14º - Lessons

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After their talk, Inu no Taisho, with Sesshomaru hot on his heels, went looking for his mate. Her scent was stronger near the garden. Following his nose, he found her resting against a sakura tree while holding Kagome's waist securely with her right arm. Aimi had fallen asleepwhile Kagome sang to her.

"That song again…" Inu no Taisho thought. That song was dangerous. Especiallyfor someone without the proper knowledge of what that song meant. He would have to ensure that she stopped singing it. "But how to do that without raising any suspicions?"

After their talk, both inu decided that the best course of action would be not to tell her. It was too risky. For the next ten years, while she grew as a true demoness, they would raise her as a member of their pack. They would teacher her how to be a proper lady within the court, how to fight, they would increase her mental attitude, and teacher her on how to act and keep her cool through any situation. She would also have master in areas such as history, math, writing and even healing techniques.

Hopefully, when she reached her mating age, she would become a proper lady, capable of controlling her new powers. Neither of the inu wanted to kill her; on the contrary, they wanted her to have a full life, full of pups. But if she presented a danger to all the lands, they would have to take action. However, they wanted to, at least, give her a fighting chance.

Kagome felt their approaching auras before seeing them. They had spent nearly two hours in the study, discussing what, she didn't know. Aimi had taken the time to take a nap with Kagome securely pressed against her. However, Kagome was just too excited to sleep. So, she stood there, singing to Aimi, and enjoying the occasional touch of the sun rays. The cold was not so aggressive where they stood, thanks to the bushes surrounding them.

When they finally got near them, Kagome stopped her singing, looked to Inu no Taisho and, for the first time, smiled without fear. "My lord, she fell asleep during our time here. I hope that doesn't bother you," Kagome said calmly.

"Not at all, my pup." Inu no Taisho smiled back. "I am quite happy, actually. Thank you, for looking after her." Once again, he was surprised with how much loyalty this pup could show towards his mate. "However, I would like to talk with you, Kagome. If you would follow me, please…"

Before Kagome could respond, Inu no Taisho looked at his eldest son and nodded. Sesshomaru passed his father, crouched in front of Kagome, smiled at her, and wrapped his arms around Aimi. Without waking her up, his released Aimi's grip on Kagome, lifted her from the ground and started walking back inside towards the castle.

When Sesshomaru smiled at her, Kagome's heart stopped for a split second. He was, without a doubt, a beautiful male. But that had been the first time she saw him smile, an honest smile. And he was gorgeous; almost like the gods themselves had built his face. She watched silently as he enveloped Aimi in his arms, and started thinking on how she would have liked to be Aimi right now.

As for Sesshomaru, he was strangely calm. His instincts were not screaming in his head, on how they wanted the girl. For the first time since he saw her, he was able to be his normal self. With his mother in his arms, he took her to her room, giving Kagome and his father some privacy.

Inu no Taisho saw his son's reaction and he was deeply satisfied. Maybe there was still salvation for their mating arrangements. Kagome was once again blushing becomingly after his son's smile. It was an innocent action between the two, which he would allow. "Kagome?" He tried to catch her attention. "Please follow me, dear."

Kagome was looking at Sesshomaru's back when she heard Inu no Taisho calling her and directed her to follow him towards the castle.

(*)

She followed him quietly to his study. She could feel that there was something that he wanted to tell her. Something important… Once in his study, he gestured for her to take a seat in front of him, which she gladly accepted.

"Welcome to my study," he said with a lovely smile upon his lips. "I trust that my mate showed you the castle?"

"Yes, my lord, she did." She was still calling him lord. Even after being accepted as part of their pack, Kagome still felt immense respect towards this demon. He had hoped that she would soon lose formalities when they were both alone.

"That's good. Well, if you ever need to find me, I will likely be here." Kagome could see that he was trying to make it easier for her to be here. So, she decided to play along, even if she would, most likely, never search for him. It wasn't that she didn't like him. He seemed a decent demon; honorable, and true to his word. However, during her slavery, her master was never kind. Except, of course, when he wanted something from her. She would be just a bit more cautious around him.

"Thank you, my lord. I appreciate the information." She lowered her head, in a submissive way, showing her gratitude for the trust.

"Well, my dear, as you must have discovered by now, there is something important that I wanted to talk to you about." He looked at her before continuing. "First things first, I would ask you to stop singing that song, at least when outside the pack. Never sing it to strangers!" Inu no Taisho couldn't see any other way to approach this subject. And, of course, she would be curious so he tried to explain without giving to much information way. "You see, Kagome, that song brings back many memories. And some of them are not so happy. So, pup, we love to hear you sing… Just not that one; do we have an accord?"

Kagome knew that there was more to it. But, if he didn't say anything, she would not push it, for now… "Yes, my lord," she said, lowering her head, showing him that she submitted to his will.

"Good!" "Well, that was easy…" He though that she would ask for a more detailed explanation. Instead, she accepted his order without question.

Kagome, on the other hand, was used receiving orders. She had fought for her freedom, and now she was bound to someone else's orders, and this time, willingly. She would follow his orders as long as they were acceptable.

