A New Leaf
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 6
Sasuke had been hoping to set out during the morning, but when morning dawned that became impossible. A grand royal procession of some kind was coming towards the castle and he knew one thing for damn sure. Whoever was inside the carriage was most assuredly not Lord Sesshomaru.
"Too big of a spectacle and there are too may flowers." He shake his head at thought as he watches the scene down below from the tower he was staying in.
The carriage was grand. It was large and golden in color. It was also being pulled by a team of pure white horses. Granted, they were no match for A-Un when it came to showing off, but they were such beautiful creatures.
That combined with the seemingly thousands of color flowers woven into the carriage could only mean one thing. "This person wants to be noticed." And judging by the fact that Sesshomaru was quickly striding out onto the courtyard to greet them with a frown on his face, they hadn't been invited.
He was half tempted to Summon Garuda to spy on them, but he was simply too big. He'd be noticed and Sasuke wasn't entirely sure that he could Summon his Summons here. He might have to experiment with that later, if he couldn't get home.
"Lady Midori." Sauske would just have to lipread, he decides as he watches Sesshomaru greet this person.
She was beautiful and definitely not human. Those eyes were impossibly green and her pointed ears showed that much. Sasuke was beginning to notice a pattern with demons thus far. Pointed ears and white hair meant you were probably dealing with a Noble.
"Maybe, I'm getting ahead of myself there though." He'd only seen two Demonic Nobles.
It was possible that these two were just somehow related. That would explain the same hair color. Though they way Sesshomaru was eyeing her was far from warm. Rivals perhaps.
"Lord Sesshomaru." The demoness smiles at him and courtesies.
She was curtsying in such a way that Sasuke was almost certain it was designed to allow Sasuke to look down her kimono. Most likely at her cleavage. Was she trying to seduce the other man then?
Whatever. It wasn't any of his business. Though he notes with some amusement, that Sesshomaru had also noticed this and didn't seem particularly pleased about it.
Neither did Kagura. "I don't believe that I received any word of your impending arrival." The wind demoness was now walking towards them and if looks could kill, Lady Midori would already be dead.
"What are you doing?" Someone's voice suddenly startles Sasuke from his thoughts.
Mentally, he berates himself for lowering his guard like that. He really should have known better than that! What on Earth was wrong with him?
He was fortunate that it was Rin and not someone else. "I'm watching the show." He'd been here less than twenty-four hours and he already had run into a few staff members.
Most of which had been torn between curiosity and disgust. It depended, if they realized he was human or not. If they didn't know, they were curious. If they did, it was rather apparent that they would love nothing more than for him to leave the castle or perhaps to kill him outright.
"The show?" She tilts her head at him in confusion.
Her eyes really were too innocent. Every single thought the woman possessed was displayed on them with such startling clarity that Sasuke swore he might as well have been reading them like a book.
He simply nods though and gestures towards the window. "It seems that your Lord is greeting someone and he's not particularly happy about it." That causes Rin to frown and she looks down.
"It's Lady Midori." Rin bites her lower lip. "She's the reason why Sesshomaru brought me back here."
"Lord Sesshomaru, what is Lady Midori doing?" Rin had looked at Sesshomaru so innocently. "Why did you bring me back to the castle?"
Sasuke hadn't actually expected that the Demon Lord would answer her. Well at least, not with him present. He did though.
"Nothing yet, but we suspect that shell try to conqueror the demons of Japan." That had explained a lot of Sesshomaru's behavior. "She believes, if we present a united front, we can reclaim the ground that has been lost to us by the humans. " Rin had been horrified. "She is a fool, of course."
So it seemed that Lord Sesshomaru's concerns were justified. Sasuke didn't really have a dog in this fight, pun intended. Still, he hadn't expected for the woman to show up the very next morning.
"Rin, this woman doesn't like humans." Sasuke shakes his head. "It's important for you to stay out of her sight."
