Disclaimer; I do not own any Inuyasha characters.
The candlelights burned quietly in their paper lanterns as people began to eat, talking about the overall look of their homes when they did. Kagome listened only halfway to what they were saying at this point, focusing more on the things that were surrounding her than the words. She could register that people were talking to her but it didn't really matter if they were or not since Jaken saved her in the middle of the conversation. Simple enough of an excuse, and that was that she had been ill for some time so Sesshoumaru had been handling the lands. She took a breath then fluttered her lashes, turning her head to look at who had addressed her.
"Nonsense Jaken. I will be fine enough. Please tell me." She said.
The lady of the south, a human like herself, would swallow while shifting her weight rather uncomfortably,
"Yes ma'am. I was going to ask about how you managed to keep the landscape looking so fresh, and about how you managed to stay looking young for so long. If you don't mind my asking."
Kagome brushed a hand across the front of her kimono before she would clear her throat to speak.
"To be completely honest the landscape has been thriving ever since my late father was taking care of these lands. He treated the grass with a liquid to be sure that it maintained a fresh state about it, so no matter what climate the grass resides in it manages to keep a fresh green look. I wouldn't mind giving you the serum for it."
The lady offered a delicate nod then lowered her head down again at one look from the other ladies in her presence. Kagome kept her head high up until she heard the announcement that meant the demon lord was to come down from the castle since his conference with the other lords was over with. She felt her heart stop for a moment when she saw him standing at the top of those stairs. Her body gave an awkward tremble before she rose up onto her feet. The other women turned their heads to look at her in shock at the moves she was making at this point. No one stood up when their lord was approaching! Such acts were considered punishable by the lord's very hand. Kagome stopped when she was right in front of him, fluttering her lashes as she raised her head to look up at his face. He was staring at her with this look on his face that wasn't very easy to understand. At one point it was a blank stare and yet at another it was a look of confusion. Kagome raised her hand to touch that pale cheek of his, the kimono sleeve caressing her bare arm as it drifted down. She made no move away when he flinched against the touch of her hand, stroking the tips of her fingers across the markings that were on his face. He did not make a move to disturb her actions nor to get them to continue on, lifting his hand shortly after feeling her touch to lower her hand down from his face. The dog inside of him whimpered out and begged to feel the caress of that hand, but the demon inside of him coldly brushed it off to return to his conference.
Kagome lowered her hand down when he walked past her to return to the table that had been placed outside. She took a breath, looking back over her shoulder with those deadly eyes. The ladies of the lands were observing her every action with care and they seemed to be thinking of what to do themselves. The maiden tucked her hands against her kimono sleeves before she began to walk away slowly. She had her own places to go instead of being a lady right then. Besides it appeared as though Sesshoumaru had it under control. She tilted her head down to begin walking off in the direction of the deeper portions of the garden, quickly determining that she had people following her when she heard the ladies of the land giggling to themselves.
"I can hear you back there. Don't you ladies have any idea how to be silent when you're following someone?" She inquired, turning her head to look back over her shoulder at them.
They appeared as though they were unsure of how to answer her question, which was enough of an answer for her.
"Forget it. Come on if you're going to come with me."
She would then begin to lead the way into the darkness of the garden to the heaviest rush of current in the river she had been near earlier. Her first intention had been to simply sit here until the meeting was over so that she could get her bearings, but it would seem that she was made to entertain. The ladies were all seated after some time, save for Kagome who merely stood with her head turned away. The women were discussing their lords, their children, the kids they were going to have, and even the kids that they had lost. Unfortunately enough even the lords and ladies lost their young ones on occasion. Kagome suppressed a dead sigh, dropping her head down to close her pools for a moment of rest. But then she tensed when she felt something prickling the back of her neck. She whipped her head around to look before she screamed, "GET DOWN!!!!"
All the women ducked down as she jumped to the ground for a round of electrical energy to go flying overhead. The woman were screaming for their lords but Kagome pushed herself up to grab one of the women and throw them back behind her. She bit into her bottom lip as she stared at the demon before her, his eyes obviously glowing from some sort of rage. The girls had most likely woken him from his slumber without realizing what they were doing. Kagome looked down at the blade on the ground that one of the women had dropped, probably a precaution that her husband had given her to ensure she was safe. She grunted and came down to grab it before she unsheathed it from its blackened sheath. Sure, she had no idea how to really use a sword but that didn't mean she couldn't try to use it. Her chest heaved against the silk of the kimono she wore before she would throw the sword's container to the ground. The demon roared out loudly before it came running forward towards them, tossing its head like some crazed beast of the animal world. Foamy saliva streamed from its curled lips as it bared a large set of fangs at them, leaping into the air so that it might ingest one of the maidens before he was to go back to sleep. Kagome took in a sharp breath before she twisted the sword down to cut the furry chest of this beast. Lucky shot. She was sure of that one. But it was then that she felt a pulse in her chest. Everything was growing black but she did not drop down to the ground. Blade locked in against the bone before she threw her head up, pushing off of the ground to jump back away. Maybe she had been watching Inuyasha far too much in this time period. She was thrown back to the ground where she lay on her back only a moment before the beast came flying through the air. Kagome felt a liquid heat as it began to fall on her body, though what it was coming from she wasn't entirely sure at this point. And of course as usual it was around this time that the demon lords came running to see the condition of their ladies.
"She killed it. A human…" They muttered when they took in the scene.
Sesshoumaru approached with care lifting the demon by the armor he had draped over his back. The canine threw the carcass away to come down in a crouch next to Kagome, sliding his arms underneath her to lift her up from the ground. He could already feel the blood soaking through her kimono to his own skin. Memories surfaced in his eyes at the appearance of her overall being, and he felt his own heart give a tremor within his chest. He curved his arms around her to lift her up from the ground so that he could carry her back to the castle. The other lords did not speak to him as he carried her to the domain he called his own; form gliding up the length of the garden steps in one leap. He pushes the door open without even a word of farewell to the other lords, as he no longer needed their presence.
Sesshoumaru was silent when he entered into the bathing quarters, pushing the door closed behind him. He was patient and careful with his work, not seeing the need to rush in getting her body undressed. Fingertips curled to loosen the kimono on her form, pulling it away to let it drop down to the floor away from him. Heightened senses caught the sound of her breathing and brought comfort to his system knowing that she wasn't dead. The dog reached down to undo his armor, flinching almost at the sound of it clinking on the floor. Then he would peel off his clothing to lift her up from the floor and step down into the water. Blood was rinsed away like dye from their bodies as he held her in his arms, brushing a bathing salt against the edges of her face. Kagome did not stir despite the attention she was being given, but she did however offer a soft groan of protest at the touch of that scrub. He slid his hand up her arm to get the blood away from it, watching with grand interest at how she was acting to this. She began to stir. Her eyes fluttered as she forced them to an open, staring up at the male without very much intensity.
"Sesshoumaru." She whispered.
He silenced her with a brush of his thumb against her lips, caressing her face with his hand. He let his lashes touch his cheeks a moment, bangs hiding his eyes for a moment or two before he brushed her bangs back from her face. He didn't really seem to understand the concept of the fact that it wasn't proper for men and woman to bathe together but she didn't seem to mind. Kagome raised her hand slowly to touch his cheek with her small hand, fingertips dripping wet with the water around them as she traced his markings. She brought her hand up higher to touch his forehead with her fingertips, tracing the crescent moon there.
"You're safe." He muttered.
