Hello, everybody! First off, I want to thank you all for the amazing response I got on the last chapter. I walked around for nearly three days afterwards smiling as I replayed your comments in my head.
Also a special thanks to siren-mergirl. Currently I'm using one of her drawings as my avatar. She's been working on art for this fic and I love what she has done more than I can express. One of her newer sketches, 'The Plan', I am particularly infatuated with. It's just so elegant and true to the aesthetic I aim for in this fic. I stared at it for quite some time while writing this chapter. Check out some of her awesome works on her deviantart page if you get a chance.
Our mini-history lesson for today:
-go: originating in China under the name of wéquí, this game spread to Japan in the 7th century.
Stunned silence fell like a shroud over the court in the wake of the final rites. No one seemed able to comprehend what had been done. Word of it passed through the court in whispers and notes. Courtiers wandered the paths where the party had marched, murmuring to one another.
On Miroku's suggestion, he, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou remained sequestered in the Tachibana residence for the entire day following the event. He was all smiles and pleasantries, amicably sharing stories of some of his more exciting journeys outside the court, but Kagome suspected that he was not quite so carefree as he would have them believe. His determined silence on the events of the previous day seemed odd to her.
Sango sensed it as well, watching the houshi closely. Both women were content to allow him to proceed as he pleased, though. They traded a few questioning glances, but otherwise allowed themselves to enjoy a few hours untroubled by outside concerns.
The following day made it clear what had been troubling Miroku.
Kagome awoke early, blinking away the foggy remnants of a half-forgotten dream from her eyes. Shippou slept on soundly, a small foot twitching occasionally beneath the blankets of his futon. Dressing quietly, she decided to go to the Chūwain to check in with Midoriko-sama before he awoke. She had not spoken to her since the end of the ceremony.
The residence was quiet as she made her way through the halls. The first servants would be waking soon to begin preparations for the morning meal, but most were still asleep. Kagome came to the main gate without encountering a soul.
The streets outside the Tachibana gate seemed empty, as well. Kagome had anticipated no less given the earliness of the hour and the biting chill in the air. She shivered, pulling her outer karaginu tighter about her shoulders and wondering if it was going to begin snowing again soon.
She was rounding the corner of the residence's outer wall when something slammed into her hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
For several long moments she saw stars, the back of her skull connecting with the outer wall of the residence with a crack that echoed on the still morning air. She struggled to catch her breath, twisting about and blinking frantically. A hand closed firmly around her throat to stifle any noises she might have made, immediately stilling her.
"Fate smiles on us, to catch her so quickly. Awfully bold of you to be walking around on your own, is it not, Miko-sama?" a voice sneered, and Kagome shuddered at the feel of warm breath ghosting across her face. "Are you so certain you have won already?"
Kagome couldn't respond. Her fingers scrabbled feebly at the hand around her throat, her vision too mottled with black spots to make out anything with clarity.
"Common scum of the earth," sneered another voice, this one further from her. "Your presence should never have been allowed here. You claim to be of the kami, but you have willfully trespassed against them. You deserve any punishment that comes to you for this."
"And…the kami have charged you directly with that task?" Kagome rasped, struggling to gain her footing.
Her vision had cleared enough to make out several indistinct figures surrounding her, including the man who had her pinned to the wall. Had she been supporting herself, her knees would have given way.
Her head jerked as a fist connected solidly with the left side of her face. A burst of pain exploded across her nerves, leaving her breathless. The tang of blood filled her mouth as the inside of her cheek split against her teeth. Kagome's vision reeled back into blackness, her mind spinning.
"We merely take it as our duty to teach you your place, as no one else within the court is brave enough to do so," returned yet another voice. "Your debacle the other day will be the end to all this nonsense. We intend to return the court to the way it was. No longer will your kind be permitted to cause chaos here for your own ends."
A half-formed retort about the bravery of ambushing an unarmed person flitted through her frazzled brain, but Kagome had at least the presence of mind to stifle the words. She merely squeezed her eyes shut, her limbs trembling violently.
"You understand, do you not?" said the one holding her, pressing her more tightly against the wall. "We will not kill you here. We will not give you the satisfaction of becoming a martyr for your blasphemous cause. But we will have you renounce what you have done. You will renounce it, and you will leave the court."
"And w-why would I…do that?" Kagome managed to get out, struggling for breath against the pressure on her windpipe.
The hand tightened. She choked, gasping for air.
"Because we are many where you are few," he responded coolly. "Because you are in the wrong. Because you will accomplish nothing with this absurd perversion of the balance of the world. And because I swear to you, if you do not stop, we will come to you again. We will find you, wherever you might hide. And we will make you wish that we had killed you here."
Her head was growing light. She couldn't breathe.
Abruptly the hand released her. Kagome crumpled in a heap, gasping on the frozen stones of the street. Footsteps hurried away from her.
She was uncertain how long she lay there unmoving. Her face and throat throbbed, blood continuing to fill her mouth. Her entire body shook. She could not form a single coherent thought.
Slowly she picked herself up, glancing around. The streets remained empty. There was no sign of her attackers.
