Embracing Ice by Yabou
Section One
A/N: For those of you who have read this before, I am now trying to complete Embracing Ice by editing it as a whole and adding a few chapters to wrap it up. Each "Section" will contain at least five chapters. I will be posting as I complete my editing. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
If you would like to read "Embracing Ice" as it is in whole now, please see my account on Fanfiction.net.
- - - - - - - - - -
Embracing Ice - Section One
- - - - - - - - - -
A long, tiring day of shard hunting had swiftly turned into a frustrating night of battle when the giant eagle youkai swept down upon the weary group. No one even sensed danger in the immediate vicinity, and the attack seemed unwarranted since the demon did not scream out in vain for the few shards of the Shikon no Tama that hung safely around Kagome’s neck.
The eagle grinned, fiercely, as Inuyasha released another attack that was only dodged or swiped away with a beat of the demon’s powerful wings. Nothing seemed to work on the over eager creature. She arrogantly taunted them while they scrambled around her in desperate attempts to catch her off guard.
She let out a mocking laugh when Inuyasha failed to land another blow.
Kagome wanted to give her a swift kick in the can.
She was tired, hungry, and this demon was definitely the last thing she wanted to deal with after arguing for nearly three hours with a stubborn hanyou about the importance of going home once in what felt like a millennia. Sighing in remorse over lost sleep and aching muscles, Kagome pulled the small kitsune into her arms and darted for a new haven since her current hiding position had just been flattened by the aforementioned hanyou.
Ducking down behind a tree, she watched Sango clash head on with the eagle in order to keep it away from her. A familiar feeling began to well up deep inside her chest, and she felt the tears brimming behind her closed eyes. ‘Weakness.’ She vehemently shook her head and clutched the jewel and the kit closer. ‘I am not weak. I’m doing what needs to be done. The jewel has to be protected.’
She almost felt her inner voice sneer at her tremulous attempts at self-reassurance. It had to be a terrible thing when your own mind turned against you. Even she thought she was weak, and she was even too weak to admit it.
“Kagome!” Sango cried out, fighting against the strong youkai. She was in a losing battle. This demon was too strong. “Get away!”
Kagome nodded quickly and started to leap away only to be stopped in her tracks.
Giant black wings surrounded her form; she dropped the kit and whispered that he run.
“So, miko…you’re the one all this fuss has been about?” The eagle gave her a penetrating look, as if sizing her up. “You don’t seem like much to me.”
The young woman remained silent in fear.
The demon laughed. “Can’t even protect yourself? What kind of white magic user are you?”
“Inuyasha,” she whispered.
“That brat can’t save you now, bitch. For hell’s sake, stand on your own two feet.” Her opponent glared at her in disgust. “You aren’t even worth my time or effort.”
Kagome felt the anger begin to build in the pit of her stomach. “What did you call me?”
“Ah, so you can be riled?” The eagle taunted. “Bitch. I called you a bitch.”
“Kagome!” Inuyasha yelled from somewhere outside of the tent of feathers surrounding her body.
“Inuyasha!”
“I’m coming!”
The eagle’s eyes narrowed. “Well, we can’t have that, now can we? I was just starting to have a little fun with you.”
Her sharp black beak grasped the back of Kagome’s hakama and lifted her high into the air with one powerful thrust of her shimmering wings.
Kagome shrieked. This definitely wasn’t a good thing. “Let me down!”
“Shut up, bitch,” came a muffled reply.
“No!” She pounded her fists against the hard surface of the demon’s beak and kicked her legs into the youkai’s chest. “Put me down, damn you!”
The eagle merely giggled.
Inuyasha was rushing through the trees beneath her feet, becoming smaller and smaller as the demon soared above the clouds.
Definitely not good.
“Kya!” Kagome screeched into the animal’s small ear canal in a desperately high pitch.
The eagle flinched and fumbled in the sky, beginning a swift dive toward the earth.
“No! No! No!” She clenched a few of the feather in her small hands. “Don’t drop me!”
“Bitch!” The infuriated eagle screamed and rolled out of the plunge. “How dare you!”
“I-I-I!”
“No, shut up, you human bitch!” The youkai shook her violently. “You wished to be released? Well, have at it!” Her mouth opened, and Kagome felt the wind rushing against her body in a new direction. She was falling, faster and faster, toward a clearing that she recognized.
The miko saw the well grow larger and larger and prayed that Inuyasha would see her before it was too late.
Her life flashed before her eyes, and she found herself lost in regret for the things she had never been able to accomplish.
Her tears were lost in the screeching wind.
“Kagome!” She could hear Inuyasha in the distance, but even she knew that it was too far. The miko could only hope that the well would ease her fall by pushing her into the future at a slower pace.
Curling into a ball, she shot down the well and released a sigh of relief, but she unfurled too soon. Kagome felt the world go black as her head and other limbs scraped against the sides of the old wood.
