Jaken was right. Three days, exactly. Every morning, Kagome asked him if she was still in heat, as she couldn't detect her own scent, and it was the fourth morning that he informed her it was gone.
Kagome was glad. She wouldn't have to worry about male youkai pouncing at her. Not that it had been much of a problem over the past few days, but once she'd had to shoot a rather ghoulish looking chap that attacked while they were sleeping. Her hakama had suffered some damage, and she wore a new, deep green one until she could go home and retrieve some string to sew it.
The fourth day without Sesshomaru, they arrived at the castle. Kagome was mildly surprised, but not entirely, as she expected extravagance from the lord. Youkai guards at the gate, youkai servants in the courtyard, youkai maids inside. Youkai everywhere.
Sesshomaru hated humans enough to keep them out of his life entirely. Kagome didn't miss this, and she frowned. She might not be human anymore, but she certainly didn't feel like a youkai, and knowing how much he hated humans irked her.
But she wouldn't have to be around him much longer. She was going to be assertive. Neither the Hana nor Sesshomaru would keep her from her friends. And he could get pissed if he liked, she was a powerful miko and would not be intimidated.
A woman awaited them at the front gate. She had bright yellow hair, too bright to be a simple human blond. Her eyes were green, a neko's eyes, that flashed with knowledge. She gave a warm smile, bowing when they approached. Her hair fell forward, revealing long, pointed ears. Kagome liked her already.
"Guide her to a room. I am going to Lord Sesshomaru." Jaken, giving Ah-Un to a male servant, waltzed away. Kagome rolled her eyes at the imp.
"Come on!" Rin grabbed Shippo and rushed to who knew where. Kagome laughed, and turned to face the neko youkai, who was smiling again.
"Good afternoon, milady. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." She bowed again. "I will be serving you during your stay. After you have situated yourself, his lordship informed me that he would like you to see him in his office."
"Oh?" Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Well, good. I wanted to chat with him." She looked the servant over. She was pretty, and young. She couldn't be a day over fifteen. "If you'll be helping me, may I have your name?"
The girl looked stunned, but pleased. "It is Koneko, milady. Thank you for asking."
Kagome smiled. "You're welcome. And call me Kagome."
The inside of the building was impressive as well. Tapestries adorning the walls. Expensive vases holding exotic flowers. Dark wood and the scents of many people. Kagome took it in with her eyes and nose, appreciating the architecture. Whoever built the castle had good taste.
"It would seem that the rumors are true," Koneko whispered.
"Rumors?" Kagome stepped closer to her. "What rumors?"
Koneko smiled, but looked away, ashamed to be heard. "I meant no offense, milady. I was merely thinking of the word that his lordship had taken a mate. I can see the family mark hidden under your bangs."
Oh, that was it. Sesshomaru, the cold daiyoukai that refused to let anyone close to him, would certainly turn heads if any news of a mate cropped up. It didn't faze her.
"I am marked as his," Kagome admitted, "but I do not belong to him, in any way." She would not let anyone think she was just some girl following Sesshomaru's instructions. "The Hana no Shukumei brought me to Sesshomaru."
"So those rumors are true, as well." Koneko closed her eyes, and opened them, smiling. "I am happy, then. The Hana no Shukumei brings together those that would be truly happy with one another. His lordship has been closed off for so many years, I began to believe he would never find joy."
Kagome was silent, not for Koneko's words, but for her expression. Tears spilled down her face as she spoke, landing on her servant's garments and darkening them with moisture. She tried to wipe them away, but failed, and let them come.
And the miko recognized heartbreak on her face. She tugged the neko closer, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Koneko tried to hold the tears back, but it was futile.
Servants around them stopped to glance, but hurried on when they saw what was happening. It was not the first time they had seen Koneko's tears fall, but it was the first time she had done so openly, where others could easily see her watery eyes.
After a moment, she pulled away from Kagome, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "T-thank you, milady. I do not deserve the kindness you show me."
"Nonsense!" Kagome looked her in the eye. "It's the least I can do. I mean . . . you're in love with him, aren't you?"
Koneko turned away. She was tired of the constant aching of her heart, and revealing the feelings to a near stranger was not her idea of a good time. But something about the miko made her want to trust her. To confess to everything she had been holding inside for years.
She began to cry again. "Please, milady, if we must talk, may I escort you to your room, where others will not watch?"
A few minutes later, Kagome was in one of the most extravagant Japanese bedrooms she had ever seen, but the silk curtains and western canopy bed did not interest her. She was far more concerned with Koneko.
