Behind the Silk Screen

by eien-no-basho

When a twist of fate brings the common-born priestess Kagome to serve Inuyasha, Divine Emperor of Japan, will she be able to help him claim his place on the throne and bring order to their country? Or will court intrigues and their own burgeoning feelings tear the two and their nation apart? A historical romance set in Japan's Heian Era.

20. Of Confinements and Confessions

Welcome to chapter 20, dear readers! I can scarcely believe we've made it this far, but at last we're coming into the home stretch with this story. Thank you all yet again for all of your support throughout this long and winding journey. I couldn't have made it this far without you.

Our mini-history lesson for the day:

-chūgū: A term coined during the reign of Emperor Ichijō. Kōgō was generally the word for the Empress Consort and the palace in which she lived within the Dairi (the Fujiwara residence where Kikyou lives in this story), but Ichijō had two Empress Consorts and so chūgū was a term given to the second of them. The chūgū had a second residence built for her within the Dairi to live in.

-kikuji no ho and kikujin: Don't really feel like describing the kikuji no ho because it's elaborate and a bit strange looking, but if you google it you can get a good look. Basically it's the official dress of the Emperor, and kikujin is a greenish color that only the Emperor was allowed to wear within the court.

-nubakama: pants similar to the sashinuki Inuyasha generally wears in the series, but a bit more formal in nature.

-kanmuri: Once again, hard to describe, but google can provide you with a good image if you look it up. Basically a really, really silly looking hat that courtiers wore, with one specially designed one that served as the equivalent of a crown for the Emperor.

And now without further ado, the story!

---

Despite the swiftness with which she fled the encounter, Kagome could not get away from the tangled mess of her own feelings. She could not bear the thought of the Fujiwara residence at the moment and, forgetting even the caution of a guard, made to escape the confines of the Dairi as swiftly as her feet would carry her.

It was only a stroke of good fortune that allowed her to roam the streets of the court in such a manner without happening upon trouble, but before she knew it she and Shippou were safely within the walls of the Shingonin residence.

It had not been a conscious decision on her part to come to that place in particular, but she was vaguely grateful that her feet had carried her there. There were few servants in residence there to see her, and Miroku was out when she arrived.

Still shaking slightly, she was led to a small tea room to sit and wait for the houshi's return. A younger servant girl quietly served her and the kitsune a mug of tea each, thankfully withholding any comment she might have had on her poorly concealed distress.

Though Shippou made several valiant and rather outlandish attempts at gaining her attention, Kagome could not force her mind to focus on any single thing for more than a matter of moments. Echoes of the disastrous meeting assailed her, anger and embarrassment chilling and warming her by turns at the remembrance.

She wanted to take it all back. She wanted to charge back into his chambers and yell some more. It was hard to decide which of the urges was stronger, but in the end she could only get up and pace agitatedly about the room. Shippou watched her bemusedly from the perch he had taken up atop the table, uncertain what to do and beginning to feel vaguely guilty for his part in all of it.

The rattling of the screen as it was rolled back on its old hinges at last managed to pull Kagome free of her muddled thoughts. Miroku entered the room, smiling as he tucked several sheets of parchment away into the front of his robes.

For a moment he faltered at the sight of her up and in mid-pace and Shippou beginning to mimic her flustered motions atop the table. Coughing a laugh discreetly into his hand, he quickly recovered a welcoming smile.

"Kagome-chan, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he said, his good humor even more pronounced than usual. "I apologize for being out when you called. I had some business to attend to and I did not anticipate being allowed the privilege of your company today. Shippou-chan, as well."

"No, not at all," Kagome said hurriedly return. "I am at fault for failing to inform you before I came. I apologize. I merely…"

She trailed off awkwardly, mentally too exhausted to even attempt an excuse for her presence there. Her gaze fell to the floor between them.

"Your cheek seems to be healing well," he commented innocuously after a moment, sensing her unease.

She watched his feet as he came toward her, a gentle hand on her chin angling her face so that he could inspect the wound. Still she avoided his gaze, aware that he was examining more than just her injury.

"There's no swelling, and the wound is closing nicely," he said. "Still, a woman's skin should never be touched in the heat of any emotion save passion. I am deeply sorry I was not there for you when you needed me, Kagome-chan."

"Nonsense," Kagome returned sharply, unable to keep her gaze from him any longer. "You warned me yourself not to leave the residence. It's no one's fault save my own that I chose to not to heed you."

Miroku did not reply, merely looking into her face for a long moment. Kagome flushed, certain that he could read more there than she wished him to.

"You look distinctly unhappy, Kagome-chan," he commented gently, confirming her suspicions. She sighed.

"And you looked distinctly happy when you arrived," she returned. "I am sorry for ruining it. Perhaps I should go-"

"Uh uh uh," Miroku said, shaking his head. "You will not escape me so easily as that, Kagome-chan. Besides which, any man whose mood could be ruined by the presence of beautiful woman is no man at all. Come, allow me the pleasure of your presence a bit longer."

Involuntarily Kagome smiled, reminded for a moment of her first meeting with the houshi. Back when everything had seemed so simple…

The smile dimmed. Nothing felt quite so simple anymore.

A hand pressed lightly but insistently against the small of her back, propelling her out of the room. She glanced at the houshi and he offered her a benign smile, removing the hand and instead gesturing for her to go ahead.

"It's a bit cold, but the snow is beautiful over the garden," he said. "And I believe there is a kemari ball out there for you, Shippou-chan."

The three retired to the garden, Kagome and Miroku taking a seat on walkway that overlooked the frost-covered space while Shippou eagerly sought out the promised ball. He wasted no time in demanding their attention as he began a series of elaborate maneuvers to keep the ball aloft, eager to cheer Kagome and atone for his earlier role in her argument with the hanyou. Each bounce of the ball saw it assuming a new shape as it sailed aloft, from a crying mushroom to small statue of Jizō.

"My ears are yours should you have need of them," Miroku offered, glancing away from the kitsune's spectacle for a moment. "As well any other part of my body you might draw comfort from."

Kagome's cheeks pinked at the thinly veiled suggestion and she shot him a reproving look. He grinned unrepentantly in return.

"Must you talk like that when you do not mean a word of it?" Kagome huffed. "Only think, if ever you are in earnest about your feelings for a woman, she would never know it."

Kagome was well aware that she likely had no business poking around on her friend's behalf as to Miroku's feelings, but she could hardly keep herself from it. Besides which it was nice to focus her mind on anything save her own troubles.

Miroku's expression faltered for a moment, but he recovered quickly. He leaned in towards her, laying one of his hands over her own where it rested on the walkway and pressing his free hand to his chest in an exaggerated show of injury.

"It wounds me, Kagome-chan, that you can even suggest that my feelings for you are anything other than sincere," he opined theatrically. "My…ah, general appreciation for the beauty manifested in the female form in no way undermines my deep and abiding affection for you."

"And for any other woman on whom you lay eyes," Kagome returned drily, raising a brow at him. "Tell me truly, Miroku-sama, have you never felt that there was any woman who merited all of your attention? Just one woman who you thought was special above all others?"

"Must I continue to assure you of my affections, Kagome-chan?" Miroku attempted lightly. "Because I would be more than happy to prove to you physically how ardently my…"

He trailed off under the force of her unrelenting gaze. With a sigh he removed his hand from hers, turning to watch Shippou's antics out in the snowy garden.

"Little did I realize this talk of ours would be turned upon me," he quipped, a last ditch attempt at diverting her.

Kagome did not so much as blink.

"There was such a woman once," Miroku confessed at last, bowing beneath her determined stare. "But I gave her up long ago. The cause was a lost one, and why should I limit my boundless affections to the pursuit of a woman who could never reciprocate them? Besides, emotions are things of transient beauty. By nature they are fleeting. Thus the fleeting nature of my…ah, romantic encounters with women is tailored quite sensibly to match-"

"Why did you think it a lost cause?" Kagome interrupted, to keep him from steering the conversation back onto the usual course it seemed to take with him.

He shot her a glance from the corner of his eye, obviously perturbed at her ability to snatch the figurative reins from him. He shifted where he sat, shrugging his shoulders in a gesture that was strangely ineloquent for him.