- - - - - - - - - -
Kagome groaned and burrowed into the silky sheets. Pain killers and a very dark room were definitely in order. Her head was pounding, and her body practically resonated with distress. Letting loose a small yawn, which became the source of more discomfort, she settled for whimpering in pain until her mother decided to take notice and show some pity on her.
The voice that called out to her, however, was not expected. “Human?”
Kagome’s eyes shot open, and the feeling that resulted could have been compared to that of a knife gouging out her brain. “W-Whooo’s there?” she finally managed to hiss out.
“Drink,” a female voice commanded and pushed a steaming cup to her swollen lips.
“Wh-at?” She croaked.
“It will relieve your pain.”
Well, she didn’t need to hear that twice.
The woman laughed softly as she gulped down the strong tea. “You will be able to sit up in a moment’s time.”
Kagome snorted but was surprised when the pain quickly began to subside and allowed her to examine her surroundings.
Her gaze fell first on the immaculate room. She could see the sun beating down on shoji screens that had been painted with a calm garden scene. A wardrobe of an elegant sort was pushed against the far wall directly in front of her pallet, and a few pillows had been thrown into the unused corners. Her hands smoothed the white and red patterned silk covering her lap as she forced her unwilling body into a sitting position.
Then, she gasped aloud at the beauty of the woman beside her. Her face was framed by long silver hair that was twisted into an elaborate design upon her head. Piercing amber eyes twinkled with amusement when Kagome struggled to speak.
“Sesshoumaru?” Kagome whispered, worrying frantically on the edges of the fabric in her hands.
The youkai’s soft laughter ceased and was replaced by shock. “What did you say?”
Kagome did not respond. She couldn’t stop staring the at the navy crescent moon and magenta stripes that adorned the woman’s face.
The woman’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who are you?”
“I’m Kagome.” She managed with only a small pause for her discomfort. “Who are you?”
The youkai woman nodded. “I am Lady Bishou, wife of Lord Konton of the Western Lands.”
Kagome released a small, helpless sob. “Where am I?”
“You have been moved to our political home in Nara.”
She nearly cried. “Nara?”
“Yes, Nara. The capital of our country Japan.”
“Oh no,” Kagome hugged the sheets.
The woman stood. “You should not move any longer. The pain will only return and grow.”
“How did I get here?” Kagome questioned.
“My Lord found you in the bottom of a well during his travels. You have been in a deep state of sleep for nearly two lunar cycles.” The woman’s nearly harsh look softened notably at the mention of her husband. “He has a very gentle heart. I could not deny him when he brought you here to me.”
‘Two months? I’ve been knocked out for almost two months? Oh, good grief!’ She sighed. “Thank you very much.” One hand clutched her forehead as the small, steady throbs began to increase in strength and duration. This was all too much. “I think that I should sleep now.”
“Very well.“ Lady Bishou nodded and quietly left the room.
“Nara?” Kagome whispered into the heavy air of the happy room. “Where have I heard that capital before? It wasn’t in the Edo period… Okay, think Kagome. Remember those history classes that you were there for.”
Her fingers absently twirled a loose lock of hair. “Before Edo, there was the Azu…something or another…and before that there was Muromachi Period, right? Right. Okay, Nara wasn’t in either of those…so before that was the Kamakura and Heian Periods…and…”
She couldn’t bear to go on. She remembered. ‘And before that was the Nara Period.’ “When was that? What year?” She mentally, desperately, began separating the eras in her mind. ‘1945-1912, 1912-1868, 1868-1603, that’s about where I was with Inuyasha…1603-1573, 1573-1338, 1338-1192, 1192-710...’
“No…” A tear began to sting her right eye. “I’m somewhere between 710 and 1192? Oh, Kami-sama. What am I going to do?”
Kagome could feel her pupils dilating when she fell into shock. She could hear her short pants and gasps for air, but there was nothing she could do. She was unable to stop the sharp stabs of pain that shot into her body and caused spots to form in front of her eyes.
Slowly, the edges of her vision faded into a ring of black, and after a few minutes she laid unconscious, swaddled in silken sheets.
- - - - - - - - - -
She could feel the hundreds of years of history trapped beneath her fingertips as her hands delicately played across the top of the garden scene on the shoji screen of the far wall. Lady Bishou had only left a few moments before and had explained that this particular piece of work was what Lord Konton had been retrieving when he had happened upon her lying in the bottom of the well. She was amazed by the intricate patterns.
Sweeping cranes that blended perfectly with the early morning’s sky watched the many koi in the pond beneath her fingers, just waiting for one to leap out of the water and into their awaiting bellies. She smiled as she gently traced a beautiful water lily. It seemed so out of place and alone in the far corner of the painting, but Lady Bishou had explained that the water lily was the symbol of purity and peace in a world of war. Kagome smiled at the idea. Water lilies had always been her favorite flower.
