must look when it was used! The wood and titles gleaming with their destined hue as the chandler shone brilliantly, candles making its many crystals shine brightly so that they sent sparkles of light whirling across the decorative walls and dog cravings. Kagome closed her eyes… she could hear the band playing a waltz while figures in ball dresses and tuxedos laughed as they drank champagne out on the balcony, enjoying the warm night air or sitting on the covered furniture, conversing with one another as they waited for the next dance. She imagined that she could feel the beat of the dancers' steps as they twirled on across the floor with much flourish and enthusiasm, like the pounding of a heart as their footsteps beat as one with the pulse of the music.
Ok. Maybe her imagination was making it out to be more like the scene of the ball party from "The Sound of Music" instead of Feudal Japan but hey give her points for creativity!
For what seemed to be the millionth time that day, Kagome was forced out of her pondering by the impatient tugging on her kimono sleeve. She looked down at Rin, who wore a sly smile as her eyes glinted mischievously. Kagome eyed her suspiciously; she had known too many little girls, having been one her self, to know that that particular look didn't bode well.
"Watch this!"
With the quick speed only a child of her size could muster, Rin hopped on the sturdy wooden rail of the stairwell and began the steep, spiral decent to the titled floor. Kagome reached out to stop her but only grabbed air as the girl slid from her grasp.
"RIN!" Kagome gasped in horror as Rin screamed in excitement, her high pitched voice bouncing off the walls and answered with a echo that fill the cavernous room before as she hit the ground at the end of the stair railing. She braced herself as she landed on her knees with a sickening thud and she slid a good 10 feet before stopping in the middle of the dance floor. Kagome worriedly hurried to the ledge, leaning over the railing as she watched the kneeled girl lie motionlessly on the floor, pants rip themselves from the girl's shaking chest. "ARE YOU OK!" Kagome cried out in anxiety to the small figure.
To her utter relief, Rin got up from her landing spot, hopping up and down happily while flashing Kagome that innocent grin of hers. "THAT IS SO FUN!" she exclaimed with renewed enthusiasm.
Kagome giggled at her little girl and her own nervousness. The girl probably does this all the time!
Rin continued hopping up and down in her little cute way while waving a hand frantically at Kagome. "YOUR TURN!" she all but screamed at her, continuing to beckon Kagome to join her. Kagome laughed aloud, letting her laughter chase away any dregs of uneasiness that she had felt when Rin had slid down the stair well. "Honey I'm too old." She replied while still giggling. Her? Riding a stairwell like a 5 year old? The very idea!
Rin stopped her bouncing and stared up at Kagome's figure still at the top of the stairs, confusion marring her childish features. "How can you be too old to do something fun?" she asked, as if the idea had never occurred to her in her entire life.
Kagome paused in mid-response, considering the interesting point that the child had just made. She used to do it on her own little stair rail at home when she was little but this was so much bigger than her own, not to mention its spiral design was an interesting change from the straight one she was used to. It really did looking quite… exhilarating when Rin did it. Am I really too old to act like a kid? she thought while staring at the stair rail, as if it would tell her the answer.
Of course not.
She picked up the loose ends of her kimono and sat upon the rail, feeling very awkward as she straddled the thick wood with her bare legs while she grasped the rail in front of her for support, imitating Rin's motions.
"HERE I COME!" Kagome cried in an anxious excitement similar to a little girl's as she pushed off the ground with her feet and began her own steep descent. The wind blew back her braid and the loose trails of the kimono, causing it to flutter against her legs as she gained speed and slid further down the railing in a spiral motion. She went faster and faster, her heart beating as she neared the golden tiles. A trilling scream escaped from her throat like a kid on a rollercoaster; it felt like she was flying!
In a heart beat, she really was flying in the air as she was launched off the end of the rail and onto the golden floor, landing hard on her knees as she skid right by Rin, the dust of the floor preventing her from burning the skin off her knee caps as she suffered a momentarily dizziness that prevented her from immediately getting up. She was panting hard as she felt her adrenaline rush after her flight.
"Did Kagome-chan like it!" Rin asked anxiously while running towards her fallen friend, the shuffling of her silk slippers in the gold wood tile echoing in the silence of the castle room as she glanced at Kagome with excitement in her eyes.
At first Kagome was speechless, worrying Rin momentarily. Did Kagome hurt herself? Thought Rin as she placed a concerned hand on the older girl's shoulder. Did she hate it?
Kagome then startled Rin, who jumped back in reflex as she began to laugh uncontrollably, still trying to catch her breath from the trilling ride. "I haven't done that in years!" Kagome was swarmed with memories of her brother and her riding their stairway banister onto the white tiles of her house…only this was much better! She wondered briefly if she'll ever get the chance to bring Souta here just so he could try it out for himself!
