Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters!
Chiro~ Pronounced Kai-Ro~

The Beauty Who Became the Beast

Chapter 2

In the book I'd chosen to read the protagonist doesn't know who she is and if I was being honest with myself I apparently don't either, Sesshomaru had taken me to what I assumed is his home and everyone under his care bowed as soon as they saw the mark donning my forehead. Whatever my true destiny is, it scared a lot of demons and brought out respect in those it didn't. One very tall, handsome, red-haired demon approached as we entered the castle grounds, his eyes a deep lavender and markings similar to Sesshomaru's painted his creamy pale skin. He bowed low first to his lord then to me, a knowing look in his intelligent gaze sent my guard up faster than if he'd moved aggressively.

"My lord? Why would you bring the Seeker here? Your mother..." Before he could finish, a high pitched, lovely sounding female voice resonated power from behind us,
a sudden chill filled the lavender garden in which we stood so unexpectedly I wish I had been wearing more than a tank-top and skinny jeans.

"His mother what? Did you want to elaborate on exactly what you were about to say, Chiro? I'm curious as to what a second branch family member has to say concerning the Queen?" The lady demon who approached was indeed a spectacular sight, her loveliness rivaled even that of Sesshomaru's, with her extremely long lavender colored hair and dark shadowed grey eyes. However, the glamour hadn't lasted long.

"What in the world...?" Her eyes snapped towards me but I hadn't been able to help myself, for a moment she looked like a gorgon, skin dark and scaly while her eyes bled a putrid shade of green. Not to mention her hair which without whatever magic she used to initially appear beautiful, resembled black sea-weed, reminiscent of something out of a Grimm fairy-tale.

"You will not touch her Lin, this Sesshomaru is her guardian, and as such, she will not be harmed by any in my lands. Is this understood?" She huffed but remained silent, Chiro looked between her and his lord before finally focusing his full attention on me.

"Lady, I mean you no harm so please relax. The scent of your unease is making the demons uncomfortable, myself included, and that is not wise in the castle of the Lord of the West." Sesshomaru stepped in front of me, his fingertips glowing green as he snarled at the woman with sea-weed hair then at the red-headed demon, taking care not to draw anymore attention than we'd already garnered.

"Why are the two of you outside of the temple? Where is my mother?" Lin glared before turning on her heel, the long light colored kimono she wore billowed behind her as she traipsed back towards the castle's front doors.

"She isn't present my Lord, something came up not too long before your arrival but she informed us of your hasty return. She insisted you would watch over the West until her business is complete." The silver haired demon in front of me stiffened, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the tall demon in front of him before the red-head turned his lavender gaze towards the ground between them.

"Would you like to clarify on the exact nature of my mother's business? Or shall I pull your head from your shoulders and feed it to the dogs?" Chiro shuddered but made no move to respond nor escape, he knew his Lords wrath, it would seem, better than most. Perhaps that's why he was sent to be the bearer of bad news versus the hundred something other demons aura's I felt littered around the large fortress.

"I don't mean to interrupt this verbal lashing you got going on here but even though I was promised answers, quite frankly? I'd be happy with a bath. Can we not kill your servants and just go eat or something?" Sesshomaru turned his glare towards me but I held my ground, unlike the others under his care none of them were to be his protected so I'm fairly certain my little outburst wouldn't result in a beat-down... like he so clearly wanted to do to poor Chiro.

"Very well." He didn't look happy but I felt if I let this continue the red-headed demon who really hadn't done anything would've ended up a pile of broken bones on the ground due to Sesshomaru's ire at apparently being forced to look after his own lands, go figure. Chiro shot me a quick, grateful look before also turning on his heel and slowly walking in the direction in which Lin headed earlier.

Without another word Sesshomaru started towards a separate path to the castle, leading me to a large silver door with a giant dog demon carved in it's center complete with jeweled eyes. It seemed to jump from the door when touched and as we entered the long dimly lit hallways of his home I felt something akin to pure happiness, when I saw young Rin I understood why. Sesshomaru practically glowed as she embraced him though his facial expression never changed, with one clawed hand he rubbed her head before gently shoving her forward. Instead of running off as her lord intended she turned and faced me, her eyes wide with surprise which soon turned to joy as recognition lit her gaze, Rin was no longer interested in Sesshomaru but in why I seemed to be accompanying him.