The youkai Lady of the house had agreed that she would take Kagome to see the real water lilies in their own garden when she felt that she was well enough to travel past the boundaries of her room. She tired very easily, and the Lady still feared for the state of her returning health.
Kagome released the painting and wandered back to her pallet. She had been confined to the room for an additional three weeks after two initial attempts to escape back to the well, but after hearing that she was nearly twelve days away she resisted the urge to fight first and think later. It would do her no good to die out in the wilderness. She had to survive.
She had a jewel to complete.
Rolling her eyes, Kagome plopped down into the soft, feather mat.
‘So, I’m in the 700s with nothing to do but sit and wait. Will Inuyasha be able to come back and find me? Am I trapped here?’ Such questions led to what seemed the inevitable over the past few weeks. ‘Why am I here in the first place?’
Over the last few days, when she had been the most conscious and lucid, she had been able to gather that the Japanese capital, Nara, had only recently been formed, and therefore, she was only in the earliest of stages of the Nara Period. Oh, joy.
“Damn it.” She whispered into the room, stubbornly kicking her pallet for good measure.
The well shouldn’t have tossed her into this new time period. She was supposed to stay in the Edo Period and finish gathering the Shikon shards that she had scattered throughout the nation. She was supposed to have been able to go through the well once the jewel was complete to finish her high school and university educations while visiting the feudal friends that had become family over the four year journey.
She was supposed to one day knock some sense into that stupid hanyou, and he was supposed to realize that he couldn’t live without her. Then, she was supposed to have a huge traditional white wedding on the shrine steps in front of Goshinboku before falling into the past to repeat the event for her adoptive family.
And finally, and most importantly, she was supposed to live happily ever after with the hanyou of her dreams and have many, many children.
But unfortunately, she first had to find a way to get out of the room in which Lady Bishou had imprisoned her. What a waste.
She snorted at her own impossible thoughts. Even if she did manage to find a way out of this new time period, she highly doubted that one bop over the head would bring the stubborn hanyou to his senses. It was all just a product of wishful thinking on her part.
“Why did you do this to me?” Kagome questioned the distant time portal.
No answer…as if any were to be expected.
Well, she had hoped…
Pushing away a past that could not currently be dealt with, since it was the future and all, the miko looked at her immediate future. ‘Oh, that was a confusing thought. I can’t think about my past because it’s the future? Or, I can’t think about the future because it’s the past?’ “Urg!”
Kagome sighed. This had to be what was often referred to as ‘cabin fever.’ She was going crazy in her pretty prison.
“I just need to feel the wind on my face.” She closed her eyes and imagined a gentle breeze brushing back the long strands of her ebony hair, tickling her cheeks and nose. “Yes.”
With a resolute nod, the young miko forced herself into a sitting position. Once the initial dizziness had subsided, she made a quick fight to stand and took a few swift steps toward the door, afraid that slowing down would cause the nausea to catch up with her.
- - - - - - - - - -
Lady Bishou carefully swept a loose lock of her long silver hair out of her eyes and stared into the small, polished silver mirror. Her hands trailed carefully over the prominent crescent moon and maroon stripes.
Ever since the arrival of the strange young miko, she had been nearly on edge. The woman’s whispered words of her first awakening had been frightening. No one was supposed to know of the young Lord’s existence, and yet this woman spoke of him with a familiarity. She was shocked to say the least.
Sesshoumaru was in a constant state of danger in the ever changing world around them. Youkai everywhere feared losing their powers to the rapidly growing human population, and the battles that were being thrown about like child’s play killed by the thousands. Bishou feared that her young son would not live if he were to be discovered.
Lord Konton was only a third of the way through Sesshoumaru’s training, and there was no way that he could fight against so many that wanted him dead so much.
The weak minded humans did not realize that her Lord and her Son were not the source of their problems. Many feuding daimyos in the north had been the reason for the most recent outbreak. They fought over a small plot of fertile soil and wealthy trading villages.
She sighed. The outcome was inevitable. Her Lord would be forced to fight in the place of his under-trained son. She knew that he would not risk the death of his only child and heir when he still thought himself quite capable of defeating many.
“I pray to the kami that you will be well, My Lord.” Her knuckles turned white against the mirror’s delicately crafted handle. “I pray to the kami that my Son will be as strong as My Lord.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “Please, do not let my love die.”
- - - - - - - - - -
Kagome giggled happily as the small fish nibbled at her toes. It felt good to dip her feet into the cool water of the brook.
“What are you doing in the water, Kagome?” Lady Bishou wiped the remainders of watery weakness off of her cheeks. “You will allow yourself to become sick with such foolishness.”
Kagome smiled. “I’m sorry, Lady Bishou, but I couldn’t help myself. It practically called to me.”
“Nonsense.” The woman gave a slight roll of her eyes and a gentle grin to soften the bite of her words. “I will not have My Lord’s work be in vain. Remove yourself from the water this instant.”
