CHAPTER FOUR

Mikage

When I woke up, I was laying on an unfamiliar floor. How weird... I had fallen asleep somewhere else, I was sure... But when I sat up, I realized that I was in Lord Sesshomaru's room. How did I get in here? Startled, I looked around. Lord Sesshomaru wasn't in here, and neither was Lord Jaken.

I yawned, and stretched. The room felt cold, and in my thin sleeves, goosebumps prickled at my arms. Where were they, I wonder? I had also wondered why Papa hadn't come searching for me... That kind of worried me, but I would have to think about that later. I had better get out of Lord Sesshomaru's room... I didn't have a right to be in here.

As I stumbled to my feet, I decided to get a better look at the room since I hadn't before.

He was royalty, I knew. However, his room was surprisingly simple. His floor was made from the same material as the rest of the palace. It was very high-quality wood that would never chip or splinter. His bed was a simple futon that was slightly astray from him sleeping, but it was made. He had a wide open window that appeared to overlook the whole palace grounds. A small mirror lay propped against the wall. But hanging from the walls were many tapestries written in complicated Japanese symbols.

I took time to read every one, only stopping when I noticed that one was decorated with a swirling lily painted on the side. The kind I identified was a mountain lily. More specifically, the golden-rayed lily. Its bowl shaped petals curled at the tips, each one bearing a single yellow strip down the middle. It was decorated with speckles, the thick stamens in the middle looking as though they could come off the paper.

The tapestry itself drew my attention more than that of the others. Who had painted it, I wonder?

I lost myself in the lily's intricate design, reminding myself of the event that had brought me here.

I was in the middle of a huge field. So pretty... So many lilies... I smiled... This was completely beautiful. I had wandered here as soon as I had smelt it. The thick, sweet aroma that had always drew me near. Without thinking, I began picking some of them. But horrible pain was plaguing me, making my knees buckle with the lilies in hand. I sighed in exasperation as I lifted my knee to reveal that some of the petals that had been trampled.

But looking at the bunch I had gathered, I was dismayed. Most of the stamens had been snapped. More than that, I could hardly move.

Quiet shuffling sounded in the distance. Feet. The breezy scent of flora tugged at my senses.

"Hello, there... May I ask who you are?" I heard a voice ask. Panicked, I whirled my head around, dropping the lilies that were clutched in my right hand. Standing there, was a beautiful woman with long white hair, golden eyes, and fur wrapped around her shoulders. She looked to be a yokai.. That made my blood run cold.

I backed up, before falling from a wrenching cramp. I had been caught! Scared, I tried to limp through the flowers backwards. I knew what demons could do. I had heard stories about them. And they were terrifying.

A cold sweat had trickled down my forehead, foreboding chills grasping at my neck like cold hands.

"I'm... I'm s-s-so sorry, I-"

"Shhh. It's okay. I'm not here to hurt y-"

The woman stopped talking and stared at me. Her eyes widened for a bit, before she reached out to trace something on my face. My markings?

I shivered at her cool touch. It was gentle, but I was frozen and terrified. She carefully drew it back before she smiled and held out the hand out for me to take. "Listen. How about we talk it over at my palace?"

Palace? She must be royalty, then. If she was the owner of the lily field, she might have a lot more plants for me to look at. When I thought like that, the offer became tempting; but Papa had told me to never talk to strangers. And Mama... I shuddered. Even though she seemed nice, I could never know.

"Papa t-told me not to talk to strangers..." I stammered nervously. The woman laughed. Then she slowly lowered herself beside me.

"I have a son. His name is Sesshomaru... He could use a friend. I think that you could be a very good friend for him," she said. Wait... Sesshomaru? Doesn't that mean 'Killing Perfection'? But... He needed a friend, and so did I. Maybe... Just for a little while. I had nowhere to go. I was weary. My bones ached.

"I-I guess..."

Immediately, her facial expression lit up. She then grabbed my hand, and ran off with me, practically dragging me.

After thinking about it, I realized something. If I hadn't gone with her, then I never would have met Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Jaken. I smiled to myself; until I remembered what had happened the nights before that. I sighed. That's right.

Downfallen, I made my way over to the window that I had seen earlier. Why did I want Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Jaken to be my friends so much, I wonder? I continued to think, but some loud crashing noises from outside interrupted my thoughts. I reached my head out the window a bit to see where it was coming from. Cold breezes skid past my face as I searched the castle grounds.

In a circle of grass that appeared to be blackened, was the animated figures of Jaken and Sesshomaru-sama. So that's where they had gotten to. Curious, I watched them.

Even from this height, I could see both of their shoulders rising and falling with labored breaths. At this rate, if either of them attacked, they may not be able to move. Although it was obvious to me now that they were training, this was extensive. They could accidentally kill each other at any given moment. The thought of that terrified me.

"Why don't you just die like him, huh?! You aren't even a demon! You're sickening!"

I shuddered, rolling a gentle finger over the wound on my face. Beneath my skin, it was crusty, dry, and hurt to touch. I watched the two, trying to keep any memories from my mind.

"Mikage please! Calm down!"

What was that? I brought a hand over my temple, before retracting my head to look around the room. Nobody was here but me. So who was that male? His voice was panicked, tight with terror. Calm down? I was just fine...

A loud shout from outside snapped me back to attention. I witnessed Lord Sesshomaru pull back his hand as something long, bright, and whip-like slithered out. It seared through a bunch of grass effortlessly. To my horror, he shot it directly at Jaken-sama. If it could do that, then what could it do to the poor imp? The image horrified me.

"Lord Jaken look out!" I cried, forgetting that the window was opened in my panic. In one short moment, I had fallen forward. I could hear my heart in my ears, my lungs unable to collect air. All that I could do was squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the impact of me hitting the ground.

But only my feet struck the grass, before I stumbled to a kneeling position.

Surprised, I opened an eye, only to realize my feet had been firmly planted on the ground. Looking up, I felt freezing hand scratch at my neck, grasping the skin. The awful height indifference terrified me. The window I had fallen from towered at least one hundred feet above myself. I was getting dizzy, now... Holding my head, I almost jumped out of my skin when someone started talking to me.

"Milady! Did you...?"

Lord Sesshomaru stood beside him, eyes wide in shock. He grabbed my arm, looking me over completely. Then he pulled back quickly. His eyes stretched even more after looking up at the window I fallen from. I looked down, scared of what he would say. He bent down to look at my face.

"Did you... Fall from there?" asked Lord Sesshomaru quietly. I looked up.

"I-I think... So..." I stammered, the world spinning. The images surrounding me doubled. My stomach lurched, unstable as my body bent over. Lord Sesshomaru grabbed me by the elbow with a firm hand, lifting me just a bit.

His eyes hardened before I could hardly make out his face at all. And then the world went black, and I fell asleep.