There had to be a reason why Sesshomaru had taken such pains to keep his ward out of Lady Midori's line of sight. Sasuke had a sinking suspicion that he knew what it was. She was far more dangerous than that bear demon ever was.
To say the least, Sesshomaru was not pleased to see Lady Midori at his castle. He knew that she would make her move soon, but the Demon Lord had never suspected that it would be this soon.
"I see that you still have Naraku's Doll." Midori smiles at Sesshomaru pleasantly. "You do take excellent care of your toys."
His eyes flash red at that as Kagura goes for her fan. He stays her hand though. He couldn't allow the wind sorceress to attack Midori. No matter how tempting that thought was.
Sesshomaru couldn't completely suppress the growl that her words inspired though. "I do not possess any toys." The woman was trying to provoke him. "But yes, Kagura is still in my service."
He didn't miss Midori raising her eyebrow at that. "Ah. Forgive me." She smiles at him soothingly. "I meant no offense."
No. Sesshomaru didn't believe that for a moment. The woman was deliberately trying to provoke him and he wouldn't have it.
Midori would use whatever method she had to get him on her side or to isolate him from the other Nobles. It was a complicated game, but it was also one that he knew the rules to.
"You're forgiven." The words were a lie of course.
Hopefully, Kagura was aware of that. He could sense her fury, but there was little that Sesshomaru could do in this situation without starting the war prematurely.
It was beginning to look more and more like a war between the demons of Japan and Midori's people was inevitable. He needed to come up with a plan. Even if he managed to kill her now, her followers would quickly peace together what had happened and a bloodbath would result.
Midori smiles at him. "You're too kind, Lord Sesshomaru." Yes, he could sense that Kagura was twitching behind him in rage.
If it weren't for the fact that killing her would trigger a war, Sesshomaru was almost tempted to let Kagura have her way. Let her rip this upstart to pieces. That would be rather enjoyable to witness.
"Are you purring, Sesshomaru?" Damn it.
His Inner Demon must have been a little too pleased by that image. Inus did not purr. They rumbled when happy. It was too guttural of a sound to truly be classified as a purr. Though he supposed to the unrefined ear, it could easily be confused as such.
If it hadn't been beneath him, he would have been twitching along with Kagura. "No, I am not and you will kindly address me as Lord Sesshomaru and I shall be sure to give your own title the proper deference it deserves." That seemed to do the trick.
Midori was now fully aware that she had irritated him. She would tread carefully now. They weren't in China. She was in his lands now and the woman was intelligent enough to know that coming here was a risk.
Had he really wanted to, the odds were in his favor she'd be slaughtered before Midori could leave. She was a powerful demoness, but she didn't bring her army to see him and Sesshomaru highly doubted she could defeat the portion of his military that currently resided in the castle on her own.
"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru." There was something rather satisfying about putting Midori in her place.
He didn't have to look around to know that Kagura was smirking. Let her smirk though. She wasn't a Noble. The woman didn't have to keep up appearances as he did.
Sesshomaru nods at her and gestures for the woman to follow him into the castle. "It pleases me that you are here though." He glances at her. "We have much to discuss."
Midori smiles and walks alongside him. Kagura was glaring daggers at the woman's back as the three of them strove towards the Dinning Hall. "Yes, we do." She nods in agreement and well, her giddiness repulsed Sesshomaru.
Unfortunately, there was little that he could do about it at the moment. For now, he would try the diplomatic approach and if that failed to work, harsher measures would be employed.
A few hours later and Rin's eyes widen in horror as she notices that she, Sasuke, and Midori had all decided to go on a midnight stroll. Of course, she and Sasuke hadn't planned to bump into Lady Midori, but that's exactly what happened.
"Hmm." Midori circles Sasuke like a vulture. "I don't believe that I've seen you before." She smiles slyly at him. "Is Lord Sesshomaru really wasting a good soldier like you for her?" Midori glances at Rin. "Are you to be her protector? Goodness knows she certainly needs it. From what I hear there is no end to the trouble the girl gets into."