Kagome nodded and wadded to the edge.
“What are you doing away from your room?” She questioned. “Who allowed you out?”
Kagome frowned. “I didn’t know someone was supposed to be guarding the door. I’m tired of being in that room. It’s awfully beautiful, but it’s very hard to stay in the same place for so long when I am so used to moving about constantly.”
“You must refrain.” She responded methodically. “You are still far too weak to be gallivanting about in such manners. It is beneath your position, Miko.”
“Why?” Kagome frowned.
It was the Lady’s turn to frown. “Because it is considered so.”
Kagome couldn’t help herself. Her head fell back in laughter at the pure ridiculous nature of the statement. Trailing slowly to the bank, she gathered the tabi socks in one hand and sat at the edge of the breezeway.
Lady Bishou brushed a few pieces of imaginary dust away from her shimmering green kimono and came to stand at her side. “Why do you laugh?”
“Because, what you said made no sense.”
“It did make sense.” Lady Bishou reasoned. “It would not be considered appropriate by others if you were seen traipsing about in such a manner. It leads people to doubt your credibility.”
Kagome’s eyebrows raised at her reasoning. “So, you don’t think it’s inappropriate, personally?”
Lady Bishou let out a light laugh. “I did not say that.”
Kagome giggled. “But you meant it.”
“It is possible.”
“You did.” Kagome found herself staring at the demonic markings covering the woman’s face once again. She had not tried to question her again, mainly for that fact that she had been in and out of consciousness for the last few weeks.
Lady Bishou’s eyes became somber. “Why did you say the name Sesshoumaru when you first awakened?”
Kagome frowned, not knowing whether or not she could answer the question honestly. “I…Your facial markings remind me of a demon that I once heard of named Sesshoumaru.” Well, it wasn’t a complete lie.
“Ah.” She nodded. “I see.”
“Why?” Kagome interrogated. “Do you know him?”
The youkai frowned. Slowly, she nodded. There would be no hiding him now that Kagome was wandering around the compound.
“How?”
“He is my Son.”
“Your son?” Kagome’s eyes widened drastically.
Lady Bishou gave a curt nod. “He is. And, that brings me to a question. How do you know him? I do not believe your previous excuses. You spoke with familiarity. Do not lie to me.” Her voice tilted to a dangerously low level. “I will know, and I do not take well to deceit.”
Kagome floundered for an explanation. ‘Think, Kagome, think! You can’t tell this youkai the truth! What am I going to do?! Oh, Kami! What have I gotten myself into this time?’
She gaped for an answer for several more minutes before a deep baritone voice shocked her into a whole new stage of oblivion. “Mother?”
Lady Bishou slackened her growl. “Yes, Sesshoumaru?”
He appeared at the end of the breezeway, and Kagome found herself gasping for air. His body seemed to glow with the after effects of residual sweat, and his hair gleamed in the early afternoon’s sunlight. “Is something wrong? I sensed your discomfort.”
Kagome rolled her eyes at the way he still seemed to be able to ignore her, or any one else he deemed unimportant.
“Just a slight misunderstanding, Darling. I am glad that you have come. I would like to introduce you to Lady Kagome.” The older woman waved an elegant hand toward Kagome.
The young miko frowned at the honorable term.
Sesshoumaru gave her a slight bow. “It is an honor to meet you, Lady Kagome.”
Kagome started to choke on her own air. Never, in all of her eighteen years had she imagined the Lord Sesshoumaru acknowledging her as a Lady…hell, she couldn’t even see him calling her anything.
“T-The pleasure is mine, Lord Sesshoumaru.” She returned his bow with a slightly deeper one of her own.
“Hm.” He gave her a thoughtful look.
She could’ve died on the spot at his show of emotion, the careful way he grasped his chin between his forefinger and thumb while his other arm supported his elbow. ‘That’s right. He still has two arms.’ She thought offhandedly.
“Have I seen you somewhere before?”
She blushed. “I don’t think so.”
He gave a small smirk. She felt her heart double its speed. “Are you sure?”
She pushed away the overwhelming urge to fan herself. “Quite.”
Lady Bishou watched the exchange with an observant eye. The young human claimed never having known her son, but she couldn’t help noticing the odd reactions she had. She was hiding something. She smiled to herself. She was nothing, if not cunning and devious.
It was one of the things that her husband loved the most about her.
“Mother, do you wish to visit Nara today?” She smiled at the thoughtfulness of her son. He knew how she felt, being trapped within the boundaries of their political home. It was unsafe for her to travel outside without the assistance and protection of her family as of late.
“Yes, I believe that would be enjoyable.” She turned to the secretive young woman. “Do you wish to attend, also?”
Kagome gave her the most beautiful smile she could muster. “I would absolutely love to. Does that mean we’re going outside?”
Lady Bishou laughed at her innocent antics. “Of course. Let us be on our way then. We must return home before the evening meal. Lord Konton will appear with us tonight.”
