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.

27. Of Family and Fatigue

Hello, everyone. I hope you're all doing well. The response to the last chapter was, as usual, amazing and wonderful. Going into this new year, I'm deeply grateful for all of the support you all have shown me in the several years I've been working on this story.

Our need-to-know info for this chapter:

-'this Sesshoumaru': As many of you who watched the Japanese version of the anime likely know, Sesshoumaru refers to himself as 'kono Sesshoumaru', or literally 'this Sesshoumaru' (I can't recall if in the English dub they attempt to translate this into something similar or not). Basically it's just a very high-brow or haughty way of referring to one's self in Japanese (any character you ever hear address him/herself as 'kono ore' or 'kono watashi' is generally stressing their own self-importance, if it's not being done merely in jest). I wanted to note it because I thought it would be especially fitting to maintain that manner of speaking in this fic, so when you see him calling himself by that you now know why.

-daiyoukai: Also written as 'taiyoukai' in English sometimes (though I'm relatively certain this is a translation error). The kanji for 'dai' (the prefix of the word) is the same as is found in daimyō (provincial lords of Japan pre-Meiji era). Essentially it only means 'big' (as in the sense of important or powerful), but there is there is a long-standing association with nobility or property ownership. Thus a 'daiyoukai', as the term is used in the Inuyasha series, means both a very powerful youkai and one who has either the distinction of nobility or land ownership. I'll be using the term in essentially the same manner.

-tsukemono: Pickled vegetables commonly used as side or small dishes during the Heian period (also still eaten frequently today in Japan).

Also, there's one more note at the end of the chapter in order to avoid spoilers. If you're confused about something, look at the end of the chapter and chances are you'll find an explanation there. Now on with the story!

---

Almost more quickly than her eyes could follow, Inuyasha was up and moving. He paused only long enough to scoop up the sheathed sword that had lain beside the futon, tucking it into his waistband before striding grim-faced towards the entryway.

He paused with his hand to the entryway hanging, casting a look back at her. He mouthed two words to her, careful to keep the guard waiting outside from discovering her presence in the room. And then he was gone, disappearing beyond the entryway hanging in a sweep of intricately embroidered fabric.

Stay here. That was what he had mouthed to her.

Kagome scoffed. As if that was going to happen.

She scrambled up from her place beside the futon, hands fumbling as she worked to right her sleep-mussed clothing. A moment of thought slowed her haste. The guards would undoubtedly follow Inuyasha as he left the Dairi, saving her from being seen, but she needed to make certain that his group was far enough ahead before she ventured to follow them. Her clothing aright once more, her hands went automatically to work on the snarls in her hair even as her mind worked frantically.

Inuyasha's brother. Kagome strained to recall any detail she could about him. Half-brother, she recalled clearly enough from the few times Inuyasha had even been willing to mention him. The child of the former Tennō and his Empress. A full-blooded youkai and older than Inuyasha by…well, she was not sure by how much. A number of clans were attached to the idea of him as the Tennō rather than Inuyasha, the Taira among them from what she understood. And Sango had mentioned that he had gone abroad to study in…China, was it?

Well, it did not matter much where. He was here now and, if Inuyasha and the guard's reactions were any indication, it was hardly for a friendly visit.

Kagome rose, tying her hair back in a low tail. Surely enough time had passed. She moved towards the entryway hanging, moving it aside just enough to peek out.

She blinked hard, the light of a burgeoning spring morning harsh after the relative dimness of Inuyasha's chamber. As her eyes adjusted she saw she had been right. The guards that were normally posted before Inuyasha's chambers were nowhere to be seen. They had followed him out to his brother.

Kagome started out at a brisk pace that developed quickly into a run, worried that the delay would cause her to miss something. Inuyasha's expression upon learning that his brother had returned…there was no telling what he might do if left to his own devices.

She managed to get far enough from Inuyasha's chambers that her presence in the Dairi would no longer be suspect without being spotted, and she was soon beyond the outer gates of the Dairi. As she turned her steps towards the Western Gate she entered a stream of courtiers flowing in the same direction. Obviously some sort of word had gotten out.

Kagome heard a number of cries and murmurs of surprise break out around her as she wove her way through the crowds, but she did not break stride to address them. There would be time enough later to announce and explain her return to the court. For the moment she quickened her pace further, ducking her head low to avoid recognition as much as was possible.

There was a great mass gathered about the Western Gate by the time Kagome arrived. Mentally she groaned. Whatever was going to happen, almost the entire court would stand witness to it. Besides which she could not spot Inuyasha amidst the throng. Kagome frowned, eyes scanning the crowd for several long moments before she decided that it was best to just push headlong into the center.

With no small amount of twisting and pushing and an abundance of murmured apologies, she managed to make her way to the innermost ring of the group. The courtiers had stopped just short of the gate, crowded close about it without actually passing beyond the protection that it and the youki barrier provided. Incredulous murmurs buzzed in Kagome's ears from all sides, but she was too occupied with her search for the hanyou to catch more than a few scattered words.

There!

He stood just outside of the gates, frame so rigid he was nearly vibrating with tension. One clawed hand flexed threateningly just over the hilt of Tessaiga. His back was turned fully to her where he stood, but even without being able to see his expression his agitation was clear as day. The several guards that had followed him from the Dairi, along with the pair who were assigned to guard the gate, stood ranged just behind him, their stances uncertain.

There was another man there, as well, standing alone opposite the group and facing the gate. Immediately Kagome knew him to be Inuyasha's brother. The similarities were too striking for it to be otherwise.

The man was beautiful. The inhuman beauty that only youkai could possess, the beauty of impossibly symmetrical features and skin that appeared to have a luminescence all its own. His hair was the same shade of silver as Inuyasha's, his eyes the same striking gold. Somehow he appeared both more and less human than the hanyou.

His beauty was not the sort that drew one in, though. There was something hard and cold to it, like the edge of a jewel. Kagome was surprised to find that something in her disliked him almost instantly, though it was difficult to tell how much of the feeling was merely solidarity with Inuyasha.

She hesitated where she stood. Silence stretched tensely between the two parties outside of the gate, neither moving a muscle. Inuyasha's brother, whose expression Kagome could see clearly from where she stood, was entirely stone-faced as he stared down the Tennō, though there was a sharpness to his eyes that betrayed something more than complete calm. Much as she was inclined to go to Inuyasha's side, Kagome dared not move.

Inuyasha was the one to break the tense stand-off, his patience quickly strained beyond its limits.

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru?" he snapped, hand coming down that last twitch to grip the hilt of his sword.

Inwardly Kagome winced as the chattering around her grew in volume. Whatever the circumstances, that was surely no way to address his brother and the man who might himself have been Tennō had things been different. With nearly the entire court watching, Kagome prayed that Inuyasha would at least be able to partly control his temper.

Outwardly nothing in Sesshoumaru's expression shifted in the least, but Kagome could sense a flare in his youki even through the youki of Inuyasha's barrier. It was beyond simple anger. No, this loathing she sensed went far deeper than anything so mundane.

It was a moment before the man deigned to speak, his eyes scanning with slow deliberation over the outer wall of the court and the guards before returning to Inuyasha.

"Surely my honored father must have been out of his mind at the end of his life," he spoke at last, his slow, measured manner every bit what Kagome had always imagined the epitome of a courtier to be. "To have his lands become nothing more than the plaything of a pathetic half-breed. To be forced to watch from his grave as every moment the honored legacy of the Tennō is thrown further and further into disgrace. No, this Sesshoumaru sees it clearly now. Near the end of his life my honored father must have gone mad."

"The hell are you babbling about, Sesshoumaru?!" Inuyasha barked. "Aren't you the one who barged in here threatening to tear down the barrier? You think the old ma-You think our father would approve of that?!"

"This Sesshoumaru had every intention of abiding by my honored father's last will," Sesshoumaru continued as if Inuyasha had not spoken. "Mystified as this Sesshoumaru was by what had transpired, this Sesshoumaru nonetheless retired to the court of the Emperor of China to further my studies. This Sesshoumaru had no intention of dirtying my hands with petty power struggles. No, waiting was enough. My honored father had given the court an object lesson. Knowledge of what it was to live beneath an unfit ruler. Surely it was only a matter of time until the hanyou's own weakness brought him down. And then this Sesshoumaru would return to assume my rightful place, and in their gratitude the court would never again speak of allowing anyone save the pure-blooded of the line to assume the throne."

The man paused, eyeing Inuyasha. Contempt hooded his gaze, the corners of his mouth dragged downward ever so slightly by it.

"You, however, were not content merely to fail," he said lowly. "No. Did you think that word of your transgressions would not reach the Chinese court? You invite common-born filth into my honored father's court and claim that you will stand with them. You cast aside the screen and wander among the court as you wish, lowering the title of Tennō and stripping it of all honor and meaning. Did you think this Sesshoumaru would allow it? Whatever my honored father's will might have been, this Sesshoumaru will put an end to this blasphemy here and now."

Inuyasha's posture straightened, though his hand remained firmly on Tessaiga's hilt. Kagome edged forward anxiously among the crowd, wishing she could catch a glimpse of his expression.

"So basically," returned the hanyou. "All that whining was just to say that you're pissed you got passed over for the throne, huh?"

Sesshoumaru did not respond. In fact, he was no longer there.

In the space of the time it had taken her to blink the youkai had closed in on Inuyasha, the claws of one hand glowing an acidic green as he brought them down atop his brother's head. A collective cry went up amongst the courtiers as Inuyasha narrowly dodged, rolling out from beneath his brother's reach and back up into a low crouch.

Sesshoumaru pivoted, unfazed, and in another move that Kagome could scarcely follow with her eyes he was nearly on Inuyasha once more. This time the hanyou leapt up and away, landing further from the gate as the youkai's glowing claws dissolved a hole in the earth where he had been standing.

Kagome's eyes widened. If there had ever been any question of Sesshoumaru being the son of a daiyoukai, there was none in her mind now.

She dashed forward past the gate and the barrier, grateful she had thought to bring her bow just in case. She saw several of the guards move forward, as well, weapons at the ready.

"Stop!" Inuyasha barked, bringing them all up short. "Don't interfere! This is between me and him, so stay out of it!"