Dazedly she thought she should return to the Tachibana residence. She raised a hand, still shaking wildly, to probe tentatively at the side of her face where she had been struck. She hissed at the spark of pain the motion ignited, her fingers coming away stained red. He had hit her hard enough to split the flesh of her cheek. She licked dry lips, staining them with the blood that filled her mouth as she absently scrubbed her fingers against the material of her hakama.
She blinked, her mind spinning away from her once more at the shock of it. She had been attacked.
She didn't want to return to the residence. Every feeling revolted at the idea of being seen in such a state by any of her friends.
She wanted to see Inuyasha. The desire swept through her like a physical ache.
He would protect her.
But, no. She wasn't allowed to go to him. He wouldn't see her.
Her heart sank, but immediately another thought took possession of her.
Staggering slightly, Kagome's steps turned in another direction.
The looks of the servants and guards when she stumbled through the gates were nothing short of horror. Several of the serving women she had been familiar with before crowded around her, speaking so rapidly she could scarcely follow a word of it. All she could do was dazedly repeat over and over again her desire for an audience, uncertain if her words had even a semblance of coherence to them.
At last one of the servants seemed to understand her and disengaged from the group. She returned several moments later with word that she was to go to the garden. Kagome nodded, murmuring something she could scarcely recall before heading towards the garden.
She found her sitting on a bench in a secluded corner of the garden, the barren branches of a sakura tree framing her perch. She stared down into the darkened waters of a small pond at her feet with a gravity far beyond the usual solemnity of her manner.
She raised her face as Kagome approached, her eyes widening at the sight. She rose in a rustle of silks, taking slow a step toward her.
"Kagome," said Kikyou, at a loss. "What…what happened? By the kami…"
She raised a hand as if to touch the younger girl's cheek, but Kagome flinched away.
"I want to see Inuyasha," she said without preamble.
Kikyou blinked, a frown drawing her brows together. She shook her head slowly.
"Kagome," she tried once more, reaching out a hand.
"I want to see Inuyasha," Kagome repeated.
Kikyou took one of her hands tentatively, tugging it to urge her toward the bench.
"Sit down," she said. "Please sit down."
Kagome sat, still too shaken to put up much resistance. She blinked up at Kikyou, suddenly wondering how she had even arrived there. Her cheek throbbed and she could feel blood oozing sluggishly down the side of her face.
"What has happened to you?" Kikyou asked once more, her voice soft as she peered down into the younger girl's face.
"…The court," Kagome replied bitterly, the reality of what had happened hitting her all at once.
Her hands balled to trembling fists in the material of her hakama, her eyes clenching shut. She felt like crying, but no tears came.
"Wait here a moment," Kikyou ordered.
Kagome heard her footsteps trail softly away, wondering what in the world had driven her to the Fujiwara residence of all places. She caught sight of her face mirrored in the still waters of the pond and winced.
The left side of her face was rapidly purpling, a bloody gash running parallel to her cheekbone. Most of the blood on her face had dried into a horrific mask, and angry red marks circled her throat where she had been grabbed.
She stooped down closer to the water, staring hard. She questioned whether it was truly her own face that stared with cold eyes back up at her.
She was not sure how much time passed in this manner, but suddenly there was someone beside her. She glanced up to find that Kikyou had returned, carrying a tray filled with a number of medical supplies.
"If you do not treat that, it will scar," Kikyou said, gesturing towards the bench.
Kagome merely stared at her for a long moment, dazed by the surreal quality of the entire situation. At last she rose and planted herself back on the bench, at a loss for anything else to do.
Kikyou settled beside her, setting the tray down between them. She dipped a small cloth into a bowl of heated water, steaming in the cold air. Wringing the cloth of the excess, she brought it gingerly to Kagome's face.
She hissed, jerking away at the first contact with her skin. Kikyou paused, hand still extended. Kagome blinked at her, the sudden pain clearing some of the haze from her mind.
"Sorry," she murmured, uncertain what part of it all she was apologizing for. She bowed her head, offering up her cheek.
Kikyou resumed her careful attentions, gently wiping away the dried blood to reveal the extent of the injury. Her face revealed nothing as she worked save full concentration.
"What happened?" she asked at last, seeming to realize that Kagome was now coherent enough for a response.
"I was going to see Midoriko-sama," Kagome replied softly, wincing as the cloth slid over the open wound. "They ambushed me."
"Who?"
"I don't know. I could hardly see them," she said softly. "It all happened very…they were…"
She trailed off. Kikyou said nothing for a few moments, placing the bloodied rag back down on the tray and picking up a small mortar and pestle filled with medicinal herbs. She began to crush the fragrant leaves.
"I will not allow this to pass."
Kagome raised her head, turning to look at the other woman. Her eyes remained fixed on her task, her hands working steadily to create a pungent paste. Kagome frowned, wondering if her hearing had been compromised by the blow to her head.
Kikyou raised her eyes and their gazes met for the first time since Kagome had entered the Fujiwara residence.
