Four years had passed since Sesshoumaru had been beaten by a small girl. The rumour had spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.
Yokai from the furthest reaches of the land came to challenge the newly weakened Sesshoumaru.
They left in body bags.
Sesshoumaru was furious. Actually that is too mild of a description, livid is more apt. He threw himself into becoming the best at everything he could possibly try. He could do anything and he became the best at everything.
But there was still the haunting memory of the young girl who had beaten him.
He tried to find her, but all he had to search with was the name Kagome and the fact that she had Miko capabilities. This did not yield him many results and he fumed over the younger girl who was taunting him even now.
Nowadays Sesshoumaru was more involved in the running of the kingdom along with InuTaisho, his father. He was widely recognised as being smart and intelligent and accurate in every field. But no one could deny he was not as caring for his people as InuTaisho had been.
Sesshoumaru had a vivid belief of the hierarchy. He believed that Yokai would always rule, that Hanyou’s should be treated like dirt and that humans were worker ants and nothing more.
As such InuTaisho had given his eldest son an ultimatum. Either he learnt how to care for someone or he would never become King.
Needless to say this did not sit well with Sesshoumaru.
“The next item on your agenda Ouji-sama is to choose the new palace healer” Jaken sprinted alongside the distantly livid Sesshoumaru as the Prince made his way along the hallway to the throne room.
“Why does that concern this Sesshoumaru?” Sesshoumaru asked in a bored yet haughty voice
“Um, your father gave you the task because...” the kappa trailed off
“Out with it”
“Because he says it’s your fault that he lost the last healer” Jaken finished in a near whisper. Sesshoumaru watched in distaste as the small kappa demon tried to hide himself from the blow he thought he would receive from the young prince.
“Why is it this Sesshoumaru’s fault?” Sesshoumaru questioned
“Um... milord you did behead the last healer with your poison whip did you not?” Jaken asked timidly
“Hn” Sesshoumaru did indeed remember the act of beheading some insignificant human on the way back from his incredibly frustrating meeting with the lords of the land but he had not realised at the time exactly who he had beheaded in his rage.
“Somehow...” he trailed off yet again. Sesshoumaru sighed; the stench of the kappa’s fear was thick in the air and making him feel kind of nauseous.
“Speak up or never speak again” Sesshoumaru threatened, or promised.
“Somehow word got out that the last Healer was beheaded by you milord” Jaken hurried over his words as if saying them fast enough would make the implications less painful “so there was only one applicant for the position”
“Who?” Sesshoumaru asked as they changed course and headed to the council chambers where the applicant should be awaiting them.
“Her name was Kagome Higurashi” the kappa told him
Kagome?
“Repeat that” Sesshoumaru ordered
“Her name was Kagome Higurashi” the kappa repeated this slowly an expression of panic flitting across his features as he wondered what it was he’d done wrong.
“Surely not” Sesshoumaru murmured to himself as he entered the council chambers.
There was a woman sat at the table with her back to him. She had long soft silky black hair that fell past her waist with a blue tint to it. She was wearing a dark blue kimono with silver detailing and a light blue obi. When she heard the door open she turned to face them.
Her skin was a pale ivory colour, her cheek bones haughty, her lips full and her eyes framed with thick dark lashes. Her eyes were grey swirling with lilac and a small smirk played upon her features.
“You” Sesshoumaru stated
“Ohayo Sesshoumaru-sama” she said pleasantly. It was the same Kagome as the one who had beaten him on that day. But she had grown, her child’s body had become a woman’s and the hourglass shape suited her.
She surveyed him as he surveyed her. He had not changed much since her last glimpse of him. He had bulked up a little more and he seemed to be even more powerful even though he had been able to wield Toukijin last time they had encountered him. This sent a slight shiver down her spine, he had been pretty damn powerful last time, so what did that make him now?
“What are you doing here?” he snarled
“I would have thought that to be obvious” she said in a teasing tone “I am the single applicant for the post of castle healer”
“You are denied” he said curtly before going to walk away
“Why?” she asked a smile evident in her voice “Are you holding a past grudge against me?”
Sesshoumaru’s eye began to twitch; this woman-child annoyed him like no other.
“Silence onna” he growled
“Tell me your reason for your refusal Ouji-sama” she said advancing slowly on the prince
“Yes Sesshoumaru share with us your reason” a new voice intoned and they turned to see King InuTaisho stood behind Sesshoumaru looking a mixture of happy and stern.
Sesshoumaru bowed to his father and Kagome gave a shriek of happiness and flung herself at the king like a small child.
Sesshoumaru felt he was hallucinating but InuTaisho took it all in his stride and in turn wrapped his arms around the girl and gave her a bear hug. Sesshoumaru was perplexed, the intimacy of the action suggested that they knew each other...
“It is so good to see you again InuTaisho-sama” she squealed
“Hai, it has been a long time” he told her in his deep gravelly baritone. “And how is the good Lady Kaede?”