"Now, let us move to the second point of this discussion. After today, you belong to a ruling pack family. As such, there are certain aspects that are expected of you. You must be polite, educated and strong." Kagome's face turned surprised. She knew she was not lady material. But before she could interrupt him, he continue. "I realize that you are far from adequate, right now. That is why I will take your education from here on out. You will learn how to read and write, history, math and calculations, meditation, how to fight, how to cook, healing abilities, among others. My castle has the best demons in every area, and they will be able to teach you all of these subjects."

Kagome's eyes widened. She loved to learn; in fact, she always craved knowledge. However, this demon was underestimating her. She used to be a slave, but her master made sure she was able to read, write, and cook. She also took the initiative to learn basic concepts of math and history, reading books, when her master was not around. She may not have the superb knowledge granted to high class demoness', but she wasn't a complete idiot.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I know how to read and write. I also happen to be an excellent master in the kitchen. A agree that my current knowledge in other areas is not deep, nor complete, but I still have some."

To say Inu no Taisho was surprised was an understatement. He was not expecting her to have any education. Not that she had been rude but knowledge and education was something provided only to males in general, or to males and females belonging to the ruling houses.

"I´m sorry, my dear, I did not mean to offend you." Kagome could see the truth in his eyes.

"I know, my lord. I did not take any offence." They both smiled at each other, relived on how the situation ended.

"Well, pup, I believe in you. I understand that you have some knowledge. However, it will not be enough, as part of our pack. So, what I propose is for you to take tests…"

"Tests, my lord?" She would have to prove herself.

"Yes, tests. You will take a test in every subject; I will analyze the results, decide your level and work with you accordingly. Does that seem like a fair deal?"

Kagome knew that her current knowledge was not enough as it was and that she would have to improve it. Not that she minded, not at all. She was looking forward to it, actually. What she didn't like was the fact that this demon was second guessing her. No, that wouldn't do. She decided that she would do these tests, and she would surprise him with the results.

"Very well… I accept."

"Wonderful," Inu no Taisho said, smiling once more. "We shall start right way. Your first test shall be fighting skills, and my younger brother will test you, while I observe."

Brother? How big was this family? "I'm sorry, my lord, but I didn't realize you had a brother," Kagome said, letting her curiosity show. Inu no Taisho, on the other hand, cursed himself since he had forgotten to tell her about the extinction of their family. He then decided to show her instead of telling her.

"Kagome, come here, please. I want to show you this." He removed a parchment from his desk and extended it on his table for her to see. It was the current family tree of the western lands. "As you can see, I have a brother, and too secondary families."

(Before reading any further, I advise you to see an image I created for this story.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to upload pictures here. So if you are interested, just look for this story on DOKUGA /gallery?func=detail&id=9978 .

The picture is there and it will help, since it represents what she is seeing!)

Kagome's eyes made a quick run through the scroll. She looked at the names and rankings within the family. "I'm sorry, my lord, but what are the secondary families?"

"Well, my dear. They are families composed with the same race demons as the ruling families. However, they are weaker, and most of the time, their colorings are different. For example, in the black family, all inu have dark or even black hair, or fur. Their powers are weaker than mine, so I rule over them. They are, what you would call, the court." It made sense now. Secondary families were still family, due to their demonic heritage; however, they were weaker, so they had to follow the lord's orders.

"And who is this leader, and why only his name is present in here?" Kagome asked without taking her eyes off the parchment.

"Well, there are too many individuals in the secondary families. In fact, there are too many families with in the secondary families. It would be impossible to show them all with in only one paper. The leader of each secondary family is the strongest demon among them. Every fifty years, competitions are created, where the strongest demons fight for the right to rule. The winner becomes the family's leader for the next fifty years. Of course, if I see that the chosen demon is not fit for that position, I will anticipate the competition."

Kagome's mind was running wild. She didn't realize that there were so many rules. "And what about the selectionof the ruling family? Between the three available colors, why is the silver family the ruling family?"

"We use the same process to select the ruling family. If the families are not happy with the ruling family, then the leaders of every family get together and fight each other. The winner becomes the lord of the land. However, we, the silver family, have been ruling the west for more than five generations. We are, by far, the most powerful family. Also, the court is very happy with the way we rule, so usually, the other families abdicate the throne without the need of a fight. They know how hard it can be to rule." It was easy to hear pride in his voice. And she wanted to know more but realized that now wasn't the right time. Besides the pride, she could feel Inu no Taisho getting impatient.

"Just one more question, and after that I a promise to drop the subject."

Inu no Taisho wanted to keep moving but this pup was eager to learn. "Very well, one more question…"

"Why do you only have two secondary families?"

"Well, the secondary families are defined through the color of their hair or fur when in their true forms. Right now, we, the dog demons, only have three main colors: silver, black and gold. If any other color appears in the future, a new family will be created. But it is a very rare event among our species."

"What do you mean, true form?" Before she could control it, Kagome was asking a new question and Inu no Taisho had to laugh.

"No, pup…" he said between guffaws. "No more! We are going to see my bother now. This lesson can come later." Inu no Taisho went around the table, walked to the door and opened it for her to pass. Kagome was disappointed. She wanted to know more, but she had made a promise. She nodded and followed the general outside his office without another word.

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*This chapter had a beta reader BelovedStranger! Thank you so much! :3

Please R&R! It really helps! ;)