"From birth there were certain circumstances that dictated that she and I were not to be," he replied vaguely. "I…I would not have done her harm for all the world, but that is what any union between the two of us would have been. Harmful to her."

Solemnity entered his expression now, his eyes growing distant with the turn of his thoughts. Kagome watched him, her chest aching with sympathy.

She felt more certain than ever that it was Sango with whom he had been in love. Sango whom he was still very much in love with. Why else would it still affect him so to speak of it? Obviously it was the disadvantage of his own birth that made him feel unequal to her and made him worry that she would be degraded by the match.

This time it was her who reached out to touch his hand.

"I understand, Miroku-sama," she said with feeling.

He blinked, drawn from his thoughts as he turned to look at her.

"We're terribly similar," she confessed softly.

Miroku's brows drew downward questioningly, but realization seemed to dawn after a moment.

"You mean to say that you…"

"There is a…a man," Kagome supplied, her gaze dropping. "He is…of the court. Really, it was very foolish of me to…"

She trailed off. She could feel Miroku looking at her for a long moment, taking this in, and she wondered if she should have told him. At last the hand beneath hers shifted, turning over to grasp her hand in turn. She glanced up at him.

"It seems you have been keeping more secrets than just the identity of our Tennō-sama," he said with solemn sympathy.

"I never thought myself a secretive person, but it seems I have collected more than my share since coming here," Kagome replied softly. "Are you angry with me?"

"No," Miroku answered, shaking his head. "I understand the necessity of certain secrets too well to condemn you for yours, Kagome-chan. With the Tennō-sama concealment was obviously necessary. As to this new object of your affections…I will confess that I wish you had confided in me sooner. Not only that I might have prepared my own heart for the disappointment of learning that you are forever beyond my reach, but also…"

He paused, turning to meet her eyes. The seriousness there took her aback for a moment.

"I often feel that I did you a great disservice in bringing you here," he said quietly, his eyes lowering to their entwined hands. "I knew that it would be hard for you, understood what life in the court as an outsider was, but I brought you nonetheless. And I know that you have suffered for my decision, though you are too good to say it yourself. I feel responsible for your happiness and your unhappiness, and I worry-"

"I do wish," Kagome interrupted him gently, squeezing his hand. "That everyone would stop trying to take responsibility for me. While it is very kind of all of you, I can promise you that it is entirely unnecessary. No one is responsible for me, my happiness or unhappiness or what have you, save myself."

"You did not force me to come to the court with you, Miroku-sama. I made a decision as much as you did, and for all that has happened I still would not have made a different one. You gave me a chance that otherwise I would never have gotten, and now you must allow me to do what I can with it. But please, never suffer the thought that you have done wrong by me."

Miroku looked at her for a long moment before his expression dissolved into a small smile. He picked up her hand, tugging at it until he had pulled her into the crook of his arm. He slung his arm across her shoulders quite chastely, holding her tucked affectionately against his side. Kagome smiled to herself, the brotherly warmth of the gesture momentarily sweeping other concerns from her mind.

"You are a good woman, Kagome," she heard him murmur. "And if this unworthy man lucky enough to gain your affections cannot see it, he is an incurable fool."

Kagome's smile dimmed a fraction.

"I am afraid that I am the only one fit to be called a fool," she sighed. "I have certainly acted the part in every instance in which he was concerned recently. Even just this morning I railed at him like a mad woman. And even knowing how awfully I acted, I still feel so angry at him. He's to be married soon, and though I know he's not responsible for my feelings…"

She sighed, her mood rapidly deteriorating as the morning's argument was brought once more to the forefront of her mind. Miroku, sensing the decline, squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"You were hurt, Kagome-chan," he said gently. "There's not much help for it. Love makes fools of us all in time. Believe it or not, I, too, have been subject to folly from time to time. No, no, do not protest, though I know I am your idea of perfection and wisdom embodied."

Kagome smothered a chuckle behind her hand, his histrionics overcoming her once more. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a barely suppressed smile on his face, threatening the mock-solemnity he affected. She looped one of her own arms around him.

"You have found me out, Miroku-sama," she replied in kind. "You have been my ideal since the first moment I laid eyes upon you. Shall we marry and be done with all this other nonsense?"

Miroku's expression cracked and he chuckled as well.

"Were that love was so simple a thing," he said. "We would at this very moment be within the confines of my chambers, consummating-"

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome cut in indignantly, her face heating.

"Forgive me, Kagome-chan," Miroku said, unrepentant and obviously pleased at having been able to take the joke farthest. "But when the thought of marriage to a woman as beautiful as yourself is put forth, I defy any man to keep his mind from matters of a more…physical nature."

"And those matters are better left in the mind alone," Kagome huffed, slightly miffed that he had managed to get the better of her yet again.

"Yes, yes," he said, patting her shoulder in a placating manner. "I apologize for offending your sensibilities. From now on I promise that all such thoughts of you will only be enjoyed within the confines of my own mind."

Kagome shot him a reproving look, but his attention had shifted back out to the kitsune in the garden. Shippou seemed to be attempting to ride the ball, now transformed into an over-large spinning top, around the yard. Obviously he had grown bored of kemari. He seemed to be getting quite dizzy, as well.

They both watched, smiling, as the child went whirling about the snowy garden. At length Kagome turned towards the houshi, a thought occurring to her.

"You said you gave the woman up," Kagome ventured quietly. "But did you really? Were you ever really able to stop…stop loving her?"

The question was a double edged sword, she knew. On the one hand she wanted so much for the answer to be no. That he had never gotten over his feelings for Sango. That there was still some hope, however remote or far-fetched, that the two of them might find the happiness they both so rightly deserved with one another.

But if the answer was no, he had never gotten over it, he was entangled in it still, then it hardly boded well for her own plight.

Still, she needed to ask.

Miroku did not turn to look at her. He continued to follow Shippou's antics with his eyes, but the joy had gone out of them.

"I have been with other women since the time when I first learned I loved her," he answered slowly, reluctantly. "And for moments at a time I have even been able to believe that I loved some of those women."

"Until I realized one day that standard to which I held all of these other women…was her. That she had become the ideal against which all others seemed to pale in comparison. That was a rather dismaying moment. Still, I do make an effort. What else can I do?"

Kagome's heart sank. There was a certain pained resignation in the set of his mouth that answered the question even more clearly than his words.

He loved Sango.

She leaned into his side, offering what little comfort she could. He squeezed her shoulder in acknowledgment.

"I want you to be happy," she said softly. "Please believe that you will be happy some day, as happy as you deserve to be. I believe it."

He did not answer her, but held her more closely.

---

Any conversation that might have followed was cut short by the entry of a servant. She informed Kagome that there were guards from the Dairi requesting that she come out. Apparently they had received orders that they were to return her to the Dairi immediately.

Kagome's stomach clenched at the thought of what this might mean. Likely her punishment for speaking so rashly was coming much more swiftly than she had expected. Miroku shot her a concerned look, as well, but she quickly assured him that it was nothing. It would not do to have him worried when there was little to be done either way.

She did ask, however, if he could keep Shippou with him until she could return to collect him. The child certainly did not need to be present for whatever down dressing Inuyasha would undoubtedly subject her to, and she had not forgotten the unwittingly antagonistic role he had played in their last encounter. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Miroku agreed readily enough. He also asked whether or not she thought she might be able to return to visit him the following day, his former good humor resurfacing for a moment as he informed her that he would have something that he wished to show her then. Kagome promised that she would and said her farewells to both.

The guards formed a tight ring around her as soon as she emerged from the Shingonin residence, as if they thought she might try to escape them. While the idea did appeal to Kagome, she knew it would be both foolish and pointless to attempt it. Wordlessly she allowed them to lead her back into the confines of the Dairi, only half listening to the head guard's apologies for having forced her to cut short her visit. They had received orders from the Tennō-sama and so on and so forth…

She was preoccupied instead with wondering exactly how angry Inuyasha would be with her and exactly how long she would be able to keep hold of her own emotions when faced with him again so soon. Despite her cathartic conversation with Miroku, she still felt raw and on edge at the thought of the hanyou. She only hoped she could bite her tongue long enough to get through this.

