Kirara flew until they reached the silvery gates of the Palace of the Moon. Kagome jumped off the neko's back, and approached the gates.
"Halt." an emotionless voice emerged from the luminous stone. "No ningen may defile the Palace of the Moon with their presence." A tall, lanky man seemed to melt out of the wall. There was something reptilian about him, and his face was guarded.
"Tell Lord Sesshomaru that his brother's miko is here to see him." she told him, with a bravado she didn't feel.
The guard's face didn't change. "No ningen may enter here. Miko or not." he repeated.
Kagome was losing her patience. "Just tell him." she insisted.
"Miko, you should leave. Now." he said coldly.
Well, what would you do?
Kagome purified his ass, right there on the spot.
Actually, I'm moderately certain you wouldn't do that.
With no one guarding the gate, she simply walked in…
And straight into the arms of a certain, ningen-hating, icy lord of the West.
Let us all take a moment to applaud Kagome's extreme stupidity.
Okay, moment over.
In a movement too swift to follow, he'd grabbed her by the wrist, and lifted her straight off the ground.
Dangling there, arm almost wrenched out of it's socket, gazing into the icy, merciless, golden orbs of Lord Sesshomaru, Kagome had never felt so helpless.
'I'm going to die.' she thought, eyes tearing up. She squeezed them shut, to prevent tears from falling. 'He may kill me, but he will not see me cry. Again.'
'But, you came here to do a job.' her core of steel said. This is what made her keep coming back through the well, even after all the times InuYasha had ripped out her heart and stomped it into the dirt. Even after all the times she'd nearly been killed.
"Lord Sesshomaru." she addressed him, opening her eyes. He looked at her curiously, almost feline- though he'd probably kill anyone who'd dare to make that point- like a cat, staring at a fish in a bowl.
"Miko." he said in response, though she still wasn't back on the ground. But she wasn't dead, yet, either, so that's a plus. "What brings you to this Sesshomaru's castle?" he asked.
"I have a proposition." she said.
He raised a single eyebrow. "What could a ningen think tempting to one such as this Sesshomaru?"
"Naraku's head on a platter." she told him calmly.
His face showed no expression, favorable or otherwise, but his grip on her wrist tightened, until she thought her bones might snap.
Almost as quickly as he had grabbed her, he let go. It was so sudden, that Kagome had no time to brace herself, and she crumpled to the ground.
Attempting to push herself to her feet, Kagome stifled a cry of pain. Her breath hissed through her teeth. Her wrist was badly bruised, almost unable to take any weight.
A pale hand emerged in her line of sight. She stared at it uncomprehendingly, until Sesshomaru spoke. "Allow this Sesshomaru to assist you to your feet, miko Kagome." he said, in a voice that could almost be described as kind.
Again, he will probably hunt you down and kill you if you make that point obvious.
'He knows my name?! How does he know my name? Isn't he supposed to be, I don't know, above knowing ningen names? Well, I suppose it figures, with the amount of times InuYasha yells it in the middle of their fights…'
She let him take her un-bruised hand, and pull her up. He made sure she was steady on her feet, before letting go.
"This Sesshomaru is intrigued by your offer." he said. "You may enter the palace."
And where was Kirara, the great and powerful protector, during all this?
Oh, found her! There she is, standing right outside the gates, meowing like a freaking normal kitty.
"Some help you turned out to be." Kagome grumbled.
"Do not blame the cat, miko." Sesshomaru told her. "She is bound by youkai law, and can not enter this Sesshomaru's holdings without this Sesshomaru's express permission. Only another taiyoukai could counter the spell."
Well, that would have been nice to know…before, now wouldn't it?
Sesshomaru blinked once, slowly. When his eyes opened, Kirara bounded over to Kagome, shrinking back to kitten form.
"Perhaps we can talk inside." Sesshomaru suggested. He led them through the halls of the Palace of the Moon, to a small study. He sat in a soft, cushy armchair, Kagome curled up on a mini-couch, and Kirara jumped lightly onto a footstool.
Sesshomaru snapped his fingers, and moments later, a tall ookami demoness bowed into the room. "Yes, milord?" she asked.
"Refreshments, Rangiku." Sesshomaru ordered.
"Of course, my lord." she said, bowing once again, before leaving.
He folded his hands, and looked at Kagome. "Speak, miko."
She opened her mouth and-
"Lord Sesshomaru?" a child's voice said from the door. "I wa- KITTY!" Rin ran up to the footstool, and began to cuddle Kirara.
Jaken raced in after her. "My lord, Sesshomaru!" he exclaimed, flustered. "I couldn't stop her! My sincerest appo- What is that flea-bit, half-breed's wench doing in my lord's private study?!?" he asked, appalled.
"Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome said politely, "I'm afraid that if your retainer calls me your brother's wench one more time, I might have to do to him, what I did to your guard at the gate. They were both being terribly rude, to a miko that can purify their asses."
Sesshomaru addressed Jaken. "Take Rin down to the gardens to play. This Sesshomaru has business to attend to with miko Kagome."
"Kirara, you go, too." Kagome instructed.
Kirara leaped off the footstool, and followed Rin out of the room. Jaken left, as well, muttering about the horrible state of the palace, and how he didn't understand why the great Lord Sesshomaru tolerated the presence of a filthy ningen in his home. Rangiku, walking back in with the refreshments, heard him, and snickered softly.
Placing her tray on the table, she inclined her head to Lord Sesshomaru. "Will that be all, my lord?" she asked.
"Yes. Thank you, Rangiku." he said, gracing her with a rare smile. Rangiku bowed, and left.
Sesshomaru turned his gaze back to Kagome. "Now. To business, miko."
She took a deep breath, ignored the throbbing pain in her wrist, and outlined her plan for alliance. When she was finally finished, Sesshomaru was silent for a long moment. Then, he spoke. "It is a good plan. This Sesshomaru will gladly join your alliance, miko Kagome."
And thus, the Anti-Naraku Alliance began to form.