They sat on the bed now, Koneko perching on the edge, after insisting that she shouldn't have the honor of sitting on the bed at all, and Kagome's disregard of the comment. Her tears had stopped, for now, and she struggled to compose herself. She had not broken down so suddenly in years, but the news of the Hana had shaken her deeply. And to cry about such a subject in front of his mate shamed her intensely.
"I'm sorry for upsetting you," Kagome said once they were settled. "I had no idea . . ."
"It is I who must apologize, Lady Kagome." Koneko took a deep breath. "It has been a while since I last cried that way."
"May I ask why you feel that way? I don't mean to be rude or anything." Kagome shifted closer, placing her hand on Koneko's. "It's just, Sesshomaru isn't the most likable person around. The people I know who have met him speak lowly of his manners." She remembered Inuyasha, with his insults, and Koga, who had no reason to hate him, and still did. And she herself hadn't forgotten about the times Sesshomaru tried to kill her, in the early days of her travel with his brother.
Koneko sighed, a tiny noise barely above a whisper. "Everyone asks me that. Most of the servants respect him, some revere him. But no one loves him. He is too terrifying. And I know he does that on purpose, instills fear in others to ensure that he is seen as strong.
"But I cannot help loving him. Four years ago, I was on the brink of poverty, about to starve. And he agreed to let me work for him. Allowed me to live in the servants' quarters, eat the leftover food from the kitchen. He said none of this to me directly, but that he would tolerate my presence, given the tales of his cold nature, was enough to amaze me.
"I would watch him when I could, probably because I was infatuated. Like any other female that first spent time around him, his beauty captured me. Unlike the other females, however, his curtness and cruelty did not deter me from pursuing him.
"On the contrary, I pitied him. It is a lonely creature indeed that does not show love. And I eventually overcame my infatuation with his looks, seeing into the deeper part of him. He did not have a loving family. Women fawned over him only for the position that being his mate offered. He had been taught from a young age that kindness was weak, and the lesson was solidified after his father died for the human he loved."
Koneko stopped here, contemplating her words. "I do not know when my quiet observations turned into genuine affection. And I am fairly sure Lord Sesshomaru is aware of my feelings. He would no sooner sully his family name with a servant than cut off his own hand, and I have no hope that he would ever return my feelings. But . . ."
Kagome answered for her. "When you heard about the Hana, you knew any chance you might have had, however slim, was gone?" Kagome knew what it was to have your hopes dashed. Through the fights and indecision, the harsh words and fleeting kindness, she had loved Inuyasha deeply, and always hoped he would ultimately choose her. The moment he revealed his choice, Kagome felt as if she might break with the simplest movement. It was one thing to pine away in silence, but to have your love taken away, to know there was no chance of a forever with them, was complete hell.
How ironic that Inuyasha had eventually picked her, just in time for Kagome to be unavailable.
Now was the time to focus on Koneko, though. At least she wasn't crying anymore. "I'm sorry," the neko said again. "I should be able to control my emotions in front of others."
"It's more than all right." Kagome gently patted her shoulder. "I understand how you feel. I've been heartbroken before, and it's awful. But it'll get better." She did her best to smile. "I promise."
"Thank you. The Hana must choose who it does, I suppose." Koneko tucked her hair behind her ear. "I am glad to be in the service of such a compassionate noblewoman."
Kagome had to laugh at that. Seeing Koneko's expression, she stopped, holding her giggles. "Koneko, I'm not a noblewoman. I'm a commoner. Sesshomaru hates me because the Hana has forced him to mate with someone below his status." She shook her head, sighing. "To be honest, if I could, I would switch positions with you."
Koneko laughed at that, too. "How interesting. And," she said, warmth filling her face again, "it is a slight comfort to know his choice for a mate was not his own. I am sure you would be a wonderful mate, as you have shown incredible kindness to a servant such as myself, but his lordship does not seem the type to choose a miko."
"Huh?" Kagome frowned. "How did you know that I'm a miko?"
"It is obvious in the way you walk," Koneko said. "You have the walk like a bowman. But the only women who use bows, that I have met, are always mikos. However," her brow crinkled, "I have never met a youkai miko."
Kagome sighed, and decided she might as well tell Koneko the entire story. She seemed like a good person to have as a friend, especially since she wasn't jealous of Kagome being with her lord.
When she finished, Koneko sat back, staring at the decorative top of her canopy bed. "Such an eventful life story," she said. "I wish I could be a brave warrior like you."