“Still standing” Kagome released him and they stood close to carry on their confusing conversation “She seems to have a Yokai life span though she is naught but human”
He chuckled “I see you met the eldest of my sons” he gestured to Sesshoumaru
“I met Sesshoumaru-sama back when Kaede last visited you” she confessed
“Ah” InuTaisho smiled as he realised their past meeting had probably accounted towards the disdain Sesshoumaru regarded Kagome with.
“She should leave” Sesshoumaru forced himself to reign in his tone
“Nonsense” his father declared “this onna is the most powerful Miko since Midoriko herself. Plus she is the only applicant for the post of healer”
“Does that mean I have the job?” she enquired innocently
“Of course my child, I would have it no other way” he smiled warmly “you are the charge of Lady Kaede so you are practically family”
Sesshoumaru glared at his father and fumed silently before turning on his heel and striding from the room.
“Tell me InuTaisho-sama where is Inuyasha-sama?” she asked the king as she smirked as to the nature of Sesshoumaru’s departure.
“You know my younger son too?” he enquired in surprise
“Hai, I met him once and helped him with a problem that he had” she was deliberately vague
“I believe he is in the garden with the Monk Miroku and the Kitsune Shippo” he said musingly
“I think I’ll go and see him again” she smiled
“I’ll send someone to fetch your things and put them in your new chambers”
“Arigato” she smiled, bowed and departed.
The king smiled and watched her go. It appeared she had already made quite an impression on Sesshoumaru; this could be good for his young son.
***
“Miroku got slapped again huh?” Shippo said laughing as the dark haired monk in a traditional black and purple robe carrying a staff approached them wearing his favourite red hand slap across his face.
“Stop being such a Hentai” Inuyasha grunted as he folded his arms behind his head. He was wearing his usual fire rat kimono and not much had changed of the young Hanyou since his encounter with Kagome except his respect for Miko’s.
“Have I not told you?” Miroku enquired as he sat down next to the two on the banks of the palace garden “My hand is cursed”
“I don’t get how lechery is a curse when you choose to do it” Shippo replied he was around fifteen in human years and deliberately ignorant to the most of Miroku’s ways.
Miroku chuckled “Ah, my friend you have a lot to learn”
“Ohayo mina-san” said a soft and decidedly feminine voice as Kagome appeared behind them.
Inuyasha sat up to frown at her carefully, there was something familiar about the onna but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Miroku on the other hand was far more forward with his response.
“Kagome!” he exclaimed and hugged her tightly whilst almost absentmindedly rubbing her ass.
She slapped him so hard he saw stars and smiled “Good to see you too lecherous monk”
“Nice one” Shippo commented. Inuyasha was still musing about the girl; the name Kagome was familiar to him...
Kagome smiled at Inuyasha “How’s your brother been treating you?” she asked innocently
“YOU!” he yelled as it finally dawned on him
“That’s exactly what your brother said, but with a little less volume and more venom” she told him smiling “long time no see”
“Wow” he said looking her up and down “you um... grew” his eyes settled on her chest
“I agree” Miroku had a lecherous glint in his eyes
“Gee thanks” she said “eyes on face please Inuyasha-sama”
“Um...” he went beet red
“Aw you embarrassed him” Shippo crooned “I didn’t think that was possible”
“Shut it” Inuyasha hit him in the head
“Why are you here fair Kagome-sama?” Miroku asked “and how did you come to know Inuyasha-sama?”
“I’m the new healer for the castle” she shrugged “Ouja-sama InuTaisho hired me, I met Inuyasha when I was just I child”
The Kitsune and the Monk had of course heard the tale of the young girl who had challenged Sesshoumaru and survived but surely this beautiful onna couldn’t be her.
She smiled angelically and they shook their heads. Surely not.
***
In a deep underground cavern a cage lay on an elevated platform that was not connected by anything to any of the walls of the cavern. The cage was balanced on a small mound in the middle of the cavern that stood two hundred feet above solid land and fifty feet away from any of the surrounding walls. It was the sort of place a beast was kept.
Kanna,
Kanna...
Kanna.
A pair of black soulless eyes snapped open upon hearing the sound of her own name. Her seemingly ten years old wrists and ankles shook in the shackles that held her from the floor and away from the wall spread eagled like some kind of laboratory specimen.
She waited and listened. There was a flash of green light and the chains binding the girl broke and she fell from her elevated position to drop daintily onto the floor. A silver framed mirror floated over to her and she caught it in her hands calmly. The cage exploded outwards in a sharp but fluid movement and left the girl stood on a platform on her own with the mirror in her hand emitting and ethereal green light
And so it begins.
***
“King InuTaisho!” a guard caught up to the king and bowed respectfully
“What is it that ails you?” the King asked
“There was a huge explosion in the western mountains!” he exclaimed
The King turned to face the man “And what of her?”
“We cannot find her Ouja-sama” he bowed respectfully
“It’s coming” InuTaisho mumbled to himself and walked away from the perplexed guard.
A/N: I do not own Inuyasha and I make no profit from this. I love reviews they are my friends, and with that in mind please review!