She thought that Sasuke was a demon. It was an understandable mistake to make. The red and lavender eye and his posture certainly spoke volumes. Sasuke didn't act like a human who was currently inside a castle filled with demons who hated him.
No. If anything, the way he carried himself far more similar to Sesshomaru than a terrified human. "The hour is late. So I believe that My Lady can be forgiven for the light playing tricks on her." Those words fill Rin with a sense of dread. Sasuke was going to do or say something offensive and it might very well spark a war.
How could this have happened? Rin would never have suggested going for a walk in the gardens with him, if she had known it would lead to this!
"Sasuke, what are you still doing up?" Rin blinked in surprise when she saw him walking down the halls.
Sasuke looked even more surprised than her. "You're…very quiet." To be fair, she had snuck up on him.
Rin wasn't necessarily a quiet person by nature. She had learned how to hide well though. One had to, when you were traveling with Lord Sesshomaru. It was dangerous being the ward of the Lord of the West sometimes. It made you a target.
"Sometimes." She smiled at him. "Couldn't sleep?"
Sasuke simply nodded to that. "You could say that." Well Rin had just the right idea for how to solve that.
After all, what could be better than a stroll through the gardens to help settle one down for their nightly slumber. "I could show you the gardens, if you like." She smiled at him.
Sasuke merely nodded and allowed her to escort him off. As she took his hand in her own, Rin marveled at the sheer size. Of course, her own hands were quite small, but Sasuke's dwarfed her.
They couldn't be anymore different. That much was clear as day just by looking at their hands. Hers were small and lightly tanned. His were large and white like ivory. Rin's were mostly soft, but his were delightfully rough and warm.
"That'd be great." Sasuke walked off with her towards the gardens.
Rougher even than Lord Sesshomaru's. She knew that was partially from Sesshomaru's energy whip though. Maybe, the Chidori had a similar effect?
There were so many questions that she wanted to ask him. Though Rin doubted that she would ever get a chance. Sasuke had already stayed with them longer than he attended to and he'd likely leave as soon as he could slip off without Lady Midori seeing.
That thought made her feel far more sad than it should have…
"Playing tricks on me?" Midori raises an eyebrow at that.
Sasuke had just depending on one's interpretation, very politely or sarcastically told Lady Midori that she was wrong. If there was one thing that all Nobles hated, it was being told that they were wrong.
He nods at her. "Your first mistake was thinking that I was a demon." This wouldn't end well. "Your second was thinking that I'm a soldier for Lord Sesshomaru." He tilts his head. "And you're third was believing that Rin needs protection in such a capacity. She's far more intelligent than most." And that sealed it.
"How dare you?!" Lady Midori was seething now as she lunges for him.
Sasuke smirks as he dodges the blow aimed for him. "Have I offended you, My Lady?" He had just implied that she was smarter than Lady Midori. The woman wasn't going to take that laying down.
Lady Midori's eyes were now bleeding red with rage as she lunges once again for Sasuke jumping between him and her sword. It was all that Sasuke could do to catch the blade with his arm.
It slammed into the arm, but Sasuke was able to yank it out with his free hand. " You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Rin hears Sasuke say something about a Summoning Contract and that's when things really got out of hand.
"You have no idea where he went?" Aoda looks at Garuda.
The massive hawk had found him not long ago and the two of them had been looking for Sasuke ever since. For some reason though, they just couldn't find him.
While the bird said almost nothing to humans, he was another Summon. That meant that Aoda was easily able to understand him. Even without words, the panic in the other Summon's eyes spoke volumes.
Master Sasuke had gone missing. "We need to find him." Before something horrible happened.
Aoda knew that their Master was very powerful, but even Sasuke was not infallible. Surely, something awful must have happened with that demon that he and Garuda had been fighting.
Where had he gone though? Why had he disappeared without a word? It didn't make any sense. That was nothing like the normally very reliable Master that they had both come to know and love.
