InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Cinderella Stroy ❯ Arrival ( Chapter 3 )

I was thinking of making this super short, but I didn't want any hate mail so I strung three short sections together. If you can't follow what's happening get a map.

Sesshomaru landed just outside the barrier that surrounded Lord Yoshi's holdings. He ran his claws along it, mildly surprised at its strength though his icy visage bore no sign of the emotion. After a moment a hole opened in the barrier and he, Inuyasha, and their retainer Jaken, stepped through. On the other side a man in monks robes and a woman in armor with a giant boomerang stood waiting for them. The woman raked her eyes over Inuyasha and Jaken before dismissing them and bowing to Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama, the honor is mine. We were sent to escort you to the village. From there, Lord Yoshi's men will take you to the manor."

Inuyasha snorted. "Why can't you take us all the way to the manor?"

Her eyes darted to the hanyou, disgust clear in her gaze. "Because then he would know that she was involved, and we will die to protect her."

The monk bowed. "I am Miroku and this young woman is Sango. Please, we should go, else the sun will set before you arrive."

They turned and once their backs were to them, Inuyasha shot Sesshomaru a look. Sesshomaru shook his head slightly. He had no idea what was going on here either. Could there be two opposing factions within the court here? His spies had only been able to report on the apparent strength of the place. The barrier and the youkai hunters had kept them at bay for almost three years now. Silently they followed the two humans. Perhaps their answers lay further down the path.

Kagome helped Ayame dress in what had to be the single most expensive piece of clothing she had ever seen. The kimono was of the softest finest silk, bright green with pink lotuses on it. The color however, was all wrong for someone of Ayame's complexion. It made her skin look sallow and her eyes dull. Kagome pulled out a pale pink kimono as Ayame got up and looked into the mirror. She snorted and turned to order her half-sister but stopped when she saw that the girl was already holding another kimono. A small smile touched Ayame's lips.

"You can always tell what will look good on me. I should have listened."

She began to undress and Kagome gathered up the kimono. "The color will compliment the Lady's sister well, and the seams can be let out so that the kimono will fit."

"I think you're right. Do what you must to make the sow into a silk purse."

Kagome bowed her way out of the room and carried the kimono to Yuka's room. When Ayame had commissioned the gown, Kagome had known this would be the out come so she'd ordered the seamstress to make it big enough to fit someone of Yuka's dimensions. She knocked and opened the door, holding the kimono before her.

"I have brought the Lady a new gown for the Great Lord's arrival feast."

Yuka took the kimono and slammed the door shut, almost catching Kagome's hands in the process. She rose and started along the corridor before she was stopped by her step father's voice. She entered his study and knelt, her forehead pressed against the floor.

"You know how important this is?"

"The Great Lord of the West is a powerful youkai, my Lord. His wrath is powerful as is his good will."

Yoshi started pacing. "If either Ayame or Yuka catch his eye, I could stand to gain a considerable amount of power. This evening must be perfect."

Kagome was glad he could not see her face, else he would have beat her for the look of disgust that twisted her mouth. She could never imagine anyone taking a fancy to her half-sisters and certainly not a taiyoukai. It had been her experience that youkai only mated humans that were either very special, as Jinenji's mother had been, or because they could not control their own lusts. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were not youkai to lose control in such a fashion.

"I will do my best to serve the Great Lord."

"No, you will not."

If Kagome had been sitting up she might have been able to dodge the first blows. The bamboo cane rose and fell steadily for long minutes before Yoshi was satisfied. He nudged her unconscious form with his toe before tossing the rod aside and stepping out of his study. There would be no Kagome to outshine his daughters, even dressed in rags. She would not show how clumsy they were by her easy grace. She would not shame him.

Sango and Miroku stopped at the edge of the village and nodded toward a small contingent of soldiers. Sesshomaru was mildly surprised at the state of their weapons and armor. He doubted these humans had ever seen a single battle. He glanced at Sango and Miroku with their tough exteriors and their life loving eyes. Yes, these were people who had seen death and so knew how to live. Sango regarded him silently for a moment before speaking.

"If she can, she will make herself known to you. This is a very delicate position we are in, and if something happens to her because of you…I will hunt you down and make sure your death is as long and painful as I can manage."

Miroku laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You must forgive my companion. We owe the Lady much. It is hard for us to see her living as she does. Don't look Ayame in the eye if you don't want your ears talked off, and don't eat anything Yuka eats. That girl has a cast iron stomach."

