The Checklist by sesshomarusama33

Beauty? Check.

He had been lost in thought throughout the entire day, thinking of ways to locate a demoness that would pass his assesments. He could through a banquet and invite the demoness' from the other lands - that would be simple enough.

But oh, how he hated throwing banquets.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was going to be harder than what he had originally thought it would be. Thoughts of the miko interrupted his mind once more as his beast tried desperately to covince him that her humaniry was of no consequence.

He looked over to the girl, who was sitting near the demon slayer and tending the the small kitsune, and frowned. She was definitely pretty, but she did not dress nearly elegant enough for the high social standing that would be expected of her.

'The Lady of the West must breathe as royalty - her very being must exuberate elegance,' he had thought to himself, dismissing the thought of the miko every being elegant.

"Inuyasha! Look what you did!" The same woman he had been previously thinking of shouted, shouting the subjagtion command at his poor half-brother, who now laid in the Earth - buried under 2 feet of rubble.

He looked to the miko, curious as to why she had made such a ruckus as she had seemed alright moments ago, only to spot a yellow stain on her white shirt that was beginning to spread.

"I have no other clothes to wear! There's no way I can get back to the well... Sango, do you have something I can wear until I get home?" She pleaded to her friend, trying to cover her now see through shirt, kicking the lecherous monk in the face as he attempted to get a closer peek.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-chan, but all I have is what I'm wearing now." She gestured to the pink and green yukata she was wearing, frowning as she did.

"Hey Kagome, there's a castle just over that hill... maybe we could get Miroku to perform his scam exorcism and ask for a yukata in return!" Piped Shippou, who had left temporarily as the half-demon had interrupted their grooming session.

"That's a great idea, Shippou!" Sango cheered, agreeing full-heartedly with the kitsunes plan.

"I'll have you know that I have never performed a scam exorcism in my life! All of those people were in real peril!" The monk scrambled to his feet, defending his honor as he did.

"Feh, we'd better be heading off, then!" Inuyasha grumbled, finally uncovering himself from the grubble as he brushed off a few pebbles still laying on his shoulders. He looked over to his half-brother, who had been quiet this entire conversation.

"Are you coming with us, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, gathering her things as she hoisted her yellow bag onto her shoulders, grunting loudly at the weight.

"Are you nuts? They'd flip out on him! He's a demon, Kagome! They're not exactly friendly with demons!"

"Well what about Shippou then, and yourself? You're both demons!"

"This Sesshomaru feels no need to attend, so it is pointless to include me in such frivolous activity." He said calmly, flicking his hair behind his head as he did so.

"Would you let Rin come with us? It would do her well to come indoors for a while." Kagome asked, thinking of the little girl.

"Rin, do you wish to go?" Sesshomaru asked the little girl, who jumped at the opportunity to play with Shippou and be around Kagome.

"Oh yes, Sesshoomaru-sama! Rin would like that, very much!" She giggled, following the group as she waved her farewell.

"We'll be back soon!" Kagome promised, waving to the taiyoukai and his retainer.

--

"Good evening, my lord. I was happening to cross by your castle when i noticed a very ominous aura collecting above your home. Would you mind if I came to look for demonic presence?" Miroku started, bowing to the Lord of the castle with practiced ease.

"Oh, my! I thought something was a bit off... oh yes, do come in dear monk!" The Lord ushered, waving his hands towards the group, inviting them in with haste. "Please hurry! The sooner this is over, the better!"

"Thank you, my lord. I must thank you for your hospitality - you have a wonderful home."

"You must be awfully hungry - why, look at that girl! She is but skin and bone!" He gestured to Kagome, who blanched at the mans description of her. The lord himself was very fat, and from what she had seen of the servants, they weren't in the best shape themselves.

"Well yes, my lord, it has been some time since we have last eaten." The monk replied, not daring to look at Kagome after the lords insult.

"We come, come! I will have my cooks prepare food for you at once! If you are to rid my castle of evil, best to do it on a full stomach! The fuller the better, I always say!" At this he gave a hearty laugh, slapping the monk on the back.

Feeling quite awkward, Miroku laughed with the lord, scratching the back of his head slightly as he did.  The Lord summoned his servants, explaining to the their situation and exactly what they were to prepare for their guests.

"Have my wife join us, as well. She must be present for this!" He exclaimed, before looking back to the monk. "Come - I shall take you and your friends to our entertainment room!"

They followed the bulbous man, looking around the castle as they were led. When they arrived to their destination, they found a woman who was almost the same size of the lord, if not a bit smaller, sitting carefully. She was dressed in beautiful robes and had a very intricate hairstyle.

She looked to Kagome for a good long while, before parting her beautifully painted lips.

"Girl, why do you wear such clothing? It's absolutley dreadfull!" The lady of the castle exclaimed, holding her sleeve to her nose as if to make her point.