Kagome frowned, heart jumping in her chest as she watched another poisonous blow land mere breaths away from the hanyou. The youkai was fast. Perhaps faster than Inuyasha. And as of yet he had not made use of even a fraction of the power she could sense in him. She knew Inuyasha was strong-had witnessed it with her own eyes a number of times-but this would not be an easy victory even for him.

Still, he was right. Any interference by her or the guards might only serve to complicate things. Sesshoumaru's objective was Inuyasha alone, and he did not strike her as the type to spare anyone who happened to get between him and his goal. So she gripped her bow, watching. She could hold herself back. She would wait and see.

Inuyasha dodged yet another attack, so narrowly this time that a trailing lock of his hair was dissolved entirely by the youkai's poison. He skidded to a halt in the dirt several lengths away, and suddenly Kagome realized why he had done nothing but dodge thus far. He was guiding Sesshoumaru as far away from the gate as possible.

Now, backed up against the tree line with Sesshoumaru on the advance once more, Inuyasha squared his stance. His hand went to the hilt of his sword.

Ignoring the calls of the guards, Kagome rushed forward. They had gotten too far away. She would not interfere needlessly, but she wanted to be close enough to see what was going on.

In a flash Tessaiga was unsheathed, flaring to life like a beacon in her sixth sense. Inuyasha swung the flat of the blade up just in time to block Sesshoumaru's claws. The poison of the full youkai's claws did not seem to effect the blade in the least, and with a grunt Inuyasha forced Sesshoumaru back.

The full youkai twisted in mid-air, landing lightly several lengths away and several lengths too close to where Kagome had come to stand. Her heart leapt in her chest, and she hurriedly ducked back behind the tree line. Thankfully Sesshoumaru either did not notice her or did not care enough to acknowledge her presence.

His eyes were fixed on Inuyasha or, more accurately, on the sword Inuyasha held. As close as she now found herself to the full youkai, Kagome could just make out the red seeping in around the corners of his eyes. The surge in his youki, however, she would have been able to sense even from a distance.

"Father's sword," he said, tone still entirely controlled though it had lost all trace of its former unconcern. "The Tessaiga…How did a half-breed come into possession of my father's fang?"

Inuyasha scowled, hefting the massive sword easily to point it at his brother.

"In case you forgot," he snapped. "He was my old man, too. And I'm the one he chose to inherit the throne. I created the barrier using this sword. The Tessaiga is mine."

"The Tessaiga and the throne are the legacy of my bloodline and should never have fallen into the hands of a mongrel like you," Sesshoumaru returned, and Kagome could see the fangs in his mouth elongating as he spoke. "Your whore of a mother led my father astray. Her human frailty made him weak and brought him to his end. This Sesshoumaru was mistaken to allow this farce to continue for so long. This Sesshoumaru will rectify that mistake now."

"You want the sword?" Inuyasha snarled, baring his own fangs at the mention of his mother. "Come and take it from me, asshole!"

Kagome winced at the complete degeneration of his language, absently glad they had moved far enough that the rest of the court could not overhear them. She had little time to entertain the thought, though, as the flare of Sesshoumaru's youki abruptly shifted into something else entirely.

He was consumed in a swirling cloud of his own youki, his form obscured for several moments. The cloud shifted and expanded, flaring to a high point before dissolving.

Where once Sesshoumaru had stood there was now a towering white dog. No, it was Sesshoumaru still. Kagome gaped, unaccustomed to seeing the transformation occur before her very eyes. To think that that was the form hidden beneath the semblance of humanity…a part of her wondered suddenly if Inuyasha's face hid something similar beneath it.

The crescent moon that had marked his forehead remained on this form, as did a more jagged version of the stripes that had lined his cheeks, though they now served to outline a gaping maw of teeth that Kagome was certain were larger than herself. The lush silver fur that rippled along the massive body was the same shade that his hair had been and his eyes had been entirely consumed by the red that had begun to bleed into them at the sight of Tessaiga.

This was the true form of a daiyoukai. Kagome felt the hair along the back of her neck prickle.

For a long moment neither moved. Inuyasha stood firm, sword at the ready. Sesshoumaru watched him through red eyes, tail writhing and twisting behind him.

And then, as if they had both received some simultaneous signal, they were barreling towards one another. Inuyasha swung Tessaiga in a wide arc, aiming for one of Sesshoumaru's front legs. Sesshoumaru leapt clear of the hanyou, landing several lengths away before turning and charging back towards him. Inuyasha pivoted as well, using the force of the turn to propel himself in a single bound towards Sesshoumaru.

Too slow, though, and without anything to check him he sailed headlong into the cloud of noxious green poison that Sesshoumaru had just exhaled. Kagome could not keep herself from crying out to him, watching the exposed flesh of his hands and face bubble and dissolve as the poison touched it. He stumbled, momentarily blinded as the poison penetrated his eyes and lungs. He caught himself with Tessaiga, plunging the blade into the ground to hold himself upright as he hacked and coughed on the noxious fumes scorching his throat.

Sesshoumaru did not allow him time to recover. Immune to the poison himself, he bounded into the cloud of it and raised a massive paw, swiping at Inuyasha. The blow landed firmly and Inuyasha, weakened by the poison, went flying. The Tessaiga, however, remained planted firmly in the ground where he had left it.

Rather than pursuing Inuyasha further to push his advantage, Sesshoumaru paused where he loomed over the sword buried in the earth. In swirl of red youki he reverted back to his humanoid form. He hesitated, the sword of his father just within his reach.

He reached out and grasped it.

There was another flare of strange youki that Kagome felt crackle along her sixth sense like a whip. She blinked hard, her vision obscured for a long moment by it.

When her vision cleared, she gasped.

An old, rusted blade. That was all that Sesshoumaru now held in his hand. The Tessaiga had reverted.

Sesshoumaru raised the blade before his face, a faint frown creasing his brow. Kagome could sense the flare of his youki, could feel him willing the sword back to life. Something in the blade repelled his youki entirely, though, and the legendary sword remained no more than piece of rusted iron in his hands.

"Sesshoumaru!"

The cry was all the warning the youkai got as Inuyasha's fist came crashing down where he stood, the earth buckling beneath the force of it. Sesshoumaru leapt up and away, narrowly dodging the blow. Inuyasha scowled at him, the skin of his face and hands still an angry red from the poison but quickly healing. His movements appeared to have slowed, though, and Kagome worried that the poison had done more damage than was apparent.

"What curse have you laid on my father's sword, half-breed, that it responds only to your filthy blood?" Sesshoumaru spoke, landing lightly several lengths from the hanyou.

Inuyasha's eyes flicked for a moment to the untransformed blade in the full youkai's hand. A smirk ticked up one corner of his lips briefly.

"What's the matter, Sesshoumaru?" he said. "All that squeaky clean blood and you still can't get your sword to work? It's 'cause Tessaiga ain't yours, asshole."

He flexed one clawed hand, the knuckles popping loudly as he tensed to spring once more. The corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth turned down slightly in distaste.

"You lie," he said coolly. "Though it is to be expected. No matter. When you are dead Tessaiga will be freed of whatever stain you have placed upon it."

He turned the blade, tucking it deliberately away at his waist.

Almost as one the brothers moved, leaping towards one another. Inuyasha swung first, his claws narrowly missing Sesshoumaru's face. Sesshoumaru caught the offending arm at the wrist, twisting until Kagome could see Inuyasha's elbow pop out at an odd angle even beneath the voluminous fabric of his sleeve. She cried out as Inuyasha grunted in pain, watching as Sesshoumaru used the momentum to fling Inuyasha down hard onto the earth.

The hanyou landed with a jolt, his one arm lying useless at his side. Sesshoumaru was on him before he could recover, the green glow of his poison illuminating his hand as he levered it over his brother's throat.

With a jolt he leapt back, a glowing arrow narrowly missing him.

He turned a glare on Kagome where she stood, bow poised and readying another arrow. She had emerged from her place just beyond the line of trees, unable to hold herself back from the fight any longer.

"You would allow a human woman to fight your battles for you now?" Sesshoumaru said, glancing sidelong at Inuyasha on the ground. "Truly there are no depths that you will not sink to, half-breed."

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, struggling to lever himself up with his one good arm. "You moron! Hurry, run-!"

But the warning came too late. Sesshoumaru was upon her, faster than she could even move to aim. Kagome found herself lifted from the ground, hefted by one hand as if she weighed no more than a rag doll. Her bow and arrow slipped from her grasp, her hands coming up to scratch vainly at the hand encircling her throat.

She met his eyes, and the look of complete apathy there frightened her more deeply than the greatest hatred could have. Crushing her throat would be to him no more than stepping on an ant in passing.

"Perhaps in your next life you will know better than to interfere in the fights of men and youkai, human," he murmured.

"Kagome!"

There was a pulse of familiar youki. Once, twice, growing stronger and faster. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, shifting to the sword at his hip.

In a roaring flare of youki the Tessaiga transformed. Sesshoumaru released Kagome abruptly, any thought for her entirely abandoned as he reached to draw the sword from its place at his waist. Kagome coughed and gasped, hands coming up to her bruised throat as her lungs sucked in air greedily.

"No."

She looked up, startled to hear something so close to a cry issue from the stoic man standing above her.

Just as his hand had gone to grasp the hilt, Tessaiga had flown free of its place at his waist and his grip. It sailed directly into Inuyasha's one good hand as the hanyou barreled towards them. Sesshoumaru's jaw twitched, red bleeding into his eyes around the edges once more.

He finally saw it. Their father's sword had chosen Inuyasha.

He could do no more than raise his arm, though, claws beginning once more to gather the sickening green glow of poison, before Inuyasha was on him. He brought Tessaiga down in a wide arc, severing the outstretched arm in a clean swing. It fell, still glowing, at Kagome's feet. She yelped, scooting hastily away from it.

Inuyasha did not let up, his look half-crazed as he drew the sword back and rammed it through his brother's body. It pierced even the spiked pauldron that protected his right shoulder and upper chest, shattering it as if it were made of no more than clay. The Tessaiga impaled Sesshoumaru cleanly, pinning the youkai firmly to the tree behind him. He coughed, blood dribbling from his lips as one of his lungs was punctured.

Inuyasha snarled into the other man's face, lips drawn back away from his teeth. Sesshoumaru, for all that the sword had pierced him through entirely, returned his look with that same controlled expression, only the brightness to his golden eyes betraying his rage.

