Disclaimer:I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or any of the original characters from the Anime/Manga series. They are all the property of Rumiko Takahashi and I thank her for the privilege of borrowing them.
This story is for entertainment purposes only, and will not be used for financial gain in any way.
Summary:This chapter includes some slight liberties with the characters and their motivations, but they make sense in the scope of my perception of the characters, and are still IC in my opinion. Please remember that this is one author's opinion. You don't need to agree, but please respect it. It is assumed that all the characters now know about Rin and her relationship with Sesshomaru. Relationships (current and future) Inuyashax Kagome, SangoxMiroku, SesshomaruxKirara, Jakanx?, KogaxAyame.
Glossary:
Shojii: Are the latticed sliding screens that Japanese houses of that time had both inside and outside, and that were used as doorways. Some houses in modern Japan still have them.
Tokanoma: Is a built in niche in some of the non-sliding walls in Japanese houses of the time. It was used to display flower arrangements and artwork.
Kanji: Is the term for Japanese characters (their writing). It was considered an art-form to render kanji on scrolls and hang them in significant parts of the home.
Chapter Five: A Destiny Destroyed
Jakan hurried through the corridors of the palace, his eyes wide and panicked. He couldn't believe what was happening to his calm and ordered world. First the woman, who he was certain was a false temptress from Naraku or Yomi; he didn't know which or care; then there was all the Youkai Nobles arriving at this palace within the next three days, and all the mad preparations and rushing around that accompanied such a prestigious and utterly terrifying affair. Then there were those filthy Two-Tails all over the castle grounds, like huge, flaming, rabid cats, and now there was the crowning glory of it all! The far patrols had seen them! They were coming, even now; rushing towards the palace undaunted, and in the lead; the cursed Half-Breed brother of his great and noble Master: Lord Inuyasha! He was bringing the Humans! The Demon Slayer and the Monk and that strange foreign Miko, in her shamefully skimpy clothes! How dare they set foot on Lord Sesshomaru's lands; how dare they interfere with such an auspicious and crucial occasion? This was disastrous! Lord Sesshomaru absolutely had to know right away!
Despite repeated warnings to stay away from the Lord's private quarters, Jakan knew that this was news that his lord needed to be alerted of immediately. True, he had only recently been given leave, and the key, to pass through the barrier into the family quarters, but he had also been given a one-use spell-key to pass the barrier into the Lord's personal quarters in case there was an absolute emergency. Even through his highly overwrought and nervous state of mind lately, Jakan was still fairly confident that the unwanted intrusion of the bastard Hanyo and his filthy pack of hostile Humans, would constitute an emergency in Lord Sesshomaru's view. His Lord had been greatly agitated lately, and did not need this to add to the already stressful and volatile situation. The last thing that he had told Jakan the evening before, was that he would be in his quarters.
Passage through the Lord's personal barrier was not pleasant, even with the key, and Jakan could not help a foreboding shudder that moved through him as it's energy surrounded him, even for a moment. He emerged on the other side, still feeling strangely terrified; as if any moment his Lord would appear in a rage, out of thin air and demand to know why the lowly Toad Demon had dared to invade his private sanctum. The fear was so overwhelming, that upon emerging on the other side of the powerful energy field, Jakan cowered and hid his eyes, every fibre of his tiny, green body quivering. He must have stayed that way for at least 10 minutes, until when nothing happened, he slowly raised his head peeping through his stubby fingers.