Kagome was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice that they had arrived until one of the guards tapped her sheepishly on the shoulder. She blinked, shooting the guard an apologetic look, and stepped forward as the head guard gestured for her to enter first.

She halted mid-step. She realized suddenly that this was not the entryway to Inuyasha's chambers. It was not a building that she recognized at all, for that matter.

"Ah, excuse me, but where are we exactly?" she said, turning back to the guards in confusion.

The head guard frowned at her.

"As I explained earlier, Miko-sama," he said slowly. "Our orders were to bring you here, to the residence of the former Chūgū-sama. There is no need to worry. The residence has been empty for quite some time."

"The Tennō-sama wishes for you to…remain here for a time. We will be at your service, Miko-sama, and your things will soon be brought to make you more comfortable here."

Kagome blinked, looking slowly from one guard to another. They all averted their eyes, looking slightly embarrassed. Obviously she had missed quite a bit in her inattention on the way here.

"Are you saying…am I to be confined here?" Kagome asked softly, scarcely able to believe the words as they left her.

The heard guard cleared his throat uncomfortably, his gaze dancing away from hers.

"Confinement is a rather harsh word, Miko-sama," he hedged. "The Tennō-sama would merely like to relocate you here for the sake of your safety. The mood of the court is hardly stable at the moment, and you are safest within the walls of the Dairi."

"Am I allowed to come and go as I please, then?"

"…No," the head guard reluctantly replied after a moment of hesitation. "The Tennō-sama has given us word that you are not to go outside unless you are accompanied by His Majesty. However, you are allowed to receive approved visitors and to exchange correspondence outside of the Dairi."

The latter was offered up hurriedly in the hopes of assuaging any explosion of anger that might be forthcoming, but Kagome was blank faced. She merely stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head.

"No," she said. "This cannot be right. I need to speak to the Tennō-sama. This cannot be right."

She took a step forward, intending to go to Inuyasha's chambers immediately, but the guards quickly stepped forward into her path.

"I apologize, Miko-sama, but we have our orders from the Tennō-sama's own hand. Until we receive word from His Majesty you are not to move from here. Please, if you will simply cooperate, Miko-sama, there will be no need for any embarrassment on any of our parts."

Kagome heard the threat veiled by the polite words. They would use force to keep her there if it she made it necessary. She stared at them wordlessly, brows furrowed in disbelief. Not a one of them budged at all.

With a barely muffled scream of frustration Kagome spun around and marched in past the gates of the residence. There were a number of servants milling about there, working to prepare the residence for an inhabitant after it had sat empty for so long, but they all paused to bow to her as she entered. Kagome could not even manage a smile in return, settling for merely giving a quick nod of acknowledgment.

She nearly fled into the first empty room she found in the residence, frightened at the force of her own anger as it built inside her. She dropped down to sit inelegantly on the bare, dusty wooden floor of the room, merely sitting and taking deep, shaky breaths for several long moments as she attempted to wrap her mind around what was happening.

Inuyasha had sentenced her to confinement.

There were a number of reactions that she had anticipated from him, but this was certainly not one of them.

But was it really him? Could he really have done this to her? Perhaps someone else had sent the orders to the guards masquerading as Inuyasha.

No. Who else would choose to confine her within the Dairi? If someone wanted to harm her, this was the last place to do it, and she knew well enough that the guards with her were loyal to Inuyasha. They would take orders from no one else and if they wanted to harm her they would have done it before now.

It could only be Inuyasha.

But how could he do this to her? Why would he take such drastic action to punish her for a silly bout of anger?

Kouga. Little that she knew of made the hanyou angrier than even just the mention of the wolf Lord. And Kagome had all but declared to him that she had chosen to be with Kouga.

Then it was not a punishment. It was a way to keep her from seeing Kouga.

This time Kagome did scream, bringing both of her fists down against the cold wood of the floor.

How dare he? How dare he? After all that she had done for him, he had the nerve to subject her to this sort of humiliation? And all because he didn't like Kouga!

Worst of all, she could not even yell at him for all of this until he chose to come and see her! Certainly she might write a furious note and send it to him, but there was no way that would even begin to satisfy the absolute rage roiling in the pit of her stomach…

"Miko-sama?"

A timid voice called softly from behind the shoji, startling her. For a moment all of her anger swung towards the slight outline of the figure there, but a moment's reflection showed her the irrationality of that. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a deep breath before she answered.

"Come in, please."

There was a moment of hesitation before the serving woman slid the door open, and Kagome regained enough presence of mind to wonder if she had heard the racket she had been making. The woman bowed once before entering and sliding the screen closed behind her. The serving woman turned towards her and bowed once more, her forehead nearly touching the floor.

Several long moments passed in silence.

"I…I do not mean to impose, Miko-sama," the woman ventured at last, her eyes lowered demurely. "But I…I happened to be passing by, you see, and I could not help but overhear…"

She trailed off, shooting the miko a quick glance. A hot flush crawled over Kagome's face as she realized that she had indeed been heard. She was silent, slightly mortified.

"Is there something the matter?" the serving woman resumed hurriedly at last. "I know well that it is none of my business, and if you do not wish to answer, Miko-sama, I understand entirely. But the servants of the court…we are all for you, you see, we all support you and…well, it struck me as strange, you know, that the Tennō-sama would inform all the servants so suddenly that he was moving you here, Miko-sama, and without even having moved many things here to see to your comfort first, and then to place a guard around the entire residence…well, I mean, it struck us all as strange…"

She paused once more, peeking up from beneath her lashes as if to gauge whether or not she had offended.

"What I am trying to say in my own rambling way is that…well, the servants are on your side, Miko-sama," she said, meeting Kagome's eyes momentarily. "Whatever the…ah, circumstances might be, you can count on us to stand with you if you need us."

Kagome blinked mutely at the woman for a moment, uncertain what to make of this. Abruptly it clicked into place. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed, her hands flying up in a warding gesture. "No, no. There are no…no circumstances. The Tennō-sama merely had me moved here because…well, for convenience's sake. It is easier for me to confer with his Majesty if I do not have to run all over the court to do so, you see, and Fujiwara-sama and I felt it best that I have my own space separate from hers now that I am an official court spiritualist."

She consoled herself with the fact that it was not entirely a lie. Certainly this unexpected move had been for the convenience of someone, if not herself. But now was not the time to let her anger and frustration get the best of her. She could not afford even the appearance of division or conflict with Inuyasha, not right now.

Still the serving woman appeared unconvinced.

"Then, what I heard just now…?"

"Was something else entirely," Kagome supplied. "As you might imagine, I have had a good number of things to frustrate me in the last several days, but I can assure you that my move here is not one of them."

"Of course," the woman breathed, tapping the side of her head in a gesture of abashment. "Of course. I merely assumed…But of course you've had a number of things to contend with, Miko-sama. We all know how hard you've been working. I'm sorry to have been so nosy, really…"

"Not at all," Kagome replied. "I appreciate your concern for me, truly. And I appreciate your obvious loyalty, as well. But I need you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my side is the Tennō-sama's side. His Majesty…His Majesty is a very good man, and I stand with His Majesty in all matters. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course, Miko-sama," the woman replied readily. "And the servants stand behind both of you, for whatever it's worth."

"It is worth a great deal," Kagome replied, smiling at her.

The woman peered up at her, smiling tentatively in return.

"You are one of the few able to see it as such," she said softly. "Now if you will excuse me, Miko-sama, I am supposed to be helping to unpack the things and clean this old place up a little bit. I had best stop shirking my duties."

She bowed again once more before moving to leave.

"Just a moment," Kagome called after her as she slid the shoji open.

"Yes, Miko-sama?"

"Your name," Kagome said. "May I ask it?"

"Chūsei, Miko-sama," the woman replied, beaming now. "You may call me Chūsei."

Kagome smiled.

---

It took a great deal of effort and several hours of meditation out in the large gardens behind the residence-nearly falling ill in the process because of the deep chill in the air and earning herself a scolding from Chūsei for it- but at length Kagome was able to at least get a rein on her anger over having been forced into isolation.

She could not say how long she might be able to keep hold of those reins if confronted with the hanyou himself, but for the time being she could at least maintain the appearance of a united front with him.