They both shivered and the three travelers nodded before setting out across the village. The soldiers snapped to attention as they approached, but Sesshomaru ignored them. He was much more interested in the old miko who watched them walk past and their two companions who had joined her than ningen soldiers. He met the old woman's eyes and felt great power. This was doubtless one of the mikos this region was famous for, but where was the other, the young woman with the adopted kitsune pup? This would be their leader, the one that Sango and Miroku followed. If the two were to be believed he would meet her up at the manor, so he silently allowed the soldiers to lead him into the presence of Lord Yoshi and his two daughters.

Neither he nor Inuyahsa so much as inclined their heads to the man seated before them. They also did not sit, despite his offer. His daughters knelt to one side, and on the other was his main household. Sesshomaru felt his stomach twist in disgust as he saw the number of young women. Their scents told him exactly what they were kept for. It appeared the Lord Yoshi was a hedonist.

They sat down to a meal that consisted a great deal of listening to Ayame prattle on about nonsense that she thought would make her sound intelligent. Sesshomaru ate in silence carefully avoiding anything that Yuka thought was good. The girl was portly and possessed a healthy appetite, but her tastes ran to extremes, and Sesshomaru was always a fan of moderation. Still she managed to open up a dialogue with Inuyasha, the topic, quite naturally, their favorite meals.

At last they were shown to their rooms. Sesshomaru cast a shield to prevent them from being overheard before sitting down against the stone wall and waiting for Inuyasha to voice his opinion. When the hanyou finally spoke, his voice was unusually soft and his words thought out.

"He's a sybarite." Sesshomaru nodded. Inuyasha clenched his fists. "All those women…the only pure ones were his daughters."

Again Sesshomaru nodded. "This woman, the one who commands the loyalty of the holy orders and the youkai hunters has yet to show herself to us."

Inuyasha sat, his eyes guarded. "I am afraid to think of what he might do to her if he ever suspected she was the true power in this kingdom."

Sesshomaru knew what Inuyasha meant. He too felt oddly protective of the secret ruler in this kingdom. Lord Yoshi was a despicable example of humanity. No woman was safe in his presence.

"I think I would like some air."

Inuyasha nodded absently as Sesshomaru rose and opened the doors to the garden. He stepped outside, shutting the doors behind him and took a deep breath. The only scents here were the smell of blooming flowers and the scent of evening. He moved further into the garden, hopeful he would not run into either of Yoshi's daughters on a midnight walk. He would hear them a long way off, and he could hide easily, but it simply was not dignified. The wind shifted slightly and he stiffened. For a moment there, the scent of blood, tears, and power had reached him. He closed his eyes and allowed his senses to fan out across the garden. He pinpointed the source of power in seconds and was there in half that time.

The woman was stretched out along the ground. She panted softly, her eyes squeezed shut as she fought for breath. He could see instantly that several of her ribs were broken. At last she opened her eyes, but she ignored him. Instead she began to crawl toward the far side of the garden. Sesshomaru stepped in front of her, halting her progress.

"Are you here to finish the job?" She growled it at him, and despite his anger at her insolence, he couldn't help but admire her spirit.

"No."

He knelt, his hand on her back. His magic was not normally used to heal, but in his time he had used it for this before. He could feel the ribs slowly shift back into place and begin to knit together. He heard her suck in a pained breath, but made no other utterance. Her hands compulsively gripped the ripe turf beneath her, but she did not flinch away from him. Silently he applauded her. This was someone who knew pain, and had learned long ago that accepting was the only real way to deal with it. After a minute he released her and stood. She lay with her forehead pressed against the cool grass, trying to push the pain from her mind.

"Thank you."

"Yoshi did this to you."

"Yes, but it wasn't the first time and it won't be the last." She struggled to her feet, wary of her newly healed ribs. "I had better go. If he catches me, I will be beat again."

She had never looked him in the eye, and he sensed that she was ashamed of something, so he let her go. She limped slightly as she moved out of sight. Sesshomaru followed her back trail to a set of shoji doors. After making sure there was no one on the other side he slid them open. Blood stains in the mats showed where the beating had taken place, and papers and a writing desk revealed this to be Yoshi's study. Silently Sesshomaru returned to his rooms. He did not tell Inuyasha. The pup was entirely too emotional.

All night he was plagued by the incident. The girl had been young, only about sixteen or seventeen, and she had been pretty even by youkai standards, midnight black hair, pale skin, and dark azure eyes. That she was brave and powerful he did not doubt. What surprised him was that she was a virgin. She did not have Yoshi's stench on her the way the other servants of the palace did. That meant that she was different. Could she have been the woman the others had spoken of? If she was, why didn't she use her miko powers to stop him? What held her hand when it came to Lord Yoshi?