Once he did, he stopped, looking around in wonder! He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it was certainly nothing like this! It was perfectly normal! In fact, in comparison to the rest of the palace, which often borrowed some of the more ornate and baroque influences from China, it was positively sparse! He stood in a bamboo-floored corridor, covered with a clear, strong veneer to add to it's durability. The energy wall he had just passed through was a silk-parchment paneled wall, with only one sliding section to interrupt it's simple beauty. On the field of ivory silk, a black-ink mural was painted. It depicted a beautiful rocky cliff-side vegetated sparsely with fantastically, wind-shaped pine and Cyprus bonsai trees and scrub. Above, rolled slender, rounded clouds, arraying the shadow-crescent moon, like the flowing folds of a woman's graceful kimono. Across from this perfectly, simple piece of art, the wall was plain and painted in pale, moon-silver yellow. Centered perfectly in this uninterrupted expanse was a large tokanoma (niche) holding a beautiful Ming vase with some blossoms and grasses arranged expertly in it's tapered mouth. On either side of this simple display were two hand-brushed scrolls that framed the living beauty with the stark man-made perfection of the expertly executed kanji.
At the end of the first corridor a standard sliding shojii stood open to reveal a similar corridor oriented perpendicular to the first, surrounded on three sides by more sliding shojii. One stood open, revealing a well-appointed, masculine bed-chamber which managed to be both luxurious and modest at the same time. As soon as Jakan nervously stepped inside, his Master's scent swept over him, filling him with a strange and somewhat disturbing warmth, that even after it faded, still continued to tingle in some very embarrassing places. Jakan gulped down several stabilizing, and hopefully calming breaths, and moved further into his master's room. He was not familiar with the cleaning schedule in this part of the palace, but he doubted that they arrived quite this early, and yet the large, fur-covered futon draped in drawn-back mosquito netting and set against one wall looked smooth and undisturbed; in fact it didn't look as if it had been slept in at all. Jakan noted that the Lord Sesshomaru's armor was still on the arming stand, but the weapon rack where the small Kappa assumed that Tenseiga rested, was empty. There was no sign of his Lord anywhere, but Jakan knew that he had not yet come into the rest of his palace. He had to be here somewhere. He began calling his lord's name and his round yellow eyes moved over to another set of shojii directly opposite from where he had just entered. Still calling and hoping fervently that he would give his Lord plenty of warning of his approach, the minute Kappa headed across the empty room and slid open the doors on the far side.
He moved into the neighboring chamber, and stopped again, this time in wonder. He had entered a bath chamber, but any luxury that had been spared through the rest of the personal space had been invested in this wondrous oasis. It appeared as a hot-spring occurring naturally in a rocky and again sparsely but poetically vegetated landscape. The plants that surrounded it, however; were wondrously colorful, textured or fragrant, and a perfect waterfall fell into another tepid pool, higher up for soaping and rinsing. It was a perfect landscape for escaping the pressures of a Lord's daily routine, but this wondrous outdoor seclusion was actually built and modeled inside, complete with a warmed floor and cleverly camouflaged spaces for towels, wraps and yukates. Two other sets of shojii opened up into this incredible chamber. One was closed, but the other was open to a private outdoor garden, created around an extension of the very landscape depicted inside. It created yet another bathing pool in a hot spring and a cooler pool and waterfall to wash off in. Jakan was fairly sure that this one was a true hot-spring, because while the bath inside smelled sweet, and fragrant with bath oils and salts, this one bore the faintly sulphuric scent that all such pools tended to have. Jakan continued to call his Masters name, when his eyes were drawn along the upward sweep of the garden to where the high walls pressed into the bluff that rose above it. In a clear, grassy area near a beautiful weeping sakura tree he saw the white glimpse of discarded cloth and laying atop the snowy clouds of silk and linen, the gleam of a sheathed sword: Tenseiga.