"Lady Kagome? Rin is so happy to see you! Where is Shippo?" The mention of my kit made my stomach turn as I had not seem him since shortly before I went in search of Inuyasha, hoping that the half-breed wouldn't harm him even if I was no longer there to act as a buffer. Though I've kept a thin connection to his aura, if he should perish I would know and that comforted me enough to focus on learning what exactly it was I'm meant to do.

"He is with Sango and Miroku, hopefully we'll be able to see them soon. How have you been young lady? Last I saw you was around the cherry blossom festival, you've grown quite a bit since then." She smiled wide, her teeth white and shiny in the candles light, before throwing her arms around me in a joyous embrace- for such a small creature she generated a lot of warmth.

"Yes, Rin would like to see him soon." Sesshomaru tapped her gently on the head and pointed down the hallway towards who I assumed is her care-taker, a nice looking older demon woman with chestnut hair and vibrant pink eyes.

"Miko, you said you required a bath, do you plan on staring after my ward or do you prefer to take this time and clean yourself. I suggest the latter." He wrinkled his nose in my direction and I felt my face blush, was he implying I smelled bad? Resisting the urge to sniff-test myself I gingerly followed him down one of the many long corridors to a set of white wooden double doors.

"Through this door you will find a hot spring, cloth to dry yourself, and female night wear. I shall be occupied for most of the night so I shall send someone to be your guide, for your sake I suggest you lay low. This is not the place to go exploring, if anything were to happen to you I would kill everyone here so do as your told." My eyes widened at his words, since when had his demeanor changed so drastically?

Without another word he stormed away, still stunned from his proclamation of death to his whole staff should someone harm me, I stood staring stupidly after him until I realized this was exactly what he warned me against. Scolding myself for having my guard down in a castle full of demons I pushed the doors open to reveal a beautiful yet simple hot spring, the night sky sparkled with stars as I removed my street clothes before reaching for my pack. The bath supplies I toted around like precious gems were suspiciously absent from the small pocket I'd known I put them in. Searching around I found a small hand woven basket lined with silk, it held what looked like powdered soap and from one quick sniff I'd discovered that's indeed what it is as well as it's scent. Lavender seemed to be a theme in this castle but I wasn't upset about it, the lovely purple plant happened to be one of my favorite fragrances. I saw no shampoo or conditioner but that was to be expected, what upset me was I already had some but someone lifted it from my pack and now I had no choice but to use soap that would probably make my hair feel like straw. Scooping out a generous amount as I rubbed both hands to create a nice lather, I was surprised to find the powder to become almost silky as it smoothed, though I supposed it made sense considering how soft Sesshomaru's hair is. Working it through my long dark tresses I felt it remove all the caked on dirt and sweat before rinsing my hands to scoop out another portion for my skin. Once I had finished washing, climbed from the steaming hot crystal clear water, and located something to dry myself with I had succumbed to the fact that I had to eat my words and Sesshomaru's powder soap was better than anything my era had in it's arsenal.

"Have you located the sleeping kimono, Lady?" I snapped my head towards the gentle female's voice so quickly I heard my neck snap, jumpy since I'd thought I was alone and sheepish for being so startled when she is clearly the one Sesshomaru sent to assist me.

"Uh... no?" She smiled, her lavender eyes lit up in amusement as she flipped her long red hair over her shoulders before hastily walking over to a larger basket holding thin white silk female sleeping kimono's.

"These are for staff use but the lord informed me he would be ordering you some personal items in the morning, you don't mind... do you my lady?" I shook my head and grinned, if only she knew the things I've worn in this era because of the never ending destruction of my uniform.

Taking the light kimono from her I shook it out and threw it over my shoulders, the fabric was pleasing to my skin and I was relieved to see it stopped just below my knee's so if I had to fight for some reason my movements wouldn't be restricted. The young demoness smiled at my obvious struggles tying the obi, I'd been here a little over two years and still hadn't mastered it. She touched my hands gently while asking with her eyes if she had permission to help, nodding, I released my hold on the thick piece of fabric so she could fasten it properly. Once done she stepped back before bowing, my aura giving off gentle waves so she knew I wasn't like her lord and she need't be afraid of me.

"I'm not the scary one, and thank you. What's your name? I should know the name of the woman who is to be my guide after all." Chuckling at the shocked expression on her face I waited for a response, giving her time to get used to my energy.

"My name is Kaihiki, you my lady are...?" I hadn't given my name either which was rude considering introductions were usually my strong suit, of course I was caught off guard and also very naked.