"Whoever did this to you will be caught," she said lowly. "I will see them punished myself. I will also arrange to have a guard assigned to you. You cannot be allowed to wander on your own any longer."
Kagome stared at her, a frown furrowing her brows. Kikyou's gaze fell back to her handiwork.
"No doubt you cannot comprehend the shift in me," she said softly. "I can scarcely understand myself at times. I was so certain that I was in the right…that the exercise of the law without compromise, without hesitation, would restore order…"
She paused, shaking her head. She raised her eyes to meet Kagome's once more. Kagome was shocked to see suffering writ plain across her features, in the wavering line of her mouth and the deep lines upon her brow. It was gone in a flash, smoothed over once more to a semblance of calm, but the sight was burned within Kagome's mind.
"When I…When I saw that little boy at the ceremony," she pressed on. "I saw…myself. And I realized that to him, I was what the murderers of my clan had been to me. I was…a monster."
She fell silent, her eyes sliding closed. Her hands ceased to move the pestle. Kagome looked on, pity and uncertainty welling within her.
"Why didn't you stop me?" she said at last, the question barely a whisper.
"I needed proof that you were wrong," Kikyou replied hoarsely. "I needed you to fail, without my interference, so that I could be certain. Because I was not certain. I have not felt entirely certain for some time."
A tear escaped her shuttered lids.
Instinctively Kagome leaned forward over the tray, wrapping her in an embrace. Kikyou tensed and moved as if to pull back. Then a small tremor wracked her frame, slight beneath the bulk of her robes, and she submitted to the embrace.
"You meant well," Kagome murmured feelingly.
"What are good intentions to an orphaned child?" she replied softly. "I was blind."
Kagome pulled back slightly to look into her face.
"You saw what you were raised to see," she said, pained at the woman's unforgiving self-condemnation. "You couldn't have known-"
"Stop, Kagome," Kikyou broke in, shaking her head grimly.
"Do not make excuses for me. I do not deserve that kindness, nor is it what I want. Others in the court saw when I did not. When I would not. Allow me at least the dignity of suffering for my mistakes."
Kagome drew back, blinking at her.
"I sent two innocent people to their deaths," Kikyou confessed, meeting her eyes with quiet intensity. "I stole a little boy's parents from him. And I dismissed hundreds of thousands of people from my notice without a thought for what they might be suffering."
Kagome was silent, taking in the stark confession. The woman wanted to own her mistakes, and Kagome knew she was right in this desire. She would offer no comfort.
The faintest of smiles tinged one corner of Kikyou's lips, a grim satisfaction born of finally giving voice to those words.
"Thank you," she murmured, her eyes falling to the mortar and pestle that sat between them.
She dipped her fingers into the paste she had created, motioning for Kagome to turn her head.
Kagome did so, though she continued to watch her from the corner of her eye.
Kikyou leaned forward, lightly spreading the pungent paste over the wound.
"This should help with the swelling," she said. "It seems shallow enough that I do not think it will scar, either."
Kagome nodded, wincing as her fingers brushed over a particularly tender spot. Her nose wrinkled at the sharp odor.
"In regards to your cause," Kikyou said, drawing Kagome's attention away from the stench. "I would like to be of aid, but I will need some time. I intend to look into the court records as to our dealings with those outside of the court. I will also read over the books of law once more…with eyes more capable of discernment, I hope. I will not make another move until I am certain that I have seen the case through in its entirety."
"I understand," Kagome replied, considering this. "I would prefer that you come to your own conclusions. I will supply any information that I can, if you need it."
Kikyou drew back, examining her work to make certain that she had been thorough. With a nod, she picked up a cloth from the tray and wiped the remnants of the poultice from her fingers. Kagome, seeing that she was finished, brought a hand up to probe tentatively around the wound.
It was still painful, but the herbs had a cooling effect that was welcome. A swipe with her tongue along the inside of her mouth assured her that the wound there was now only bleeding sluggishly. It was not so deep that it would not heal if left alone.
She glanced over at the future Empress, wondering suddenly at the degree of kindness she had shown in tending her personally when there were plenty of servants that might have done the task for her.
Kikyou was reordering the tray, moving all of its contents back to the center. She refolded the cloth she had used to clean her hands, her concentration perhaps unequal to the simplicity of the task.
She glanced up and Kagome was somehow disappointed to see all of her former control returned to her expression.
"I cannot allow you to see my Lord," she said without preamble.
Kagome blinked. A blush heated her cheeks as she recalled suddenly stumbling into the residence, demanding to see Inuyasha and calling him so familiarly by his given name in front of the woman who was to be his wife. Shame welled hotly in her gut.
Still, though the blind desperation had eased, she wanted to see him.
"Why?" she asked softly, a note of pleading to her voice that she could not suppress.
For a moment Kikyou's eyes dropped, but she quickly raised them once more to meet Kagome's grimly.
"You have made an irrevocable statement to the court in performing the rites," she said. "And you know well enough that it is one that many in the court will not agree with. The backlash will come soon. They will demand that you be punished, and they will undoubtedly be greater in number than those who support you cause."