Rin laughed too but was already making her way back to the top, almost sprinting up the stairs as she kept crying, "AGAIN! AGAIN!" Kagome numbly lifted herself up off the floor, ignoring the stiffness of her abused knees, and followed her with long strides for she was almost as eager to so again herself.
Round Two!
Sesshomaru sat in his study, lying down on a pile of silk sitting pillows in front of the low, oak table that served as his desk as he listened to Jaken prattle on in his annoying high pitched voice about what his plans were for today.
"It seems that the current Lord of the Eastern Lands has been over thrown and now there is a new leader of the Dragon Youkai…"
Sesshomaru promptly ignored the imp while letting a clawed finger lightly caressed the pile of papers that were unceremoniously thrown across the desk, as if with a mere touch they would all just disappear. Defending his castle, leading his army in war, controlling local disputes and holding prisoners he can handle without a change in his usual facade but sipping through the paperwork that was constantly bundled in front of him always brought a grimace to his face. It was the most boring and strenuous past of the job, the part that Sesshomaru loathed, having to do it day in and day out but there was always more.
He needed a vacation.
However in these troubled times, he knew better than to leave his castle for more than a day or so unless it was adequately prepared for anything and every thing that could happen in his absence. He groaned. That process would take 5 days at least, not to mention he could only leave for a week or so at the most. He hardly thought it would be worth the all trouble for just a week of leisure time, only to come back to find the work waiting for him all over again.
"…and then Milord, the servants and soldiers are more than curious about the wench's presence in the castle…"
Sesshomaru snapped out of his thoughts and sat up at the mention of the human, his interest fully on Jaken. What has she done now?
"Why are they curious? Surely they have seen a human before." He asked trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice. He had been waiting for some sort of information about her for a few hours now: he wanted to know more about her personality so he would know how to react when she did strange or infuriating things, to his optimum amusement. He thought of it as a predator stalking a prey: finding out the victim's behaviors so the stalker would know how to use their weaknesses against them.
Jaken shook his head, knees slightly shaking for he was afraid of what his master's reaction would be at his next statement. "They…they think that your father's blood may run through you more than they first thought…" he stuttered and was finally silenced by Sesshomaru's piercing glare, feeling that he had done the best he could to gently describe the situation.
What little hope Jaken had that he may get out of this meeting unscathed left when Sesshomaru grabbed the imp's throat with lightning speed and slowly began to squeeze while he forced Jaken's bugged eyes to look at him. "What does that mean?" he asked calm and low, Jaken's sign that he was pretty "upset".
Jaken gasped for air while trying to pry the claws off his neck with his hands, feeling his death was near. He hadn't even updated his will yet! "They…think…gasp…that you may have…gawk…other interests in her…" Jaken managed to choke out, feeling light-headed from the lack of air getting to his lungs.
Sesshomaru felt his anger rise and squeezed the toad harder, like he was a stress-relieving toy. He knew it. His own damn vassals thought he was stupid enough to bed a human like his father had.
Disgusting.
Sesshomaru gave the toad one final squeeze before releasing him, letting the imp fall onto the tiles once again as he panted for air while rubbing his abused throat.
"Jaken, you will see that these rumors are put to justice immediately. If anyone ever questions my motives again, I will see to their punishment personally." If it were about anything else, like him being a cold, heartless bastard of a youkai, he wouldn't have cared less but when it came to damn humans, it got personal.
He had to go through the same routine when Rin was first brought here. For a while she was unsafe in his own household but after some time, because she was so young, the other youkai treated her as one of their own. Though most demons are killing machines, there are many who couldn't or wouldn't bring themselves to hurt a human child, like a full grown dog would kill the kitten's mother but not the kitten, knowing instinctively that it wasn't right to attack one that couldn't properly defend itself. It was only the weaker, more desperate youkai that tend to pry on the young, not the powerful ones.
However he had a feeling that his vassals would hardly take to the other human…now more hanyou than anything…like they had Rin, considering her age and current condition. He had expected it and was content that she was only staying two weeks more. If the whispers of her where just curiosity and misread observations, he wouldn't have minded but throw him and this…human wench in a totally out of proportion relationship and heads will roll!
Jaken opened his mouth as soon as he had his breath to gasp a response when a faint shriek reached Sesshomaru's ears. He quickly slapped his hand over the imp's beak like mouth for silence as he listened, his demon hearing catching every little sound from the flicker of torches to the footsteps of the servants. At first there was nothing but the usual sounds of the castle but then, once again very faint, scream, obviously female and obviously a child.