Jakan's eyes lit up, and he started to head in the direction of the heirloom blade, when his eyes were drawn to the sky over the mountain. High above, appearing almost like clouds themselves, were two huge white beasts. He knew that they were huge, simply by the virtue that he could make them out so clearly, even from this distance. The one he immediately recognized as Sesshomaru, in his full, glorious Inu Youkai form. Jakan could identify that snow-white form anywhere. It was so much like his powerful father's! The other, was much more difficult; he did not believe that he had ever seen that particular Youkai before. One thing was certain; it was clearly another Daiyoukai; such a powerful and fluid form could never be that of a lesser demon. At first he had thought that it was the True form of Saishoukora, Lord Sesshomaru's mother, but it quickly became evident that the shape was more lion-like, with dark ears and a full flowing mane. The Demon also had flames that blazed about it's four immense claws, and wreathing it's three full, graceful tails, as well as the mid portion of it's white body. It's pelt was beautiful, easily as long and rich as the Lord Sesshomaru's. Jakan tried to focus on the two beast's interaction. Perhaps it was another Daiyoukai come to challenge his Lord over the disposal of the supposed Princess, Jakan thought angrily. Perfect, his Lord would be facing such challenges constantly over the next week and a half, but he had never suspected that any of the Daiyoukai in the region would be crass enough to come upon him in his bath and challenge him before any kind of formal ceremony had been held. That was probably why Jakan did not recognize this particular being; he was from outside the region. Jakan felt confident that his great and honourable Lord would very quickly succeed in teaching this rash upstart of the folly of his position, and he settled down excitedly, eager to see the rogue Youkai get what was coming to him.
But as Jakan continued to watch the two magnificent creatures soar and twist about in the sky, quite a different picture was beginning to form. Though the two white shapes came together often in their graceful, spiraling course, the contact did not appear to be violent; in fact it appeared more and more that the flight was purely for the joy of it and the times that the two bodies made contact, it seemed more of an intimate entwining than any kind of competition. Jakan gaped up at the sight; so absorbed that it was almost too late when he realized that they were descending rapidly, still close together, still entwining and separating as if in a weightless dance. Before he had even thought of running, they were alighting gracefully and silently right near the discarded clothing and Tenseiga, which pulsed to life once again with the return of its wielder. Caught, and guilty Jakan could only stand frozen, gazing at the beautiful, blowing and swirling transformation. White fur became flowing silver hair, thick tail and pelt shrunk back down to the long, almost down soft mokomoko and the massive, muscular body slid back into the tall slender form of the glorious man he worshipped above all else. As the features, joints and limbs folded gracefully back into their humanoid shapes, Jakan was startled to notice four sweeping fuchsia stripes right across the hips of the Inu-form that he had never noticed before. Then, as the form shifted back completely, the watching Kappa realized that it was because his Lord was completely naked! The hip-markings were not noticeable, because they had always been concealed by the lord's garments, until now.
He hardly had time to process this at all, because the magnificent lion Youkai was transforming too. The flames faded, blending into three red markings on the ankles and wrists, which looked disturbingly familiar. The black ears tumbled down into two distinctive black streaks on either side of more long, flowing, moon-light colored hair. The flames around the beast's body faded into three provocative, black slash-like markings across a gracefully curved back, a gracefully curved female back. The sinuous, muscular body followed, and the supple form of the female took shape, as naked as the male Youkai beside her, the very aroused male Youkai! Jakan recognized the female too, it was the princess, the Neko No Yonshi princess, whose presence Jakan had cursed from the very start! An involuntary gasp escaped his agape mouth, but they did not seem to notice him at all. He was still a good 20 yards away and they're attention was clearly elsewhere.
Their crimson eyes were the last things that transformed, resuming their beautiful gold and green once more, and Jakan realized that the Lady Kirara had a mokomoko as well, though hers was smooth and full and silky, like a fox's tail made out of rabbit fur, and yes, it had a black, slash-marked tip. Their foreheads pressed gently together, quickly inviting the long, tender blending of lips and then the soft entwining of fingers and then arms. With barely a pause in their close, intimate embrace, Sesshomaru reached down, snagged one of the discarded robes, and wrapped it softly about her lithe, white-skinned body, leaving himself, gloriously naked. Slowly he lowered his princess to the ground, and her supple, shapely legs entwined his slender waist automatically, almost as if of their own volition. He entered her then, with that strong, powerful and tender thrust that stole the breath and caused the intimate fire to flare up from deep within.