Inuyasha hesitated.

"Finish it if you can, half-breed," Sesshoumaru murmured through lips wet with blood. "Fail to and this Sesshoumaru will not fail to come for you again, father's sword or not."

Inuyasha set his jaw. With a mighty tug he pulled the blade free of the tree and his brother, raising it to deliver the final blow.

"Wait!"

Inuyasha halted, surprised. Kagome was surprised herself to hear the word coming from her mouth.

Looking at them, though, with hair and eyes so much alike, she could not let Inuyasha go through with it. She had seen his moment of hesitation, despite all the resentment he obviously and rightfully felt towards the other man. Still they were brothers, whatever the circumstances. She could not allow Inuyasha to carry with him for the rest of his life the knowledge that he had slain his own brother.

"Don't," she said, meeting Inuyasha's eyes. "You don't have to kill him. We can…we can imprison him, or something, as punishment for all this, but you don't need to kill him."

She turned, catching Sesshoumaru's gaze on her from where he was slumped at the foot of the tree. His eyes were narrow with resentment as they met hers, his loathing for her undoubtedly sealed by her words. Well, of course he would resent the interference of a human on his behalf. She had hardly expected gratitude.

"Do not-" he started, only to be cut short by the blood filling his throat. He coughed, more of the deep crimson liquid spilling down to further stain the pristine white of his robes.

Daiyoukai or not, he was now short an arm and had been entirely impaled by a powerful youkai blade. Given time Kagome was sure he would recover, but for the moment he was relatively helpless.

Inuyasha looked from her to the youkai, indecision writ clear across his features.

"He almost killed you," he said accusingly.

Kagome blinked.

"I've hardly forgotten," she said a bit wryly. "Nor have I forgotten that he tried to kill you. Still, none of that changes the fact that you've beaten him and we are both of us alive. You don't need his blood on your hands. You don't need to stoop to his level."

Inuyasha scoffed at the same moment that Sesshoumaru made a similar noise, though the blood pooling in his lungs made it more of a gurgle than anything else. Inuyasha's glare returned to him for a long moment, considering. At last he twisted the blade, tucking it in one smooth motion back into the sheath at his waist.

"Fine," he bit out. "Imprisonment it is, if you're so set on it. Pull this shit again, though, and I won't hesitate to cut you down."

Sesshoumaru made no reply, his eyes on the sheathed sword at Inuyasha's waist. His expression was entirely inscrutable now, and Kagome wondered for a moment what was going through his mind. She shook her head, moving to Inuyasha's side.

"Come on. I need you to help me get him into the court and past all of those courtiers. With Midoriko-sama's help I should be able to set up a chamber that will hold him."

---

It took a bit of arguing, but eventually Inuyasha sent Kagome to the guards who were still waiting at the gate to come and transport Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha refused to touch the man himself, Kagome was not strong enough to lift him on her own, and Sesshoumaru still had enough in him to protest being handled by a filthy half-breed despite that he was lying in what was quickly becoming a pool of his own blood.

Thus it was that the guards were fetched, deeply uncertain as they hauled up the man who might have been Tennō and brought him back into the court. Inuyasha and Kagome remained with them as they escorted the daiyoukai in, both of them well aware that his wounds were already beginning to close slowly.

In dead silence the courtiers parted to allow the group passage, entirely mystified by and uncertain what to make of this sudden turn of events. Kagome was well aware as they went that there were several clans present who gladly would have seen Inuyasha forced from the throne in favor of Sesshoumaru. They had all just borne witness to Sesshoumaru's defeat at Inuyasha's hand. What thoughts must be going through their heads? Was it dismay that kept them silent?

Midoriko met them near the gate and thankfully seemed to grasp the situation without much explanation. It was a given that Sesshoumaru, because of his status and his dangerous nature, could not be put in a normal cell for imprisonment. Besides which he was in need of at least some medical attention. Midoriko thus suggested one of the many unoccupied wings of the Chūwain. He could have quarters there large enough to keep from offending his status as a son of the former Tennō-sama and she could set up a barrier to keep him contained.

Inuyasha was not particularly fond of the idea of allowing Sesshoumaru any sort of special treatment, but thankfully knew better than to make a fuss about it with the whole court watching. He agreed to Midoriko's proposal and ordered the guard escorting Sesshoumaru to turn towards the Chūwain.

He paused before following them, positioning himself as centrally as he could amongst the throng of courtiers. He addressed them in a carrying voice-thankfully returning once more to a mode of speech more befitting his station, Kagome noted with a mental sigh of relief- informing them that court would be held on the morrow to address any questions that they might have.

After that Inuyasha, Kagome at his side, turned to follow the group escorting Sesshoumaru. Behind them Kagome could see the mass beginning to slowly break up now that the spectacle was over. She was glad Inuyasha had thought to announce the meeting tomorrow,

though she knew it must have frustrated him to no end to do it when all that he wanted to do was go after Kikyou. There was no telling what sort of wild rumors would spring up if this matter were not addressed and clarified immediately.

Though Inuyasha insisted that he was fine, she forced him to lift his sleeve enough for her to see the arm that Sesshoumaru had nearly twisted free of its socket. He still did not have full use of it and the elbow was bent at an odd angle, but it had improved vastly and would likely be fully healed by evening. His skin, too, showed barely any signs of the poisonous burns and he insisted that his lungs felt fine after inhaling so much of it.

He did not allow her long to fuss over him, though. Now that they were alone -relatively speaking, anyway, as the guards still walked several lengths ahead of them- he did not hesitate to lay into her for her foolishness in interfering in the fight and nearly getting herself killed.

She listened to the heated chastisement largely in silence, aware that she had defied a direct order from him by jumping in. She refused to apologize, though, as she did not regret in the least having done it. If he needed her she was going to be there. Eventually he would simply have to accept that.

They reached the Chūwain before he could finish explaining to her fully the depths of her lunacy, but he shot her a look that promised it was not over. Kagome rolled her eyes covertly, following Midoriko's lead as she guided them to a remote wing of the Chūwain that she explained was both spacious and uninhabited.

She instructed the guards to escort Sesshoumaru inside, bowing slightly to the daiyoukai and promising that she would send in some of her disciples soon to tend his wounds and make the quarters more suitable for living. Sesshoumaru spared her a glance, but did not respond before he was led inside.

"Kagome," Midoriko said, turning to the younger woman. "This wing is rather sprawling. I will need to borrow some of your power to set up an adequate barrier over it to hold his Lordship. After that perhaps you might spare some time to explain how your presence in court has remained a secret to me entirely."

The latter statement was softened by a small smile, but Kagome flushed slightly. In all the mess she had forgotten entirely that no one knew that she had returned to court. It seemed things were to go right back to the fast-paced existence of court life.

"I only just returned last night, Midoriko-sama," Kagome said sheepishly.

"Do not worry. There will be time enough for explanations later, as I am sure there is much to be explained," Midoriko said gently, extending a hand to her. "For now we must make certain that his Lordship does not attempt any further rash actions."

Inuyasha snorted faintly at the gentle understatement and Kagome shot him a reproving look before extending her hand to Midoriko. The elder miko closed her eyes and Kagome followed her lead, focusing on guiding her energy into Midoriko.

The O-Miko was skilled enough that by utilizing her energy the barrier was formed in matter of moments. Even so, Kagome found herself slightly winded by the time she released her hand. She frowned. A faint frown lined Midoriko's brow as well as she turned to look at her, eyeing her thoughtfully.

"You're sure that will be enough to hold him?" Inuyasha said, frowning skeptically in the direction of the translucent barrier.

"I assure you, Tennō-sama, that the barrier will be more than enough to repel any youki," Midoriko responded. "If your Majesty wishes to visit with your Lord brother, however, Kagome or myself should be able to guide you through the barrier without issue."

Kagome could see Inuyasha's face twist in the beginning of a scoff at the thought of him ever actually choosing to visit Sesshoumaru, but the expression faded half-formed.

"I do want to talk to him," he said, and Kagome blinked in surprise. "I have a few questions I need to ask."

Midoriko nodded.

"I would imagine so, Tennō-sama," she said. "I will lead your Majesty through."

Inuyasha nodded. He turned to Kagome.

"You come, too," he said. "Better we do it now while he's still weak. Might actually get some answers out of him."

Kagome was not at all sure what he had in mind, but she nodded nonetheless. If he was going to be in the same room as his brother, better that she be there to act as a buffer. She felt a bit light-headed after the creation of the barrier, but it was slight enough to be ignored.

Midoriko stepped forward, lifting a hand and making two quick gestures that opened a hole in the barrier. She waved them through it, sealing the barrier fully once more behind them.

"I will wait here for you both, Tennō-sama," Midoriko said, bowing. "I am certain that whatever your Majesty has to say to your Lord brother is better said in private."

Inuyasha nodded and turned to enter the wing, Kagome trailing after him. The guards had taken Sesshoumaru into one of the larger rooms of the wing, making him as comfortable as possible there in the sparsely furnished room before taking their leave. They found him there now, making an obvious effort to look like he was not relying on the wall behind him for support in remaining upright. His slightly unfocused gaze was on the place where once his left arm had been. There remained now only a stump covered in rapidly congealing blood.

Kagome could not help but wince in sympathy, her eyes truly focusing on the sight for this first time since the battle. Youkai, daiyoukai especially, were amazingly resilient, but from what she could recall most of them did not possess regenerative powers. That arm would not be coming back.

His gaze shifted to them as Kagome slid the shoji closed behind them, his expression hardening. He did not speak.

"I have some questions," Inuyasha began.

Sesshoumaru arched one silver brow, his eyes shifting from Inuyasha to Kagome. He was definitely weakened from the battle, Kagome noted. He disguised it well, but it seemed to be all that he could do to maintain consciousness after the wounds he had sustained.

"And you needed your whore present once more to do your work for you, half-breed?" he returned flatly. "Or perhaps not yet, by the smell of her. Too weak even to stake your claim on a human, mongrel? Careful. There are those who will not hesitate to take the things you are too weak to keep."

His glance sharpened on Kagome for a moment before shifting in challenge to Inuyasha. For all that she realized immediately that the words were nothing more than an attempt to rile the hanyou, Kagome could not help but flush in a mixture of anger and mortification as she caught the implication.

