Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Met the Match

Chapter 2

Shimu had led the ladies to a set of rooms that had been designated to them under the assumption that each of them will want a room to themselves. However, Kagome had requested if they could share a room. Shimu didn't know how to handle this. Luckily for Shimu though, her supervisor, Midori, had already come to those rooms to oversee their establishment. Shimu looked at her with questioning eyes and found her to be already contemplating the matter. Midori soon came up with the solution and asked the ladies to follow her after apologizing for the delay and inconvenience. Both Kagome and Sango had dismissed their apologies saying that it was none of their fault.

Midori had led them to the set of rooms they were currently standing in. The only difference between these and the previous set was that these were joined by sliding doors in the wall on one side. Midori then said "Milady, please forgive the compromise that you have to make at present. We will have a bigger room ready for you by morning."

"No, that will not be necessary. I honestly like the arrangement like this. Thank You for your help." Sango said to Midori.

"Is there anything else that I can do for you, milady?" Shimu asked with her head bowed slightly.

"No, Shimu-chan. We should be fine now." Kagome replied to her with a small smile. "Thank You Midori-san, Shimu-chan."

Kagome waited for them to leave the room before smiling broadly. "You did well back there Sango-chan."

Sango did not even attempt to hide her displeased frown and replied by saying "You owe me Kagome-chan. I barely managed and I dread the next seven sunsets equally. I'm certain they are suspicious about our smells. They are sure to ask about it. Deceiving them like this does not sit well with me. It's like playing with fire."

"The smells can be explained fairly easily." assured Kagome.

"And what that explanation might be?" questioned Sango with sarcastic curiosity.

"Oh… simply that it is much easier to avoid danger than having to fight it should it arise." Kagome had apparently thought over this a lot; much to Sango's chagrin, who, now, looked defeated and asked Kagome to elaborate their next course of action.

Approaching the dining hall being led by Shimu, both Kagome and Sango were feeling considerably refreshed after the journey. Sango was feeling better than she had been at the beginning of their act, although not very confident.

It was completely dark outside now, the twilight completely devoured by the night, and consequently the hallways and rooms were lighted with oil lamps in great numbers. Presently, Shimu was standing aside with her head bowed and left arm stretched in front of the open door to the dining room. Both girls entered, one with trepidation and the other in indifference; although, Kagome was careful to hide her indifference to avoid Sango's reproach.

They approached the huge low table with cushions around it towards Lord Taisho who was sitting at the head of the table with both his sons on his right; Sesshomaru closest to him. Sango said a courteous 'Milord' with a slight bow before taking a seat on the left of Lord Taisho. Kagome also did the same and took her seat which was across from Lord Taisho's younger son, Inuyasha. Kagome also offered a smile to Lord Taisho and Inuyasha; Sesshomaru, she noticed, was staring at the table as though considering it with the eyes of a carpenter.

"I hope you have found yourself well established?" Lord Taisho questioned Sango.

"Indeed milord. We both are quite comfortable and thank you for it." Sango said and Kagome expressed her consent with a nod and another smile.

"Let us begin the meal then." Lord Taisho said and took a bite from his plate with his chopsticks to indicate that his guests may now eat.

The meal was quite as expected with minor inquiries as to whether or not the guests found it to their liking; to which they expressed their ready approvals. After the meal, sake was brought around which the ladies politely declined. Lord Taisho found this interesting as it was usual custom for royalty to consume atleast one swig of it. He voiced as much.

Sango felt a little nervous at such an inquiry. "Forgive us if this has offended you milord. We are not accustomed to consuming sake. It is quite rare in our dominion to do so at a regular dinner. Indeed we did not mean any disrespect." she said with mortification clear on both hers and Kagome's face.

"Oh! Please do not feel affronted. I did not mean it as an accusation, merely as curiosity. I have been to the northern castle only a counted number of times and now that I think about it, I don't recall ever seeing any female there consuming sake. But I suppose I did not notice this then because your father always consumed it with me." Lord Taisho offered by way of assuaging their anxiety.

Sango agreed with Lord Taisho and said "Lord Higurashi always consumes sake with his guests in order to ensure that they do not feel an outsider as it is only in the northern lands that sake is discouraged."

"I suppose there is a reason to this seeing as sake helps the majority to sustain the cold." Sesshomaru's statement almost sounded like a question although no one was really sure. Lord Taisho was, in the privacy of his thoughts, surprised. He was certain that Sesshomaru would not say anything for the whole evening and hence, had made up his mind to keep the guests entertained all by himself. He also knew that Inuyasha would keep quiet as well. As a child, he was shy of strangers but with time, he had developed a particular resentment towards guests, particularly royal guests, as all of them never failed to imply a disapproval of hanyou.