Hands braced powerfully against the ground on either side of her beautiful face, he threw back his head, long silver hair tumbling and cascading back down his strong, muscular back, beautiful face made even more beautiful with the joy and passion that transformed his features and transcended them to the glory of an Angel of ecstasy. It was then that Jakan saw the new markings, and clearly they were new, not simply hidden as "others" had been, as he had seen that part of his Lord's body before. Beneath each side of the collarbone, curving gracefully down from the joint where it met the shoulder blades, were two pairs of flame-like stripes in the blue that matched the moon on his noble brow. Those marks glowed now as if burning their course forever into his flawless skin. It was all the tiny Kappa Demon could bear to see, and the tender portrait blurred over with tears that streamed from his eyes unbidden and unstoppable. Forgetting his purpose for intruding on the scene, in the first place, he turned and fled back through the barrier and out of the grounds altogether. His beloved and treasured staff fell unnoticed just inside the gates, and Jakan continued to run, thinking only to escape the tearing pain of unexpected emotions deep inside his heart, and the intolerable presence of a glorious Prince who could never return his long-concealed and unrequited love.
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They arrived through a back gate that Inuyasha knew, expecting, naturally that entrance through the main gates would be too risky. Though they were invited, only a few humans ever entered the company of Youkai nobles, and they were a rare, privileged and almost untouchable group. It would cause far less of a stir, if they entered quietly and unannounced. Even so, they were not entirely surprised when they were met at the gate by Sesshomaru himself. He stood quietly, one arm about the waist of a beautiful woman, clearly a Daiyoukai herself. She had long, silver hair with two black streaks on either side of her serene and beautiful face, emerald green eyes and beautiful markings on her face, which included delicate red, flame-like marks on each cheek and a black diamond-shaped star in the center of her forehead. She wore a flowing white kimono fading into several hues of pale-blue clouds around the hem and the bottom of the sleeves, and a lacquer-brown, over-kimono/mantle marked in unfamiliar symbols of the same jewel-like, pale blue as the decoration around the hem. Her obie was pale orange, trimmed in black-embroidered white, and more pale-blue embroidery. Everything flowed gracefully down, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.
Sitting on either side of the couple, erect and picturesque, were a pair of particularly magnificent Two-Tails, but right now, streams and curls of viscous white clouds billowed around the cuffs of their ankles and the tips of their tails instead of fire. One had a silver pelt, still with black markings, but for a red diamond-star blaze in the middle of her forehead, yes it was a female; and eyes of dark blue, like lapis or azure. The male, slightly larger and more muscular than her, had a gold-colored pelt and a thicker mane. He not only had the clouds about ankle and tail-tips, but swirling about his body too, which originated from the black stripes across his back. It was the first male Two-Tail that they had ever seen. He too had the red diamond-star on his forehead, and his eyes were dark amber-orange.
They all recognized Rin. She waited near Sesshomaru's legs with a very large bouquet of soft rainbow colored flowers, whose sweet fragrance reached them already: somewhat reminiscent of honeysuckle and irises. She wore a dark purple kimono printed with white plum-blossom, and a pale yellow over-kimono, embroidered in white chrysanthemums. There were yellow and plum-colored silk chrysanthemums fastening her adorable side pony-tail too.
Sesshomaru, though still silent and erect, looked more relaxed than they had ever seen him before. He wore a full-length men's kimono in white, and a blue and gold obie. The kimono was trimmed in elaborate and yet aesthetically sparse and simple geometric patterns in red, yellow and orange and was worn with a coordinated tanzen coat primarily red and white in color but it had blue and yellow hues mixed in too. The kimono was open in a relaxed way at his throat and all saw new, blue flame-like marks that slashed along the graceful curve of his collarbone that they had not seen before. Only one among them, however; recognized their significance.
Inuyasha's face lit up with unholy glee when he saw them. "Well what the hell do you know, Big Brother. You ain't too far gone to get laid after all. But mated? Hell, you don't do anything by halves do ya?"
