Kagome's Tale or Kagome's Tail?
Chapter 15: Working with the Enemy
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"Sesshomaru! Let me go!" exclaimed Kagome, struggling against the dog demon's strong grip. She was barely struggling anymore because his scent was covering her. His sandalwood scent was like a drug to her. She wanted it. No, she needed it. "Please, Sessho-kun. Please let me go."
The dog demon's face hardened at the name she used. How dare she use the nickname she had given him all those years ago? "Silence!" he barked. Sesshomaru tightened his already firm grip on her petite waist. "You treacherous wench! How dare you break the imprint! You worthless little-."
"Finish that sentence, Lord Sesshomaru. I can assure you that you will not live long enough to regret it," said a deep male voice. Sesshomaru rotated towards the direction of the voice, still gripping the demon princess. He frowned when he saw it was Lord Keago. "Release my daughter."
"As you wish, sire." Sesshomaru shoved Kagome to the ground. "Satisfied?"
"Your childish antics are not amusing, pup. You will be civil in my palace or else, understood?" Keago helped Kagome to her feet before turning back to the lord of the western lands. "We will discuss the mating issue after the other lords and ladies arrive. For now, go get settled. Your usual room has been prepared. Rin and Jakken's room is ready as well."
"Thank you very kindly, Lord Keago. Teran should be arriving shortly. I smelled him and his mate about a mile away. His stench is unmistakable." Sesshomaru bowed slightly at the older demon and glared viciously at Kagome as he walked past them with Rin and Jakken on his heels.
"That look did not seem like a very good sign," Kagome muttered under her breath.
"Well, Lord Sesshomaru is never a good sign, dear princess," said a deep, raspy unfamiliar voice that was accompanied by a tree sap smell. Kagome turned to look at the source of the voice and smell quickly. It was a male demon adorned with brown and white feathers. His big eyes were a yellowish brown and they made him look wise. The demon's nose was pointed, more like a beak than a nose. He had short, spiked, brown hair that barely hid folded over ears. "Keago, my old friend! It is a pleasure to see you again!"
"It is always a pleasure, my friend. Allow me to introduce my daughter, Princess Kagome," said Keago. His eyes and voice held such pride as he spoke the last sentence.
"She is certainly a beauty." The demon turned towards Kagome and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. I am Lord Teran of the South. The lovely lady beside me is my mate, Shira."
"It is an honor to meet you, my lord and lady. Forgive me, but what type of demons are you? I have never encountered demons such as yourselves," said Kagome with a slight bow.
"We are owl demons, dear child," said Shira with a kind smile. Shira looked like Teran, aside from her feminine features and long brown hair. "Most do not see our kind so do not fret."
"Oh. I see." Kagome suddenly felt a sharp tug on her kimono. She looked down and saw Shippou, Rin, and Kina all looking up at her. "Yes children? What can I help you with?"
"Mama, have you seen Miroku and Sango? They are playing hide-and-seek with us but we can't find them," said Shippou sadly. The little fox demon spotted the owl demons and hid behind his surrogate mother, shaking viciously. "Make them go away, Momma!"
"Shippou, please do not shout. It hurts my ears and I am very sure it hurts their ears as well. I have not seen Miroku or Sango and I will not make these owl demons leave." Kagome guided Shippou to stand in front of her. "Lord Teran, Lady Shira, this is my adopted pup, Shippou. I apologize for his loud outburst."
"It is no trouble, dear princess. We apologize if we somehow frightened your small pup," said Lady Shira with a soft smile.
"Well, considering you have been known to enjoy the taste of kitsunes, it's no wonder the child was frightened," said a cold female voice. They all turned around to see a female kitsune and Makana.
"Lady Laenaya, Princess Makana. Lovely as always," said Teran venomously. He had a fake smile plastered on his face. However, his yellow-brown eyes showed that the woman's comment angered him.
"Laenaya, Teran, control yourselves. I refuse to tolerate with rudeness inside my palace. Teran, you and Shira have had a long journey. Go and rest. Another pressing matter has arisen so the conference will be postponed until tomorrow. Makana, since your eyes keep wandering towards the direction of my son's scent, you may spy on him if you so choose," ordered Keago. He smirked inwardly as Makana headed towards the training grounds. The air was filled with tension once the children, Keago, Laenaya, and Kagome were standing alone in silence.