"No, you don't," Kagome said, laughing. "It's a lot of work. And now I'm stuck with a mate I don't particularly like. I'm sure he has his good qualities," she added, seeing Koneko frown, "but he has never shown them to me. I know he hates the fact that I was human, and that he was forced to be with me."
"Lord Sesshomaru is indeed the stubborn type." Koneko shook her head. "But if the Hana chose you for his mate, you must be compatible in some respect. It would not put together two people who do not belong with one another." She faced Kagome, understanding and wisdom beyond her years in the bright irises. "That is why, although I may feel jealousy toward you, I cannot be angry with you. You are destined to be with his lordship, and you will be the one to make him the happiest."
That thought made Kagome pause. She had never heard it put that way. People always said the Hana put together those that were destined to be, whose union would create something to benefit the world. Inuyasha's parents had brought a son that would hopefully defeat the evil that was Naraku. If Koga's tale of Ayame and her flower was to be believed, their mating would also be something powerful. It was all in terms of power, fate, what the gods wanted.
No one had spoken of the two bringing each other happiness.
Koneko, despite easily crying when upset, contained wisdom behind her neko eyes. She was in love with Sesshomaru. She thought his mating with Kagome would be good, not because it would benefit the world, but because it should make him happy.
Kagome found it hard to believe. But suddenly, she was no longer sure of her decision to be assertive with Sesshomaru, to demand that she be with her friends, after being inspired by Koga. Now she was forced to see it from Koneko's perspective. The Hana was here, not just to right the evil in the world with the love of spiritually and physically strong people, but to make those people happy.
"It is like a soul mate," Koneko continued, watching Kagome in her silence. "Your minds and souls are perfectly matched, even if you cannot believe it. The Hana no Shukumei is rare, Lady Kagome, and you should treasure the gift, even if it may seem like a curse in the beginning."
She was completely shaken, unable to think of a response for Koneko. Finally, she said, "Thank you. For giving me another way to look at it." Kagome drew in a deep breath. "Everyone keeps telling me how the Hana is here to fix the evil in the world by bringing people together. It sounded like a prophecy, and I was suddenly part of it. It was a job, a duty to stay with Sesshomaru." She looked Koneko in the eye. "I never thought about how happy it should make me to have someone that I'm destined for. I never thought about how rare this is, how lucky I really am."
Koneko smiled a little. "I wish I could have someone destined for me."
Kagome nodded, but frowned. "This doesn't change how cruel he's been, though. He's ignored me, even tried to kill me in the past, when our goals were different. He resents my human heritage. What am I supposed to do with that? And there's so much left to do. There are shards to find, an evil menace out there to stop. I can't focus on that with worries about Sesshomaru in the background."
She looked to the neko. The servant shrugged, smiling apologetically. "I am afraid I do not have an answer for that. I am by no means an expert in love."
Kagome sat back, and nodded. "You're right. I apologize. I've just met you, and I'm looking to you for help. I shouldn't be doing that. But your eyes look so wise, Koneko. They remind me of a friend of mine, a woman named Kaede. She is wise, as well, and someone I look up to." Kagome hesitated, and put a hand on her shoulder. "I think we could be good friends, if you want to be."
Koneko stared, eyes wide with disbelief. "Why, Lady Kagome, I would be honored! To be friends with the future Lady of the West is something I only dreamed of, knowing Sesshomaru would never belong to me."
"Then it's settled." Kagome grinned. "I promise not to talk about Sesshomaru too much, if it bothers you. I know it might bother me."
Koneko shook her head. "I have never had a friend close to my age, and I would enjoy talking about such things with you. I love his lordship, but I would never be seriously bothered if it was your wish to speak about any dilemmas with him."
Kagome sensed that this wasn't the whole truth, but she could ignore the supportive lie. Koneko was a nice girl, and would be good company for her time at the castle. She had a deep insight to the ways of the world.
And something crossed Kagome's mind, something she'd forgotten the moment Koneko started crying in the hall. "Oh, my gosh," she said, "I completely forgot about meeting with Sesshomaru!"
()
Chapter fifteen! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
It's a little tough, but I'm trying to get Kagome to understand why she should try harder to like Sesshomaru. I want rounded out characters that don't stick to the same perspective all the time. Unfortunately, that's annoying to do, because they're both stubborn characters .
Koneko is actually a cameo of another FF author I admire. She'll have a larger role as the story progresses, but it irks me a little to have to use another 'K' name. The next character that joins will have a name with an 'R' XD
Thanks a bunch for reading, and I hope to see you all next week. Please review! Ja ne!