Rin!
Sesshomaru released a struggling Jaken, sending him once again to the floor as he bolted from his study and down the hallway, going so fast that his boots barley touched the floor as the rooms flying by him seemed to blur.
He heard another scream, this time the deeper tone of the older girl that seemed to be getting louder and to his right. He turned down the unused hallway, recognizing it as the old passage to the ball room.
What in bloody hell were they doing there?
More screams. Sesshomaru pushed himself to go even faster as he saw the bright outline of the doors in front of him…
Kagome hit the floor and slid for what seemed like the hundredth time, once again surprised that the rush was still the same when she had first ridden on it. No wonder she and Souta used to do this for hours on end! It didn't seem like it was going to get old anytime soon!
She rose as Rin's impatient tugging at her kimono forced Kagome to drag herself up and race the girl back up the stairs to ride the banister once again. And once again Rin was first down the stair rail, screaming in utter delight as she slid down the rail and was thrown to the floor when she reached the end. Once again Kagome followed suite, sliding down the dusty wood as her braid whipped behind her and once again it felt like she was flying. She felt the rush of adrenaline, the fear and trill as she looked over the edge to see she was still 15 feet from the floor as she continued her spiral descent…the excitement only increasing with the knowledge that one little distraction from her ride could cause her to fall off the side…
Suddenly the doors to the room above her flew open, slamming into the walls behind them as a flash of white stalked into the room. "What is going on!" bellowed Sesshomaru as he came to a stop on the top of the stair well, the layer of dust taking flight up from around his feet as he used them to gracefully stop.
And there was the one little distraction. Trust Sesshomaru to pop in at just the right time and scare the wits out of her, causing her to jump and lose her grip on the rail. Kagome was thrown off the side by her speed and momentum, diving headfirst to a floor that was fast approaching. She threw her arms in front of her face to protect her and shield her from her fate, her mind going wild with thinking things like if I die, I will haunt Sesshomaru if it's the last thing I do, for she seriously doubted she would survive landing on her head from that height.
Suddenly, without her even telling it to, her body curved, throwing her into a spin, pulling her feet over her head so that she landed in a crouched position, her legs taking the shock of the fall as she slammed into the floor with hardly a sound.
She so shocked that all she could do was stare at the arms in front of her face as she tried to process what the hell just happened. Did…did I just flip?
"Kagome-chan! Are you all right!"
At the sound of Rin's cry, Kagome's legs seemed to lose whatever strength they had in them and they bucked, sending Kagome on her butt as she looked up at first to the rail she had fallen from, roughly 15 feet above her and then at Rin's concerned face as the younger girl ran to her, her brown eyes full of concern.
"Yeah…I think so…" Kagome said, unsure and stilled amazed as she looked down at her legs with a dazed expression. Then she started laughing, unable to control herself as she began to howl like a lunatic. "That was so cool!" She really wasn't sure why she was laughing...she supposed she subconsciously did it to reassure Rin…and herself.
Rin jumped back, staring at her in a perplexed way (probably wondering what "cool" meant) but then too started laughing, more out of relief than anything else. Sesshomaru leaned over the railing of the landing above her, finding no humor in the situation.
Ok. He supposed seeing fall her flat on her ass had some humor in it.
"Kagome-chan is so funny isn't she Sesshy-sama?" asked Rin, looking at him innocently as he glared down at them.
Sesshomaru didn't even answer as he turned and made his way back out the doors, slightly annoyed that they had distracted him from his work. Fine… maybe he wasn't too mad considering how much he HATED paper work but nonetheless they should hardly be abusing his stair rails in search of a trill.
Unfortunately he hadn't even gotten to the half broken doors when he was stopped by the wench as she ran between him and the door, standing her ground with her feet shoulder-width apart in a stance of defiance. He groaned; her demon blood must have made her faster if she could get off her ass and up those damnable stairs in five seconds to block his only escape route.
"Why didn't you catch me or something! Where you just going to watch as I snapped my neck!" Kagome asked angrily, her small frame shadowed in his large one as her silver eyes glared into his golden depths.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, annoyed. Oh Kami help him not to punch her. "The welfare of a human is not my concern." He responded as coldly as he could, not missing the shivers that raced up her spine at the sound of the ice in his voice.
Kagome cut him off with a wave of her hand, dismissing his answer. She didn't want to hear his "I'm so much superior than you" crap right now. "You said so yourself… I'm not really human anymore. And even so YOU saved ME from the werewolf when you could have gone about with your business." She crossed her arms over her chest, once again reminding him of the stubborn stance of Inuyasha. Will he ever be free of his brother? It is as if he was working through the girl to drive Sesshomaru into insanity! No wonder they always traveled together.