Kagome couldn’t help but laugh when the Lady did so freely. It was such a pure and joyous sound that rang as clear as a bell throughout the garden.
Sesshoumaru led the way out of the gate and toward the main house. A servant quickly appeared at his side holding his haori. He gave a slight nod of thanks and scooped up the abundant material.
Kagome watched his reactions in awe. He had made a small chuckle when his mother laughed, and even now he seemed to be looking at the world through optimistic eyes. It wasn’t the Sesshoumaru she had seen at all.
‘What happened that made him so cold? Where did this Sesshoumaru go?’ The thought of what violent occurrences it could have taken to force away his good nature caused her to shudder for his sake.
She already knew that his mother would die. ‘Is that what caused it? Did Lady Bishou die a tragic death? Did he never get revenge? What about his father? Was it his death? Was it the mating of his father to a human woman after his mother’s death? Was it Inuyasha’s birth?’
Kagome couldn’t help the sadness and pity that swept through her body. She had never before considered the great misfortune and heartbreak that Sesshoumaru might have encountered. She had thought that his cold and unforgiving nature was born of his aristocracy, but Lady Bishou and even this Sesshoumaru seemed to accept her even though she was a human.
That was another question that had plagued her since her awakening. Why didn’t they shun her because of her human nature? Lady Bishou had mentioned that Lord Konton was a gentle soul, but she hadn’t said that he was kind to her because of her species. She could have simply meant because of her injuries.
Oh, the agony of it all. How she wished for her great, big bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol at that moment. It was all too overwhelming.
“Lady Kagome?” Sesshoumaru questioned, snapping her out of her reverie.
“Yes?” She watched as he held out a pair of reigns to her.
“Do you know how to ride?”
She blushed. “No, not really. We don’t have many horses where I live.”
He frowned. “No beasts of burden? How do you manage to travel?”
“I’m not really able to travel that much at home.” She fidgeted for an answer, worrying on the edges of her sleeves. “I’ve had several conditions concerning my health.” She scowled once she realized that she had resorted to her demented grandfather’s excuses.
“Obviously.” He snorted.
“Hey,” she jerked the reigns out of his hands and dug one of her hands into her hip. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He raised his eyebrows as if he thought it required no explanation, then in a slow voice he responded, “My father found you sleeping in the bottom of a well and carried your lifeless body around for two lunar cycles. I would think no other reasoning would be required.”
Kagome turned a violent shade of red. “Oh, that.”
Lady Bishou trotted her dark brown mare over to the bickering couple. “Is it safe that you ride, Lady Kagome?”
Kagome nodded and smiled. “I’m sure that I’ll be fine.”
Sesshoumaru gave a disbelieving snort. “Suit yourself.”
Kagome growled.
Lady Bishou let out a very bell-like laugh.
- - - - - - - - - -
They had only been riding a few minutes, but Kagome already felt like she was permanently detached from her backside. She, however, refused to complain because of the certainty with which Sesshoumaru had told her that she was riding incorrectly and would, therefore, be in pain.
So he was right, but she wasn’t going to let him know it. ‘Knowing him, he’d probably just gloat about it anyway, the bastard.’
As if on cue, Sesshoumaru let out a small sneeze and turned to look at her.
Her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Oops.’
A change of subject was definitely in order. “What do you do in Nara?”
“We youkai hold our meetings here over any dispute that involves more than two Lords. Most of them are quite petty though. They are usually a battle to gain more land. It is an ongoing struggle in our world.” Lady Bishou replied.
“I see. Your world and my own resemble each other quite closely.”
“What is the manner of this village,” She inquired.
Kagome struggled to cover her laughter. “Well, its very large, and its called Tokyo.”
“And, what purpose does it serve?”
Kagome thought of an acceptable answer. “Well, we have a government that does many of the things that you were discussing, but they are also responsible for punishing wrong doers, unlike yours.”
“Your Lords do not properly take care of the delinquency in their own lands?” Sesshoumaru inquired.
“Well, yes and no.” Kagome was stunned that he would show an interest. She forced herself to remember that this was not the Sesshoumaru she knew. He had never hurt Inuyasha. “Our ‘Lords’ are responsible for gathering the offenders, but we have a larger and stronger central government that are in charge of dealing out their retribution.”
Sesshoumaru shook his head. “That is a waste of time. How can anyone be judged fairly if it is impartial?”
Kagome frowned at his reasoning. “What do you mean? It is the ability to be impartial that allows them to deal a fair punishment.”
“True, but how can anyone impartial understand the true evils of the misdeed?”
“Hmm.” She was unable to answer it. “I don’t know.”
He nodded. “Of course you do not.”
“Sesshoumaru!” Lady Bishou chastised. “That is enough. You will refrain from provoking my guests in the future.”
His eyes sparkled. “That I will.”
“I mean it, Sesshoumaru.” She growled.