"Hehe, my name is Kagome and you don't have to call me lady. Kagome is fine." Smiling at her as I finished speaking I noticed she began to warm up, her body language relaxed and she even gave me a small smile of her own.

"My lord instructed me to bring you to a guest chamber so that you might rest, one of our staff shall bring your meal to you shortly. Please, follow me." She led me to a rice-paper sliding door that once opened revealed a room fit for a queen.

"This is a guest room?" Kaihiki nodded before ushering me inside, wary of who else may be lingering in her lords hallways and careful to shut the door behind us as I took in the room's magnificence.

Giant pillows served as a bed in the rooms far left corner, long off-white candles lit the room giving it a peaceful ambiance not normally found in this era- especially not in a castle full of demons, and silk tapestries decorated the floor as well as the walls. A large antique looking chest lay against the wall nearest the balcony, sheer silk white curtains billowed above it making it look more inviting than a piece of carved wood should. The room's temperature was warm and toasty considering the breeze coming through the open balcony door. The whole room a treat for the eyes and it's his guest room, my what a blessing it was to be born into royalty,
never wanting or needing for anything as it's already supplied, the grandeur of it all almost made me jealous.

"He is loaded! No wonder he was such a prick when I first met him..." The red-haired demoness to my side giggled before abruptly placing a hand to her mouth as if to stop what she most certainly considered a treasonous response to a derogatory statement about her lord.

"Don't worry, he doesn't have to know about anything that happen's between us or what we discuss. I won't be the one to get you in-trouble." She shook her head before looking worriedly towards the room's entrance, wringing her hands as she shifted her weight nervously.

"Tis not you I worry about my lady, this fortress has ears in every room and it's not wise to address the lord in such a way nor is it wise to respond in the manner in which I had." A sound outside of the room made her jump but once she recognized the aura she immediately relaxed, two sharp knocks on the door and I yelled for whoever it was to come in. Chiro opened the door holding a trey full of cooked fish, rice, and tea in one arm while balancing what looked like three bottles of sake in his other.

"The lord said we are to dine with his guest. Then we are to be look-out for the night. If anything should happen to her he said he is going to kill me and make you clean up the mess." He grinned at the demoness to my side and she smiled, taking the bottles of sake from him she nodded before leading the way out to the balcony which held a small table complete with three pillows on which we could sit to eat.

"He probably would too but I won't let that happen, are you guys related? You look almost like twins!" The pair of red-haired demons turned to face me before they both smiled, Chiro nodded before draping his arm loosely around Kaihiki's thin shoulders.

"She is my younger sister, our mother worked for Inutaisho, she is his cousin and like us born to the second branch of the family." Looking between the two it was hard not to notice the relation- which is why I'd asked in the first place- but I hadn't a clue Inuyasha had relatives other than Sesshomaru... until now anyway.

"I see, who was that woman from earlier? Lin- I think her name is?" I knew very well what her name is but I don't want them to think I'm prying, my goal was to come off as curious and naive so they would give me information comfortably.

"A woman? Lin is male and he's the lady of the Wests adviser. Not a very good one I might add but due to his title not much can be done, he was appointed to her by Inutaisho himself shortly before his demise." Have they seen his true form I wondered... the black sea-weed looking hair and scaly skin was kind of hard to miss but I had this suspicion no one other than myself has, whatever magic he possessed felt tricky.

"Hm... what kind of demon is he?" They looked at each other before turning both sets of lavender eyes towards me, confusion evident in Chiro's expression more so than in his sister's... she knew something he didn't.

"What do you mean? He is a dog demon such as ourselves, almost all of the demons in this fortress are in some way related to Inutaisho or lady Magnolia- Jaken's mother." Woah, my mind was blown with that last bit, why had Sesshomaru never told Inuyasha of his apparently very extended family?

"I see. Well I'm starved, shall we eat?" The abrupt change of topic took them off-guard but I could tell but now wasn't the time to get answers, if I wanted the truth I would have to catch Kaihiki alone.

After we ate and drank one of the bottles of sake Chiro brought I informed them I was ready for bed, never having been much of a drinker to begin with, I opted for an early night. Being able to still feel Kaihiko's aura from just outside the door a couple hours later when I'd awoken, I was about to ask her to come in for a chat when another's presence made itself known. This one belonging to Lin and was unmistakable as it tasted like death to me. I strained to hear what was being said through the shoji door but found it to be anything but ordinary, by that I mean paper door or not I couldn't make out anything other than a slight hum. I could feel the tension however and it's what made me rise so I could ready myself in case there was to be an altercation. The door slid open so fast I nearly jumped but instead I forced myself to pay attention to the scene before me. Lin had shoved his hand through Kaihiki's chest- throwing her into the room as he forcefully entered, then pointedly stared me down as the young demoness's body hit the floor in front of me.