Her frustration over the extreme limitations of the situation was an issue not as easily overcome. Certainly she had been limited before due to the tenuous nature of court sentiment at the moment and the necessity of having a guard with her whenever she went out, but at least she had still been relatively free to go about as she wished.

The guards here made certain that that was no longer an option. They encircled the entire perimeter of the residence. Even still she was tempted to at least try and see if she might be able to get past them, if only to get out from behind the walls for a bit. Ultimately she rejected the idea, deciding that her 'united front' fib would likely fall apart if she were to alert the servants of the residence to the fact that the guards were in place as much to keep her in as to keep others out.

Within the span of the first day of her confinement the servants, whirling about the premises in a flurry of activity, had managed to clean out and furnish every room with things of hers sent over from the future Empress's residence as well as things she had never seen before but that Kagome was informed had been supplied by the Tennō-sama himself.

There were lavish robes, rugs, silk folding screens, a few small trunks of rather extravagant jewelry, perfumes, a few game sets, and an abundance of paper and writing materials. An elaborate bathing chamber was even set up for her, filled with oils and soaps of all sizes and colors.

All of the opulence and show really only served to fuel Kagome's latent anger. She thought it foolish in the extreme to go to so much trouble to equip the whole residence when it was only her staying there and when she had no intention of remaining for very long if she could help it at all.

Besides which she could see clearly in the sheer bulk of the items Inuyasha's inelegant attempt at appeasing her. It only served to irritate her further that Inuyasha seemed to think her foolish enough to be distracted by a few shiny trinkets.

The result of all of this was that Kagome was left with little to do but think and wait. She sent off a note to Miroku and Shippou apologizing for being unable to come and visit them for a time and offering the excuse that the Tennō-sama had asked her to remain close for the next several days for reasons she had been asked not to disclose. She did not dare invite either of them or Sango to come visit her. She knew that if they were to come and see the guards flanking the residence she would not be able to conceal her captivity for long. Better to keep them at arm's length and correspond through notes for the time being.

She attempted to send a note to Kouga, as well, but the servant carrying her message returned at the end of the day to inform her that she had been unable to find any trace of the wolf Lord. The residence he had been occupying had been cleared out and no one seemed to have any idea where he might have gone. Kagome thanked the man for his efforts, though inwardly she was troubled.

Kouga had promised he would leave immediately to start rallying the youkai clans outside the court, but he had also said he would come to see her before he set off. Knowing him as she did, Kagome found it hard to believe that he would simply leave without coming to see her first.

She wondered if Inuyasha had had a hand in his sudden disappearance. She wanted to believe that he was not brash enough to lash out at the wolf Lord and risk engendering the wrath of his clan merely because of what she had said, but it was hard for her to feel certain of anything after the stunt he had pulled by having her placed in isolation simply to keep the two of them apart. The best she could do was to pray that the wolf Lord had made it out of the court unmolested.

The ample time she now had for reflection did not supply Kagome only with worries, though. At her request Chūsei often came to keep her company. The woman was some twenty years her senior and had a motherly, unassuming air that Kagome found deeply comforting. She was also genuinely concerned with her welfare in a way that soothed the village girl's frayed temper.

In the course of one of their conversations out on the back walkway that overlooked the frosted gardens, each of them clutching a mug of steaming tea to keep warm as they watched the occasional small flurry of flakes drift lazily down from the darkening sky, Kagome gave voice at last to a thought that had been growing in the back of her mind since their first meeting.

"Chūsei?" she began tentatively.

"Hmmm?" the serving woman responded absently, her eyes busy tracing the path a of a single errant snowflake as it whirled in dizzying circles to land at last near them on the walkway.

It had taken some time, but she had at length been convinced to speak informally when it was just the two of them together. The casual response made Kagome grin.

"I have a request to make of you, if you'll hear it," Kagome said.

Chūsei blinked, emerging from her half-daze and turning towards Kagome with a quizzical frown.

"I'm surprised. You hardly ever ask me for anything," Chūsei said. "Of course I'll hear it, Kagome-sama. You've long known I'm yours to command."

"I'm well aware," Kagome said. "However, this request is…a bit extravagant, if you will. I just want you to know beforehand that I understand entirely if you choose to refuse."

Chūsei merely cocked a brow, waiting for her to continue.

"From what I've seen in my time here in the court, servants go largely unnoticed by the nobles, despite the obvious fact that all of their lives are essentially built upon your efforts," Kagome said.

"A job done well is its own reward. It's the courtiers who need the praise and recognition, not us servants," demurred Chūsei, though she looked pleased by the acknowledgement.

"Precisely," Kagome replied. "Servants are present everywhere in the court, in every residence, though they're largely a quiet presence. And that brought me to thinking, well…I need your help, Chūsei. Your help and the help of any other servants you can find who are willing."

"You know well enough that these are uncertain times for the Tennō-sama. And with the eyes of the servants helping his Majesty and I, it is my thought that a great deal of trouble might be avoided. I need…I need information, I suppose, and I can't get it all by myself. I'm simply not able. But with your help…"

Kagome trailed off, watching the woman with hopeful eyes.

"You mean that you would like the servants to act as your eyes and ears around the court?" Chūsei supplied after a beat of silence.

Kagome nodded.

"I don't mean to have you invade their privacy for me," she clarified. "I don't want familial secrets or anything like that. I just need to know if there are any who plan to oppose the Tennō-sama or harm his Majesty. But I cannot be everywhere at once, and many of the clans are wary of me now that they know who I am and where I stand."

"I understand, though, that there is a good deal of risk involved for the servants should they ever be caught. I can promise to take full responsibility should that happen, and I'm certain his Majesty would offer as much protection as possible, as well. But I need you specifically, Chūsei, to organize the others. To keep track of them, listen to whatever they have to report, and bring it back to me or the Tennō-sama. If you are willing, that is."

Chūsei merely looked at her for a long moment, her expression neutral. Then the corners of her mouth curled upward, warmth lighting her pale brown eyes as she reached out to place a chilled hand over one of Kagome's own.

"As if it were a question," she chuckled. "I'd be honored to be of help to you, Kagome-sama. And while I can't make promises for anyone else, I know there are a great many servants who would be eager for the chance, as well. After all, who else beside you and the Tennō-sama will stand for us? Will praise us and think us valuable?"

"More people than you might think," Kagome said softly. "The courtiers…with time I think they can be brought to see things differently. Many of them are simply so certain that the old ways must be the right ways that they don't stop to consider them. We only need to make them think."

"Then you make them think, and we will watch them," Chūsei said, patting her hand. "If anyone can do it, it will be you. Tomorrow I will begin inquiring among some of the servants I'm certain I can trust."

"Thank you," Kagome said, squeezing the hand that covered hers appreciatively.

And thus, with one request, she gained hundreds of thousands of eyes and ears.

---

An entire week passed for Kagome in isolation. By the end of she felt she might be on the verge losing her wits, despite copious amounts of meditation and the occasional company and reports of Chūsei on her progress in recruiting servants.

Even so, the form that her reprieve came in almost made her wish she could have just remained within the residence.

The servants woke her early on the seventh morning, guiding her half-asleep back to the elaborate bathing chamber that she had yet to make use of. Heated water and the scent of bathing oils already filled the large wooden basin, and the servants made quick work of stripping her down and urging her into the tub.

They scrubbed vigorously enough to wake her fully, cleaning the grime from her skin and hair. They oiled her hair, too, and applied some sort of lotion to her skin after they had dried her off. While Kagome generally found the process of being washed and groomed by servants objectionable at best and a genuine pain at worst, what followed was worse by far.

Chūsei arrived towards the end of her bath, informing her that she had clothes laid out in her room. Kagome donned a robe and followed her there where, to her horror, she found a juni-hito composed of no less than nine layers laid out for her.

She shot Chūsei a pleading look, but the woman merely shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-sama, but I have my orders," she said. "It's to be a juni-hito today or nothing. Now, come, you're sure to look beautiful."

Kagome frowned.

"Whose orders?" she persisted stubbornly.

"The Tennō-sama's direct orders," Chūsei replied, bending to take up the innermost layer.

Kagome felt her hands curl into fists, anger sparking in her abruptly. What abuses did he hope to heap on her now by forcing this on her?