He jerked his head back to the road ahead of them. “Of course, Mother.”
Lady Bishou sighed. “He is as incorrigible as his father sometimes.”
Kagome giggled at the thought. What would Lord Konton be like?
- - - - - - - - - -
Kagome gasped when they finally entered the gates of the capital, Nara. Large Buddhist monasteries rose high into sky and gleamed in the early afternoon sun. She remembered the earlier lessons about the structure of the city and was amazed at the similarities between Nara and the Tang Chinese capital, Chang’an, that it was modeled after.
The strong influence of religion was also predominant. Traveling monks and priests mingled together discussing the latest influences of the Sutra of Golden Light, a Buddhist teaching that established a historical human being and the Laws of Truth and Light.
“This is amazing.” Kagome marveled.
Sesshoumaru snorted in disgust. “It is nothing. These humans use their laws and literature to establish their supremacy over one another. They allow the weak to rule the strong.”
Kagome frowned. “Yes, but what can any simple person do to change that?”
He growled. “If they have a weak ruler, then the obvious answer would be rebellion and re-creation. They allow themselves to flounder while their rulers waste away in their own soil.”
“That’s disgusting.” Kagome gagged. “Don’t you know that they’d be killed if they tried to overthrow the Empress Gemmei?”
Lady Bishou shook her head. “Maybe it is not she who is the problem. It is impossible for a person of such power to control all of her subjects all of the time.”
“Huh?”
Lady Bishou sighed. “Empress Gemmei has been a strong leader. She has created a point of centralization for our Great Nation and currently employs many people. It is the daimyo who abuse their privilege. They take advantage of the villagers they believe are weak and work them weary. They kill their own people.”
Sesshoumaru nodded.
Kagome continued to frown. Something about the entire conversation had been bothering her. “You don’t look down on them simply because they are human?”
Lady Bishou laughed. “Why would I do that? They cannot help the way they are born. They did not choose to be mortal. It would be wrong of me to judge them so.”
Kagome caught Sesshoumaru’s small nod from the corner of her eye. ‘If he feels this way now, what made him become so condescending toward the human race? What changed you, Sesshoumaru?’
“What will you look for in Heiji kyo (Nara) today, Mother?” Sesshoumaru asked.
She smiled. “I believe that Kagome is in need of more appropriate apparel for the High table. Do you not agree?”
Sesshoumaru seemed to glance over her attire and gave a curt nod with a small smile. “Indeed.”
Kagome fumed. “What is that supposed to mean?” She urged her horse to trot closer to his.
He smirked. “It means, Miko, that you are coarsely dressed.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” She huffed.
Lady Bishou giggled underneath her breath. ‘They banter like children.’ “Now come, Kagome. That is not what he means. You will be appearing before Lord Konton tonight. The Inu no Taisho expects no less than excellence.”
Sesshoumaru appeared to grimace at that, but Kagome couldn’t really tell. While he was more open than the demon lord of the future, his reactions were still much more closely guarded than her own.
- - - - - - - - - -
“Ah,” Lady Bishou grinned. “My favorite seamstress, Lady Yura, it is wonderful to see you on such a lovely day.”
Kagome openly gaped at the young woman. Her long black hair was tied back in a very traditional style, and her clothing was simple, yet exquisite. It also covered everything. ‘Much the opposite of her future choice of wardrobe.’ Kagome snorted.
“My greetings, Lady Bishou and Lord Sesshoumaru. Who is your beautiful guest?” Kagome noticed her slight sneer. Apparently not all demons were as accepting of the human race.
Lady Bishou forced a graceful smile and nod. “This is Lady Kagome. She is preparing for the High table this very evening and would like to be more suitably clothed.”
Yura gave a curt bob of her head and darted back into the shop.
Lady Bishou pulled Kagome close. “You must watch her, my dear. She is a wonderful seamstress, but she does not take well to certain people.”
Kagome smiled back. “It’s okay, really. Why do you use her if you know that she doesn’t like humans?”
The older woman gave a light laugh. “No one else can make a kimono quite like she can. No one has ever discovered her secret techniques for stitching and embroidery.”
Kagome frowned. ‘Ew. I bet I know…that’s disgusting!’
- - - - - - - - - -
Kagome nearly kissed the stony ground when she was finally permitted to leave the shop. Yura had forced her to try on every disgusting gown she could manage to get her hands on, and that had just been the beginning.
After discovering one suitable kimono, she had been obligated to make sure that it would look as appealing on her person as it did on the dummy. Each elaborate knot she had tied had been pulled tight with a mammoth amount of strength and hatred. Kagome had been sure that she would have died with the application of the last layer if Lady Bishou had not insisted that it was waning late in the evening and their appearance at supper would soon be required.
Yura hadn’t been satisfied.
So with promises to return the following week, Kagome had been allowed out of the restricting outfit and onto her horse.
