Kohaku and Rin

Getting into the castle was a much easier endeavor than either teenager made it out to be. By simply stating their relations to the Shikon miko, they were allowed instant access to the lord.

They were through the massive castle by an older man hunched over a wooden cane. Judging from the furrow in Kohaku's brow, he was wary of what was to come. Sighing, Rin threaded her fingers with his in a show of support. She smiled when the demon slayer flushed.

They were led to a massive room where two people situated elegantly upon a dais. The lord of the castle reclined comfortably on a pile of plush billows. Beautiful courtesans flocked every side of him and endlessly filled his cup. His youth was apparent by his lack of facial hair and rosy, cherubic cheeks. Rin speculated he was no older than Kohaku or herself.

"My liege, these two claim to know the Shikon Miko." The old man introduced, lowering himself into a bow. The girl and demon slayer respectfully bowed as well.

"I see…" The young lord's words trailed off as he took in his new guests. "This is good news, very good news. I shall drink to the occasion!"

"My lord," Kohaku called out as he stepped forward. The lord released a raucous laugh.

"Takashi! And this is my esteemed wife and princess, Aoi." The lord gestured to the figure of a very annoyed lady hiding herself behind a decorated fan. A large crystal kanzashi held her long brown hair in a fashionable hairdo and makeup highlighted her beauty. Highly befitting a lady of wealth. Her nose and mouth were covered by her fan, but Rin noticed a distinct pull of indignation in her brow. This was going to be interesting.

"Takashi-sama, my name is Kohaku. This is my traveling companion, Rin. We were hoping you could offer your guidance. Our friend, Kagome-sama, has been missing for a very long time. We were hoping you could point us in the direction of her whereabouts." Kohaku continued seriously.

This gave the lord pause. Sensing the lack of good nature from the demon slayer's words, he lowered the cup from his lips with a frown. The jovial demeanor withered into something more serious as he eyed them warily.

"I am afraid I cannot tell you where the Shikon Miko is. She is still completing her mission for me. Worry not, she will come back to you in due time."

"My lord, it has been over a year since we have seen her! You must understand our concern." Rin burst out. Lord Takashi's dark eyes addressed her with a level of contempt reserved for young women who spoke out against him. Sensing a poor confrontation brewing, Kohaku interjected.

"Perhaps you could point us in her direction or tell us why she could be gone for so long. We would be grateful for any information you could spare."

Takashi's face expressed that doing that was the last thing he wanted to do. Dark eyes shifted from his courtesans to his wife. The latter of which stared at him contemptuously from her fan. With a gulp, the young lord opened his mouth.

"Very well, all of you except for the guests must leave."

Wordlessly, the courtesans sauntered out in a promenade of colorful silks. Kohaku and Rin sat down in front of the patron of the castle. Neither missed the forced smile on his face when he encouraged the princess to leave the room as well. Much to his obvious displeasure, Aoi-hime remained with a sharp look. Uncomfortably, Takashi pushed himself deeper into his seat and began his speech with a sigh.

"A year ago you would not have recognized this place. For years my village and its people have suffered from the brutality of war and famine. After a brief spell of peace, a demon made its home in a cave deep in the forest. My late wife had died because of the vile creature and I have pleaded for assistance from holy men and priestesses from around the land to no avail, until the Shikon Miko."

"What kind of demon would demand such a level of exorcism? Why did you not call for a demon slayer?" Kohaku asked evenly. The young lord stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"There is speculation that it is more of a specter than a demon, I fear," Takashi replied, his tone becoming bored. "We are not entirely sure what it is, but many of our village maidens have gone missing."

"We assumed that a holy one could take care of the creature for us, and luckily the esteemed Shikon Miko came to answer our pleas. Our village has been at peace and has prospered ever since she came upon us. Wherever she is, she is doing her job well." Aoi-hime interjected, her cold countenance warming up with a genuine smile.

"And what better person to solve our spiritual problems than the esteemed Shikon Miko herself? If she is taking as long as she has, it is for good reason. Whatever she has done, it is working. Our village is wonderfully prosperous because of her."

A pregnant pause ensued as the last sentence escaped the lord's lips. Behind her fan, the princess inconspicuously pinned him with a seething glare. Rin closely inspected the two nobles sitting in front of her. Both shifted nervously under the scrutiny of her honey-brown eyes. Concentrating hard, the girl attempted to sense Takashi's aura. A filmy glimpse of gray surrounded the lord before disappearing altogether. The girl clenched her jaw before trying again.

Kohaku, on the other hand, opted for visual perception instead. Sweat dribbled down the side of the lord's forehead and the princess's face was now eclipsed by her fan. Swiftly, the demon slayer rose to his feet.

"Thank you for your help, my lord. We shall be on our way then." Kohaku said tightly. Rin stood up to join him, sensing her partner's palpable unease. Before they made their leave, the princess spoke up.

"Wait! As a token of appreciation for the Shikon Miko, do us the honor of staying in one of our guest rooms tonight. You will need all the rest you can get to search for your friend." Aoi said, her voice sounding more desperate than inviting. "Isn't that right, Lord Husband."

"That's right!" The young lord agreed. Rin didn't need to see his aura to understand the noble didn't want their presence any longer. Her fingers itched to hurl something at the man; he was a plain and awful fool.

"We would be most grateful for the accommodations." Rin accepted the invitation with a smile. The nobles returned terse nods to them and sent the two off to the guest wing.

"Fantastically vague answers leading us nowhere. Something isn't right… They don't even care that she hasn't returned." Rin nibbled the inside of her cheek anxiously. The princess respected Kagome, so why were both nobles so flippant about her absence? The teenage girl snapped her gaze to Kohaku's in a start when his warm fingers wrapped around her own. His eyes were reflective of her concerns which was a good sign.

They were deposited in the guest wing with little fanfare. They each were given a lavish, but small room with enough pillows to cushion an entire village and access to a view of the gardens. Sliding open a door to the verdant grounds, Rin pulled out a small ocarina from her pocket and whistled a few notes into the night sky. Airy sweeps of melody signaled to Sesshomaru that they were safe and where their location was. Tucking the item away, Rin collapsed on a pile next to a small wooden table. Her head was aching with the information they had just received. Kohaku settled himself at the table, face scrunched in concentration. He spoke up first.

"Something isn't right about those nobles," he started. "They barely told us what Kagome-sama was after."

"Well, we know it's something supernatural and it goes after maidens. That's a start at least. What's strange to me is that the lord doesn't seem to care where she is. His village is wealthy so why should he care." Rin replied, fingers curling into tight fists.

"We gathered what we needed from them. Now we can go out to the village and search tomorrow. We'll figure it out, we do have Sesshomaru-sama on our side after all." Kohaku said comfortingly. His smile didn't quite reach his eyes though, a thin veil of apprehension kept him from believing his own words. Rin appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

"I'm going to bed, then. We can leave at first light tomorrow." Rin declared. Just as she was about to close the door to the demon slayer's room, a voice called out from the shadows.

"Kohaku-san, Rin-san," the face of the princess appeared. Without the obstruction of the fan, her face was quite beautiful even with the distraught expression pulling at her features. "I am afraid we haven't been truly honest with you. Come with me where we can talk privately."

The audacity of the princess to lie to them about their beloved miko and then come here in the dead of night nearly sent Rin into a rage. Before she could give the woman a piece of her mind, Kohaku clamped a hand on her shoulder quickly and accepted the noble's proposition. With a beckoning wave of her hand, the duo followed Aoi into the night.

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a/n: Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this work! Special shoutout to smilingfool for leaving a review, I'm so glad you're liking this story, hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

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