Sango did not know how to answer this since sake was never considered particularly advantageous where she came from. She was twisting her fingers in unease, of course not visible to her hosts as her hands were on her lap hidden by the table. Kagome, however, noticed it and decided to help her. Sango herself was a brilliant scholar along with being a master at combat but sometimes her nervousness got the better of her.

Kagome thus said politely "Lord Higurashi likes his subjects to be sane at all times. He says they are easier to command that way. Besides, if someone were to intend harm to one in their sleep, one is more likely to wake up and defend oneself than if they were wasted with sake. Not consuming sake solves many more problems than consuming it to merely avoid the cold."

Sesshomaru's attention had shifted to Kagome when she had begun speaking. It had been like forever since someone had even come close to impressing him but as it was that he was determined not to be even affected, let alone being impressed, by either of the ladies, he decided that it was a stroke of luck on Lady Sango's part to have answered him commendably. His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Inuyasha which was a surprise to both him and his father alike because, although the brat was loud and brash always, he was resolutely mute in front of guests. That was until now.

Inuyasha said "What happens when Lord Higurashi finds someone 'wasted'? Do they get punished?" He had once gotten drunk on sake and was severely reprimanded by his mother. Of course, his father and brother did not know of the incident as one was away and the other was so indifferent towards him that he rarely ventured into his part of the castle. He had always seen his father and brother consume sake but never get wasted away; but his half human blood could not handle the sake as well as his demon blood. And now that he heard that bit about being harmed when drunk and not being able to defend, he resolved never to touch sake ever again. It was difficult for a hanyou to survive as it is. There is no point in making it easier for the offender too.

Kagome gave him a smile that was not a happy smile. "No. He usually gives them one of his disappointed looks. I personally pity those who have ever been on the receiving end of that look. I had seen him do it once. It made even me feel as if he was personally hurt and deceived though I was not its recipient. As if he had pinned all his hopes on you and you failed him. Trust me, that one look is far worse than any amount of physical pain. We value sanity more than anything and any lapse in sanity, however temporary, is…. I cannot find the word for it…. almost offensive I suppose."

This was when Kagome finally noticed that all four of her companions had their attention trained on her and she felt very conscious of herself and dipped her head with a pink tinge to her cheeks. It was a moment of awkwardness for those who were holding sake in their hands after this. Nonetheless, the sake was consumed, but in far less quantity than usual. Sesshomaru took only one cup of sake as was his custom. He completely agreed that too much sake was unhealthy – as in letting-fungus-grow-on-you unhealthy.

Lord Taisho was reminded of their missing scents and mentioned the same to change the topic. As had been already discussed by the girls, it was explained away by Sango on the grounds of protection by avoidance. Lord Taisho did not further the point even though he would have greatly preferred to have confirmed their identities by their scent; but he was confident that his household was capable of defending itself should this be a ploy. Besides, they had produced their royal seal upon arrival and he himself had seen the scroll from the northern lord.

After a while, the ladies took their leave with appropriate bows and smiles.

"You did not press on the matter of their scents." Sesshomaru stated after he was certain that the females were a safe distance away.

"We are perfectly capable of defending our own should this be deceit." Lord Taisho voiced his confidence.

"Deceit is not meant to be as obvious as an outright attack." Sesshomaru countered.

"Perhaps, a little more attentiveness can be afforded." Lord Taisho concluded. He then rose from his cushion to take his leave and was followed by both his sons.

In another part of the castle, Sango let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were in their room and Shimu had left after inquiring if they needed anything. "That was close."

"Oh… you were fine Sango-chan. The next seven sunsets will be gone before we know it." Kagome reassured her and blew the last lamp out and got into her futon.

After the breakfast that was brought to their room in the morning, Sango had decided to spend some time in the small garden outside the back door of their room in meditation. And Kagome had decided to go exploring not being one too fond of meditating. Shimu was walking a couple of steps behind her and was answering her questions to anything that caught her attention. A thought occurred to Kagome and she asked "Shimu-chan, is there a dojo in the castle?"

"Indeed milady. Do you wish me to take you there?"

"Not right now. I'll let you know when I want to go there. And walk a little closer, in fact, walk abreast with me. I don't want to turn back every time I wish to speak to you and I feel like I'm talking to myself when I face forward."

Shimu was hesitating but seeing Kagome waiting for her to catch up, did so. "Now, is there somewhere I can find something to read to entertain myself?" Kagome questioned after resuming the walk.

"Yes, Lady Sango. The Hall of Scrolls of the Western Lands is well known for its size as well as variety in subject."