"Halves are for disrespectful Hanyou like you, Little Brother. A true Youkai, knows his mate from the moment he scents her for the very first time. Now imagine you have some grace for once, Otouto and show respect for the Lady Kirara, last daughter of the house of Neko No Yonshi, and my mate." Everyone stared for a moment, before Miroku bowed low and gracefully. He didn't even smirk or leer.
"It is a great honour and privalage, Princess." He spoke gently.
The two girls stared for a moment longer then they too deferred gracefully. "It's absolutely amazing to meet you." Kagome gushed.
"It is good to see that the legendary house of the Neko No Yonshi lives on." Sango added.
"You're really beautiful!" Shippo spoke bowing with childish charm as well; then they all turned expectantly towards Inuyasha.
Inuyasha glared for a moment longer, but he had lived in palaces long enough to know what was proper etiquette, and he bowed as well. "Welcome back, Princess Kirara." But as his nose came closer to her in the polite deference, his eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "Y-your scent; it's familiar! You smell like..."
"Kilala." The Princess spoke softly.
"Y-yeah!" Inuyasha gulped.
"Your nose is not fooling you , Inuyasha. I smell like Kilala, because I am Kilala, or was, for almost 50 years. Ever since Naraku put a curse on me, when I refused to give him the information that he wanted about the Shikon Jewel."
'H-How did you know about the Shikon Jewel?" Kagome stammered, while Sango just stared.
"The secrets of the Shikon Jewel have been passed down from mother to daughter in my family, for several generations. One of us journied and fought with Midoriko herself, and we have been connected to her ever since, and thus to her creation; the Shikon Jewel."
"Can you help us find it?" Kagome asked, awed.
"I was too weak before, but the curse is lifted now, so yes, Miko. I can help you find it and I can help you defeat it." Her eyes turned to Sango, who still looked shocked. Sighing, she left her Lord's side and moved up to her young companion. "I am sorry, Sango. I wish I had been able to tell you, but Naraku's curse made that impossible. I chose you to be my companion, because I saw the power, the goodness and the love in your soul. You can go so far, Sango and I hope that you will let me be there for that journey, because that was always what I wanted. Mated or not, my pledge is to you. I am sorry if you are angry."
Sango's eyes slowly turned up to look into the grand and beautiful lady's face. The eyes that searched her face were green, not pink; the face was a beautiful woman's, not a beautiful, but kwai cat and the form was of a slender erect Daiyoukai, not a faithful, four-legged Demi-Youkai, but the soul that she saw through those eyes was the same, and it whispered to her of comfort, strength and friendship. The young Tajiya's face stayed still for a moment longer, before the lovely hazel eyes teared up and a smile shone through, like sunshine. "Angry?" She spoke. "How can I be angry? The last princess of the fabled Neko No Yonshi family chose me as a friend and travelling companion. There must be greatness in my soul after all."
Kirara reached out and gently touched the Tajiya's face. Her voice was soft, but uncompromising. "More than you can know, Dearest; much more than you can know." Then the two friends embraced tightly for a long, precious moment. When they parted, Sango's eyes were dry, but they shone with a light of joy that her friends had rarely seen. The happiness he saw in Sango's eyes was particularly joyful to Miroku. "Ahhh, Dear Sango; your well-deserved joy makes you even more beautiful. Would that I could allow you to turn those joyful eyes on me."
Then Rin skipped up to Kagome and Sango and handed one half of her fragrant bouquet to each. "Welcome to the castle!" She spoke sweetly, bowing charmingly.
Sango took the pretty offering with another soft smile. "Thank you, Rin."
Kagome, however went down on one knee and took the bouquet, with a gentle hug. "It's one of the sweetest welcome ceremonies I've ever had." The little girl hugged her right back, her face a picture of childish trust and joy, and Kirara looked on in silence.
"Yes, sweet little daughter; create the bond that endures, for if we are to survive the battle with Naraku and the tainted jewel, you two will need to discover your destiny together quickly and begin working on its confirmation very soon."
Rin now turned to Shippo and held out one small hand. "Hi, my name is Rin."
