Chapter 14
"Mother, you must tell me what had happened outside." Sol said sternly for the third time. It was about an hour after the wedding ceremony, and Kagura was helping her daughter get ready for the kekkon hireon. Oni and the other servants were also supposed to be there helping her get ready, but Sol insisted on only requiring her mother. Yes, getting dressed in the uchikake would take longer, but Sol wasn't going to give up on finding out what had happened before the san san kudo ceremony.
"Sol, I told you it was nothing. I was simply getting emotional about the ceremony, and I needed to regain my composure." Kagura said with slight annoyance. "Besides, we must hurry, the guests have already begun arriving and we musn't allow them to wait much longer." Sol rolled her eyes. Half the people that were going to be there for the reception were simply acquaintances and the other demon lords of Japan; to her, they were simply a bore or insane in the bad way.
"Fine." Sol mumbled. She pouted as she was draped in yet another layer of the uchikake. She did love her kimono, because of the miscellaneous colors and shades of green, yellow, purple, blue, and gold, but she just wished that for once she didn't need to be so proper and just wear maybe two light layers.
But as royalty, everything needs to be formal and regal. Sol thought sarcastically.
"Mother, do you know why Shinto wasn't able to attend? I know we may not have spoken much, but he is the highest ranked general in the army. If anyone, he probably should have been invited as well." Sol said non-chalantly to gauge her mother's reaction. Sol knew that something had to be up. She had thought it strange when a few weeks ago Sesshomaru sent Shinto out for a campaign of some kind right after he returned home, when no threats of war had been discussed throughout the castle in even the past few decades.
"Well, hadn't you known? Your father sent him on a campaign." Kagura said quickly. Sol quirked an eyebrow as Kagura responded. It seemed a little...rehearsed.
"Well, what kind of campaign? Is there speak of war?" Sol questioned.
"No, no. It's nothing to serious, well as far as I've heard. There's a rebellion from a large farming village. As usual, they are complaining about the taxes." Kagura said slowly, trying to find a good story. There is always talk of rebellion. Kagura thought to herself. This should be a convincing lie.
"Hmmm." Sol simply said, putting on a pair of ruby earrings. Sol felt that the 'campaign' story was a bunch of bull, but she would not push it further, at least for today. "Okay." she said, placing her hands down. "I think I'm ready."
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"And then I said, 'Well, I am the most powerful youkai you have ever seen, but I am no miracle maker!" Taimo shouted, banging his fist against the table and laughing clamorously. Taimo's hazy eyes looked at the newlyweds down the table as if asking for approval or a positive reaction, and all Sol and Daiki did was smile politely.
When Taimo broke the gaze and decided to talk boisterously among the other guests at the reception, Sol sighed heavily and gave Daiki a look. Daiki chuckled and leaned into her.
"I know Taimo and the others are not among your favorite people around, but it's only for a night." Daiki whispered into her ear softly. "And after that...we can do whatever we please." Sol almost yelped when Daiki nipped at her ear playfully. She saw her father give her a look, with his eyebrow arched, giving off a slight sense of amusement, and Sol put her head down and blushed.
The whole group of about fifty people were sitting at an extraordinarily long table, with Sol and Daiki in the center of it. Sesshomaru and Kagura were on the opposite side a few chairs away, as were Daiki's parents. Taimo and his Lady Kana, with their daughter and her mate, who was in the most proper way to explain was rather plump, were to Sol's left. Most of the people she didn't really know, but they were the major lords of Japan, and not inviting them to at least the reception would be outright disrespectful.
Sesshomaru was glad, as he noted many times before, that his face most of the time was aloof, for he was annoyed and disgusted by Lord Taimo's behavior time and time again. Every time when they were at a social gathering, Lord Taimo didn't seem to have any restraint when it came to sake. He glanced over at Lady Kana, who seemed to be trying her best to look happy and ignorant of her mate's embarrassing behavior.
Poor woman. he thought to himself. The man continually behaves like a filthy drunk human around the highest of nobility in Japan. He truly has no class. Sesshomaru then glanced at Taimo's daughter, Kaimo, and then quickly glanced away in part disgust when she was, as usual, eyeing him in what she must of thought was seductive. Even after finding a mate, she still seemed to want to rip off his clothing every time they were near each other. Kagura cleared her throat and smiled at Kaimo.
"How have you been, Kaimo? It seems that Sesshomaru and I haven't seen you since your own wedding reception." Kagura said, acting innocently. Sesshomaru was surprised at her behavior. It was almost as if she knew Kaimo was what he was thinking about.