"You need not worry. My Lord will not punish you. I will not punish you. And we will allow no one else to try to mete out their own justice on you or yours. But while we can make time with the appearance of deliberation on the matter, if my Lord comes out openly in your favor now he will not stand a chance. His resources are too limited."
Kagome frowned, weighing this. It made sense, and certainly Kikyou knew better than she as to the inner workings of the court. Besides which Kagome herself had heard time and again from Inuyasha hints that should any faction of the court regain enough power to challenge him now it would likely not end in his favor. He simply did not have the certainty of support necessary to it.
Still…
"If you let me see the Tennō-sama, perhaps I could confer with his Lordship as to how to proceed. I give my word that I would not urge him to come out so brashly in support of my cause…"
But Kikyou shook her head, her lips thinning to an unmoving line.
"Were he..." she hesitated, her jaw clenching for a fraction of a moment. "Were my Lord to see you as you appear now, I feel that my Lord would be unable to keep from acting. He is not one to let abuses of power pass without comment."
There was something just beneath the words, something that drew Kikyou's shoulders tense and hardened her expression. Kagome studied her for a long moment before nodding reluctantly.
"I understand," she conceded. "I will not seek his Majesty out until you think it right. Will you…could you try to explain things to his Majesty for me, though, for the time being?"
The future Empress's posture lost some of her rigidity and she nodded.
"Of course," she allowed. "I will be certain that my Lord understands what has happened fully."
Kagome nodded, though she could not thank her. It still rankled a bit that she was being barred from speaking to the hanyou.
Kikyou gathered up the tray and stood.
"If you wish to return to the Tachibana residence, I will send guards along with you," she said. "I will make certain to have a permanent guard posted around the residence, as well. You are to go nowhere in the court without an escort. Do you understand?"
Kagome indicated her understanding and Kikyou turned to go back into the residence.
Watching her retreating figure, Kagome felt a flicker of contentment in her chest. She had known that Kikyou, at her core, was someone who genuinely wished to do right. She was pleased that persevering in the rites had allowed her to see the things she had been blind to.
And if Kikyou might be moved, so might others. Her cause was not an impossible one.
A deep ache in her neck as she turned her head reminded her that it was also a dangerous one. She caught sight of her reflection once more in the water and nearly flinched, despite that it was now clean of blood.
They could have killed her if they had wanted. The thought was like cold fingers ghosting down her spine.
They had said they would do worse if she persisted.
Kagome wrapped her arms about herself, trying to ward off a sudden chill.
Kagome returned to the Tachibana residence in a cloak borrowed from Kikyou to cover her face and with a guard of four men. A sudden anxiety for the well-being of her friends made her steps quick. Thoughts of any one of them happening to venture out alone and meet the same fate as herself-perhaps a worse one-made her nauseous.
Her worries were for naught. She found Miroku, Sango, and Shippou all safely ensconced within the walls of the Tachibana residence, playing a game of go out on one of the porches overlooking the western corner of the gardens. Dizzying relief swept through her and she pulled Shippou into a tight embrace.
A good deal of shock, upset, and anger followed when Kagome's injuries were revealed and explained. It took considerable effort on her part to convince the three not to set out immediately seeking revenge for her.
At length, though, Sango did manage to force her into her room to lie down. The noblewoman was convinced that she must be exhausted after the ordeal and certain that sleep would serve her well.
Though Kagome would have preferred to remain in company with the others, she submitted to the woman's insistence if only to gain herself a reprieve from having to discuss the incident any further. Being forced to examine the memory, to dredge up details to offer her friends, was more difficult than she cared to admit.
Unfortunately Shippou did not come to rest with her as it was still rather early in the day. She was left alone in her chambers with her thoughts.
She laid for what seemed to her an interminable amount of time, staring up at the ceiling above her futon and trying hard not to dwell on what had happened. Despite promises from the future Empress and her friends of protection, a deep uneasiness was beginning to overtake her.
What if others who had shown support in the cause were hurt? What if she had endangered Inuyasha's position within the court more than Kikyou suspected? What if they were to catch her at unawares again? She could not remain under guard forever.
Recalling the feel of heated breath against her skin as the man nearly strangled her, she did not doubt that they were capable of doing far worse than killing her.
Kagome rolled onto her side, curling into herself beneath the covers. Her neck still ached and her face throbbed slightly where they fabric of her pillow brushed against it.
She closed her eyes, trying to slow the turbulent turn of her thoughts. It was no use entertaining doubts about what she had done now. She hadn't been wrong. She was not wrong. She simply needed to deal with whatever might come to the best of her abilities. The kami could surely ask no more than that from her.
Still, when the tumult of her thoughts finally exhausted itself and allowed her sleep, Kagome felt small and frightened in the darkness of the room.
"You have done well, Kagura," a voice drawled, the praise devoid of real warmth. "To anticipate how far the girl would venture to take this."
A noncommittal sound echoed in the darkness in answer.
"Her type hardly requires much thought, Naraku-sama," a woman's voice said. "Put something like that in front of her and there is almost no other way she can react. It's pathetic, really."