Barely a moment later, Aoda felt the familiar pull of a Summoning. "Garuda, our Master is Summoning us!" Though the pull felt different than before. It was as if Sasuke was a thousand miles away.
"S-Sasuke what are they?" Rin's eyes widen in shock as she stares at the giant hawk and massive serpent that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
She wasn't the only one. Midori couldn't believe it either. He was human though. The man had said as much and yet, out of nowhere he had just conjured two impossibly large animals.
Was he some sort of monk? Midori had heard tales of humans with magical powers. Usually, they were holy powers though.
"The hawk is Garuda and the snake is Aoda." Sasuke smiles at his Summons. "Aoda, Garuda, I order you to keep that woman away from us." He glares at Midori. "There is no need to start a war over her temper tantrum."
Temper tantrum?! This human's audacity truly knew no bounds. He might have a handsome face and a couple of tricks up his sleeve, but Midori would put an end to him.
If she killed Rin, that would start a war. The same was not necessarily true for him. "Rin is under Lord Sesshomaru's protection. The same is not true for you, Sasuke." He'd do well to remember that!
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken gestures wildly towards the window. "Look! Look!"
Sesshomaru raises an eyebrow and looks out the window. He was clearly wondering what Kagura was. What was the imp up to now?
Jaken was a faithful servant to Lord Sesshomaru. Kagura had to give him that much, but the toad demon had a habit of getting overly excited about well everything.
"A giant hawk and a giant snake." The proud Demon Lord blinks in surprise.
A giant hawk and a giant snake? What was he talking about? That's when Kagura looks out the window and gapes. The man certainly wasn't kidding about that much. The snake along was tall enough to reach some of the tower tops with ease and that hawk was bigger than even the largest Bird of Paradise that Kagura had ever seen. What was going on here?
"My Lord!" Jaken was flailing about wildly now. "Rin is down there and so is Lady Midori and that human!"
It didn't take a genius to realize who that human was. Sasuke. This wouldn't end well. Sasuke seemed like a decent human. Which would only provoke the brat.
"Then it seems I have no choice, but to intervene." Sesshomaru looks at the animals again and then at Sasuke. "He isn't afraid of them." That was true. "Their appearance was no accident. It looks like Sasuke didn't show us all of his abilities." Obviously, but then again… who would?
Only a complete fool would reveal their full hand this early. Though they could worry about that later. Right now, they needed to get out to the garden as soon as possible before innocent blood was spilt.
So she grabs one of her largest feathers that was about eight feet long and three feet wide before throwing it over the tower's edge and jumping on the hovering feather. "It's safe to jump on." The demoness looks at him reassuringly.
Sesshomaru didn't hesitate for a second. Whether that was because he trusted her or thought he had transformed into a neko, Kagura didn't know. After all, cats and cat demons always landed on their feet. Either way, she guides her feather towards the group and they soon land.
"What is the meaning of this?" Once they were on the ground, Sesshomaru didn't waste any time in making demands.
That was one of the things that she liked most about Sesshomaru. The man certainly knew what he wanted and he wasn't afraid to take it. A fact which likely wouldn't end well for Lady Midori.
Kagura was certain her head would end up on a silver platter. It was just a matter of time. She couldn't wait to see Midori realize that she wasn't nearly as clever as she thought she was. It would serve her right for referring to Kagura as a toy.
Midori smiles as though still trying to rectify the situation. "This human insulted me and your ward threw herself in front of him to spare him my ire." If Rin had gotten hurt, this woman wouldn't live to see another Sunrise.
"Rin, are you injured?" Sesshomaru looks at her.
There was a growl in his voice, but it wasn't directed at the human woman. No. It was directed at Midori. As it should be.
Rin shakes her head. "No, but Sasuke is!" Well that was close enough.
If Sasuke had tried to defend Rin and suffered an injury because of it, Kagura doubted Sesshomaru would draw much of a distinction. Apparently, Rin felt it was necessary to protect Sasuke as well. Interesting.