"Uh--Uhhuh.." Shippo began, blushing a bright rosy color, before managing to pull himself together. "Nice to meet you; I am Shippo the great and powerful Kitsune enemy of the Thunder Clan."
Inuyasha's snort of contempt only made Shippo draw himself up in an even more stiff parody of dignity. Rin giggled behind her pretty, pink fingers and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Shippo the great and powerful. You have the cutest tail!" That caused all the vestiges of the little Kitsune's fragile dignity to vanish, as he blushed again.
"Th-thanks." He stammered, bursting into a cute, self-conscious grin, and Rin smiled her sunshine back at him and conquered him once more.
Kirara thought that it would be kindest to turn attention away from the flustered kit, so she turned to the two Two-Tails that now rose to be acknowledged. "And these two are Issokuryoka and Issokurinku, the King and Queen of the Royal Two-Tail Pride, bound to the heirs of the Neko No Yonshi for longer than time can remember. They were unable to find me when I was cursed, but have returned now that my full power has been restored. They are faithful and loved. They will remain with us to the end."
The two huge cats moved forward, with feline silence and grace. Purring fit to deafen sensitive Youkai ears, they pushed their large, soft heads against each of the guests in turn then twined around them in sinuous approval.
"Magnificent." Miroku spoke as he reverently returned the touch, as always the first to say the right thing. "Perhaps he is not as much the fool as I once imagined."Sesshomaru observed silently.
"They're so beautiful." Kagome agreed, her voice soft with wonder. "A gentle and worthy spirit for a Human girl. She will tame my Otouto well."In the midst of his thought Sesshomaru stopped, realizing that he had just conceded to the worthiness of a mere Human as a Youkai's mate. "Have I really changed so much?"
"They're almost as beautiful as you were as a Two-Tail." Sango spoke laughingly.
Kirara laughed too. "How kind of you to say that, but truth be told, I was quite average for a female Two-Tail. The Royal Pride, is the pinnacle of Demi-Youkai breeding. They will take your breath away; when you meet them."
"There are ..." Rin briefly counted on her fingers, "...a whole 12 of them."
"Very good math, Rin." It was the first Sesshomaru had spoken since the introduction, though his piercing, golden eyes had watched them all intently from the very start.
Rin beamed again, from her caretaker's praise. "Thank you Sesshomaru-Sama."
Now Kirara turned to all her guests, but she spoke mainly to Kagome and Sango. "Perhaps you ladies would like to see your chambers. You may want to refresh yourselves before dinner."
"Oh, yes please!"
"Can I come too?" Rin asked eagerly.
"If Lord Sesshomaru agrees, Umechan" A single, quiet nod was Sesshomaru's assent.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru-Sama!" Rin spoke again, and then gave a happy squeal of delight as Kirara lifted her up and placed her on the soft back of Issokurinku.
"Can, I ride too?" Shippo asked excitedly.
Kirara smiled. "Of course, Shippo." And she set him on the back of the magnificent Issokuryoka.
"Perhaps I may follow as well, Lady Kirara?" Miroku spoke bowing, with no hint of his usual suggestiveness or perverse tendancies.
"Please be welcome, Houshi." The Lady replied respectfully. Then she bowed her body slightly and gracefully to Sesshomaru, but all could see the desire that burned beneath their outwardly formal attitude. He returned the gesture, but his eyes held hers for just a moment longer than propriety would deem necessary. As the odd party moved away, Inuyasha made to follow them, but was stopped by a slender, purple-marked talon on his arm.
"Not you, Little Brother." Sesshomaru spoke, his voice calm but implacable. "Your formal fitting begins now. Come with me." Inuyasha let a slow growl of annoyance escape his lips, but when Sesshomaru let go of his wrist and began to walk away, he followed without protest.
So here I am again, begging for reviews. I really don't care if they are long or short; I just want to know that someone is taking some interest in this story. Anyway; those of you who have read it, there should be another update soon. Enjoy
DoS