Kagome was confused for a moment when Shimu addressed her by Sango's name but then caught up without being noticed. She was about to ask her to take her there when she saw Lord Inuyasha coming out of the next bend. Seeing him, Shimu fell back again and when they were sufficiently close, Kagome bowed and smiled before saying "It is a beautiful day Lord Inuyasha."

For his part, he was uncertain what to do. None of the royal-pain-in-the-neck-guests had ever before stopped to speak to him. He had always been ignored. So, he was at a loss as to what to say. He just gave a nod to Kagome's statement and left it at that.

Kagome then said "I was just now about to ask Shimu-chan to take me to the Hall of Scrolls."

Inuyasha felt a little hope raising in him that maybe he could find a friend in this girl. "I can take you there if you want." He said with as much nonchalance as was polite.

"That is very kind of you Lord Inuyasha. Shimu-chan, will you please return to Lady Higurashi and see to her needs?"

At this, Shimu bowed and left back the way they had come. Inuyasha then followed the same way Shimu had taken until the first bend to the right and turned there. Kagome followed him. By way of striking a conversation, Kagome said "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything Lord Inuyasha."

Inuyasha briefly looked at her and then forward again. A small frown appeared on his face. Maybe friendship wasn't a possibility after all. So much so for raised hopes. He felt like she already knew and was purposefully pointing it out. "Keh…. I don't do any Lordly duties if that is what you mean."

"One of the best advantages of being the younger one if you ask me. Trust me, having been Lady Higurashi's companion for a long time, I know."

Inuyasha was a little surprised to hear this from her. He had always felt left out and unimportant because his father didn't involve him in matters of the lands. But it had turned out to his benefit in a way as when he was not involved in first person, his curiosity had made him a fervent observer of matters around him over time. And because of this, he could now read even Sesshomaru's face although nobody knew so.

"Yeah. Whatever. How long are you staying here anyway?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh… we'll be here for the next seven sunsets and will start our journey back on the seventh morning from today. Mm… I thank you for accompanying me. Shimu-chan did not seem to be a conversationalist, but then again, perhaps it was because we are strangers here."

"Heh …. It has nothing to do with their nature. Nobody here talks just for the sake of talking. Thanks to that ….. keh… whatever." Inuyasha's expression was that of displeasure for some reason. Kagome thought over the last sentence that he had left hanging and deduced that he was certainly not talking of Lord Taisho, him being his father and all. So, it was certainly someone under him but with a ranking high enough to have an influence to this degree. She decided not to dwell over it too much.

"We are here." Inuyasha said while sliding a door on their right.

Vast. That was the only word that came to Kagome's mind when she set foot inside the Hall. So, Shimu-chan was right indeed. It would probably take six moon cycles to read all this, that is if I decided not to do anything else, not even sleep. To put it simply, she was impressed. The far wall was all glass for the daylight and remaining three walls had many oil lamps burning. There were also embedded shelves in the walls with many lamps that could be carried around while browsing or reading at one of the low tables in the centre. There were many isles on each side of the central reading area, although she couldn't see how many from where she was standing.

"This is incredibly impressive, Lord Inuyasha. I wonder if someone has actually read all of them." Kagome voiced her thoughts.

Inuyasha snorted. "As a matter of fact, some have but you could count them on one hand. And, you don't have to call me Lord and all…."

Kagome had been looking at all the scrolls with shining eyes as if she had just received a present she had been wanting since a long time. She gave him a smile when he said not to call him Lord and wanted to say the same but just then realized that Inuyasha had never addressed her directly either by name or title. Was it the arrogance of superiority? Then it struck her that maybe he was too used to not having to address anybody as she knew that hanyous were 'ignored' (more generally detested) by most of the stuck-up demons. It struck home and made her wonder whether she would have been less welcome due to the trace of humanity in her.

Deciding to change the direction of her thoughts from the depressing lane it was running on, she said "Thanks Inuyasha. So, how is the hall organized?"

"Hn… the far left has works of art… poetry…. prose… and stuff. The rest of it is factual information from all parts of the world. There is a ward on the room that only allows the ruling family to take things out of here but as long as you are in here, you can read anything and stay here for however long you want."

Kagome automatically headed for the art section, entertainment being what she was looking for. "You must be familiar with everything in here then." She commented and removed a particularly thick looking scroll; its title suggested that it might be a story. She held it in her hand to take it to the reading area and then looked up at Inuyasha who had followed her there.

"I'm not a scholar like you. I've read some of the scrolls here but I'm not nearly as familiar with them as Father or Sesshomaru or even Miroku." Inuyasha liked to read but he had always been given apparent looks of disapproval whenever he had shown interest in anything. He only came and stayed long enough to find what he was looking for and took it out to read in seclusion. And he came only when Sesshomaru was gone for atleast five days in a row so that his scent wouldn't be detected by his brother.