The veiled threat was not lost on Inuyasha, either. He started forward, hand moving instinctively to Tessaiga's hilt. Kagome caught his arm, holding him back.

"The Tennō-sama has already more than proven who the weak one is here," she said as coolly as she could manage. "You would do well to admit your defeat gracefully, Sesshoumaru-sama, and to answer his Majesty's questions."

"And you would do well to learn your place, human," Sesshoumaru said, the edges of his mouth curling down in distaste. "Lest you force this Sesshoumaru to teach it to you."

Inuyasha shifted, his larger frame blocking Kagome entirely from the daiyoukai's view. He flicked one thumb upward, loosening the sword from its scabbard meaningfully.

"You're hardly in a position to be making threats, you asshole," Inuyasha snapped. "Now answer me. Who brought word to the Chinese court of what was happening here?"

Kagome blinked at the hanyou's back, surprised. The thought had not occurred to her, but it made sense. Or rather, it did not make sense. Inuyasha had informed her some time ago that all relations with China had largely fallen through upon the death of his father. The Emperor there, upon learning that it was a hanyou who was to inherit the throne, had severed all ties with Japan and withdrawn all of the Chinese diplomats residing in the court.

Why, then, would news have travelled so far as the Chinese court about what Inuyasha had done?

Sesshoumaru's frown deepened, a scoff escaping him. More than anything else the unrefined sound betrayed his fatigue.

"Word of your utter degradation of the lineage of the Tennō?" he said. "What, half-breed? Had you hoped to keep your shame entirely confined to one continent?"

"Who was it, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha pressed impatiently. Kagome peered around him, intent on the answer.

"The Korean diplomat you were keeping here in the court," Sesshoumaru answered. "He brought word of it with him to the Chinese Emperor on his visit to the court. He thought it necessary that the Chinese Emperor be aware of such goings on."

Inuyasha shot a glance over his shoulder, exchanging a look with Kagome. They shared the same thought in that moment.

There had been no Korean diplomat in the court.

"What was his name?" Kagome pressed. "What did he look like?"

Sesshoumaru looked at her in silence for several moments. At last his gaze slid away from her dismissively. It seemed he was done answering questions.

Inuyasha frowned, but shook his head. He turned to Kagome.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "More likely than not the name was a fake. I doubt a description will help much either. I've got all I need."

Silently Kagome conceded this, frowning. Inuyasha moved toward the shoji, pausing just before he opened it.

"Much as I'd like to just toss you out of the court on your ass, I have a feeling you'd just come back whining about something again sooner or later," he said without bothering to turn around. "So until I decide what to do, you're confined here. And I meant what I said out there. Try anything again and I'll kill you without blinking."

Sesshoumaru did not respond. They exited the room.

"What do you think it means?" Kagome said, hurrying after him.

"I don't know," Inuyasha said, brow furrowed.

She could almost see his mind working furiously behind his eyes, searching for any sort of explanation. Her own mind was racing, trying to sort through it.

"There has to be some-"

She cut herself off as they came upon Midoriko, waiting along the edge of the barrier to escort them back out.

"You are finished already, Tennō-sama?" she asked.

He nodded curtly, his thoughts elsewhere. She bowed, turning and making the same gesture as before to open a part of the barrier. They all passed through and she sealed it once more.

Kagome made to follow Inuyasha back to the Dairi, anxious to discuss with him what they had just heard. Midoriko caught her eye, though, and she hesitated.

"Tennō-sama," she said, catching Inuyasha's attention. "I am going to remain here with Midoriko-sama for a bit, if it pleases his Majesty."

For a moment Inuyasha looked as if he might protest, but he nodded.

"Fine," he said. "Come to the Dairi when you have finished here."

Kagome bowed in acknowledgement and Inuyasha moved off quickly. She looked after him for a moment, hoping he did not take it into his head to do anything rash.

"You still look a bit pale," Midoriko said, recalling her attention. "Come. Perhaps some tea will bring your color back."

The elder miko led her to the main sitting room of the Chūwain, ordering one of the passing disciples of the temple to prepare tea and bring it to them along the way. Kagome was glad to sit down at the low table there, that slight dizziness surfacing once more now that she had a moment to think.

She raised her eyes to find Midoriko watching her from across the table, a faint frown deepening the lines around her eyes and mouth. Kagome blinked, bowing her head and folding her hands together in her lap.

"I apologize again, Midoriko-sama," she said. "Truly I only returned to the court last night. None of the courtiers are aware as of yet of my return-well, no, perhaps after what just transpired, but-"

"Never mind that for the moment," Midoriko said, cutting her rambling explanation short. "Let me see your hand once more, child."

Midoriko extended her hand across the table, palm face up. Kagome's eyes moved from her face to the outstretched hand, uncertain. She placed her hand within Midoriko's own.

The O-Miko's eyes slid closed, and Kagome experienced the ever-strange sensation of a foreign energy sliding up through her arm. It took an effort to keep from squirming as Midoriko's energy curled throughout her body, sliding just beneath her skin like cold fire. Eventually Midoriko's eyes slid open once more, the sensation dissipating immediately.

Midoriko's frown, however, only deepened further.

"Is something the matter, Midoriko-sama?" Kagome ventured after the woman failed to speak for several moments.

"The creation of the barrier just now," Midoriko said, gesturing vaguely towards the wing where Sesshoumaru was now confined. "I sensed something…strange in you as we worked. Nor should such a small feat have tired you to this degree. Surely you must feel it, as well."

Kagome blinked, a slight frown drawing her brows together. She did feel a bit more tired than she ought to after such a small task, perhaps. But she had been travelling for nearly a week with Inuyasha. Last night was the first decent rest she had gotten in some time. And to be woken by such a mess…surely it was not so strange that she felt tired, was it?

"The Shikon," Midoriko spoke softly, recalling her attention. "I do not believe…It is hard to know for certain, but I do not believe it was meant to be housed inside a human for such an extended amount of time. And you use it sometimes, do you not? You draw on its energy?"

"Well, I…" Kagome faltered. "I do, though I rarely ever mean to. It is more like…well, it just comes out sometimes. When I am cornered, or exhausted…"

"It utilizes you to protect itself, you mean," Midoriko said thoughtfully. "As long as it remains within your body, it remains pure. It protects its purity by protecting you, its vessel. But the sort of power that the Shikon possesses is not meant to be utilized directly by human beings."

Midoriko met her gaze directly, her look grim. Kagome experienced something like the slide of cold fingers down the length of her spine.

"The energy in your body is much weaker than when we first met," Midoriko said softly. "The Shikon…I can sense its energy much more clearly than your own. It seems to be attempting to consume you. To take you into itself. I fear it is beginning to put a great strain on your body, possibly a deeply harmful one."

A loud silence followed. Kagome frowned, hearing the words but not quite able to process the thought.

"What?" she managed inelegantly at last.

"The Shikon's power is beginning to exhaust your body," Midoriko said, as gently as she could manage. "Those times when you have used it and then been left exhausted for days afterwards, those are indications of it, though I had hoped that they were not. It is difficult to say how much damage has been done, but…"

The O-Miko trailed off, her eyes fixed on Kagome's face. Kagome frowned, her lips working several times before she could get any words out.

"So…carrying the Shikon no Tama is shortening my life?"

Midoriko hesitated for a long moment before nodding.

"Possibly," she admitted, eyes downcast. "Though perhaps if you rest for some time or go into seclusion to allow your body some time to recover…"

She trailed off. Kagome did not look at her, but heard clearly enough her uncertainty. There was no telling if time or rest would help. Besides, Kagome knew without having to consider it much that that was not an option for her.

"We could remove it," Midoriko offered after a beat. "We could take the Shikon from your body. I confess I am not certain what effect doing so would have, but we might at least prevent any further damage from being done."

Kagome had scarcely given thought to the suggestion before she found herself shaking her head. She was conscious of the horrible implications of what Midoriko was telling her, but she felt strangely detached.

"No," she said. "Kaede-sama placed her faith in me when she placed the Shikon no Tama inside of my body. It is mine to protect. I don't trust that I could keep it safe were we to remove it."

"Kagome…"

She could hear the faint pleading in the word and she understood the guilt behind it. In some ways Midoriko was responsible for this. Responsible for the fact that the Shikon no Tama was beginning to eat away at her. But she did not feel frightened or angry. No, there was a feeling of…of peace.

She raised her eyes to meet Midoriko's.

"Somehow…I never expected to live very long," she confessed, the words the only sort of absolution she could think to offer the woman.

Midoriko's eyes slid shut as if she had dealt her a blow. Kagome frowned.

"Midoriko-sama," she said softly. "I will try to refrain from using the Shikon's energy in the future. Surely you can help me train to do that and perhaps that will be the end of it. As you have already said, there is no telling how much damage has been done. Perhaps it is hardly anything at all and I truly am just tired today."

Midoriko blinked slowly, considering this. She nodded, though she did not look entirely convinced.

"I suppose," she said lowly. "It might not be anything at all. Perhaps I am merely misinterpreting what I have sensed. The ways of the Shikon are largely a mystery to me yet, after all."

"Yes," Kagome agreed, offering her a smile. "Precisely. And we can even start our training to keep me from using the Shikon any further in a few days' time, if it will put your mind at ease. For now, though, I must go to the Tennō-sama. I am afraid I have kept his Majesty waiting too long already."

She rose, bowing quickly to her mentor before turning to go. She heard Midoriko half-call to her as she went, but she did not turn around.

The shoji door slid shut on two words that were scarcely more than a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

---

Kagome walked for a stretch of time without thinking anything in particular. Her eyes were occupied with the sights around her, buildings and a few courtiers like brightly colored birds flitting here and there. Her feet carried her automatically along the familiar route to the Dairi, twisting and turning along the walls of residences and through open gardens.

Slowly her mind began to turn once more.

She had lied to Midoriko-sama. More than once, she realized now.

The more innocuous of her lies had been her excuse for cutting their conversation so short. While she was impatient to speak with Inuyasha as soon as possible, their conversation had hardly lasted long enough to try the hanyou's patience. She had not even begun to explain her return to the court to the elder miko.

She had simply needed to end the conversation. The pity and guilt she had seen in the other woman's face was not something she felt equal to dealing with at the moment.