Kagome clenched and unclenched her fists, claws digging into her palm. She didn't like that look he just gave her. It was a mixture between disgust, hate and annoyance; Kagome couldn't help but feel he was having some unpleasant thoughts about her. Must…not…bash…she thought, desperately wishing for Inuyasha's enchanted necklace right now. At least with that thing, se never felt like she had to physically smash the hanyou. She wanted nothing more that then to keep saying "SIT! SIT! SIT!" over and over again till she got bored of it. She knew he would probably learn his lesson after the first time but the next 99 would just be for the sake of Kagome's amusement as she watch his beautiful face continually pound into the floor.
"Why did you? What have you to gain by my being here?" Her eyes glared back at him with equal force, trying to fill them with as much hatred and disgust she could muster, her eyes searching his for an answer.
Sesshomaru could smell her rage. It was like a fire burning in her soul and enhancing her scent to where it smelled as if the roses were on fire. It was quite… interesting was probably the only way to describe it. But he kept his eyes and face frozen, not granting her even the littlest sign of anger or amusement. "I, Sesshomaru Lord of the Western Lands, do not have answer to a mere hanyou."
He could smell her anger rising but also a smug look crossed her features, as if his answer only confirmed her suspicion. "You want to trade me to Inuyasha for the Tetsusaiga don't you?" she asked, more of a statement than a question as she kept her voice low and calm with a slight edge, as if daring him to tell her otherwise.
Outside he looked unmoved but inside he was taken back. He had even no hint whatsoever to imply that that is why he tolerates her presence. How the hell did she figure it out? "And how did you come to that conclusion?" he asked after a moment, realizing that he would have to ask if he ever wanted to know otherwise this insufferable woman would never reveal it to him.
Kagome's features immediately changed from being positively livid to idly indifferent, her scent changing so fast it was almost staggering. "Well I have been thinking about it for a while." She said as held up a hand to start counting her points off on her fingers as she recited them in monotone.
She extended her pointer finger for point number one, using her other pointer finger to hit it for dramatization. "You don't want me to detect jewel shards like most other demons because you think you don't need them." She tapped her middle finger for the next point, briefly temped to flick him off. "You hate humans and hanyous so you don't have a romantic interest in me…" Thank God! I don't need another Koga on my hands! She thought to herself before continuing, striking her ring finger. "…So I figured you would use me as a bargaining chip to someone. However the only people that would want me would be Naraku and Inuyasha but Naraku is also your enemy so you don't want to help him to get advantage by having the jewel shards." She held up her pinky for the last point, obviously her conclusion. "Inuyasha has the Tetsusaiga, which you have shown no restraint in expressing your desire for, and you think he'll trade it for me." She said the last statement with a slight note of finality, her eyes idly watching him for his reaction to her deduction.
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised at her show of intellect. She was quick…for a human. He smirked, the corner of his mouth rising ever so slightly as he remembered his conversation with Inuyasha earlier that day.
He stood up even straighter as he walked up to Kagome, who stood very still and stiffened visibly as he closed the gap between them. Once again, her heart pounded in fear as he stood only a foot away from her but she glowered at him suspiciously, not trusting him and half expecting him to hit her for some reason or another.
"And what about the fact that I could sell you to the other Taiyoukai? Attractive human slaves are in high demand." Sesshomaru said in mock tenderness as he used a claw to brush a stray ebony strand of hair behind her pointed ear.
Kagome winced as he caressed her cheek and ear, only making her even tenser at his intentional show of ridicule at his own movements of comfort as he derided her. If he touched her again, she swore she would break his hand off!
Then again, she couldn't stop the lurch that her heart made at the mention of him selling her to other demons. The thought was enough to terrify any mortal…then again any one was better than Sesshomaru at this point.
She sighed in resignation. Ok. She didn't mean that. There were worse demons out there; she could give Sesshomaru at least that. Of course he would probably slay her for such an insult if she ever told him that…
"Who would want to buy a filthy hanyou?" Kagome spat out, turning the tables as she imitated the manner in which Sesshomaru used when referring to her kind, filling her voice with as much resentment as possible. She even shot him a look of pure revulsion similar to his own for effect, slightly pleased at the reaction she was receiving for her performance for Sesshomaru was all but gaping at her, almost in disbelief. She was mildly astonished, for he always tried to conceal any emotion he may be experiencing at the moment with his usual semi-hostile countenance but that probably wasn't used to the verbal attacks of a human woman. He must not have had very many people scoff at him to his face!