The ride back was blanketed in silence. Lady Bishou and Sesshoumaru seemed comfortable enough, but Kagome was wrapped in her own thoughts.
She had been thinking about the same thing since the moment she awoke in the strange mansion. ‘I want to go home.’ Every free second of every day had been filled with thoughts of her mother, brother, and grandfather, and every other moment was overflowing with additional memories of Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha.
Inuyasha.
‘I miss you. I wonder what you’re doing now.’ She rolled the contemplation over in her mind before quickly dismissing it. ‘It won’t do any good to think about that right now. One step at a time.’
“Kagome?” Lady Bishou questioned. “Is something wrong?”
Her response was a sad smile. “I miss my family.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
“Will Lord Konton take me home?”
“I am sure that he will do what he is able. Where is your home, my dear?”
Kagome grimaced. She had finally asked the one thing that could not be explained. “It’s a long story.”
Lady Bishou frowned. “I see. Perhaps, it is best saved for our meal conversation then.”
“Maybe.” Kagome weakly nodded.
- - - - - - - - - -
She couldn’t breathe. The tight cords that held her clothing in perfect place were cutting off what little nuances of air she could manage to suck in while hyperventilating. It was impossible to tell how long it would take her body to die, but she could only hope that it would be after dinner so that they might be able to drop her lifeless corpse down the well.
Ah, the optimism.
She gave a weak smile to the older human girl to her right. There was no possible way she could go through with this. ‘Exactly what am I supposed to say? Hi, my name’s Kagome, and even though you don’t know me, I’ve heard of you and you’re supposed to be dead.’ She snorted sardonically to herself. ‘Oh, and by the way, Lady Bishou? Yeah, your husband either dumps you or you die too because he gets a new wife! Isn’t that wonderful?!’
It was definitely going to be a long meal.
“How am I supposed to ask the ruling Lord of the Western to drop everything he’s doing and escort me back to a well in the middle of nowhere?”
If insane asylums existed in any way, shape, or form she would definitely be the first one to be locked up.
“Dinner is being served, My Lady.” A new servant darted in and out of the room before she had any chance of protesting.
Frowning, she pushed aside the shoji screen, “I guess its time to face the music.”
“It is not a normal occurrence to be entertained by the musicians or geisha during our meals. Is it so in your homeland?” Sesshoumaru appeared at her side in all of his lordly glory.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned his plain black clothing. ‘Definitely nowhere near the caliber of what he wears in the Feudal Era.’
“Do you disapprove of my state of dress, Lady Kagome?” He asked through thinly masked amusement.
She gave him an angled smile. “Of course not, Lord Sesshoumaru.”
He let out a low, rolling chuckle, and Kagome nearly felt her heart stop. It was such a soothing and free-spirited sound - one that she had never imagined coming from the lips of such a cold-hearted demon. ‘But he’s not the same, is he? This is not the Sesshoumaru that I know.’
She wanted to cry out at the thought. The only living creature that she remembered did not remember her. It was a cruel truth in a tragically unfair world.
She was completely and utterly alone in a strange world that she had only seen in a few, brief pages of her history books.
“Is something wrong?” He innocently questioned.
Giving him a sad smile, she vigorously shook her head in reply. Her voice was no longer able to produce appropriate syllables.
“Very well.” He held out his arm. “May I escort you to our meal?”
She gave a weak nod. His actions were only further proof that this was not someone that she remember, or that could possibly remember her in return. “Thank you.” The sounds from her throat were slightly hoarse and not her own. She didn’t care. The noise kept her from thinking far too much.
“You are welcome.” He automatically returned, placing her small hand in the crook of his elbow and moving forward while she jostled along beside him.
In the end, she was glad that he had asked because there was no way she could have found this room on her own. They had made so many twists and turns in unknown breezeways and corridors that she feared she would have to ask him to escort her back to her room at the completion of dinner. ‘How embarrassing. I can’t do anything on my own.’
“Ah, choosing to be civil, Sesshoumaru?” A hearty baritone chortled.
Kagome felt the immense waves of unbound youki crashing against her aura in a true sign of power and had to restrain her knees from collapsing into puddles of mud. This demon - that she had once seen in death - was the cause and answer to so many problems in her life.
Her eyes took in the way his bangs fell against his forehead in a manner very similar to Inuyasha’s unruly hair. She noted that his face was also more angular than either Inuyasha’s or Sesshoumaru’s. But, he also held the slightly straighter nose and more rounded lips of Sesshoumaru.
Kagome allowed a small giggle to echo inside of her head when she silently noticed that Lord Konton’s neck and forehead must have been a family trait, considering the fact that both of his sons possessed them. ‘What weird traits to pass on…’
Lord Konton stood taller than even the Lord Sesshoumaru of the Feudal Era. He had broad shoulders and well muscled arms that looked as if they could punch through a brick wall or tickle a laughing child on a whim. His kimono was a combination of only three colors- blue, white, and red.