It was the other lie, the much greater one, that chiefly occupied her thoughts now.

The Shikon was draining her life. She understood it with the kind of bone-deep certainty that was unshakeable. The number of times she had used its power to the point that she was forced to sleep for days afterwards simply to recover…she had always sensed vaguely during those times that something was wrong. That some irreparable damage had been done. It had been easy to dismiss that half-formed notion until now.

Perhaps removing the Shikon would keep further damage from being done. Perhaps not. Either way, she was not willing to remove it. It was hers to guard until the end. Nor could she afford to take time to rest now. Inuyasha needed her, and she would not simply abandon all the work she had put in in the court because she was feeling a bit tired.

She had concealed all of these thoughts from Midoriko. What good would it do anyone for her to feel guilt over what was happening? It was not something that anyone could have predicted.

Besides, Kagome found that she could say with complete honesty that she did not feel angry or upset over it. For most people it would have felt like something was being stolen from them, something precious snatched away. But even after coming to the court Kagome had never quite been able to get a clear picture of what a future for her would look like. There had been brief glimpses, small flights of fantasy, but in the end they had always dissolved into the indistinct and the unreal.

Perhaps it had merely been the kami's way of telling her that her life was not meant to be a long one.

There was no way of knowing how much time she had, though. For all she knew it could yet be years before the Shikon finished its work of draining her. If she was only beginning to feel the effects of it now, she might well have time.

Yes, as long as she could make certain that everything was settled in time, then she would be fine.

She blinked, realizing suddenly that she stood just before Inuyasha's chambers. The pair of guards there bowed to her, and she bowed quickly in return before pushing aside the doorway hanging to enter.

Inuyasha sat amidst the pile of cushions that dominated the center of the room, papers spread haphazardly out all around him. The desk he normally would have used was hopelessly shattered after the previous night's pummeling.

Kagome froze in the entryway, arrested by the sight.

Ah, there it was.

Because suddenly she could see Inuyasha and Shippou and Sango and Miroku. She could see her mother and her brother and her grandfather. She had not thought of them once. Some part of her had refused to.

But these people were her life. These were the things that were being stolen from her. A full life lived with these precious, precious people.

Inuyasha looked up, blanching at the sight of her. The expression struck her as comical and a small laugh escaped her, the sound choked by the tears she found streaming down her cheeks. She sniffled, reaching up to swipe at her eyes with the lengths of her sleeves, and cried harder.

"O-Oi, what happened?" Inuyasha said, at her side in an instant. "What the hell happened, Kagome?"

His hands came up, resting a bit uncertainly on her shoulders. She leaned forward until her forehead pressed against his chest, hiding her face as the feeling overwhelmed her completely.

"Kagome, what is it?" Inuyasha pressed when she failed to answer after several moments.

He attempted to push her back far enough to get a look at her face, but she wrapped her arms about him and clung tight. It was difficult to draw enough breath to speak and it took several more moments before she could muster a reply.

"My throat," she gasped pathetically, the only excuse she could come up with. "It hurts."

She pointed lamely to the bruises on her neck from Sesshoumaru's attempted strangulation, well aware that it was hardly something that would warrant this sort of reaction. A mystified silence followed her words.

"…What?"

Nonetheless his arms came around her, pressing her to his chest. Kagome's body shook with the force of the feeling.

He made a few more half-hearted attempts at getting her to explain what was wrong, but mostly he just held onto her.

Kagome cried, realizing perhaps for the first time how utterly precious a thing her life was.

---

Inuyasha eyed her warily. Kagome kept her gaze purposefully averted, wiping the last remnants of tears from her now thoroughly swollen eyes.

She had finally managed to calm down enough to let him go and now they sat facing one another on the cushions. She was well aware that he did not believe for a second her professed reason for what had rapidly spiraled into a complete breakdown. Still she said nothing.

She had no intention of telling him what Midoriko had told her. He had enough to concern himself with without taking up her problems, as well. Besides, what good would his knowing do anyway? There was little that could be done either way.

Yes, better that they both focus on more important matters.

"The Korean diplomat," she began, clearing the last of the roughness from her throat. "What do you think it means?"

Inuyasha quirked one incredulous brow.

"You're seriously not going to tell me what happened?" he said. "You come in here bawling your eyes out and you won't say a word?"

Kagome's eyes dropped to her lap. She shrugged with affected unconcern.

"I already told you," she said. "My throat hurts. I am more than a bit tired and I woke only to watch you nearly be killed and then to nearly be killed myself. Am I not allowed to cry every now and again?"

Inuyasha blinked, caught off guard by this line of defense.

"It's not…allowed or not," he fumbled. "Just…you usually don't. Not over stupid stuff."

"Well, excuse me for being stupid," Kagome huffed.

"I didn't…I mean…" Inuyasha said, losing track of his own argument entirely. "Shit. Fine. Let's just talk about the Korean diplomat already."

Inwardly Kagome grinned.

"Well, we already know that the diplomat was a fake," Kagome said. "There have not been any foreign diplomats to the court since…"

"Since my old man died," Inuyasha supplied for her. "Yeah, they pretty much cut ties when everything started falling apart. Still, fake or whatever, the person knew what was happening here in the court. So either they were here or they're in contact with someone who is."

"They couldn't have been here," Kagome pointed out. "You tore down the screen after passing the ban on residence visits. One per year. No courtier has left the court since then, right?"

Inuyasha nodded, considering this.

"Yeah," he said. "You're right. No one's left since then, except…So it'd have to be someone in contact with one of the courtiers here. Someone in the court made sure to let them know, whoever it was."

"Then the question is why," Kagome said.

"I can think of a couple reasons," Inuyasha said. "One of them is here in the court already. Sesshoumaru never made any secret about what he thought of me and my old man's decision to put me on the throne, though the bastard was so butthurt about it that he walked away without a fight. Anyone who knew that much woulda known that news would be enough to light a fire under Sesshoumaru's ass."

"I see," Kagome said. "Then their aim would have been to get Sesshoumaru to return, so that he would challenge you for the throne. That would make sense. There are several clans that I know would sooner see a full youkai on the throne and who supported Sesshoumaru during the throne war. But what of the second reason?"

Inuyasha shrugged.

"Sesshoumaru might not have been a factor at all," he said. "Could be that he just happened to be there and it set him off. The Chinese Emperor is an even bigger fish, after all. And news like this…well, the Chinese Emperor was opposed to me taking the throne in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me if this were the thing that turned him against me entirely."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"You don't mean you think that the Chinese Emperor would actually move against you?" she said.

Inuyasha shrugged, shaking his head.

"Dunno," he replied, lips set in a grim line. "Though I can't say it'd surprise me too much. His army is stronger than mine, that's for sure. It all comes down to whether or not he's willing to risk a war over it."

Kagome frowned, absently beginning to worry her lower lip with her teeth.

"Then…" she said slowly, turning it over in her head. "We need to send someone, a diplomat of our own, to the Chinese court. If we can get the Chinese Emperor to hear the good you have been doing, perhaps he will reconsider. We just need someone to go and speak on your behalf, to convince the Emperor that war would be too costly and unnecessary to both sides."

But Inuyasha was shaking his head.

"Even a youkai making the trip would take months to get there," he said. "It'd take too long. Besides, there's no knowing if the Emperor would even accept a diplomat coming from my court. More likely he'd just turn them away. Or kill them, if he was really set on getting a war started."

"Then what?" Kagome asked, eyes searching his face. "There must be something we can do."

"Fortify our defenses along the western coastline," Inuyasha answered. "That's where he'll come from, if he decides to come. And his army might be stronger, but from what I remember his ships weren't much compared to ours. With advance warning like this, we might stand a chance of fighting him off."

Kagome frowned.

"Do you really think we can afford to go to war now?" she said. "We haven't even begun to solidify ties with the villages. And the situation here in the court…"

She trailed off, feeling a bit exhausted at the thought. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Look, don't worry about it," he said. "You just focus on things here in the court. I'll handle the rest. Besides, war mobilization isn't something that happens all at once. We've got a few months at least before anything happens."

Kagome looked up at him, nodding slowly. She released a breath.

"Yes," she said softly, more to herself than to him. "I suppose you're right. I will keep it in mind, though. Perhaps given some time I can think of…well, something…"

Inuyasha shot her a dark look.

"I'm serious, Kagome," he said. "I didn't drag you all the way back here just so you could kill yourself worrying about shit. I'll handle this one, alright?"

Kagome blinked at him, a sharp tug resounding inside of her.

I might be dying anyway.

The words welled up in her throat, clamoring almost with a life of their own to be spoken. She wanted to tell him so badly that she thought she might actually choke on the words if she did not speak them. Wanted him to hold her and comfort her and promise to protect her.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" she found herself saying instead.

"Yeah," he replied almost instantly, then blinked as if he had had no control over the word escaping him.

Kagome smiled faintly. There was no part of her that doubted the impropriety of continuing to do this with him, but she found suddenly that she did not care as much as she once had. Surely the kami could allow her a few small indulgences.

"Thanks," she said softly. He flushed faintly, eyes sliding away from hers.

"I…keh."

Kagome rose, smiling faintly.

"Then I will return early this evening," she said.

Inuyasha blinked up at her, embarrassment fading.

"Where are you going?" he asked, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his lips.

"There is just some research I would like to do before my official return is announced to the court tomorrow," Kagome replied, careful to keep her response vague.

"Research?" Inuyasha echoed.

"One of my companions on my mission," she replied. "There is something I want to look into for him, as he is not yet able to return to court."

The faint frown did not dissipate, but the hanyou nodded.

"Alright," he said. "There's some stuff I've gotta take care of with the Council anyway. Just…don't overdo it, alright? You just got back. Nobody could blame you if you wanted to rest."

Kagome smiled slightly, though she kept her eyes carefully averted. There was a bitter tinge to the expression that she could feel but not erase, and she did not wish for him to see it.

"No," she said. "It's alright. There will be plenty of time for me to rest once everything is over."

---

Kagome was thankful for the fact that Inuyasha had not pressed her further about her intended errand. He certainly would not have approved.

Nor would Miroku, for that matter. Still, she was unwilling to merely let things be until he returned. After all that he had done for her since they had first met, the least she could do was to try and look into the matter for him.