"The lady doesn't want her son to lose his life over the likes of you, as her right hand man I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen." He glared daggers at me and if looks could kill I would be a puddle of Kagome on the ground right next to Kaihiki.

"Like I'm going to let that happen! You're about to get a crash course in what it means to challenge a priestess ugly! For the record you look better with that nasty magic glamour and I may not know exactly what you are but I plan to find out." The dark scaled demon in front of me snarled before leaping to strike but I was already prepared, what I didn't expect was Sesshomaru to come flying into the room as if someone stole his child. Using his poison whip to subdue Lin until the homely demon dropped to his knee's before me, the expression on my silver haired savior's face terrified even me into silence.

"What do you think you are doing you vile poor excuse for a dog-demon? I knew I should have killed you when my father brought you here and now I think I'll take this opportunity to rectify the mercy I once bestowed!" Before Sesshomaru could pull Lin's head off I grabbed his wrist, the look he gave me almost causing me to let go but I shakily held on, if he killed the scaled demon under his foot I would never get the answers I felt I needed.

"No! Something is telling me we need him alive! Just be patient a little longer! You can do with him what you please after, I think finding out about him will help me uncover what I'm supposed to be doing..." I'd never seen Sesshomaru look confused before but that's to be expected considering I haven't spent much time with him, still,
seeing any emotion besides anger on the stoic silver haired beauty's face was uncommon and to me? Very odd.

"What do you mean find out about him? Explain!." My earlier hunch had been correct as it would seem he didn't know the true appearance of the creature currently straining for air under his leather boot.

"He isn't a dog demon, he uses some kind of magic to cover his real self but trust me he is one ugly son of a bitch under that disguise and I intend to find out what the hell he really is." Sesshomaru lifted his foot as I grabbed Lin by the back of his grotesque hair and pulled his head back until we were eye to eye, he snarled but I wasn't afraid and not only because the lord of the West was by my side.

"You... what are you? Where did you come from and what is your true name?" He looked as though he was pondering my questions before his eyes abruptly steeled over, pushing his tongue out between his teeth I winced when he swiftly severed it. It happened so fast I didn't know how to react, I'd never seen someone commit suicide before let alone a demon who should have been able to heal almost instantly.

As life faded from his eyes so did the glamour he used to fool everyone in the castle, lying now stark-still on the ground covered in his own blood was the first clue to my journey... now I would be forced to search elsewhere. Cursing him under my breath I released his hair and watched as his head bounced off the ground before settling into the same stiff, lifeless, position as the rest of his body. Dropping my head into my hands I mourned the loss of the potential information he could have provided, something kept nagging me in the back of my mind but I didn't know how to listen to it so I had no choice but to return my attention to Sesshomaru. The anger in his eyes matched the frustration in mine and as we gazed at each other it became apparent he didn't know all the details either.

"So, what do we do now?" The silver haired demon in front of me looked down towards Kaihiki and sighed, gently lifting her off the ground he positioned her bridal-style in his arms before gesturing with a jerk of his head for me to follow.

"We will not be staying here miko, my mother's people are loyal and if he came for you other's will as well." Nodding as I walked behind him I noticed he did care for his servants- well some of them, because as we turned the corner Chiro came running towards us with a worried expression on his face while Sesshomaru's was one of gentle understanding.

"She will be fine Chiro, relax and don't make this process longer than need be. If you'd like to stay while I heal her so be it but it won't be a pleasant thing to watch." The red-head nodded but didn't move to leave, instead he fell in step behind me as we both now followed Sesshomaru to wherever he intended to heal Kaihiki but once we arrived I wasn't so sure I wanted to watch.

"What is this place?" The room we entered was too dark for my eyes to see but I could smell blood- which must be quite a generous bit of it for my nose to be able to pick it up- before Chiro lit some candles and I shuddered at the wretched sight before me.

"The hospital wing or better known as the chamber you never want to end up in, this is for the souls not meant for this world to come and die either peacefully or through battle depending on what they themselves prefer." My hand flew up to cover my nose the deeper we went, the chamber much larger than expected and I couldn't help release a sigh of relief as we came upon a section that smelled of nothing but herbs.