Kagome felt frightened by Lady Laenaya's presence. The kitsune's greenish eyes were burning intensely into Kagome's teal eyes as they stood. "Father, I'm going to to gather Inuyasha and Lord Sesshomaru to discuss the matter that has arisen. We shall be waiting in your library," said Kagome. She grabbed Rin and Shippou's hands out of fear. "Does that work for you, Father?"
"Yes. Very well. I shall join you momentarily." Keago watched Kagome bow before turning and heading to the castle with the children. The demon lord turned back to Laenaya with narrow eyes. "It is rumored that you have concerns about Kagome and Souta. Also, where is Makumaru?"
"Makumaru is currently dealing with a smaller tribe of kitsunes. He will be here tomorrow, my lord. My concerns of the Northern heirs are more than rumors. You know that, milord," said Laenaya, crossing her arms under her breasts.
"What possible concerns could you have, Laenaya?" Keago and Laenaya began to walk towards the large ice doors. The smells of the gardens surrounded them and the eyes of the guards were attentive.
"Well, your breed of wolf demon is going to die out, Lord Keago. Your children are hanyous already. Sire, they will never be able to breed out that human blood. The Great Lord should not have bred with a human!" Laenaya's eyes shone with disapproval.
"Demons will disappear eventually, dear lady. Also, my breed is none of your concern Now, go enjoy the grounds. I know how much you love the gardens my human mate planted." Keago's tone was coated with finality as opened the palace doors. "Good day, Laenaya."
Keago walked down to his library and stopped when he heard absolute silence. He took a sharp breath, expecting the worst, as he opened the heavy oak door. He exhaled in relief when he saw the two brothers silently glaring at each from the opposite sides of the room with Kagome sitting on the desk in the middle of the room. "Well, we have quite the problem here, don't we?"
"What problem? Kagome is my mate! Fuckin' Sesshomaru can't have her!" exclaimed Inuyasha. The red cross next to his began to glow when he finished speaking. His anger seemed to only cause it to grow brighter.
"Be respectful, little brother. Lord Keago should not have to hear such vile words. Princess Kagome should not have to hear them as well," stated Sesshomaru coldly. "Kagome was promised to me, not you."
"Hold your tongues, you dogs! This is not the first time this has happened and it certainly will not be the last. Ultimately, the decision lies with Kagome," said Keago. He looked over at Kagome, who was wringing with her hands, with concern. "Well Kagome? Which one shall you choose?"
"Inuyasha without a doubt," stated Kagome without hesitation.
"Very well. Inuyasha and I will go gather the rest of your friends. I am positive that Sesshomaru would like an explanation as to why the imprint was broken." Keago then dragged Inuyasha out of the study and their footsteps got softer as they walked down the hall.
Kagome turned to face a bitter Sesshomaru and walked up to him. The princess placed a hand on the stub where his left arm used to be. She closed her eyes and the two began to glow a light pink. The light gathered at the stub and Sesshomaru's arm reappeared. "Lord Sesshomaru, I apologize for breaking the imprint. You must understand that I cannot learn to love you. You have tried to kill my friends and I on several occasions. I could never love someone who tries to kill my friends."
"I never attempted to kill you. If anything, I was trying to protect you. Inuyasha is beneath you and he caused you constant grief. You were constantly fretting over Inuyasha's uncertain love for that dead priestess, Kikyo. He had your love and repeatedly rejected it until that clay woman was destroyed," Sesshomaru explained, placing his new hand on Kagome's striped cheek. His hard amber eyes softened as tears trickled down her cheek. "What's wrong, Princess Kagome?"
"How could you possibly know about Kikyo?" Kagome absently nuzzled against the demon lord's hand. For such a cold-hearted demon, his body felt like fire. "Why are you being so kind? It does not truly suit you."