He eyed the thick scroll Kagome was holding and raised an eyebrow "You are going to read that?"

"It will depend on how good it is. I think I will read here for a while and then if I like it, I may want to take it to my room."

Kagome then proceeded to the reading area close to the far wall and found herself a cushion to sit on. Inuyasha looked at her getting ready to read for a while and said "I will leave you to it then. If you want to take it out, leave it here on the table and I'll bring it over to you."

"That would be great. Thank you." Inuyasha nodded and headed out the door.

As it turned out, Kagome did not find the story very interesting. So, she returned the scroll to its original location and then moved into the information section. She figured that since those were not official records, it will not be spying. She spent a good amount of time in there, skimming through the various titles and found scrolls in foreign languages too. The glass wall had become shadowed giving her the indication that it was past midday by now. Hence, she decided to get back to Sango, so as not to leave her alone for too long.

Kagome entered the room to find Shimu-chan sitting a bit to the side. Shimu bowed seeing her enter. "Where is the Lady Shimu-chan?"

"She is outside in the gardens, milady."

Kagome then ventured into the garden to find Sango looking at something in the distance. Hearing her approach, Sango turned around. "What are you looking at, milady?" Kagome asked with a smile. When she got close enough to Sango's location, they both turned back to look in the direction Sango was previously looking in.

"Look for yourself." Sango said.

Kagome saw the elder son of Lord Taisho, Sesshomaru, at a distance with someone in the robes of a monk. Considering that demon monks were practically non-existent, the monk was most likely human. "I remember father telling me that he wasn't particularly fond of humans." Kagome murmured.

Sango caught it and confirmed her thoughts by saying "So I have heard myself. What do you think this means?"

"The monk is either important enough to be directly under Lord Taisho's protection or Lord Sesshomaru needs one to earn their respect in his view before giving them any attention. And by the looks of it, Lord Sesshomaru doesn't necessarily hate all human kind, just the majority of it. Can't blame him either."

They looked at the two until the monk took his leave with a small bow. And then, Sesshomaru vanished from the spot. "He is fast too." Sango commented.

"By the way, I came to ask you if you would like to spar. I asked Shimu-chan about the dojo and she said she could take us there."

"That would be great. The morning was quite dull." Sango said.

The girls returned into the room and Sango said to Shimu "Shimu-chan, can you find out if the dojo is unoccupied?"

"Certainly, milady" Shimu then left the room.

Meanwhile, Sango went to take out her training outfit. She decided not to use her slayer outfit as it might raise suspicion. Kagome followed her example. In a short while, Shimu returned and said with a bow "The dojo is presently unoccupied, milady."

Kagome and Sango then changed into their outfits and asked Shimu to lead the way. After walking for a while through corridors and hallways, they found themselves in a huge dojo. One wall was covered in weapons of all form and manner. Both of them chose two wood swords and walked towards the center to take positions. With a slight nod from Kagome, they began and went through a series of attacks and blocks. This continued for a considerable amount of time. Being intent on their opponents, they failed to notice the arrival of Lord Taisho into the dojo.

Neither of them were putting in their best into the fight as both were simultaneously having to keep their scents hidden and auras controlled. But it was getting difficult with time and it showed itself towards the end of the sparring session. Kagome had jumped for a head-on attack on Sango and in that instant had noticed Lord Taisho standing and watching them. She was surprised and lost her concentration for a moment. In that moment, the symbol of the Higurashi family was visible on her forehead. It was lucky for her that Sango caught on to her momentary lack of control and maneuvered the move so as not to hurt her and they both landed in a heap on the floor.

Lord Taisho was watching them and he could tell that this was not their full potential. But he was indeed impressed by their form, particularly Lady Sango's. Her body seemed to be less tensed than Lady Higurashi and that led her to be more reactive. The fight was progressing quite smoothly when Lady Sango caught his eye and her eyes widened, then both the girls stumbled and fell to the floor. But, Lord Taisho did not miss the blue downward triangle on Lady Sango's forehead. His eyebrows climbed up and he was surprised enough to forget asking them if they were alright or needed help.

Both, Kagome and Sango, hastily got up and faced Lord Taisho, back in their disguised forms. Lord Taisho was contemplating what this could mean. He wanted to laugh and he wanted to accuse them. He put up his serious face and said "I would like to speak to both of you after you have finished your sparring. Shimu-chan can bring you to my study." With that he turned and walked away.

AN: Thank You for all the reviews. It has been a long time but I am of a mind to get back to it now. Please keep me encouraged with reviews. ;)