She also could not ignore the fact that the spider was in some way involved in what had happened to his father. Inuyasha's father, Miroku's father, her village, the little boy here in the court, Kohaku…she had run across the spider far too many times for it all to be mere coincidence, but as of yet it all still seemed so random. Perhaps investigation into what had befallen Miroku's father would help begin to put the pieces together.

In the time it had taken her and Inuyasha to get back to the court, she had considered several times how to approach the matter upon her return. The only clue they really had was the fan that pointed to the Taira clan, but that itself was problematic. The Taira would never speak willingly to her and the one way of she had had of learning about what went on within the clan was no longer available to her.

She would need, then, another way of inquiring about them without them becoming aware that she was doing so. It had taken some consideration, but at last she had managed to come up with her current plan of action.

She reached the former Chūgū's residence, not surprised to find it unguarded. It was for the best, really. The less people who saw her coming and going, the better. Likely the only ones inside the residence would be herself and the servants assigned to maintain the grounds until she returned, which suited her purposes just fine.

She passed through the outer gates and let herself in through the main entryway, walking some time before she found anyone. In a small side hall she at last came across a pair of servants, standing and chatting together idly. They paused as she rounded the corner, the eyes of the woman who had a clearer view of her widening.

"Miko-sama," she said, bowing hurriedly. The man beside her turned, mimicking the motion as soon as he caught sight of her.

"Miko-sama," he said. "My apologies. We hadn't received any word of your return. The residence is in no state to be inhabited at the moment, but if you will but give us a little time we can clear out at least a few rooms for you. My apologies again."

"Please, do not concern yourselves over it," Kagome said, gesturing for them to rise. "I've only just returned. I know no word was sent. I only came seeking Chūsei-san. I need to speak with her, if you know where she might be found."

The woman nodded.

"I believe she's out in the gardens," she said. "Show Miko-sama to the eastern tea room. It's cleanest, I think."

The latter was directed to the man and he nodded. Bowing once more, he gestured for Kagome to follow him as the woman started off towards the gardens.

The man led her to the eastern tea room, sparsely furnished and slightly musty from having been shut up during her absence. The tatami were clean enough, though, and after fetching a pair of cushions the man opened the outer shoji to let the room air out. The day was warm enough for the room to be quite comfortable even with the shoji sitting open, and the man went to fetch tea and a light meal.

Several moments passed before the inner shoji slid open once more, this time to reveal Chūsei. The woman beamed at the sight of her, and Kagome felt an answering smile stretch across her face. She rose as Chūsei moved forward and they met in an embrace in the middle.

"Look at you," Chūsei murmured chidingly against her hair, her voice thick with feeling. "A few months away and you've grown so thin! Didn't I always warn you about eating properly? Didn't I always say that-"

"A good day is built upon a good meal," Kagome finished for her, quite familiar with the phrase after the time she had spent in confinement with Chūsei as virtually her only companion. "Yes, I remember."

"Obviously not well enough to actually follow it," Chūsei huffed, though without any real heat.

The older woman pulled back enough to examine her face, her smile fading a bit.

"You look tired," she commented softly.

Kagome could not help but smile, warmed by the mothering air the woman exuded. She shrugged.

"I am tired," she admitted. "But there's no use in worrying over it. I will rest once everything is done."

Chūsei frowned.

"The problem there is," she said. "With you, things are never done."

Silently Kagome conceded the point, her smile fading slightly. Chūsei sighed, squeezing her once more before gesturing for Kagome to resume her seat. She did, and Chūsei took up the cushion across from her.

"I'm glad to see you returned safely to court," Chūsei said. "I had heard rumors among the servants that you had been sighted this morning amidst the…well, amidst all that mess, but I figured that you would come to find me when you were ready."

Kagome nodded, pausing when the shoji slid open once more. The man from earlier bowed before entering, placing tea, tsukemono, and rice before them before exiting once more.

Chūsei glanced from the food to Kagome, giving the younger woman a pointed look. Kagome took up her hashi obligingly, wondering if she really had lost all that much weight in the months she had been gone. She did not feel any thinner, but she had not exactly had much time to take account of her own body lately.

She ate enough to satisfy the woman before setting it aside, intent on getting back to her original purpose.

"If you were aware that I had returned, then I can assume that everything is still in place?" she said, assuming the vague manner of speaking that they used to refer to the network of servants under Chūsei's command.

Chūsei nodded, a tinge of pride turning up the corners of her mouth.

"Well in place," she answered. "And growing."

Kagome's brows rose.

"Growing?" she echoed. Chūsei nodded once more, Kagome's surprise seeming to please her even more.

"Did you think things in the court would stand still in your absence?" she teased gently. "The court continues to shift even without you here to prod at it. Don't worry, though. I've continued to report everything to his Majesty. Or I was, until…"

She trailed off, darting an uncertain look at Kagome. Kagome blinked, realizing she was alluding to Inuyasha's disappearance.

"What do you know, Chūsei-san?" she asked tentatively.

Chūsei shook her head.

"Not much," she replied. "Only that the Tennō-sama had withdrawn entirely from court life since his Majesty's wedding, this morning being the first time that his Majesty has emerged in over two weeks. Supposedly the reason for his Majesty's withdrawal was to allow for time with the Empress to enjoy their new marriage. I know that reason to be false, though."

She hesitated, glancing about to make certain that no one was around to overhear them.

"It's her Majesty," Chūsei said at last, frowning and keeping her voice low as an extra precaution. "She's left the court. She left only two days after the wedding ceremony. Who'd have thought a marriage could encounter such trouble as that so quickly? Worse yet, if no heir comes of those first few nights, the marriage will become void and his Majesty will have to seek another wife to produce an heir, or at least take a concubine. There can't be any stability here in the court until the Tennō-sama produces an heir, after all-"

"Wait," Kagome said, holding up a hand to halt the rapid flow of information. "Please, wait just a moment. You know of Kik-…you know of Fujiwara-sama's departure? The servants know of it?"

Chūsei blinked, surprised herself.

"You know of it, Miko-sama?" she asked.

"I…spoke to his Majesty upon my return," she fibbed, eyes sliding away from the older woman's. "The Tennō-sama informed me of it. But what of you, Chūsei-san? How did you learn of it?"

"The same way I learn of everything else," Chūsei replied. "The servants. Her Majesty took several with her upon departing. Word of something like that spreads like wildfire among us. It would've been impossible to keep it entirely secret, though I hear a guard tried to keep the servants who had witnessed it quiet."

Kagome frowned, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. For all his efforts, Akitoki-sama had been unable to keep everything from getting out.

"There's no need to worry, Miko-sama," Chūsei said, seeing the dismay growing on her face. "The word did spread a bit among the servants within the Dairi, but I made certain to put a stop to it as soon as word reached me. I knew it wouldn't be any good for his Majesty if it got out, and besides the Tennō-sama doesn't deserve to have everyone prying into his Majesty's marriage. I promise you that none of the courtiers are any the wiser as to what's gone on."

Chūsei offered her a small reassuring smile. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in her stomach easing. Of course Akitoki-sama would have been unable to control the servants. For all that they were there to serve the courtiers, Kagome knew well enough that they really only listened to their own when it came to matters such as this. Thus it seemed that Chūsei, too, had played a vital role in keeping the court orderly despite all that had happened.

"Thank you," she said, well aware of how inadequate the words were. "You did his Majesty a great service."

Chūsei smiled, shaking her head.

"For all that the Tennō-sama's not exactly the…friendliest person, I've found that I quite like his Majesty," she said. "I'm glad to have been of help."

"What you said about an heir, though," Kagome said, recalling the other thing that had caught her attention. "What do you mean? Could the marriage truly become void?"

At one time the thought might have brought her an entirely selfish sort of relief. At the moment, though, it disturbed her. Inuyasha's marriage was a barrier of sorts. She had resolved to stay by Inuyasha's side, to be with him without ever being with him. The marriage made such a resolve much simpler. It was easy not to expect anything from a man who had already promised himself to another woman. If the marriage were dissolved, though, not only would Kikyou likely be further devastated, but she…

"Well, the marriages of the Tennō-sama are largely for the sake of producing an heir to secure the throne," Chūsei said, cutting across her thoughts. "You've seen for yourself the chaos that can happen when succession doesn't go as planned. That's why the Tennō-sama often takes a wife and multiple concubines, to assure that at least one of the women will produce a son to carry the throne. Since that's the case, an official wife that can't produce a child…well, it wouldn't be the first time that a marriage was voided."

Kagome frowned, considering this. She realized she had no idea exactly how long after the wedding ceremony Inuyasha had left the court. She did not know if there had been enough time for them to…she flushed at the thought. And she certainly was not going to ask Inuyasha about it.

No, they would simply have to make sure that Kikyou returned to court soon. It was obviously important that an heir be produced for the sake of the court's stability and…she stopped the line of her own thoughts. That was one reality she would wait to deal with until it was before her.

"I understand," said Kagome. "There is no need to worry, though. Fujiwara-sama simply needs some time to sort through her own thoughts, I am certain. She will return soon enough and I am sure that an heir will follow not long after."

She avoided Chūsei's eyes as she spoke the last words, afraid of what the older woman might see there. Chūsei nodded.

"It's good to hear," she said. "I'll confess to having been more than a bit concerned when I learned what had happened. It's understandable, though. Her Majesty must be under a great deal of pressure."

Silently Kagome reflected that Chūsei did not know even the half of it. She prayed she was right, though, and that time and a bit of persuasion would bring Kikyou back to the court sooner rather than later.

"I came to you for another reason," Kagome said, recalling once more her original purpose in seeking Chūsei out. "I have a very important request to make of you, if you are willing."

Chūsei nodded to indicate that she was listening.

"It is a rather delicate matter, and it will require a great deal of secrecy on your part and the part of anyone you might enlist to help you," Kagome explained. "But I trust that if there is anyone in the court capable of it, it is you. To put it bluntly, I need you to look into the Taira clan for me."

Chūsei's brows rose incredulously.

"The Taira?" she repeated. "I don't know if that's possible. A great deal of progress has been made since your departure in getting access to servants of clans that used to ally with the Taira, but as of yet I've not been able to get a single servant from the Taira clan to speak to me. I'm afraid to press too hard lest they discover what I'm up to."

Kagome nodded.