Kaimo frowned, giving Kagura a death glare. Sesshomaru realized a long time ago that it didn't matter who he was with, Kaimo would detest them unless she was the one around his arm.
"Has it been that long?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She still didn't know how to act regally even after a century.
"YES! IT HAS BEEN THAT LONG!" Taimo bellowed, obviously not realizing how loud he was. Taimo put his shoulder around the heavyset man. Kaimo's mate didn't seem to be aware of the situation around him as he was scooping huge amounts of food into his mouth greedily. "Heh, well the man has put on some weight," Taimo said, tapping at the man's stomach, "but I say that's the more for my daughter to love!" Taimo exclaimed, laughing obnoxiously again. Kaimo buried her hands into her kimono in despair and embarrassment, and Kagura put her head back in laughter, pretending to laugh at Taimo's joke when it was the whole situation that she found hilarious. Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk slightly at this situation as well; it seemed to be the only amusing thing all night.
As Kagura put her head back in laughter, Sol's eyes frowned in sadness and shock as she noticed bruises on her mother's neck. I knew it! I knew something had happened! she thought. But of course, she wouldn't dare to tell me, especially today. But this has to stop! she looked down and felt her throat closing up as tears threatened to distort her vision. I'd rather have my parents apart then them arguing and mother to get physically abused by father.
"Are you alright, Sol?" Sol looked up at Daiki's voice, seeing his silver eyes full of concern for her sudden shift in mood. She smiled slightly at shook her head at her mate.
"Yes, I am fine. I was simply lost in thought, that's-" Sol's sentence was interrupted by a shriek from surprise and anger. Sol craned her head forward to see Kaimo standing up, her midnight blue kimono stained with sake and a brown sauce.
"YOU BUFFOON! I CANNOT BELIEVE I WAS MADE TO MARRY A DISGUSTING PIG LIKE YOU!" she yelled at her mate. He seemed just as shocked as everyone else, his almost trancelike state with his food broken when he spilled his food and sake on Kaimo.
"Dear, calm down." Taimo told her. At this point he looked like he was wobbling and might pass out. "He is a good man, and he did agree to marry you, even though you were a few years older than his liking." he said calmly. Sol's eyes bulged out in shock. Even though the man was drunk, there seemed to be no reason why one must discuss personal matters like that at a wedding reception. Kaimo snarled at her father and then glared at her mate again.
"Well, what to you have to say for yourself, you imbecile?" she spat harshly. When he couldn't think of anything to say or defend himself, Kaimo growled and threw her napkin in his face. Sol stood up quickly and walked over to her to Kaimo.
"Come, you can use one of my mother's or my kimonos for the rest of the night." she said softly to her, gesturing for her mother to join her. Kagura nodded and stood up.
"Yes, it would be no problem. Follow me." Kagura said, leading them down the hallway.
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"She...is about...to get on my LAST nerve." Kagura said furiously. Kagura and Sol had been waiting on Kaimo to put on a kimono for the past half an hour. But, Kaimo obviously didn't find any of the kimonos to her taste or her standards.
"Calm down mom. Even as a child I've known Kaimo's been a spoiled princess." Sol whispered so that Kaimo wouldn't hear them.
"Hmph. You'd think she'd would have learned a little bit of humility, especially after having to marry that disgusting man." Kagura told her, chuckling a bit. Sol began to laugh but she put her hand over her mouth.
"Shhh! She might hear you!" Sol whispered to her mother. Kagura sat on Sol's bed as her daughter walked over to the small changing room and tapped lightly on the door.
"Kaimo? Do you need any help? You've been inside for a while." she called out. Sol almost fell back when Kaimo opened the door and popped her face out.
"Don't you have any better kimonos?" she asked arrogantly. "I am used to only the finest of silk, anything else simply bothers and irritates my skin." Sol rolled her eyes.
"Well, I am sorry we cannot meet your high tastes." she said sarcastically.
"Hmph." Kaimo responded. "I would expect the powerful Sesshomaru sama to provide this kind of kimono to his lowly servants!" she said, laughing at the end of her statement.
"Well, you can always change back into your dirty kimono." Kaimo turned pale as she heard the low voice from the door of the room. Sesshomaru was leaning against the door frame, his expression as stoic as ever. Kaimo cleared her throat.