"Now, now," returned the first voice with a hint of a mocking lilt. "We cannot all be so devious as you, Kagura. Give the girl due credit for her morality. After all, it is going to serve me well. And the faster I get what I want, the faster you can get what you want."
A moment of silence stretched tensely.
"Is there a reason for today's summons, Naraku-sama?" the female voice said at last, tone strained.
"Have the boy continue to keep a close eye on her," the voice replied. "Do not move to act, though. I know the hearts of the court well enough to see that they will gladly make short work of her in a desperate bid to preserve their power."
"They will not suffer such a threat to their way of life to remain long in their midst. So we will allow them to dirty their hands with her blood. You need only be near enough when the body falls to recover for me what I desire."
"The Shikon no Tama?"
"Your freedom and mine, Kagura."
"…I understand. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
"Feel free to fuel the fire when you can do so without drawing attention," the voice replied smoothly. "And if you should find no opportunities, be at ease. Preparations are almost complete. Sit back and enjoy the ushering in of a new age."
A moment of complete disorientation startled her upon waking. She was blind in the heavy darkness that she woke to, wondering where she was, who she was…
Slowly her eyes adjusted and Kagome regained her bearings. The remnants of the dream slipped away from her as she pulled herself free of the tangle of her futon, leaving only cold sweat and a vague feeling of foreboding in their wake.
Moving carefully through the darkness of the room to change out of her now damp sleeping yukata, Kagome made out the outline of a low window. It struck her that fresh air would be a welcome relief. The room felt stifling.
She fumbled in the dark, fingers questing across the wood of the frame for the latch that would open the shutter. At last she found it and felt it pop under her touch. She pushed the window open a fraction, greeting the cold air that swirled in with a sigh of relief.
A star-filled, moonless night sky filled the frame of the window.
Kagome realized with a jolt that it was the night of the new moon. Toga would be waiting for her.
She dashed to her trunk, quickly divesting herself of the sleeping yukata and donning her miko robes. She prayed she had not slept overlong. Toga surely would not wait hours for her to come to him.
Her hands slowed on the ties of her robes as she recalled the state of her appearance. Could she risk him seeing her like this? Did she want to?
But she did want to see him. He had offered her an ear attentive to her troubles, and she had a good deal plaguing her that she was eager to give voice to.
Yes, she wanted to see him very much.
She found the shawl she had borrowed earlier from Kikyou and wrapped it once more around her face. Certainly between it and the darkness of the night she could keep the disfigurement of her face from him.
She grabbed her bow, as well, even as her heart faltered at the thought of venturing out on her own once more. She certainly could not bring a guard to accompany her in this. Innocent as their meetings were, her character would be irredeemable in the eyes of the court should she be discovered. Toga might suffer for it as well.
She could only be prepared and pray to the kami for protection until she reached the tree.
Moving towards the shoji door, she paused. She could hear voices murmuring just on the other side. Probably servants passing by. She waited silently for them to move on.
But the voices remained. Kagome frowned, wondering after several minutes why they did not move. A motion, the sound of shifting armor, brought her her answer.
Sango or Miroku must have ordered some of the guards to watch her door. She cursed their thoughtfulness even as she was grateful for it. The guards would certainly not be leaving her door any time this night.
But Kagome was determined. She crept back to the window. It was large enough to allow her passage, and she slipped through into the garden just beyond it.
She paused there for a moment, considering. Guards were likely still stationed at the main entrance to the residence, as well. There would be no getting past them there.
A nearby tree, its great branches overhanging the outer wall of the residence, offered her a solution to this quandary. She had been quite adept at climbing trees in her youth.
She made short work of proving herself to be equally adept as an adult. It took little effort for her to scale the tree and drop lightly over to the other side of the wall.
A moment of panic slammed into her as her feet touched the ground, nearly winding her with its intensity. She forced herself to breathe for a moment, closing her eyes and spreading out her senses to assure herself that no one lurked around any corners.
The streets felt entirely empty. She chided herself silently for the irrationality of her fear. Taking another deep breath, she headed off at a sprint towards the Goshinboku.
At first glance the En no Matsubara appeared empty. Kagome's heart sank. She must have slept too late and he had grown tired of waiting for her.
As she turned to go, though, a shadow slid forward from the deep shade at the base of the Goshinboku. The outline was unmistakable.
"Toga!"
She could not stifle the cry as she dashed towards him. For a moment he seemed as if he would move forward to meet her, but instead he folded his arms across his chest and stood waiting.
Kagome felt a small twinge of disappointment, but quickly reminded herself that it was best he not come too close. She tugged the shawl self-consciously to make certain it was still in place, stopping a safe distance from him.
"So you decided to show up, huh?" he said by way of greeting.
"Be grateful I came at all," Kagome huffed, though she smiled still. "I was no small feat to get here undetected."
"Grateful?" he ground out, and she noticed for the first time the real tension drawing his frame taught. "Idiot. I'd have been grateful if you'd had the sense not to come."
He glared at her, brown eyes bright in the darkness. Kagome frowned, genuinely stung.