"Did his Majesty give a reason for the necessity of all of today's…finery?" she managed to get out without sounding too rankled.

"None," Chūsei replied succinctly. "And you had best quit stalling. I'm getting this on you one way or another."

With a sigh Kagome submitted, knowing well enough that with Chūsei's unbending will it was more than an idle threat.

Chūsei made quick work of dressing her and making certain that the layers fell correctly. She combed out Kagome's hair-it had grown down past her waist now, Kagome noted idly-and fussed with it a bit before deciding to leave it lying unadorned down her back. She hesitated when it came to the face power, taking her chin in one hand and examining her features contemplatively.

"Well, you're pale enough to do without, I think," she mused aloud. "But that bruising is still a bit dark. We'd best cover that up, at least."

As Kikyou had predicted, the cut was healing up nicely and did not seem as if it was likely to scar. The inside of her mouth had long since healed completely and the bruising on her cheek had recently faded to a mottled yellow blotchiness that, while still unpleasant to look at, was at least not painful when prodded.

Chūsei set to work covering the remnants of the wound, adding a bit of pale pink powder to her lids to complement the pale blue of the robes before declaring her as beautiful as an Empress.

Kagome was given a pair of geta and a light parasol and instructed to go to the front gate of the residence. She made her wobbling way out, cursing inwardly with every clumping step the asinine ideas about beauty held in the court. The guards allowed her out with cordial nods, as if they had not been keeping her locked up for a week. Obviously they had received their orders, as well.

A figure awaited her just outside of the gates, back turned towards her, and for a moment she was taken aback. There was no mistaking who it was, the distinctive coloring of his hair alone made him instantly recognizable, but the outward transformation was so great that she was thrown.

Gone was the casual bright red of his simple karaginu and sashinuki, replaced by a long and elegantly embroidered kikuji no ho of the imperial kikujin coloring. Billowing nubakama of a dark blue peeked out from beneath the low hem of the kikuji no ho. He had even gone to the length of having the mass of his silver tucked up beneath the black lacquer of the kanmuri, his ears obviously pinioned beneath it as well.

Kagome was too shocked to do more than stare as Inuyasha turned around, looking as miserable as she felt swaddled in all of her finery. His eyes met hers and his expression shifted, catching somewhere between wary guilt and stubborn defensiveness.

"H-hey," he said tentatively after a beat of silence.

Kagome felt every muscle in her body tense instantaneously, anger rushing hotly into her face. He must have seen it there clearly enough, if the slight step he took back was any indication.

"We need to go get Kikyou," he said hurriedly, turning on his heel and starting off without waiting for her.

"Don't you dare run away, you coward!" Kagome hissed, softly enough that the guards at the gate could not hear her. "You know what you did was wrong! How dare you-!"

She scrambled clumsily after him, holding up the hem of her robes in the exact manner she had been taught not to and wobbling horribly atop her shoes. After a few moments he seemed to take pity on her, slowing his pace enough for her to come up just behind him.

"You turn and face me right now, Inuyasha!" she snapped, reaching out to tug at one of his trailing sleeves. "What you did to me is unforgivable, unbelievable, and I deserve an apology! At least an explanation! You can't just-"

"I can and I did," Inuyasha replied lowly, without halting or even sparing her a glance. "And I ain't gonna apologize, Kagome. I did the right thing."

"T-the right thing?" Kagome choked out, only just barely managing to keep from digging her nails as deeply into his arm as she could manage. "In what world is forcing me into confinement against my will the right thing?"

"You're mine, Kagome," Inuyasha said, and Kagome felt her heart jolt sharply inside her chest at the blunt sincerity of the words. "My servant. In case you forgot, you promised you'd stick with me. That flea-bitten bastard was distracting you. So I took away the distraction, simple as that."

Kagome faltered, the not entirely unpleasant shock of his words stealing her voice for a moment. She tried to remind herself that he had disrespected her with what he had done, had forced his will upon her when he had no right to. Still it was hard to recover all of her former wrath.

"What did you do to Kouga-sama?" she asked at last.

He did not reply, but shot her a glance out of the corner of his eye that said clearly enough that something had been done and it was not good. A chill ran through Kagome deeper than that in the air, and she was on the verge of demanding an explanation when the outer wall of the Fujiwara residence came into view.

Kikyou awaited them just outside of the front gate, her face hidden in the shade created by her parasol. She stepped lightly toward them through the thin layer of snow that still covered the grounds. Admiration and resentment vied for position inside Kagome at the grace of her movements even within the confines of the juni-hito.

"My Lord. Miko-sama," she greeted them both, and Kagome was silently surprised at the shift in address. "You look well."

The shade made her expression entirely inscrutable, and her tone was equally so. Still Kagome noticed suddenly the hand that still clutched the fabric of Inuyasha's sleeve. She released it as if it had burned her.

"As do you, Fujiwara-sama," Kagome replied politely, bowing.

"I trust you have found your new home in the former Chūgū-sama's residence to be satisfactory," the future Empress commented lightly.

Inuyasha shifted slightly beside her. Kagome, too, could sense a pointedness hidden behind the question that she did not understand. She hesitated, uncertain if she should tell the truth of it.

"It is a very beautiful place," she settled on at last. "Certainly more than I deserve. His Majesty is too generous by far."

She could not help shooting Inuyasha a glance at the last, though she did not push any further. Though she and Kikyou were slowly on the path toward an understanding, the idea of allowing the other woman into any dealings between her and Inuyasha bothered her. If the hanyou had not told his future wife exactly what he was doing, then Kagome would not be the one to do it either.

"I am glad to hear it," Kikyou said, though again her tone was so bland that it was difficult to tell if she truly was. "Shall we go then, my Lord?"

Inuyasha offered up his arm to her and Kikyou delicately placed her free arm within his. Kagome felt a slight twinge at the sight and averted her eyes, deciding then and there that whatever had occasioned her release from the residence that now served as her own personal prison was not something that she was going to enjoy.

With a small contingent of guards-ones recognizable as belonging to the Tachibana clan, Kagome noted with a fleeting twinge of pleasure-trailing a after them, the three made their way out of the Dairi. Kagome wanted very much to ask what they were to be doing, but stubbornness sealed her lips. Inuyasha and Kikyou both seemed to know perfectly well what was going on and Kagome refused to expose her own ignorance.

It seemed at first that they were merely taking a stroll. A light snow began to fall from the hazy gray of the morning sky and Kagome opened her own parasol to keep the flakes from landing on her robes. Other courtiers milled about the avenues all around them, more than Kagome could ever recall seeing outside at one time. She wondered if perhaps they had known about this stroll beforehand.

They watched from beneath parasols and behind fans with wary eyes, some even peeking out from just inside the gates of residences. Inuyasha and Kikyou continued to walk as if they were unaware and in no hurry, their heads held high and their faces composed. Kagome did her best to project the same image despite her general discomfort.

At length, after they had taken a few turns down several different streets, a woman approached them tentatively. She bowed lowly.

"I had heard that we might approach you, Tennō-sama, if we had any concerns," she said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

Inuyasha inclined his head slightly, assenting to this.

"I have a question then, Tennō-sama," she said, gaining a bit of confidence. "In…In eschewing the screen, your Majesty, have you not thrown out entirely the authority of the Tennō-sama? Years of tradition and your privileged position as conduit to the kami on earth?"

She turned her eyes up to his face, earnest with questioning. Kagome's gaze slid to Inuyasha to gauge his reaction. She half-expected him to snap at the woman, but his face retained the regal passivity he had managed to hold on to thus far throughout the outing. Kagome wondered if he was perhaps spending too much time with Kikyou.

"I have to believe that the authority of the Tennō is not dependent upon something as trivial as a screen," Inuyasha answered at last, and Kagome's eyes went wide. "And it is my wish to rule on the merits of my own ability, not the weight of the past or any supposed link I have with the kami. I will live or die by my own sword."

The reply was eloquent beyond anything Kagome might have anticipated, and she could not help the proud grin that stretched across her features. Still, a quick glance at the woman revealed some doubt lingering there. She turned to her, meeting her eyes.

"A great lesson I was taught in my training when I was young," Kagome said. "Was that the kami have no desire for us to merely wait complacently for the destiny which they desire for us to have. They have set an example of the path to walk, but we must walk it on our own with our own strength. It is not that his Majesty wishes to put the kami away from himself, but that his Majesty wishes to follow his own path using his own strength."

