Chapter 3- The Ruin of the Miko

The miko, it seemed, would not be gone by tomorrow. Nor the day after that.

As far as his healers could tell by their limited knowledge of mikos, the woman had completely exhausted both her body and her powers. They estimated she'd stay in her sleeping state for at least a week, but she'd surprised them all by opening her eyes on the fourth day.

Kagome knew she was no longer on the ground in the woods the moment she finally awoke and saw a roof above her. The sheets wrapped around her body were cool against her heated skin, and she could feel the difference in her clothing material.

"Alert Lord Sesshomaru the miko has awoken."

Slowly, Kagome forced her eyes to look to her right where the voice had come from. An unknown demoness in a simple light blue kimono stood beside her bed, watching as another woman followed her order and disappeared through the shoji door.

"Do you know where you are, miko?" the demoness asked once she returned her attention to Kagome.

Kagome shook her head slowly, not trusting her voice.

"Lord Katsu happened upon you after your ordeal and brought you with him to Lord Sesshomaru's manor. That was about three days ago, and you've been out of it the whole time. You should count yourself as lucky that our Lord allowed you to be taken in. He is not known for his love of humans."

Kagome registered the information, but couldn't find it in herself to care much for her whereabouts. However, she did want to laugh at the fact this demoness thought she should consider herself lucky when Kagome thought she was the exact opposite.

"Do you mind telling me your name? We've all taken to calling you miko, though the more prejudiced refer to you as 'human'."

Jin waited for the woman to respond, patiently standing with her hands clasped in front of her demurely. Though she figured an attack was one of the furthest thoughts from the miko's mind, still she wanted to appear as non-threatening as possible. When the woman merely gave a non-committal shrug, Jin frowned and focused her attention more on observing her patient.

"Are you in any pain? Are you sore? I can make a quick remedy. You need only te-"

"No," Kagome whispered, sitting up and swinging her legs so that they dangled over the cot, "I just feel a little stiff from lack of moving. When may I leave?"

Before Jin could form a response, Sesshomaru strode into the room with Mura trailing behind him.

"You may leave as soon as you have repaid your debt to This Sesshomaru for allowing you to stay here in your weakened state."

The old Kagome would have felt a flare of temper at the notion he believed she owed him for an act of kindness that she had not asked for, but now she felt nothing. There was an emptiness where before there had been a huge well of emotion within her.

"When?" the single word slipped past her lips almost silently, and Sesshomaru himself almost didn't catch it even with his acute hearing.

"This Sesshomaru does not repeat himself," he narrowed his eyes. Was his half brother's companion as dimwitted as Inuyasha? No, in all their exchanges, while she had seemed overemotional, surely, Sesshomaru had always found she was more intelligent than most.

"No," Kagome drew in a deep breath before snapping her head up to stare into the demon lord's golden eyes, "When did I ask to be saved or cared for? My memory must be messed up because I do not remember speaking such requests."

Jin and Mura both froze at the disrespectful tone and the way in which this human woman spoke to their Lord. Neither dared speak or move as Sesshomaru grabbed the woman by her neck and lifted her so that they were eye level, meeting her glare with one of his own.

"You disrespect me, and you are unworthy of respect yourself when you act so ungrateful. Lord Katsu deemed you worth saving, enough so that he has taken responsibility for you and your actions during your stay here."

"I didn't want-"

"Silence," Sesshomaru snarled and bared his teeth at the insolent miko in his grasp, "are you so broken you would rather have been left to die?"

"You have no right. You have no idea what I've been through!" Though Kagome raised her voice, still she couldn't find it in her to be as angry as she once would have been. The empty feeling only seemed to increase the more Sesshomaru pressed her. The word 'broken' replayed on a loop in her head as she gazed impassively into his icy glare. Despite their senses of smell not being nearly as keen as their Lord's, both Jin and Mura could smell the depression heavily lacing the woman's scent.

"I do not care."

The silence following his statement was tense, and Mura found herself moving closer to the door should a fight ensue. A dry laugh finally came from the miko, then, "of course you don't. Neither do I. Not anymore."

"You will stay and perform whatever tasks I require of you," when Kagome opened her mouth to argue, Sesshomaru silenced her with a glare and slightly increased the pressure of his hand around her throat. "You'll stay for 3 more days."

Kagome continued staring blankly at him, and Sesshomaru released her neck, allowing her a minute longer to accept what she could not change.

"...Am I to stay in this room?"

"Mura," Sesshomaru addressed the servant rather than answer the miko's quiet question, "show the miko to her room, and then have her dressed properly and brought to the dining room for the midday meal."

"Yes, my Lord."

The falcon demoness bowed low before gesturing for the miko to follow her from the room. Kagome continued staring blankly at Sesshomaru for a few minutes longer before finally, slowly, following after the servant. They were both through the door when Sesshomaru stopped them.

"Mura."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"During her stay, the miko will be addressed as Lady Kagome."

All three females started in surprise at the unexpected command. Mura recovered first and gave another low bow, this one directed at both her Lord and her new Lady.

"If you'll follow me, Lady Kagome."

The two disappeared within the hallways of the castle, Kagome not even bothering to memorize the route or glance around at her surroundings.

"If I might speak, my Lord?" Jin requested once they were gone. Sesshomaru turned to regard his top healer, giving her the tiniest of nods to grant her permission. "While the Lady Kagome's body seems healed enough, I worry about her mental state. She did not even attempt burning you with her reiki when threatened, her face shows no emotion and her eyes are...empty."

"Is she well enough to work?"

"Well, physically, yes my Lord but-"

"Then that is all that matters," Sesshomaru coldly interrupted. The mental state of his brother's human wench was not his problem to solve.