"Lord Sesshomaru! I didn't expect you here!" she said, her tone quickly changing into a more pleasant one. "Can you excuse me, I am not proper in my state."
"Actually, I would rather not. The whole table is wondering why it is talking so long for you to change. Is there something wrong with the kimonos? The style? The size? Or perhaps, the fabric?" he asked her, his eyes questioning her. Kaimo gulped when she realized he heard her criticizing him.
"Oh, no, nothing is wrong, Lord Sesshomaru. In fact I was almost done." she said quietly. Sesshomaru nodded and looked at Kagura and Sol.
"Well, then, I expect the three of you to be back in five minutes." he told her, leaving the room. Kaimo stood in shock and anger for a few seconds before Sol snapped her finger in Kaimo's face.
"Well? My father did say five minutes." Sol told her. Sol smirked as Kaimo scowled angrily and mumbled under her breath as she went back to changing.
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"Hurry up! She's escaped! Find her now before she gets away!" Soledad whimpered in fear as she heard Shinto's voice faintly in the distance. She was only about two miles away from the camp site, and Shinto and his group already realized she ran away.
Soledad pushed herself to run faster, even though she was already running as fast as she could. She silently cursed at herself. She of course had to find out in the worst situation possible that her stamina was not at all what it used to be. But she knew she couldn't slow down. Even though she was a dog demon, Shinto was a wolf demon, and he was probably just as fast, maybe even faster than her even with all his armor on. Soledad darted into the woods, hoping the thick vegetation would make it harder to find her. Yet about ten seconds later, she heard the crunches of pairs of feet following her into the forest.
She could feel her heart pounding loudly through her chest; her eyes darting back in forth to find some way, any way to divert them. She quickly tore at her yellow kimono and threw a large piece on the ground, and darted to the left, praying they would at least stop for a few seconds in frustration. She could still hear them calling out, and some of the shouts were getting more frantic, as they closed the gap between them. A few seconds later she heard shouts of anger.
They must've found the piece. she thought quickly. At least I have a few more precious seconds. She felt her legs aching for rest, but she gritted her teeth in order to keep her almost impossible pace, hoping adrenaline would kick in so her legs would feel numb.
Suddenly, the smell of freshwater hit her. There's got to be a lake nearby! she kept running in the same direction, and soon she saw a large lake in the distance. Even the sharpest of noses won't be able to smell me in the water. she thought. As soon as she reached the lake, she was planning on slowly entering in order to both make little noise and to get used to the frigid temperature, but once she heard the voices of the soldiers in the distance, she dove in instead.
Soledad's instant response to the freezing cold water was to go back up to the surface, but she forced herself to stay under water. She couldn't hear anything, but believed that after a few minutes, they would head back to the piece of fabric she left behind to find her scent again.
And then she thought of how foolish she was.
What am I doing? she pondered to herself. I am doing exactly what I told Shinto and myself what I wouldn't do; run away. I am repeating my past over and over again...because I don't want the future to play out the way I imagine it: that Sesshomaru and I will still not be together, simply because by society's standards, it isn't right, no matter the situation. What if, because of this, even if I do get caught and I return to the castle, he will give up on me because I have shown so much resistance?
'Do you know what it is like? For me to actually to realize when I see you it's not just lust...and now when I see you again I can't have you because you're with Shinto?'
His words penetrated through her core that instant, and she inwardly shivered from them. What am I kidding? He loves me, and he will no matter what he does or what he says...and he knows I will love him back. She smiled. What an arrogant bastard.
And yet I have to go back to him. She concluded. After a few more minutes, her lungs began aching for air, and she gasped once she broke the surface of the water. She realized her stupidity right after; she didn't even look to see if they were still there. As her water blurred eyes set back into focus, she didn't even see one soldier there, and her heart sank a bit. She now wanted them to capture her, and they had already left.
I can only hear their footsteps faintly. she thought to herself. I have to hurry to catch up with them, hopefully they won't be too mad, though I would if I had to wake up so early to find such a fickle woman like me. She quickly swam to the edge of the lake, and lifted her body up with her arms, goosebumps forming on her skin. It was only after she got herself out and squeezed water out of her hair that she heard a young girl close by moaning in pain.
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Okay, that's it! I know, it's a cliffhanger, but I am not really that mean in real life! :D
But I will try to update again this weekend, as long as I can write a decent chapter within that time! Bye!
kekkon hireon-wedding reception
uchikake- the colorful and formal kimono worn by the bride during the wedding reception