The woman blinked, nodding slowly as she took this in. A tentative smile spread across her face and she nodded once more.

"Yes, I see," she said. "Thank you. That has been troubling me, but I think I understand now. Thank you, Tennō-sama, Miko-sama."

"And we thank you for sharing your concern, cousin," Kikyou replied gracefully. "His Majesty is ever open to hearing from his people."

The woman nodded, bowed, thanked them all once more, and hurried off.

The walk resumed. Several more people approached in the course of it, all of them with various questions, requests, and concerns. Inuyasha met them all levelly, despite the vaguely inflammatory nature of a few of the comments, and Kikyou and Kagome filled in where he stumbled. By the third encounter or so it became clear to Kagome that Inuyasha must have made it known to the court that he would be out and that he wished to address their concerns.

She also understood the purpose of it. He was making his presence known and felt while at the same time giving the courtiers access to the Tennō in a way that had never been available to most of them before. He was establishing a connection with them, making himself real in their eyes by being present among them. Kagome marveled silently at the cleverness of the move and the amount of preparation he must have put into it.

Even so, the ones who did approach him were people belonging to clans that Kagome imagined were already sympathetic to his cause. The ones who were not merely observed from a distance, sizing him up. Still, it was something, and Kagome was rather proud of Inuyasha.

Less proud, perhaps, when at the end of it she was returned to the former Chūgū's residence and realized she was still not allowed to come and go as she pleased.

---

These daily strolls out into the court-along with her subsequent re-confinement each day-continued for a week. Every day at the same time the routine was repeated, Inuyasha obviously intent on establishing his presence as sovereign. More people approached them each day, and the duty fell to Kikyou and Kagome at the end of each outing to repeat the requests of the day to Inuyasha, who would then record them to be dealt with later as he saw fit.

The strolls were sometimes difficult for Kagome, beyond merely the difficulty of being forced into geta and a juni-hito each day. Inuyasha and Kikyou walked always arm and arm, united, and Kagome often felt intensely alone while watching them. She tried for awhile to watch them as much as she could, to get herself used to the sight and fix the idea of them together firmly in her mind, but she soon found that the ache of it never quite went away and gave it up.

Besides that she had also to contend with her lingering anger towards Inuyasha. As they were always in public together she dared not address it aloud, but her resentment of his high-handedness simmered just beneath the surface. He refused to tell her when, if ever, he intended to end the confinement or what he had done to Kouga, as subsequent servants she sent out also failed to find him.

She was pleased to see, though, that despite the recent upheavals it did not seem that any of the clans were as yet on the verge moving against Inuyasha immediately. They seemed content to watch for the time being, and some even seemed inclined to give Inuyasha the chance he needed to prove himself a good leader.

Perhaps it was merely that none of them yet had the means to oppose him openly, but it was a comfort to Kagome to know that he was safe for the time being.

---

"I confess to feeling a bit of impatience, Kagura," a voice murmured coolly from somewhere in the darkness.

A small, muffled shriek followed, resounding through the blackness.

"S-Stop," a woman's voice choked out. "Please s-stop. There's…nothing that can be done…"

"There is always something to be done, Kagura," the man's voice drawled lazily. "Perhaps if I squeeze a bit harder I can help you to find some inspiration…"

"No!" the woman yelped. "No…just, please, Naraku-sama…he's locked her away in the Dairi. She only comes out once a day, and he's with her then. There's no way to get near her right now without drawing attention."

"Does the mutt know, then?"

"We are not certain. If he does, he is saying nothing about it and he certainly has not made any move to make use of it yet."

Silence stretched for long moments. Abruptly the woman's scream rent the air.

"Not a good answer, Kagura," the man's voice chided lightly. "For what reason do I keep you if you prove to be so useless? And now I hear that even some within the clan are beginning to waver. Can you not control even that witless bunch of puppets? But I suppose not. A puppet control a puppet? Where is the sense in that? Perhaps I should merely take matters more firmly into my own hands…"

Another gut-wrenching scream, followed by faint sobbing.

"Stop…stop…"

"I am offering you one final chance, Kagura," the man continued, his casual tone unaltered by the woman's obvious distress. "I will intercede on your behalf. Make certain the girl is drawn out. We cannot afford to leave her in his hands or to allow him to gain anymore sympathy. Fail me this time, though, and be assured that I will dispose of you. Never forget that you are expendable, Kagura."

The soft sobbing continued.

---

Kagome awoke abruptly, sitting up in her futon. Her cheeks felt wet, and she realized she must have been crying in her sleep. A vague sense of horror still lingered and she wondered what in the world she could have been dreaming about.

Eventually she dismissed it as unimportant, realizing that it was rather futile to concern herself overly with something as trivial as a bad dream. The pale light streaming in from her window told her she had woken far too early, before even the servants usually woke her to prepare her for the court rounds as she had mentally dubbed them.

She puttered about her room lazily, putting on her miko robes for the sake of warmth and combing out her hair. She was contemplating whether or not she wanted to ask for some tea to warm her up a bit when a voice called urgently through the shoji door.

"Miko-sama! Please hurry! The O-Miko-sama awaits you at the front gate and she says it is urgent!"

It took Kagome a beat to process this, but she was up in a flash. She threw on her sandals, grabbed her bow, and made a dash for the front gate.

Midoriko was there waiting for her, her face pale and strained in the early morning light.

"I'm sorry to wake you, child, but I'm going to need your strength," the O-Miko panted, obviously having run all the way to get to her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Kagome asked hurriedly, her heart already pounding within her chest.

"No time," Midoriko returned, grabbing her hand. "I will explain on the way."

"O-Miko-sama, I apologize, but we are under orders not to allow the Miko-sama out without the Tennō-sama's consent," said one of the guards at the gate, reaching out as if to hold Kagome back.

Midoriko shot him a look that would have made a lesser man cringe.

"Does it look as if I have the time to entertain your nonsense?" she snapped, tugging Kagome out of his reach and beyond the gate. "Go tell the Tennō-sama what I have done yourself if you like, but we will be going now."

She spun around and broke into a run, Kagome trailing after her. The guards called out after them, but they obviously saw that it was no use. Midoriko carried a good deal of weight as the O-Miko and they were reluctant to go directly against that.

"What's going on?" Kagome breathed again, tugging at the strap of her quiver as it bounced against her shoulder.

"When I was meditating this morning," Midoriko replied, swerving sharply to turn a corner into the main avenue. "I felt something wrong. Some great ill will. At first it was far off, but it swiftly grew closer and closer. I soon realized it was heading towards the court. It's been some time since I last sensed a pack of youkai this large, or this angry."

She made another turn, and Kagome realized they were heading towards the northernmost outer gate.

"I cannot say what it is, but there must be some force driving them," Midoriko continued. "Groups this large simply don't form without some guidance. But I suppose that's a concern for when this is over. I need you to lend me your power, Kagome. The court is vast. I have never been able to muster enough strength to create a barrier around it on my own before or I would already have done so. My hope is that the two of us combined will be enough."

"And if we're not?"

Midoriko shot her a dark glance.

"Then I do not look forward to the chaos that will ensue," she replied. "If there's nothing to keep them from it, they'll be inside the court in moments. We have the forces to fight them off, but not quickly enough to keep them from wreaking havoc in the meantime. If we can form the barrier we can keep them at least from attacking those that can't defend themselves."

"How long do we have?" Kagome asked, memories of the attacks on the villages flitting sickeningly through her head.

She could see the gate just ahead.

"Not long at the rate that they were moving," Midoriko replied grimly.

They reached the gate and dashed out. The guards there were startled, staring at the pair as they stood panting.

"I need one of you to go inform the Tennō-sama that there is a swarm of wild youkai heading towards the court," Midoriko said, turning to them. "Tell his Majesty he is needed at the north gate. And I need the other to go to the Tachibana and the other guards and tell them the same. We need anyone we can get here as soon as we can get them, do you understand?"

They hesitated, glancing at one another. Midoriko scowled.

"We'll watch your gate for you, you idiots, so go now!" she snapped.

That got them moving.