Sesshomaru just gawked at Kagome for a moment, not believing what had just happened. Did…did she just mock him? He was pretty certain she had.
Death…that was the only thing running though his mind. He wanted nothing more than to slaughter her in an extremely creative way involving lots of blood, heal her with the Tenseiga and then do it all over again in other equally imaginative and violent methods. He was sure that after the first time she would realize her mistake, but the next 99 times would be purely for his entertainment.
However the logical part of his mind nudged its way into his thoughts of gleefully slicing her into bits, overcoming his emotions immediately as it made an interesting point: this was what she wanted. She wanted him to react; wanted him to bicker with her as if they were equals, which they were most certainly not! Losing control would only give her power and Sesshomaru didn't want to give her an edge. And he was sure it would drive her completely insane if he didn't give a response to anything she said or did, like one would do when trying to break a spoiled child.
Content for now with just visualizing her demise, he supposed he could be the "bigger man" and spare her. After all, if he tried to harm her, she may resort to more desperate means of defense like attacking him or his other youkai. He knew she didn't have any control over her new body and powers…last thing he wanted was a werewolf going on a rampage in his own castle. He was slowly figuring her out and it had only been a few hours! As he had said before: humans are so predictable…
"What did you mean by you think he'll trade it for you?" he asked, changing the subject in a slightly annoyed tone, choosing not to grant a response to her previous comment. He didn't have time to play mind games with hanyous.
Kagome momentarily faltered, disappointed at him not taking the bait. Dammit! He wasn't going to retort! And she had come up with some pretty interesting comebacks too!
Her eyes captured his once again, passionate silver tint clashing with the brutal gold as she gave him a You-Must-Be-Dumber-Than-I-Thought look. "Have you talked to him yet?" she inquired in a faintly sarcastic manner.
Sesshomaru nodded once, becoming a little exasperated as he glared right back at her with equal force. Such disrespect! "I see your point. He is stubborn but two weeks without your presence should change his mind." He said while trying to side step to get past her and through the doors to his salvation from her bothersome company.
"Two weeks?" she asked side stepping with him, remaining firmly planted in front of him. He wasn't going to get away from her that easily! He had some explaining to do!
Sesshomaru gave her a That's-What-I-Said-Stupid look. Two can play at that game. "That's how long I gave them to consider my proposal before I slit your throat because Inuyasha was so hesitant. In other words, you are my guest for two weeks."
Kagome snorted with skepticism. "Guest? More like hostage!" Again her aura flared as she growled "Inuyasha you are so dead when I get back! When I'm through with you, they won't be able to find a body!" She popped her knuckles in a seemingly imitating manner as she stared past Sesshomaru's shoulder, as if his half brother where merely standing behind him, taunting her.
Sesshomaru couldn't prevent the image of this little human battling his brother from entering his mind and the funny thing was, she was actually winning. He chuckled slightly, unable to stop himself.
Kagome heard a faint rumbling from in front of her, so quiet she almost thought she had imagined it if she hadn't seen Sesshomaru's shoulders quiver a little. She gawked at him, mouth delicately agape. Had he laughed just now?
Seeing that she was looking at him with a bewildered expression, Sesshomaru immediately ceased his snicker and gazed down at her with a smirk on his face, knowing just what to say to make her mad again. "You are most amusing human."
Kagome's guise of disbelief instantly turned to a powerful glare and thoughts of punching him. MUST he call her human like she was something out of the trash!
Trying to keep her voice sounding calm but failing miserably, she replied, "It's Kagome. My name is Kagome."
He gazed back at her with utter indifference. Did she really think that he called her "human" or "hanyou" or "wench" just because he didn't know her real name? "I know your name human."
She glared at him even harder, as if the daggers from her look would slice him to pieces. She couldn't believe that he still insisted on calling her "human"! Especially after she had just told him her name, although she was sure he had known it in the first place. Not wanting to let her thoughts go unspoken, she opened her mouth to retort, "Then why do you…?"
Kagome felt a tug at the bottom of her robes and when she looked down, she found herself gazing into big brown eyes that looked up at her pleadingly.
"Can we eat? My tummy is growling!"
Kagome's anger changed to happiness as she kneeled down and touched the little girl's nose with a finger affectionately. "Of course Rin-chan! Race you to the dining hall!"
Sesshomaru watched the two humans energetically took off through the door and down the hallways that ran through his castle like a spider web. He slowly marched behind them, noting that Kagome was letting Rin win.
Thank Kami! Now he could go back to his work without interference…not that he was too enthusiastic to get back anyway.