Well he could be a good match. Rin couldn't Mate a demon. The lifespan issue would ensure that only tragedy followed that. Mating a human would prove difficult as well though. There were not very many human men who would dare to pursue the ward of Lord Sesshomaru.
"You have injured one of my guests." Sesshomaru's golden eyes were practically burning with fury.
Kagura hadn't known that gold was a color that could 'burn,' but apparently it was. Even Midori looked as though she was feeling rather anxious at the moment. Good. She deserved to squirm.
"He insulted me." She raises an eyebrow. "Are you in the habit of allowing your guests to insult foreign Nobles?"
Sesshomaru was practically boiling with fury. "You presume too much, if you truly believe you have any influence over what goes on in my own home." His fangs were lengthening. "You drew first blood on my lands, I am within my rights! I demand equal compensation!" And before Kagura really knew what was going on, Sesshomaru came flying at her.
His speed was incredible, but somehow Midori manages to erect a shield of trees in front of her almost instantly. So that was her power. She was one with the Earth in the same manner that Kagura was one with the wind.
"Careful! That one has Wood Style!" The snake was obviously trying to warn them about Midori's power, but Kagura had never been one to heed warnings.
Well she wouldn't get away that easily. "Dance of the Blades!" Kagura unleashes her blades straight into the trees, cutting them down for Lord Sesshomaru.
"Lord Sesshomaru doesn't need your help!" Jaken had made it onto the field at some point and was now hurling fire at the woman from his staff. "As Lord Sesshomaru's faithful vessel, it is my job to assist him in all matters like this."
The toad demon could be infuriating sometimes. "You drew blood on one of my visitors." Sesshomaru continues fighting as if nothing had happened. "You will also have blood drawn." He was unleashing his energy whip at her. "And I will make certain that all the other nobles know of this misdeed."
Attacking Sasuke in Sesshomaru's castle without his consent had been a mistake. That much was obvious. Now, the Lord of the West had the moral high ground. Something that Midori should not have ceased to him this early on.
"Let me help." Sasuke flicks thousands of tiny blue needles at the woman.
She was now pinned to one of the natural trees with them holding her clothes in place. Midori was trying to free herself from the tree when Sesshomaru's whip slashed into her arm.
"AHHH!" Making her cry out and Kagura notices that she was now bleeding.
Sesshomaru's eyes were still red though. "You drew blood and returned the favor. I have shown you mercy on this day, but do not test me again." He turns his back on her.
It was the ultimate insult. He didn't even consider her worthy of looking at. Sesshomaru didn't consider her enough of a threat to not take his eyes off her.
The bird was looking at the snake and Sasuke for instruction. Clearly, he wasn't entirely sure if the fight was over. Neither was the snake.
That probably would have been a mistake as Midori came charging at him, viewing Sesshomaru as a lost cause most likely. Kagura wasn't entirely sure, if her sword would have struck or if Sesshomaru would have blocked. It didn't matter though.
Rin had been quickly. Surprisingly, it had been Rin. She had grabbed one of Sasuke's strange dagger like weapons and hurled it at the sword, knocking it out of Midori's hands.
"You damn bitch!" The Inu Demoness charges towards Rin, only to be blocked by a snarling Sesshomaru.
His eyes were red as blood. His teeth now vicious looking fangs and his normally elegant markings were jagged with rage. Sesshomaru had well and truly lost control of himself.
Midori saw that and did the only thing she could do. She let her own Inner Demon out and now. That's when it truly began. A clash of fangs and claws.
"Sesshomaru!" She had to do something to help him.
To her surprise, Sasuke places his hand on her shoulder. "We need to wait for an opening." That was true. If they attacked Lady Midori now, it was just as likely to hit Lord Sesshomaru as her.
"You're right." As the first faint traces of dawn began ever so slowly to light up the sky, Kagura knew one thing with absolute certainty.
This was now war.