"Yes, O-Miko-sama!" they said almost in unison before dashing off.

"Dolts…" Midoriko murmured under her breath as she watched them.

"How are we to do this, Midoriko-sama?" Kagome asked, recalling her attention. "I've never done a barrier of this size before, and normally I've worked through conduits. I don't know how to do it from scratch."

"I set up conduits at each gate this morning after I realized what was happening," Midoriko replied. "I know where each is located so I have the focus points. I just need you to lend me your energy and I will direct it. Hurry, give me your hands."

A feeling ran through Kagome like phantom fingers running down the length of her spine. She turned, wide eyed, to look out at the dark forest that bordered the northern gate. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Midoriko do the same.

"I feel them," Kagome breathed, her skin crawling all over with gooseflesh.

"Kami…" Midoriko murmured, sounding faint. "No. No! There's time yet. Take my hands, child."

She snatched up Kagome's hands within her own, turning the frozen girl forcefully away from the forest.

"Close your eyes and concentrate," Midoriko commanded.

Kagome did so, focusing all of the energy she could muster down through her arms, into her hands, and into Midoriko. She felt the peculiar tingle in her hands and up through her arms as the energy began to move out of her and into the older woman.

"Good girl," Midoriko murmured, her voice slightly strained as she focused both of their energies on forming the barrier.

Kagome continued to funnel her energy through their entwined hands, feeling as if she were pulling from the very soles of her feet for every last bit of it that she could muster. On the fringe of her focus she began to hear something, the pounding of feet. She could sense hundreds of presences moving hurriedly towards the gate. On her other side she could feel the force of the youkai, wrathful and gaining ground every moment…

"Concentrate!" snapped Midoriko, calling her mind back.

Kagome refocused, pushing a surge of energy through her hands into the miko. She was beginning to reach her limit, though, and it was becoming more of a strain to dredge the energy up. Worse yet, she could not feel the barrier forming.

"Midoriko-sama…"

"I know, we're almost there. I just need one more big push from you," the older miko murmured.

There was the tremble of nerves in her voice, though, and her palms were slick with sweat within the confines of Kagome's own hands. She could feel the presence of hundreds of people flanking them now, watching and waiting in tense silence as they worked. She could also feel the youkai pressing ever closer.

Kagome clutched Midoriko's hands more tightly, feeling her limbs begin to tremble as she reached down into the last reserves of her energy. She forced it up through her hands, feeling faintly ill and certain that she was expending more than she could afford to.

She felt something flicker over the court. Once. Twice.

On the third instance the barrier flared into life. Kagome could have shouted for joy.

And then Midoriko collapsed. The barrier flickered once and then winked out of existence entirely.

Kagome's stomach dropped. Her eyes snapped open, taking in in a wild instant the mass of courtiers huddled anxiously just inside the gate and the mass of imperial guards and members of the Tachibana flanking her.

And the barrier was gone without a trace.

Kagome experienced a moment of blind panic, certain that she could not create a barrier out of what little energy she had left and now able to feel the physical crash and rumble of the youkai swarm's approach.

A hand touched Kagome's shoulder and she spun around, wild-eyed.

"Kagome-chan!"

It was Sango, dressed in full taiji-ya regalia. The familiar sight returned some sense to her.

"Sango!" she cried out, throwing her arms around the older woman.

"Kagome-chan, what's going on?" Sango asked, embracing her in return.

"There's no time," Kagome said, pulling back to arm's length and meeting the woman's eyes urgently. "I need you to arrange the guards and your clan. Form as much of a wall as you can to protect the gate. They're going to try and get in first, I know it. I'll try to get the courtiers to flee, alright?"

Without waiting for a response, Kagome made a dash towards the courtiers. On her way she called out to a nearby guard, ordering him to see to Midoriko. It was obvious that she had merely overexerted herself attempting to create such an extensive barrier, but she needed to be seen to and at least moved somewhere safe.

She came before the mass of murmuring courtiers and raised her arms to gain their attention. Hundreds of eyes fixed on her, anxious for some sort of reassurance.

"Please, everyone, I need you all to get as far from here as possible," Kagome said, raising her voice to be heard. "Youkai are coming and you will be caught up in the conflict if you remain here! Get as far away as possible and warn anyone you see on your way. Do not panic! We will be doing the best that we can to keep them from ever reaching you!"

The crash and groan of trees being torn out by the root reached her ears. Kagome went cold.

It was too late. They were too close. The mass would be upon them in minutes.

"Kagome!"

A blur of red and white landed in a crouch beside her.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, hearing a wild murmur go up among the courtiers at the Tennō's arrival.

"Thank the kami you're here," Kagome breathed. "The swarm is almost here. We tried to create a barrier, but-"

Abruptly her knees buckled. Surprised, Kagome crumpled to the ground. She realized with a jolt how heavy her limbs felt. As she had suspected, she had expended more energy than she had to spare in the creation of the barrier. She could hardly move.

"Kagome!"

The hanyou dropped down beside her, looping an arm around her shoulders to help her to sit up.

"Oi, Kagome, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Kagome shook her head weakly.

"No time," she murmured. "They're nearly here. A barrier….we need a barrier, or else…"

She managed to lift her eyes to meet his own, wide and bright with worry as they fixed on her face. His eyes shifted from her prone form to the line of trees, trembling with the approach of the swarm, and back again. Abruptly something shifted.

They both felt it clearly, their eyes going to the sword sheathed at his waist. It was pulsing with youki, much as it had done when they had been trapped inside his father's final resting place.

"It wants something," Inuyasha muttered, more to himself than to her. His ears twitched atop his head in time with the pulsing, following the sound as if it were a voice speaking to him.

He stood suddenly, pulling her up and placing her on his back.

"Can you hold on?"

Kagome nodded, winding her arms around his shoulders as tightly as she could manage.

Two swift bounds had them atop the gate. Kagome's vision swum dizzyingly, but she refused to release her hold on the hanyou. Somehow she felt that he needed her with him for this, whatever this was.

Inuyasha pulled the blade free of its sheath in one fluid motion, a crackling flash of youki announcing its transformation as it was freed. The massive blade continued to pulse urgently, the sheer force of its aura almost frightening to Kagome.

But there was no trace of Inuyasha in it. Whatever youki was guiding the blade, it was not the hanyou's.

His father, Kagome realized. His father's youki was guiding it. His father's youki was guiding him to…

Another memory, seemingly random at first, attached itself to this thought in her head. And everything clicked into place.

"Feed your youki into the blade," she murmured to the hanyou. "Everything you can muster."

Inuyasha merely nodded, as if on some level he had already understood this. He raised the sword, fixing his eyes intently on the blade, and began to focus all of his energy into it.

Kagome felt the pulse beneath her hands as his youki rose, a strange sensation like bristling fur against her skin. Usually the feel of youki repelled her, crackling along her nerves in small, painful jolts, but there was something warm and comforting in Inuyasha's that made her cling to him more closely.

She felt as his youki began to pulse and saw it almost like a physical thing as it began to swirl around the blade, his energy twining with that of his father. Soon the two were pulsing in tandem, the sheer force of the energies leaving Kagome awestruck.

As if from a great distance she saw the youkai come crashing at last through the line of trees, straight into the ranks of the guards and taiji-ya that Sango had set up to protect the gate.

Midoriko had been right. The sheer number of them seemed impossible, pouring in in a continuous torrent from the depths of the woods. Many of them were smaller youkai, but the amount of malice she sensed in them was astounding.

She sensed the hanyou wavering at the sight, torn between the desire to remain and the desire to jump into the fray. The guards and the taiji-ya were already thoroughly entangled with the enemy, and the youkai continued to pour in.

"Don't stop," Kagome murmured, pressing herself more closely to his back. "Just a bit more."

He scowled, but glanced back at her and refocused himself. The pulsing resumed, rising swiftly to a fevered pitch. Kagome felt herself holding her breath, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she waited for it…

Something crackled fiercely down the length of the blade.

"Now!" they shouted in unison, and Inuyasha swung the tip of the blade down to dig into the outer wall.

It flared to life in an instant, blazing bright and strong. A barrier of Inuyasha's own youki enveloped the court in its entirety, as had every Tennō's before him running back to the beginning.