"I assumed as much," she said. "The information I need is specific enough and does not need to come from the Taira themselves. Even just witnesses would be sufficient. You see, there was a woman named Fuyumi. She was a villager like myself, but I have reason to believe that she was brought here to the court for some time to live among the Taira as a mistress. I need to know what happened to her here, every last detail that can be found."

"I thought you could ask around to servants who serve under clans that have close ties to the Taira. Anyone who remembers anything about her would be a great help. Also, any inquiries that could be subtly made to those clan members who might know something would be good. I am not too concerned about the other clans, but above all else the Taira must not know that I or anyone else is inquiring. Do you think it would be possible? You are certainly free to refuse me if the request concerns you at all."

Chūsei's brow was furrowed slightly in thought.

"I'm not particularly concerned," she said slowly. "After all, it doesn't sound much more dangerous than what we've already done. I'm more curious than anything, I suppose. Who's this Fuyumi woman? What's so important about her? If you're merely curious about the practice of nobles taking those of common birth as mistresses, then I can tell you it's more common than you might think. The nobles tend to treat common women, servants included, more like property than people, though usually they at least maintain a semblance of propriety by keeping them at their outside residences."

Kagome blinked, storing this little piece of information away for consideration at a later date. To Chūsei she shook her head.

"It's not that that I am interested in," she replied. "And as to who Fuyumi was…well, I suppose I do not know much more about her than what I have already told you. As to why she is important, I cannot say that I am certain of that, either. It is part of what I am hoping to find out, really. What I do know is that she was somehow involved in the death of the father of one of my closest friends."

Kagome did not think it wise to reveal much more than that. Asking Chūsei to collect information about this woman was one thing, but revealing to her anything about the spider would involve her more deeply than Kagome was willing to risk. The less she knew, the safer she would be. It would simply be up to Kagome to put all of the pieces together once she knew more about Fuyumi.

Chūsei's expression sobered.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to pry into uncomfortable matters. I'm more than willing to be of help, if I can. It shouldn't be too difficult to find some servants of the clan houses with close connections to the Taira to speak with. Getting any information out of the courtiers themselves might be difficult, but I'll make sure that my people know to be as quiet about it as they can."

Kagome nodded, smiling.

"Thank you, Chūsei," she said. "Truly, and for everything. The work you have been doing is invaluable to the Tennō-sama and myself."

Chūsei grinned, lowering her gaze modestly.

"Just so long as you know it," she joked, shooting Kagome a playful glance. "Besides, we're all glad to do it. To feel as if we're part of something important. So long as his Majesty and yourself don't forget us, the servants are happy to be your eyes and ears for as long as you need us."

Kagome's smile widened and she reached out a hand to the older woman. Chūsei clasped it in return, pressing her palm.

For the first time in days Kagome felt the lightness of relief. Akitoki-sama, Chūsei, the servants…alone she would have been powerless. But she was not alone. Even if her body gave out, they would be there to carry her. She was not alone.

---

Kagome returned to the Dairi and Inuyasha's chambers after she finished with Chūsei. They had spent some time merely catching up, Kagome sharing with the woman what she had been up to while outside of the court and Chūsei giving her a condensed version of what she had been reporting to Inuyasha in her absence.

Kagome trusted the woman enough to tell her about what she had been doing with the villages, and she was pleased to see her faith rewarded when the woman positively lit up at the news. Chūsei had been brought into the court as a servant when she was young, but a great number of her family members still lived outside in the villages.

Thus by the time they were finished talking night had begun to set it. It was late by the time Kagome reached Inuyasha's chambers, though she found them to be empty. Thankfully that meant that there was no guard there to see her enter at what might well be considered an indecently late hour. She made a mental note to be more careful about such considerations in the future, but then realized that such a mental note implied the occurrence of such events in the future. She decided not to think about it.

She lit a couple of lanterns to illuminate the dark chamber, wondering if she should wait up for Inuyasha to return. After a bit she decided she would simply go to sleep. She was rather tired, and the more time she sat up by herself in the room the more her thoughts attempted to stray towards things she had made up her mind not to dwell on. Now that he had announced the court meeting for the following day, she knew that she would at least have one more day with him to discuss a strategy before he set out after Kikyou.

It was a bit presumptuous, but she decided to use Inuyasha's futon once more. It was the most comfortable option, after all, and he had said himself last night that he was willing to use the cushions to sleep on. Surely he would not mind surrendering it for one night more.

Normally she would have changed into a light yukata to sleep in, but there were none available to her in Inuyasha's chambers. Instead she simply stripped down to her haori, folding her hakama and setting them out beside the futon. They were too dirty for her to sleep in them comfortably, and the haori was long enough that it was no real compromise to her modesty save that it was not meant to be slept in.

Kagome lay down and was asleep within moments.

---

Some time later she half-woke to some shifting on the futon.

"Move over," a voice murmured.

Unthinkingly she complied, rolling a bit to one side. The warmth of another body settled in beside her and she wriggled closer to it. An arm was slung over her, pressing her close.

"How'd it go?" she asked, the words slurred heavily with sleep. She did not bother to open her eyes.

"Keh," he huffed. "How d'you think? The angry old bastards are still angry and old. Sleep."

Kagome made a vague noise of assent, already sinking quickly back into the depths of slumber.

A small part of her realized as she drifted off that it should not have felt so natural. It should not have been so comfortable to lay at his side and go to sleep with the low thrum of his pulse against her ear where it was pressed to his chest. This should not have been her place.

But it was.

---

Kagome woke first the following morning, surprised to find Inuyasha still sound asleep beside her. Usually he required much less sleep than she did, but perhaps the return journey to the court had taken more out of him than he had let on.

She lay still for several moments, reluctant to move and risk waking him. Her legs had become tangled with is at some point during the night, his arm slung around her shoulder and her hand tucked beneath his side for warmth. His face, relaxed and almost childlike in sleep, was a hand's breadth above her own.

Kagome reached out tentatively with her free hand, hesitating a moment before tracing her fingertips lightly over his cheekbone and the sharp ridge of his nose. His eyelashes, darker and longer than her own, fluttered at the contact, but he otherwise did not stir. He was utterly relaxed, and her heart swelled in her chest at the sight.

She realized she had never really looked at him so closely before. The hard-lined symmetry of his face, the dark line of his brow, the surprising softness of his skin…was it possible for anyone to look like that? It seemed almost unfair.

If moments such as these were her reward, though, Kagome felt that she could live without regret.

Her hand drifted upward, gently pushing back some of the hair that had slipped over his face in his sleep. Inuyasha stirred further at the contact, the hand on her back reflexively pressing her closer to his body.

Kagome blinked.

Something was pressing against her lower stomach. Inuyasha's hips flexed, pressing against her more firmly. Her face flamed.

Her experience in healing had allowed her too thorough a knowledge of living bodies for her to mistake what was going on.

Slowly she tilted her head, looking up into Inuyasha's face once more. To her surprise she met half-lidded golden eyes, still hazy with sleep. At most she guessed he was half-awake.

As her eyes met his he shifted, his body turning and their tangled legs bringing her with him. He was over her then, his warm weight pressed fully against her. His face was in the crook of her neck, breath warm against the point where her throat met her shoulder. Slowly he flexed his hips once more, hardness pressing into the cradle of her hips. A shudder ran through Kagome, and she was uncomfortably aware of her the heaviness of her breasts even through the bindings on her chest.

Her mind had gone entirely blank, but she followed the first notion that occurred to her.

She shoved Inuyasha and rolled off of the futon.

Her heart was pounding in her ears, but she could still hear Inuyasha's sleepy curse as he was brought abruptly to full consciousness. She glanced over at him, pressing a hand to her chest as if it would calm the erratic hammering of her heart. Her skin felt uncomfortably sensitive all over.

He blinked at her, the last traces of sleep slowly clearing from his expression. For a moment, though, she could see it there in his face-pupils wide and dark, eyes hooded as they trailed over the length of her. After a moment he flushed faintly, eyes darting away. Kagome folded her hands tightly in her lap, eyes fixed on them as she attempted to focus on anything other than the low thrum she could still feel humming through her body.

"Sorry," she murmured, unable to lift her gaze. "You were crushing me a bit."

"Oh," he replied dumbly.

Several moments of silence passed.

"We should get ready for the court meeting," Kagome said at last, managing to regain a semblance of composure. "It's set for this afternoon, isn't it?"

Inuyasha nodded and then, realizing she could not see him, said, "Yeah. I can call servants to help you get ready."

Kagome shook her head.

"I don't think that would be wise," she said, referring obliquely to the impropriety of their current arrangement.

"Oh," Inuyasha said, realizing it as well after a moment. "Yeah."

Another silent pause passed.

"I can go to the former Chūgū's residence to get ready," Kagome said after a beat. "There are servants there who will help me. I was wondering, though…what should we do about Fujiwara-sama? Her absence today isn't really something that we can conceal."

Kagome could almost feel him grow tense at the mention of the woman. A heaviness seemed to grow up between them, like a wall sliding into place. Kagome experienced a twinge, but ignored it determinedly. She had already indulged in enough foolishness for one morning.

Inuyasha shrugged, the gesture sharper than it should have been. He shook his head.

"I'll come up with something," he said, unable to meet her gaze. "And as soon as the meeting's done we'll figure out a way to to keep things together here while I go after her. I have to go get her. I can't just leave her alone out there."

The last was spoken almost as if in askance, a plea for some sort of understanding. Kagome's eyes slid shut.

"I know," she said. "I understand."

A long moment of silence stretched between them. At last Kagome forced herself to stand, reaching for her hakama.

"Would you mind leading the guards away?" she said softly. "I should leave now if I am to be ready in time."

Inuyasha nodded, though he did not speak. He stood, arranging his clothes for a moment before he went out without so much as a glance at her.

Kagome watched him go, her stomach sinking slightly.

---

It took hardly any time at all for Chūsei and a few of the other servants at the Chūgū's residence to help her get ready. They insisted on giving her a bath, pulling out the tub and scrubbing her down thoroughly. For once Kagome did not mind much. It had been some time since she had last been able to wash herself properly and it was nice to feel clean again.

Unfortunately they decided that, as this meeting would also serve to announce her return to the court, a juni-hito was in order. Chūsei was the one who insisted most strongly, and Kagome could not help but feel that the older woman got some sort of enjoyment out of treating her like a doll.

