Author's Note Part 2: Portions of this story have possibly been inspired/guided by other stories such as Beauty and the Beast, Jane Eyre, etc. I do not own these. I only own the story in this current form.
Chapter 2
Kagome absent-mindedly surfed the web while her mom cooked dinner in the other room. What did kids in the Warring States Period learn anyway? It's not like there was a set curriculum. She peered intently at the search results, mumbling to herself.
"Letters and numbers. Letters and numbers…"
Kagome's mother peeked her head from around the corner. "Something wrong, dear?"
"Looks like those extra calligraphy classes you sent me to in elementary school are going to pay off," the girl said, stretching, then hunching over the keyboard again. Her mom simply smiled and went back to the stove.
Kagome had already explained what was going on, and though Mama Higurashi didn't like the idea of not seeing her daughter for upwards of eight months, the knowledge that she would be under the care of one of the most skilled warriors in the entire Feudal Era did comfort her greatly. That, and the gems he had given Kagome to buy school supplies had been more than enough to supply an entire school for a year AND pay for Souta's college education. As far as she was concerned, he was a keeper.
Kagome tipped her head back and stared blankly at the ceiling, considering all that she had left to do. She would print out some information from online (she made a mental note to pick up a binder or two), get some teaching books, buy some writing workbooks and story books for the kids, and, of course, pick out some toys and snacks to appease them during the long winter months. Maybe she was taking this too seriously.
Her mother called out that dinner was ready, so she pushed back the chair and decided to continue her research after a nice bath and a good night's sleep.
Sesshomaru's eyes would have bulged had he any less control. Currently in front of him was a cart filled to the brim with… well, he wasn't exactly sure what most of the items were. He looked back over at the young miko who grinned sheepishly back at him.
"Shall we?" she asked, giggling nervously.
He didn't deign to answer her, instead turning to watch as some village men hooked the cart up to Ah-Un as she said goodbye to her friends.
"I'll miss you guys! I promise to write often!"
She gave a teary hug to Sango and shook hands with a slightly hurt looking Miroku. To Inuyasha she gave a sad smile, promising to visit as soon as possible. His response was at first a half-hearted "feh," but he gave in and hugged her once he saw tears forming. With a final wave to the group, Kagome beckoned Shippo to climb into her arms and walked over to where Sesshomaru stood, a cloud already forming beneath his feet.
She looked up at the demon lord, and without another word they took off, headed for the distant Western Lands.
While they had ventured into the Western Lands during their travels, Kagome could not recall how deeply into the territory they had actually been. The scenery had, within a little more than an hour, become completely unfamiliar.
Sometime early into their flight, Sesshomaru had told her that it would take the better part of a day to reach their destination. She figured that was because he was not going at breakneck speed to accommodate her human-ness. She chuckled and then almost broke into a full laugh when the demon lord looked down at her with something between a glare and confusion.
Shippo, luckily, had fallen asleep almost immediately. The excitement of travel and all the new toys (he hadn't figured out that they were educational toys yet) had finally taken their toll on the young kit.
"Just a few more hours…" the miko thought, gazing down at the trees.
Just as the sun dipped low in the sky, Sesshomaru addressed her and, following his eyes, the castle came into view. Or rather, fortress. It was situated on the side of a mountain, jutting out from the stony exterior. It seemed perfectly placed, as though it had always been there, and Kagome wondered how old the edifice actually was.
As they approached the giant building, Kagome could see that while it reflected the authority and austerity of its current ruler, portions of it seemed to be in disuse or disrepair. In some ways this was surprising, as her mind rebelled at the use of "Lord of the West" and "unkempt" being in the same paragraph, let alone sentence. On the other hand, he was rather practical and ascetic. This definitely raised a few questions, but decided it would be wiser to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being.
In a matter of moments, they alighted in a courtyard, and Kagome took some hesitant steps into the garden, waking Shippo in the process. While they looked under-cared for and slightly wild, the late summer blooms were still beautiful and fragrant. Kagome sighed with contentment as Shippo leapt out of her arms to stretch his legs. The peace of the moment was shattered by the demon lord's retainer.
"Welcome home, Lord Sesshomar- What is SHE doing here?" the green imp sputtered and came to a sudden halt, causing the little girl who had been following at his heels to crash into him.
"Ah! Kagome-sama!" The girl's smile got even bigger when she saw the fox kit poke his head out from behind Kagome's back. "Shippo-chan!"
Sesshomaru, slightly uncomfortable – though he would never admit it – with the whole situation, focused his attention on his retainer, who cowered under his stare.
"Are the rooms ready as I requested?"
"Y-yes, my lord," Jaken said.
"Then escort the priestess and fox to their rooms and see to it that they are taken care of until we dine."
The demon lord began to walk off, and Kagome wanted to call out to him not to leave her alone in this strange, unknown place.
"No harm will come to you or the child within these walls," he said, answering her unspoken question. The "trust me" part was left out purposely, she was sure, but even without it she placed her trust in the stoic lord, watching as his back retreated down a long hallway and then out of sight completely.
"Stop gawking at my lord!" Jaken squealed, breaking her from her reverie. Kagome sighed and followed the imp inside with the children. He led them through a maze of hallways until Kagome was quite certain he was either lost or purposely trying to disorient her. If the latter, it was working. Suddenly the group found themselves in what Jaken pointed out was the main hall.
It was a giant room, big enough for large gatherings of many demons, which Kagome imagined no longer happened given the current lord's disdain for company. As with the outside, it was built primarily of stone and rock, though the old paintings and tapestries that hung from the walls hinted at the true warmth and splendor it must have once had. Other statues and objects of beauty and value could also be seen throughout the room. While it seemed little attention was paid to the hall in general, there was neither dust nor cobwebs, indicating that it was at least occasionally cleaned.
Jaken gave the group a moment to take in the grandeur before explaining, at least to Kagome and Shippo, the general layout and rules of the fortress.
"The East Wing is where you will spend the majority of your time," Jaken said, becoming slightly more polite as he spoke with admiration of the greatness of his lord's home. "Your rooms and Lord Sesshomaru's private quarters are there, as well as the courtyard we just came from. The library and his lordship's private study are above that, in addition to some other smaller, unused rooms. Thefamily," Jaken cringed at having to use the word, "dining quarters are on the in-between level, looking out over the courtyard. The training quarters can also be accessed on that level."
Jaken paused, checking for understanding. Seeing the glazed over look in the newcomers' eyes he continued, realizing he didn't really care if they got lost.
"Everything eventually connects to this main hall. The other wings," he said, motioning to the North and West wing doors that loomed slightly more ominously over the group, "are off limits." He paused a moment before elaborating. "In the event that we host a special event, the North doors will be opened to the guest quarters and banquet halls, but entering the West wing is always strictly prohibited."
Jaken ushered them through a new corridor (at least Kagome was pretty sure it was new). Before passing through the archway, Kagome looked back at the looming doors that led west. "What's through the Western doors?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else. She was shocked when Jaken actually replied, the ominous answer sending a chill down her spine.
"Those were the quarters of the former Lord and Lady of the Western Lands."