"Oh…" she said, her eyes dropping to the ground between them. "I…I had thought... I mean, you said…"
She faltered, feeling foolish for having been so eager to come when he obviously did not care to see her. She shook her head.
"Never mind," she said softly, as much to herself as to him. "I'll…I'll go…"
A hand on her arm staid her as she turned to go.
"You really think I'm gonna let you wander around on your own again, you moron?" Toga snapped behind her. "Kami! You've got no fucking idea what kind of danger you put yourself in by performing those rites!"
"I have every idea!" Kagome snapped, snatching her arm away from him.
She did not turn around to face him. She could feel that he was close behind her and at that distance he would surely be able to make out her face clearly.
"If you know, why did you come?" he snarled. "Recklessness? Idiocy? What drives you to play with your own life, Kagome?"
"I just wanted to see you!"
Silence. The words hung between them, and Kagome flushed at having allowed them to escape her.
"You told me once that I could talk to you," she murmured to cover her embarrassment. "And I could use someone to talk to right now. My friends mean well, but they do not understand. And the only other person I might tell of this will not see me."
A few more moments of silence. Then the hand returned to her arm, tugging lightly.
"Come on," he muttered, pulling her towards the tree.
She followed him, head bowed carefully to keep her face hidden.
He seated himself on one root and she on another, positioning herself in the shadows to keep herself cloaked.
He said nothing, but she could feel his eyes on her. She fiddled with her hands in her lap, at length hazarding a glance up at him through her lashes.
He was staring at her, his expression both grim and…something else. Something she could not quite put a name to.
"You know about the ceremony, then?" she said softly.
He nodded, a brusque jerk of his head.
"Do you think I was wrong?"
Silently she told herself it did not matter if he thought her wrong. She knew she had done right. That was enough.
Still, somehow it mattered.
He groaned, sliding a hand roughly across his face.
"Damn it, Kagome," he bit out.
He paused, scowling down at the ground as he tried to piece together some sort of answer.
"I don't think you were wrong," he said at last, meeting her eyes. "I get why you did it. I get why you needed to do it. But…kami, Kagome, how many times am I gonna have to watch you do this?"
He leaned forward and she watched, transfixed, as his hand came up tentatively to touch the side of her face. Her heart lurched against her ribcage.
But his hand pressed more closely and she flinched, reminded of her injuries. He stiffened, his gaze sharpening.
"What's with the shawl, Kagome?" he said lowly, gripping the material in his hand.
"It…it's cold out," Kagome stuttered, afraid to pull back lest the shawl come off in his hand.
He caught her eyes, boring into them with his own. Kagome faltered, her eyes darting away. With a growl he tugged off the shawl.
Kagome's eyes closed tight instinctively. In the darkness behind her lids the ensuing silence stretched interminably.
"Who?"
The word, so low she could feel it in her bones, made Kagome shudder. She dared not open her eyes.
"Toga…"
Hands cupped the sides of her face, angling it up towards him as he stood to loom over her.
"Who touched you?" he snarled, his breath warm on her upturned face. "Look at me, Kagome!"
Her eyes snapped open of their own accord.
He was close enough that their foreheads nearly touched. The pupils of his eyes were wide and dark. His face was ridged with barely contained rage, though the hands against her face exerted were careful still.
"I don't know," she said, unable to keep the slight tremor from her voice. "I couldn't see them. Please calm down-"
He shook his head, jaw clenching spasmodically.
"No! No! No more calm! No more strategy!" he snapped. "No more letting these bastards get away with whatever the fuck they want! They made the mistake of touching you, now they get to pay for once in their miserable lives."
"Toga, stop, please! You're not responsible for me. And I chose to do what I did knowing full well what the result might be."
"Not responsible-!" he began, then seemed to cut himself off. "Kagome, they need to suffer. I need them to suffer. They could've killed you. I'm surprised they didn't. And it's only a matter of time before they try again. If I don't show them now that they can't do this, they won't stop. You won't ever be safe."
Just beneath the anger there was desperation. She felt it in the slight tremor that passed through his hands. Saw it in muscles wound tight.
Her hands came up slowly, tentatively, to cup his face in return. She leaned her forehead lightly against his, meeting his eyes. The anger in his expression dimmed, muted by the flush that crawled up his neck so brightly that it was obvious even in the darkness.
"Thank you," Kagome murmured, the words low with feeling. "It means more to me than you can know. And I agree that the courtiers should not be allowed to simply do as they like with no fear of consequence for their actions. But hurting them will not help. It would only embitter them further against me, and then there would be no hope. So, please, have a care for me, if you cannot for them."
"They don't deserve my care," he scoffed, but his eyes were soft as they met hers.
She offered him a small smile, feeling this was as much of an agreement as she would get from him.
His expression only sobered further, though, his eyes growing hooded. Silence stretched for a long moment as he merely looked at her, his eyes tracing over the wound on her cheek several times.
At last something seemed to give behind his eyes and he leaned to the side, the warmth of his forehead leaving hers. Kagome felt a twinge of disappointment as she realized he was going to pull away.
And then he leaned in, his cheek brushing her injured cheek. Her eyes snapped wide as she felt lips ghost feather-light over the mottled skin of her injury.