"I heard your thoughts. A very annoying side effect of the imprint. You did not suffer from it because of your miko powers. As for my kindness, you are only allowed to see it when we are alone." Sesshomaru brushed away the tears and removed his hand. "My brother does not deserve you but I suppose I cannot persuade you to see the truth. I will say that I am a very persistent demon and will not stop until I have you."
"No, you will not persuade me. Also, find a fellow demon. Human blood will only taint your attitude more." Kagome then reached up and kissed the Western Lord's cheek. She shrieked when Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her thin frame. She calmed almost immediately and snuggled against his chest. "Sesshomaru, just to provide some comfort, if Inuyasha had not mated with me already, I would have chosen you."
"I know. I release you from the imprint you placed upon me." Sesshomaru pressed his lips to Kagome's silver hair before releasing her.
A knock on the door caused the dog demon's eyes to harden once again. Inuyasha and Keago walked in with Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippou following them. Everyone but Kagome and Keago seemed to be on edge around the dog demon lord. As soon as they were all inside, Keago shut the door with a slight smile. "Are we all on good terms now?" asked Keago.
"Sessho-kun and I are on good terms. We are willing to work together in this war," said Kagome as she hopped up on the desk to sit.
"Excellent! How about you, monk? Would you be willing to work with Lord Sesshomaru?" Keago's teal eyes were focused on Miroku as he spoke.
"If Lady Kagome trusts him, then I am willing to ally myself with Lord Sesshomaru for this battle," said Miroku, his eyes darting between the three royal demons.
"What about you, slayer?" Keago's attention shifted to Sango.
"Kirara and I can't forgive him for trying to kill Kohaku. I can't trust him, Lord Keago," said Sango, venom and pain in her voice. Kirara's mistrust was apparent by her growling and hissing towards the dog lord.
"I do not care if you can or cannot trust him. I asked if you could put the past in the past and fight along side him." Keago's own voice was coated with annoyance. When Sango nodded and Kirara stopped growling, Keago smiled. "Excellent! Now, Inuyasha, are you willing to fight along side your brother?"
Hell no! He tried to kill me for my father's fang! He's used my mother's memory to trick me! And Sesshomaru tried to take Kagome from me! So fuck no! I'm not helping that bastard!" shouted Inuyasha, pure hatred glinting in his amber eyes.
"I would have to agree with my little brother. Besides, he would be useless," snarled Sesshomaru.
"Great gods! You two bring such dishonor to your father and mothers! Inutaisho, Mykaya, and Izayoi wished that you would get along like real brothers should! You two shouldn't be competing over something that your father ordered on his death bed! Now, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, get over your fucking pride and grow up!" Keago's voice boomed in the study and all eyes were on him, shocked. Nobody had ever heard the Northern Lord curse, let alone curse at another lord.
"I will put aside my pride for my mother and father's wish this one time. I do not wish to dishonor my mother," said Sesshomaru, his head bowed slightly. He felt like he was a little child being scolded.
"Feh, fine. If my mother wanted me to get along with Sesshomaru then I'll give it a shot," muttered Inuyasha. His ears were flattened against his head at the thought of dishonoring his mother.
"Wonderful! Everyone but Kagome is dismissed. It is late so it would be wise for you to retire to your rooms for the night," said Keago, motioning towards the door. He watched everyone but his daughter leave the room. Once they were alone, he sighed heavily. "You and Souta shall be allowed in the conference tomorrow. You must not speak unless you are spoken to, understood? Makana will not be allowed to speak either. Princesses and princes are not supposed to be allowed in but since you, Souta, and Makana are fighting, an exception has been made."
"Very well. Is that all?" asked Kagome, hopping off the desk. When Keago nodded, Kagome bowed and left the study.
Keago sighed and then headed to his chambers as well.
Vegetasgirl91: That chapter didn't go exactly as planned.
Keago: It was still interesting.
Kagome and Sesshomaru (angrily): I can't believe you were going to hook us up!
Vegetasgirl91: I was never going to hook you up! I just thought that it would be an interesting twist. Anyways, the end of the semester is near so school is super busy. Please be patient. I hope to have the next chapter up by Christmas. Also, tell me which pairing you like better: Shippou/Kina or Shippou/Rin. Read and Review. Signed Vegetasgirl91.