By the time that they had finished arranging her clothes, hair, and makeup, it was time for her to go to Daigokuden where the meeting was to take place. She bade the servants good-bye and started off, using the light parasol they had provided her to block the rays of the mid-morning sun.

Upon arrival she found that many of the courtiers were already present, hundreds of fans working to cool their owners inside the hall. Amidst a number of stares and murmurs Kagome took her place upon the dais, thankful that for once she was not required to wait until all the others were seated that she might be paraded before them. A quick glance showed her that the cushion that normally would have served as Kikyou's place was absent. She wondered how many of the others had already noticed it, as well.

Courtiers continued to pour in slowly until nearly every space was filled within the hall. Between all of the bodies packed into one space and the increasing warmth of the day outside, the hall was soon uncomfortably hot. Kagome prayed that the meeting would not take overly long, resisting the urge to tug at the neck of the juni-hito to loosen it.

At last she saw Inuyasha's frame fill the entryway, the room growing silent as he made his way to the dais. He had apparently decided that the occasion warranted more ceremony than usual, donning the kikuji no ho and the kanmuri as opposed to his usual garb. Kagome was pleased with the decision-in light of his brother's presence in the court every reminder of his own claim to the throne that could be mustered was good- though she sympathized deeply with the discomfort he must be feeling in this heat.

He took his place at the head of the dais, expression solemn, and all eyes were upon them. Kagome sat up straighter, schooling her own expression into a semblance of the regal passivity she remembered Kikyou often wearing at such events.

"Cousins," Inuyasha began, projecting loudly enough for his voice to carry throughout the room. "My thanks for your presence here today. I will begin with the reintroduction of one of our own back into the court."

He gestured to Kagome and she bowed her head slightly.

"The Miko Kagome has recently returned to us from her mission outside of the court," Inuyasha continued. "The Miko has worked hard for the sake of the court and has had great success in her mission. I extend to her my deepest thanks and welcome and wish for all of you to do the same, Cousins."

Almost as one the mass inclined its collective head, fans sweeping in a gesture of welcome. It was difficult to gauge the reaction of so many at once, but as far as Kagome could see there was no major discontent apparent at the news of her return.

She inclined her head in return, sweeping her fan in a gesture that she recalled indicated gratitude. She was not sure if this was the correct response, but she felt that some sort of gesture was needed.

"I am pleased to be among you once more," she said. "And thank you for welcoming me back into your midst."

Behind her Inuyasha nodded before turning his eyes out once more upon the crowd.

"Now, to address the main reason for our gathering here today," he said. "As most of you bore witness to yesterday morning, my…Lord brother has returned to the court from his studies in the Chinese court. He attempted yesterday to assert his own claim to the throne and to force me from it. I, however, am the rightful heir to the throne, as you are all well aware. My honored father willed it to me over my Lord brother. And if written word is not enough to satisfy you as to the legitimacy of my claim, yesterday I bested my Lord brother in battle with my honored father's sword."

Inuyasha rose, drawing Tessaiga deliberately from its sheathe. The sword transformed in a swirl of youki, and with a deft twist of his wrist Inuyasha planted the massive fang before him on the dais. His eyes swept the room in its entirety, and all activity ceased momentarily as the courtiers waited for him to continue.

"I currently hold my Lord brother in confinement, as punishment for his attempted coup," Inuyasha said. "By law I have a right to his life, if I wish it. I do not wish it. I do not believe that my honored father would wish for his…sons to be at odds. Thus I will continue to hold my Lord brother in confinement until he is prepared to repent and submit to my authority."

Inuyasha paused. Whispers had broken out in varying groups among the crowd, courtiers speaking and gesturing rapidly as they huddled together. Inuyasha allowed them a moment before speaking once more.

"If you have concerns, I will address them now. Speak your piece or we will be done with this matter forever."

A human man rose on the far right side of the room. Kagome frowned, struggling to recall the man's name or clan. She found that she could not, but the proximity of his clan to the Minamoto indicated that he might belong to one of the minor clans that associated with them.

"Hojo Yosuke," Inuyasha acknowledged him, confirming her guess. "Speak."

Hojo Yosuke bowed.

"I would merely like to say that we of the Hojo clan support your Majesty's decision," he said. "And we applaud your lenience in allowing your Lord brother to keep his life despite his transgressions. It is a true mark of your Majesty's humanity that you would spare your sibling's life even after he sought yours."

A man from the Minamoto whose name Kagome could not recall rose beside Hojo Yosuke.

"Minamoto Hiroaki," Inuyasha acknowledged him. "Speak."

"We of the Minamoto clan wish to echo the sentiments spoken by our cousins the Hojo," he said, bowing. "We support the Tennō-sama and her Majesty fully."

Kagome blinked, struggling to keep the surprise from her face. Certainly things had shifted in her absence if the Minamoto were now coming out fully in support of Inuyasha. Before she had left a few of the minor clans under them had slowly been coming over, but now it seemed that they were all entirely behind Inuyasha.

What had changed? Was it his marriage to Kikyou? She recalled vaguely the support the one Minamoto woman had shown towards Kikyou at the women's outing what felt like forever ago. Perhaps now that he was married to a human woman…and something about mercy and humanity that the man had just said…

But she did not have time to consider it further, a woman rising to stand on the far right side of the room as the men resumed their seats. She tucked these thoughts away for another time, focusing on the woman.

She was clearly a youkai of some sort, her floor-length hair an uncommon shade of auburn. Kagome was almost certain she had never seen her before, but her clan was ranged near the Taira in the hall. Kagome clasped her hands in her lap, squaring her shoulders in preparation for what she knew was to come.

"Abe Haruko," Inuyasha acknowledged her, and Kagome recalled from her talks with Sango that the Abe were definitely one of the minor clans beneath the Taira. "Speak."

The woman bowed.

"Tennō-sama," she said, her words slow and clear. "We of the Abe clan have discussed in depth yesterday's events. We find your Majesty's actions to be just. Your Majesty bested your Lord brother. The Tennō-sama has proven his Majesty's strength to be superior to even that of a daiyoukai. We of the Abe clan bow to your Majesty."

The woman bowed once more. Kagome blinked. Blinked again. She could not resist darting a glance back at Inuyasha, needing to see his reaction. He met her eyes, the faint bewilderment of his features mirroring her own.

Surely a member of one of the clans allied to his most vehement enemy in court had not just spoken in support of him. Surely they had both misheard.

But they had not.

In quick succession several more youkai courtiers rose from the Ō, Hashiji, and Ki clans to echo Abe Haruko's words. Inuyasha's strength in defeating his brother and sparing his life had won them over. He had proven himself more than equal to a daiyoukai and had defeated the man they secretly supported as the true heir to the throne.

Inuyasha had won them over.

By the time the courtiers were through Kagome was so stunned she could scarcely form a coherent thought. Almost in an instant everything seemed to have shifted.

She realized that, for the first time since she had come to court, Inuyasha might have more clans in support of his rule than opposed.

"Is there no one else who wishes to speak?" Inuyasha said after a beat of silence had passed since the last courtier had resumed their seat. She could hear the incredulity in his voice that was echoing loudly in her own mind. "I give you this last opportunity before I call the meeting to a close."

Unconsciously Kagome's eyes moved to the Taira, along with hundreds of other pairs in the room. They were all expecting it. If there was to be one dissenting voice…

But it never came. Kagome had the clearest view of Kagura, sitting stone-faced and silent among her clan. Not a one of them spoke. Not a fan among them so much as twitched.

"Then…I declare this meeting ended," Inuyasha said.

Kagome rose immediately, unable to contain herself. She turned to Inuyasha who quickly sheathed the Tessaiga and moved down a step towards her.

"What just-?"

"Can you believe-?"

"I don't even-"

Kagome was the first to hold up a hand, stemming the flow of their confused attempts to talk over one another. It would not do for them to act like that with so many people around.

"Meet me in the Dairi," she murmured. "We can discuss all of this there, alright?"

Inuyasha nodded. Kagome turned and started down the steps, making her way through the aisle of courtiers who were slowly rising from their places. Many were drifting into groups, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. Kagome caught sight of a few colorful fans, flipping and twisting in gestures of surprise and interest.

Obviously she and Inuyasha were not the only ones stunned by what had gone on.

Kagome was so distracted by the rapid turn of her own thoughts that she nearly ran straight into the guard standing directly in the entryway. She stumbled, only just managing to catch herself.

"My apologies," she said to the man. "I was not watching where I was going-"

"Miko-sama?" the guard spoke, interrupting her.

He looked down at her, his face a blank mask. He made no move to remove himself from her path.

"Yes?" Kagome said, feeling a strange prickle of apprehension.

"This is a message from Fujiwara-sama!"

He screamed loudly enough that the words echoed through the Daigokuden. Kagome scarcely had time to blink before she saw the gleam of the dagger, sliding out from where it had been concealed in his sleeve.

She stumbled backward, tripping on the hem of her robes and the height of her geta. The dagger arched down, and she felt it like a blow as it pierced her flesh.

Everything seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. Distantly she heard screaming and yells. Her vision swam in and out of focus, colors and faces blurring one moment and coming into sharp relief the next.

For a brief moment she saw Inuyasha over her, features strained and lips moving to form words she could not hear. She could see the sheen of tears pooling in his eyes. She tried to reach for him and found that she could not.

At last she slipped away.

---

I'm a bit exhausted. That was a lot to take on in one chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, though. Please review if you feel inclined. The feedback is always much appreciated.

Another bit of need to know info:

-There are several cultures I know of where the practice of marriage annulment upon failure to produce an heir occurs among the nobility or upper class. As I said in the chapter, royal/noble marriages were essentially for the purpose of producing children (as well as for the sake of alliances, in many cases). There are some documents out there that suggest a practice among the Heian nobility of marriages becoming void in the event of an heir or child not coming from them, or sometimes rather than becoming void entirely the 'first wife' (Kikyou in this instance) was relegated to a lower position in order to make room for a new wife who would produce children. These documents are by no means conclusive, but I thought it was interesting enough to include it in the story. So I did.

Now I'm tired as all get out and I'm going to go rest for a bit before I have to return to the grind of school and classes.

Until next time,

E-n-B