"I'm sorry, Kagome," he murmured. "I swear, I won't leave you on your own again."
Kagome scarcely heard the words above the pounding of her pulse in her ears. Her cheek felt too warm where his lips had touched.
Her arms slid around him, seeking his warmth and solidity. His wrapped around her in return.
They remained that way for some time, until at last he pulled away and escorted her back to the Tachibana residence. He helped her to climb once more over the back wall before disappearing down the street as morning dawned over the court.
Kagome returned to her room and sat mutely for a long while, the warmth in his eyes haunting her.
Kagome was allowed one full day of rest, uninterrupted save moments when darker musings overtook her, before all of Kikyou's predictions came to pass.
Crowds of courtiers flooded the streets, surrounding the Tachibana residence. Kagome got word from a guard that they had surrounded some residences of their supporters, the outer gate of the Dairi, and the Chūwain, as well. She could not leave the residence to check for herself or see to their safety as she wished.
The guards kept the mob back, but the courtiers called all day for their punishment. Even the servants could not venture out.
The courtiers demanded most loudly Kagome's removal, some even her execution. She was an easy and obvious target and had expected no less. It seemed to pain Miroku, though, and he was quiet and withdrawn the entire day.
Kagome, Sango, and Shippou did their best to keep themselves occupied. There was little for them to do but wait it out until the rioters exhausted themselves.
Things were forced to a head much more quickly than that, however. At the end of the day they were informed that the Tennō had ordered a court-wide meeting to discuss the matter, to be held early the following day.
Kagome felt a moment of unease about this, but reminded herself that Kikyou must have spoken to him. The future Empress would prevent him from doing anything brash. Likely it would only be a meeting to announce that he was deliberating as to what course to take regarding the incident. It would serve to quiet the rioters for a time.
Still she slept rather fitfully, the courtier's cries for her head echoing in the streets.
Guards flanked Kagome in a tight ring as she waited just outside of the Daigokuden. The entirety of the court awaited her within. Like the first time so many moons ago, she was to walk in alone, a sole spectacle for the court.
The Tachibana servants had readied her that morning, trying doggedly to convince her to wear a juni-hito. She refused despite their insistence that it might soften her in the eyes of the court, or at least distract them from the role she had played as a spiritualist in the ceremony.
As far as Kagome was concerned, anything other than her miko robes would have been a denial of what she had done. She would not compromise herself in hopes of their sympathy.
She did allow them to cover her bruises with paling powder, though. As yet she was certain Inuyasha must know nothing of her injuries, and she had no desire to upset him and possibly discompose him before the eyes of the entire court.
For all her earlier certainty, though, Kagome felt nauseous as she awaited her summons to come forward. The thought of being paraded before the condemning eyes of those that only the day before had called for her death, or of being in the same room with those who had ambushed her and threatened her with a gruesome end should she continue in her cause…
But the doors were being pulled open and the guards around her moving forward. Biting her lip, Kagome made her way inside.
The room was no longer divided according to clan. That distinction had given way to the divide between her supporters and the rest of the court, seated in seething silence on opposite sides of the room. Fans were still. Even the colors of finery seemed muted for the occasion.
Miroku, Sango, and Midoriko sat at the head of the supporters, staring unwaveringly into the faces of their opponents. The Taira sat at the head of the opposition, their eyes burning with an oddly eager light as Kagome made her way up the aisle that separated the two factions.
The guards moved off to the sides as she reached the foot of the dais, though they remained close enough to come quickly to her side should it be necessary. Without them flanking her Kagome felt naked, vulnerable as she knelt and bowed low before the dais.
"Your Majesty, Fujiwara-sama, I have come as summoned," she said by way of greeting.
From the corner of her eye she saw someone amongst the opposition rise. It was a human woman, someone that Kagome did not know by name or clan.
"Your Majesty, we feel it our duty to call for the immediate removal of this blasphemer against our sacred law," she said, waiting not even to be acknowledged by the Tennō.
Kagome straightened from her bow, turning to watch with wide eyes. A glance at Kikyou where she was seated upon the dais confirmed her suspicions of the utter impropriety of this outburst. The future Empress's back had gone ramrod straight, her gaze sharp enough to cut.
Kagura stood, casting the human woman a silencing glance. She spread her fan, bright crimson in color.
"Your Majesty," she drawled. "Rather, we feel exile too light a punishment for such an offense as the miko's. The law is clear in this. Execution is the only fitting punishment for her transgressions. Is that not right, Fujiwara-sama?"
Kagome nearly flinched at this blow. She saw Kikyou pale, the line of her mouth hardening.
Miroku rose to stand before the future Empress could compose herself enough to reply, his expression devoid of its usual levity. He clutched his staff in white-knuckled hands, his eyes fixed on Kagura.
"You would punish only Kagome-sama, then?" he said. "What of the others who participated? What of me, who urged the ceremony from the start? You are cowards. You single Kagome-sama out for the harshest punishment because you believe her to be without support enough to save her from it. I will not stand for it!"