"I don't have anything else to wear." Kagome replied sheepishly, sitting down as graceful as she could in her short skirt. She felt awkward in her dirty clothes, trying to cover herself the best she could.

"I will not have this. Come," She stood, extending her arm towards the miko, who stared at her with curious eyes. The lady sighed, her other hand reaching into her kimono and pulled out a beautiful fan, opening it with the flick of her wrist and covering her face with it.

Kagome looked at her hand before standing up slowly, putting her hand into the ladies and following her as she led her down a hall and into one of the many rooms of the castle.

"No, no. Those tattered things are hardly becoming of you, my dear. Before this night is over, I shall have you dressed for royalty!" The lady clapped in delight, shutting the shoji screen door and urging the young woman near a wardrobe while opening it, revealing a large selection of beautiful kimono.

"They're beautiful!" Kagome cried, jumping to her feet as she peered into the wardrobe, only to have her hands slapped by the fan the lady had been waving only a moment ago.

"Hush, child! You apparantly have no good tastes, given your current state of dress... and so I shall pick out your attire! Now, remove those tattered things and come here!" She ordered, reaching into the closet to pull out muliple articles of clothing.

Kagome did as the woman said, letting her skirt and stained shirt fall the the ground, standing in nothing but her bra and underwear. The lady turned to her, a bit curious as to the clothes covering her womanly attributes, but said nothing as she slipped multiple layers onto the poor girl. Kagome, who resigned to the ladies game of dress up, began to notice just what exactly she had been putting her in.

"You're dressing me in a Junihitoe?! This is way too formal, and I'm not even a lady!" Kagome argued, blushing as the woman continued to dress her in the elegant clothing meant for a woman of court, trying to convince her to stop at once.

"Oh be quiet, girl! This is merely for fun. It's been so long since I've had another woman to dress with - won't you grant this ladies request?" The woman sighed, finishing off the outfit with a the white Mo.

Kagome said nothing, and allowed the woman to proceed with putting her hair into a most elaborate style, decorating her raven tresses with a beautiful hair piece twisted into her hair.

"There! Now you are fit for company!" The lady exclaimed, handing the girl a small mirror so that she could look at her face. Kagome gasped at the image of a beautiful woman starting back at her, only to realize it was heself.

"I never thought I could look like this... thank you!" She cried, hugging the woman she had just met with happiness. The woman, albeit shocked, smiled at the girl patting her back with the fan before slapping her hand with it.

"Enough! Now, we must return to my dear husband and your friends. Oh, to think of what they'll say when they see you!" She smiled, opening the shoji screen door and leading her back to the entertainment room, where the others laughed with the lord of the castle, drinking sake as jokes were exchanged.

"...and so I say to the man, "Sir, did you know you had a-"

"Kagome?!" Inuyasha cut off the lord, jumping to his feet as he noticed his female companion's state of dress, very shocked to see her so beautifully dressed.

"Kagome-sama, you look magnificent!" Miroku beamed, falling to his knees before the two women. Sango's eyes had widened, and Rin and Shippou giggled in delight.

"Oh, doesn't Kagome look beautiful, Sesshomaru-sama?!" Rin asked, pulling the sleeve of the now present taiyoukai as she gestured to the miko in front of them.

"Sesshomaru?! What are you doing here?!" Kagome's face turned several shades red, feeling stupid for not noticing his presence sooner.

"Well, Kagome-sama," Miroku started, facing the woman as he straightened himself, "Rin began to express depression from the loss of Sesshomaru-sama's presence, and so-"

"When I found out that the Lord of the Western Lands was here, and was not taking advantage of this heat and food, I had invited him with all of my hospitality!" The lord cut in, bowing his head to the taiyoukai, who sat in the corner of the room, a cup of sake in his hands as he stared at the miko with wide eyes.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, noticing he was staring at her, and blushed even deeper at those honey golden eyes that seemed glued to her body.

"Well, Sesshomaru-sama? Has my wife met the requirements of a lady of court?" The lord asked, praying that his wifes knowledge of clothing would somehow impress the taiyoukai.

Sesshomaru had no idea to say - he was too shocked at how beautiful Kagome was in such a formal outfit. The lady had done her job well - and had even managed to paint her face beautifully and artfully arrange her hair into such an elaborate knot.

She had definitely exceeded the point of pretty, and had well passed the point of beautiful. She definitely looked like a lady of high court, indeed.

"It is... acceptable." He said after a pregnant pause, bringing the cup of sake to his lips, drinking carefully as his eyes softened, closing as he was left to his thoughts.

'She is not a demon... but beautiful...' he opened his eyes, taking in her flushed form as she laughed at something the kistune said, raising her hand to her painted lips as her blue eyes shimmered brightly.

'...check.'

--

Prompt 2: Check! Hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^