She smiled at the thought that Lord Konton could possibly be the perfect combination of his offspring. His moves were controlled and calculated, much like Sesshoumaru’s, but his eyes bore into her very soul like molten lava. A look she had often been given by Inuyasha. She often times felt that he seemed to know what she was thinking; it made her feel naked inside, like she could never hide anything from him.
“Father,” Sesshoumaru spoke, drawing her away from her musings. “This is Lady Kagome, a miko of unknown origins.”
The Inu no Taisho gave her a slight, respectful bow. “Greetings and welcome, Lady Kagome.”
“Lady Kagome, this is my father, Lord Konton, Ruler of the Western Lands and the Inu no Taisho.”
Kagome gave the elder demon a deep, sweeping bow, not knowing if it was entirely appropriate to speak without being spoken to first.
Lady Bishou’s entrance allowed her reprieve from the chance of making a mistake. It was very important that she was able to influence Lord Konton correctly. ‘Otherwise, I’ll never get back.’
“Ah, my beautiful mate.” He greeted the youkai-woman with a hearty smile. “Your face is most welcome after my travels.”
She gave him a blushing laugh in return. “You were gone a mere two days, My Lord.”
He winked. “Any time without you is an eternity.”
‘Maybe he’s related to Miroku.’ Kagome thought while listening to the Lady’s bell-like laughter echoing through the chamber.
“Come.” Lord Konton motioned the party toward a long, low table. “Let us dine.”
Lord Konton dropped into a kneeling position at the head of the table and signaled for Sesshoumaru and Lady Bishou to sit at his right and left while Kagome was left sitting on Sesshoumaru’s right side.
The meal was carried out with silence dominating the women while the men focused on topics of economics and newly gained territory somewhere to the north.
Kagome endured the supper simply by staring at her food and contemplating exactly how she should go about asking for her safe return to the Bone Eater’s Well. It would be difficult, to say the least, and she could feel her courage slipping with each warm grain of rice that slid down her throat and pooled into the forming knot in her stomach.
There was no way around it.
So, with dinner set aside at last she whispered at her disregarding audience.
Both males paused in their slight argument over the usage of the fertile territory in the North and turned to give her a bewildered look.
“Did you speak, Miko?” Lord Konton questioned.
She bowed her head. “Yes, I did, My Lord.” Now was the key. She had to make him realize the importance of her return without telling him anything. Her mental eyes rolled, ‘Well, that should be easy…NOT!’
“Do you wish to speak of something?” He composed himself.
She looked up. “Yes, I do.”
He was intrigued. Never mind the fact that he could have killed her merely for speaking out of turn in his presence. She was bold. “Then speak.”
She, once again, found the strong lines of the cherry wood table very interesting. “I wish to return home, My Lord.”
“That is reasonable.” He nodded. “Do you wish this, Lord Konton, to inform your village to send the provisions necessary for your journey?”
She gave a weak smile at his mannerisms. “That is not possible, My Lord.”
He snorted. “Surely they wish your return.”
“They do.” She nodded. “I know they do.”
“Are they too poor?” He asked.
“No.” She responded meekly. “They are only…unable.”
He felt the first tick of frustration dawn upon him. “Wounded, then?”
She considered it. They may well have been injured after the attack from the eagle youkai. “They are so few in number and strength that they would be unable to retrieve me in their current situation.”
“You are from a smaller village then?”
“I am not from a village, really. I travel with a small group helping those who are less fortunate.” She twisted the words about for a moment before deeming them satisfactory.
“I see.” He gave a curt nod. “Well, you are free to leave whenever you wish, then.”
She frowned. He was a little hard-headed, it seemed. “I cannot go alone.”
“Why not?” He arched one delicately sculpted brow.
She felt the heat begin to rise in her cheeks. Shame was a terrible feeling. It added to the uneasiness in her stomach. “I am…not capable of protecting myself.”
“Not capable?” He repeated her words in disbelief. “You are a miko, are you not?”
“Well, sort of.”
“Can you not protect yourself with your purity?”
Her face shaded a brighter red. “No, I cannot.”
Lord Konton tilted his head to one side. “Why not?”
She felt tears welling up behind her closed eyes. “I do not know why.”
“What is your purpose if you cannot use the powers your body houses?”
The words stung, and she had to bite her tongue in order to keep from crying out at the truth of his accusation. “I d-do not know.”
His eyes softened at the slight waver in her voice. “What is it you request, Lady Kagome? I will do my best to serve you.”
Kagome took two deep, calming breaths before answering. “I would like to request an escort back to the place where you found me.”
“To the old well?” He questioned, not sure if she really knew where he had found her or not.
“Yes.”
He sighed and gave a moment to thought before answering. “Very well, I will arrange it. But, may I ask you why you wish to return there?”
“I will know my own way home from there.” She quietly responded. ‘I hope.’
- - - - - - - - - -