"If you are so eager to be punished for your crimes, we will by no means deny you, houshi-sama," said a youkai male, rising to stand. "Your Majesty, we call for the execution of the houshi, as well. It is long past time that we ceased to indulge his presence among us."
"Then you will have to call for mine, as well," said Sango, rising with high dignity to stand at Miroku's side. "I participated as eagerly as houshi-sama or Kagome-sama."
A chorus of voices followed hers, many of the supporters rising to stand. The great mass of the opposition rose to meet them. The clamor of voices swelled, everyone seeming to speak all at once. Insults and threats flew, and Kagome felt a moment of panic as she realized that it would soon come to blows.
"ENOUGH!"
The roar rang out above the chaotic din, demanding attention.
The room fell silent. All eyes turned towards the screen.
"We do not recall giving any of you leave to speak!" the Tennō growled, his figure looming large behind the screen. "Now take your seats and be silent, or we will see to it that the next one who speaks is punished."
The courtiers hesitated, trading uncertain looks. Kagura's brows were raised, her lips pursed as she considered the figure behind the screen with shrewd eyes.
"Now!" the Tennō roared once more, his tone brooking no argument.
Slowly, reluctantly, the courtiers resumed their seats. After a few moments they were all settled and silent once more, their sullen gazes fixed on the dais.
Kagome noticed that Kikyou seemed surprised, her brow furrowed slightly. Her fan flipped up to cover her mouth, disguising the frown that was forming there.
Silence stretched for several long moments behind the screen. The figure of the Tennō did not shift in the slightest, but Kagome could feel his eyes on them all.
Could feel his eyes lingering on her.
"Make no mistake," came his voice at last, when the silence had stretched taut. "This is no trial. We will not hear your complaints and we will not pass judgment on Higurashi Kagome this day."
No one dared speak, but the courtiers on the side of the Taira traded indignant glances. Angry fans flicked open, waving sharp condemnations of his words.
Kagome could not suppress a slight smirk.
It disappeared rather quickly.
"As we said, this is not a trial," the Tennō reiterated. "This is an end to the chaos of this court and a beginning to my reign as your true sovereign."
Kagome froze. Kikyou froze. The courtiers stilled.
There was a flare of youki behind the screen, one that Kagome recognized with a jolt. A second shadow loomed large behind the screen and her eyes widened. Even Kikyou seemed on the verge of rising from her seat.
And then, with one fell swing, the sound of rending wood and silk filled the room.
Inuyasha's great sword, his father's great sword, the sword of honorable rulers before him stretching back into unrecorded antiquity, cleaved the silk screen in two.
The room shook with the force of the blow. A great surge of the hanyou's youki swept through the room like a gale from the west. Kagome stood slack-jawed as the remnants of the screen came sliding slowly down the steps of the dais to rest broken at her feet.
Inuyasha stood at the stop of the dais, his sword poised before him as if for battle. His eyes burned, but there was a kind of fierce joy there that Kagome had never seen in him before.
With a deft flick of his wrist he planted the sword beside him, massive and pulsing in its transformed state. He planted his feet and looked out over the stunned crowd of courtiers, seeming to meet each pair of eyes with the force of his gaze.
"I am Inuyasha, son of the great Inu no Taisho!" he roared. "In my hand is the sword of my father, Tetsusaiga, with which he felled thousands to protect this court and this land. I have reclaimed it, and present it now to you as proof of my right to rule!"
"But I will rule, not by the dictates of the past, not in a manner designed to be pleasing to the court, but as I see fit! As is my right as your sovereign! I will play no more games with you!"
He paused, and his eyes connected with Kagome's. Slowly he made his way down the steps of the dais, hefting the great bulk of the sword effortlessly over one shoulder. He bypassed Kikyou, who stood now gaping openly at him. She did not seem able to make herself move to stop him, though.
Perhaps she thought it was all merely a dream. Kagome was beginning to suspect as much.
But the hand that came to rest on her shoulder was warm and real. She gaped up into his face as he turned to address the crowd once more.
"Nor will I conceal my position to conciliate those of you whom it might offend!" he continued, and she felt the words vibrate through her from the hand burning upon her shoulder. "I stand with those who performed the rites! I stand with the common man, who is as much my subject as any courtier! I stand with those who hold humanity, not archaic law, as sacred!"
"And I swear before you, should any harm come to those who have chosen to stand from those who are cowardly enough to strike under the cover of night, I will rain swift punishment down upon them! Make no mistakes, with the iron fang of my father I will mete out my justice!"
Eyes two blazing suns of triumph, he looked down into Kagome's upturned face.
And in that moment Kagome knew. He had torn down the screen for her.
How's that for momentous for you? I must confess, I've had that last scene planned out in my head for months. I was just biding my time for the right moment for it. What do you all think?
Anyway, I'm glad I got this chapter done. It's a real weight off my brain. And now that I've got my focus back it's time for some hard core catch up studying. Pray for me, dear readers. I'm going to need it come finals week.
Thanks again for all of your amazing support.
As always, review if you feel inclined and if not, I hope you still enjoyed the story.