"You did it!" Kagome exclaimed, torn between laughter and tears.

"It ain't done yet," Inuyasha replied, eyeing the chaotic fray just below them. "Hang on, Kagome."

Kagome did, and a leap brought them back down near the entrance of the gate. Despite her earlier urgings, a great many courtiers still remained huddled in the gateway, watching the battle rage just outside the walls. They sent up a great cheer at the sight of Inuyasha, each one a witness to the marvel of what he had just done.

Inuyasha stooped down and deposited her among them, just inside the safety of the barrier.

"Stay here," he ordered, meeting her eyes and leaving no room for argument.

He stood and faced the jubilant courtiers.

"Stay inside the walls and you'll be safe," he yelled at them, before hefting his sword and turning to join the fray.

Kagome wanted to call out after him, to go with him, to ask if he would be alright after already having expended that much energy to form the barrier, but the mass of courtiers quickly swarmed around her and blocked his retreating form from her view. She tried to peer around them or even just to stand up, but her limbs refused to cooperate any longer.

They all seemed to be speaking at once, but try as she might she could not comprehend a word of it. Faces swam in and out of her vision, and the sounds of the nearby battle echoed distantly in her ears.

For a brief moment her vision focused on one face just beyond the ring of people that surrounded her. It was Kagura, her features pale and her crimson lips twisted hatefully. Her red eyes blazed as they fixed on Kagome's face, but it was not only anger that Kagome saw there. There was something desperate and frightened, too. Abruptly she turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

Kagome's vision swam once more, and she prayed Inuyasha would be alright.

---

Kagome awoke wrapped in the warmth of her futon. For a long moment she stared at the ceiling above her, trying to piece together where she was and how she had gotten there.

At length she made a slow attempt at sitting up, her body practically groaning in protest at the motion. A hand on her shoulder forced her back down, and she realized she was not alone in the room.

"It's only been a few hours," came Inuyasha's voice from somewhere near the head of her futon. "Lay down."

He shifted, moving to the side of the futon so that she could see him. Tessaiga was clutched in one hand and his face was solemn.

"What happened?" Kagome asked quietly, eyeing him for any sign of injury.

"Between the taiji-ya, the guards, an' me we got 'em," he answered. "Some got away, though."

"Was…was anyone hurt?" Kagome asked, though part of her shied away from hearing what she knew the answer must be.

"Some," he answered lowly, confirming her fear. "Some dead, too."

Kagome blanched, her heart sinking into her stomach.

"The Tachibana woman and the houshi are fine," Inuyasha supplied, as if he sensed the root of her fear. "She got hit, but he got her out of the way quick."

"And Midoriko-sama?" Kagome asked, recalling the woman's collapse.

"Still resting, far as I know," he said with a dismissive jerk of his shoulders.

The scowl that surfaced at the mention of the O-Miko's name puzzled Kagome.

"Without Midoriko-sama we might not have known about the attack until it was too late," Kagome said, frowning up at him.

Inuyasha snorted derisively.

"She should have called me first when she realized what was going on," he snapped. "Instead I come here to find she's dragged you off somewhere, and then some guard comes yelling his head off that you're both at the northern gate."

"She didn't exactly have a lot of time to plan out what she was going to do after she realized what was happening," Kagome replied, though she silently conceded that the more proper course of action would have been to alert Inuyasha first. "She thought that between the two of us we might be able to form a barrier to avert the attack. We tried, but no matter how much energy we fed into it, it just wouldn't hold."

"And she nearly got you both killed in the process," Inuyasha snapped, glaring down at her.

"But she didn't," Kagome pointed out, still exhausted and hoping to diffuse the argument before it started. "And you were able to form one in time. You were able to form a barrier, Inuyasha!"

The last escaped her almost as laugh, the memory of those moments atop the wall flooding back suddenly. He had really done it, and for the entire court to see no less.

The hanyou nodded, but hardly looked as if he believed it himself.

His eyes slid to the sheathed sword he carried, looking entirely innocuous in its untransformed state. He watched it as if in askance, waiting for it to confirm that he truly had done it.

"I felt your father, I think," Kagome commented, watching his face.

His eyes shifted quickly back to her.

"Or his energy, at least," Kagome continued. "It was all around the blade, like he was guiding you. Like he knew you could do it if you just wanted to enough, if you just had a reason."

"A reason?" Inuyasha echoed, listening to her with an unexpected earnestness.

"A reason," Kagome confirmed, smiling slightly at his sudden seriousness. "You never had one before, right? And you could never form a barrier before, right? But it's not that you couldn't do it. You were able. You were strong enough. You just needed a reason to really want to do it."

Inuyasha frowned, but said nothing. Nor did his eyes leave her. Instead they grew darker, more intent. Kagome felt her own smile fade, a sense of apprehension filling her. She turned her eyes away from his, but they drifted back again as if of their own volition. She wanted to look away, but he had caught her.

"A reason…" he muttered to himself, his eyes searching her face.

And then he reached out tentatively, one clawed hand coming to rest lightly on the side of her face.

For just a moment, Kagome believed that he loved her.

Then the moment passed, and Kagome felt the devastation of the truth all over again.

"Stop," she choked out, feeling tears rise in her throat.

Inuyasha froze. She felt his entire body tense through the calloused palm pressed warmly against her cheek.

"Please just stop it," Kagome murmured miserably, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her face away.

Tears escaped her sealed lids. She wished desperately he would just go away.

"What…What did I…?"

He sounded confused, almost childlike. She had hurt him, and that hurt her even more.

"I need to leave," Kagome bit out unthinkingly. "I need to leave the court."

Thick silence filled the room.

Kagome pressed her face harder against her pillow, tensing. Perhaps it shouldn't have been said, but she'd said it and she would not take it back.

"Is this…Is this about that fucking wolf?" Inuyasha ground out at last. "You promised, Kagome! You promised me! And now you're just gonna choose him over-"

"It's not about Kouga!" Kagome broke in, shaking her head. "It's about me. It's only about me. And I know I made a promise, and I'm sorry, but if I stay here I'll only be in your way!"

"No," Inuyasha snapped fiercely. "No, Kagome. You're not going anywhere! You promised, and you're staying here. You…You're the reason-"

"I'm in love with you."

She spoke the words softly, but they rang like a clap of thunder through the room. She was afraid of what he was going to say, afraid of what she might feel if he said it, and the words escaped her before she could stop them.

She couldn't even sense him breathing behind her. She didn't want to turn and see whatever might be written across his face.

"I'm in love with you," she forced herself to continue, tears tracking miserably down her face into the pillow below. "And I'm sorry. Because you're to marry Fujiwara-sama soon, and you're the Tennō, and it's all absolutely impossible. I only came here wanting help for the villages. I never meant for it to be this way. But it hurts now, when I'm with you, because I want things that are impossible. It's not your fault, but I've tried hard and I haven't been able to stop it yet."

"I just…I need some time away. I need some time to myself to fix it, or else it can only cause trouble for the both of us. I can go out and see to the villages, make sure they know what you're doing for them here. I promise I'll come back. I will. I just need…I need time. I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I'm so sorry."

She paused, drawing a shaky breath. The silence behind her was deafening, and she had no idea what might be going through his mind.

"Please, Inuyasha. Please. If you care anything for me, you'll let me go."

An eternity of silence seemed to stretch between them. Kagome bit her lip, feeling vulnerable and deeply ashamed. It had to be said, though. She would never be free of it otherwise.

"Alright."

The word was quiet enough that she nearly missed it, strained and final.

She felt Inuyasha rise behind her. He stood there for a beat, and she could feel his eyes on her.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said softly, her eyes sliding shut.

He did not reply, but turned and left the room.

---

Okay, so this chapter exhausted me. I kept debating where to end it and finally came up with this. Review if you feel inclined and if not I hope you enjoyed the read.

Also, I have a new unhealthy obsession with Deviantart, so if any of you are artistically inclined and would like to do some art for this story, I'd swear to love you forever and ever. Or until I forgot that I swore to do so. Anyway, I'd do it myself, but I pretty much reached the height of my artistic ability with stick figures in third grade. Siren-mergirl has already done some awesome stuff for me and I'd love to see more from y'all.

Until we meet again,

E-n-B