"I was about to say then why bring Kaihiki here? It's comforting to see there remains one spot in this room that is used for actual healing." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at me before commenting, he clearly disliked the chamber as much as we did.

"This isn't a room meant to comfort you miko, I would suggest remaining quiet until I have finished with Kaihiki. Lest you want to wake the demons who reside in this place to die in battle?" Looking around wildly I shuddered at the thought, priestess or not this room gave off energy so dark I hadn't a clue if my energy would work or be lost in it's inky black abyss. So I watched in silent horror as he removed her blouse, the gaping wound bubbled with black dried blood while it let off a stench akin to old rot.

"I'm good ah-ha, let's just get this over with..." Giggling nervously as I rubbed the back of my head and waited for him to do something other than chide me, the room already had me feeling on edge so I really didn't require any assistance in the fear department. Not to mention Kaihiki's chest looked like something out of a Zombie movie, had she been human she would most definitely be dead.

"Very well." He placed Kaihiki on one of the long wooden tables before reaching behind me for a small ceramic bowl, picking a few herbs here and there from around the room he muddled them into a thick strong smelling paste.

"You- miko. Come here and apply this to her wound, it would help if you add a bit of your energy to it as you do." He handed me the small bowl and stepped back, not only giving me free reign over her still form but guarding my back from the room's more dangerous patrons.

After slathering a generous portion of Sesshomaru's paste onto the wound in her chest I gently wove some of my power into the concoction as I rubbed it into her overly heated skin, careful not to use the purification aspects of it as best I could. She moaned when I got to close to her throat, slowly opening her eyes she tried to focus on me but I could see she wasn't fully conscious so when she reached out to swipe at me I didn't take it personally. The silver haired demon behind me gently caught her hand before she could scar my face, his touch soothing her aura until she fell back into a healing slumber while Chiro, already prepared, lifted her from the table. He held her close to his chest, his expression a mix of relief and worry as he bowed to Sesshomaru before turning to head towards the rooms entrance but not before shooting me a small smile of gratitude.

"Will she be okay?" He shrugged before silently walking in the direction his cousin had, I followed so closely it would have been an understatement to say I was at his heels, but before we exited the creepy chamber he turned and pulled me into an embrace.

"That could have been you..." He was shaking but I wasn't sure from what, my instincts told me not to move but my gut told me to hold him, not knowing what to do I simply leaned into him.

"I'm okay Sesshomaru, he wouldn't have been able to hurt me." The silver haired demon currently setting every nerve in my body aflame held me tighter, his scent filling my nose making me dizzy from just how good he smelled but before I could even identify what his fragrance is he pulled back.

"How do you know this? Had I arrived even a moment later he could have killed you!" I shook my head, not really being able to explain as I didn't really understand it myself I just knew wholeheartedly he wouldn't have been able to harm me let alone claim my life.

"Honestly? I can't explain. I just know. Besides you're actually scaring me more than he did, since when do you hug people?" He released me and stepped back, his body language informing me that was the opposite of what he wanted but his expression slipped back to one of aloof uncaring- effectively ending the almost conversation.

"I do not hug people miko, you aren't a "people" and if you ever mention what just transpired to anyone I shall remove your tongue." Well that escalated quickly... but before I had a chance to comment a door to our left slammed open to reveal a woman who looked very much like Sesshomaru.

"How dare you? Over this-this human no less! I should have you fixed and chained!" Sesshomaru turned to face the obviously irate woman before us, his eyes already flashing between red and amber as he stared the beautiful demoness down.

"Hello mother, nice of you to return after such a short leave. It's truly a shame the same could not be said of your adviser, I'm afraid his departure is a bit more permanent." Needless to say the demoness was not to pleased with his response, her claws began to glow the same pale green as Sesshomaru's seconds before she attacked but it didn't help her, with how raw the silver haired demon's temper was I was surprised he had enough control over himself to just restrain her.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to mention I sense a jewel shard approaching... and it's coming fast." They stopped and turned towards me but just as they had- a figure entered the fray... one I wasn't too sure I was happy to see, yet a small part of me couldn't help feeling a little relieved.

~Okay guys I'm sorry if the chapter was a bit boring but there is a method to my madness, next chapter will hold some of the answer's Kagome has been waiting for...
but will she be able to handle the truth or will it cause her to run from her destiny? Mwahahahahaha~