InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Little Faith ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Katsuo, Natsumi, Shin, Isamu and Moriko) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

 

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing the first chapter of the story - your reviews are very encouraging. I know there are many elements which are confusing at the moment, but I hope that as the story progresses, things will become clear to you. Just to clarify one thing, though; the story is set in 2 timelines - one in the future, one in Kagome and Sesshoumaru's dream Feudal Era. And I will be switching back and forth between the two times. For those of you who are interested, you can visit my deviantart page for the pictures of the cast: elle6778. deviantart. com.

 

 

A Little Faith by elle6778 - Chapter 2

 

The pulsing sound of drumbeats echoed through the house as the hip-hop music blared from upstairs at an ear numbing pitch.

 

Kagome glared up at the ceiling, wishing that Souta would turn the music down. But she knew that she had no time to bother with her brother at that moment. Pulling on her shoe with one hand and ruffling Sachimaru's silver head with another, she hoped and prayed that she would not be too late.

 

“Got to go, Sachimaru,” she exclaimed hurriedly as she kissed his forehead.

 

Still munching on his toast, Sachimaru gave her a puffy smile and waved. “Take care, Okaa-san.”

 

Rushing out of the house, Kagome waved goodbye at her mother.

 

“Good luck with this new job, Kagome,” her mother called out.

 

“I think I definitely need the luck,” Kagome replied before she ran down the shrine steps, gritting her teeth all the way.

 

It was her first day temping at a media company. The temping agency told her that they needed someone to stand in for their permanent receptionist. Apparently, their regular receptionist had fallen ill and had no idea when she would return to work. Much as Kagome hated the thought of benefiting from someone else's misfortune, she could not help but feel relieved that she would continue to earn money this month.

 

If only she had not lost two years of her life to the coma, she would have finished schooling like any other student and finished up in a university like a normal twenty year old. But of course, she had to go through her education the hard way. Working sporadically during the day and studying like mad every night for three years in a private institution while trying her best to fulfill her duty as Sachimaru's mother was beginning to take its toll. With luck, she would not have to carry on like this. In a month, her course would end and hopefully, she would graduate and find a permanent job in a medical facility somewhere close to home. Not that she would actually spend that much time in the actual facility. She would probably end up on the road most of the time.

 

That was, of course, if she did not get sacked from this receptionist stint even before she had begun. Turning up late the first day would hardly give anyone a good impression of her. But there was no way she could tell her new boss the real reason for her lateness.

 

She had another dream last night. Those dreams were getting annoying, she mused sullenly as her feet pounded the pavement, rushing past the morning human traffic. To make things worse, her alarm clock had not rung this morning. Either that, or she had forgotten to set it last night after tucking Sachimaru into bed.

 

She was beginning to wonder if all those dreams had something to do with her past life. Maybe it was really her in there and all those stuff had happened. Everything had been so vivid and it all seemed so real.

 

Even now, she could almost see it happening in her mind.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

She found herself jostled back into the land of living as something firm prodded her ribs. Groaning at the fuzziness of her mind and her aching body, she tried to open her eyes but found it hard to do so. If only she could only sleep for a while more. She was so tired, but why was her bed so hard?

 

“Wench! You will rise,” a commanding voice sounded somewhere above her.

 

Letting out a frustrated groan, she pried her eyes open to find herself staring up at something very white. A few blinks later, the whiteness morphed into a humanoid form. Confusion swamped her. Why was there a stranger in her room?

 

Then her brain kick-started as the earlier events came flooding back.

 

She had been kidnapped.

 

She had been drugged.

 

And now, she was faced with...

 

She frowned, eyeing the person in front of her critically. He was easily the best-looking male she had ever set eyes on. His chiseled face was framed with long, white hair and his cheekbones were enhanced with two magenta stripes. The tips of his ears were pointed and his eyes gleamed with a golden hue, clearly labeling him as something other than human. Curiously, there was a crescent moon on his forehead which made him look…regal. But it was the expression on his face and the way he held himself which held her attention.

 

He was the embodiment of calm and arrogance.

 

And she did not know what to make of him.

 

If she would have to guess, she would say that he was yet another demon. Could it be that the well was simply a portal to the demon world? No, that could not be right. She had seen a handful of humans scattered about as they traveled to this place. So what was going on?

 

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. This did not happen to normal girls. Normal girls did not end up in some strange world occupied by humans and demons alike. What was next? Fairies, witches and elves?

 

“Perhaps you're mute?” he asked dryly.

 

Fully awake now, she shook her head again. “No.”

 

He gave her a look of disdain, his lips curling every so slightly. “You will be joining the servants in their quarters,” he intoned flatly, turning to leave. “Jaken, direct her to the servants' quarters.”

What? Servants?

 

Pushing the heavy furs off her body, she jumped to her feet. Clad only in the clothes Kouga had given her, a short dress made out of soft, furry material with tight leggings, she took a step forward. “Wait a minute!” she called out hurriedly, wanting to set the record clear. He needed to know that she was here against her will.

 

To her disgruntlement, he simply continued to walk away from her, not even bothering to acknowledge her. His steps even looked…aristocratic, a complete contrast to her stumbling gait. Somehow, that very fact irritated her more than his obvious dismissal.

 

Fighting the urge to stomp her foot, she yelled, “HEY! You can't leave just like that.”

 

She blinked as his back stiffened. Hah! A reaction at last. Slowly, he turned around to face her. This time, she detected a disapproving glint in his eyes. Uh-oh, she thought to herself apprehensively. Maybe it was not a good idea to yell at a demon.

 

“You shall address those above your station with respect,” he ordered coldly.

 

Her eyes flashed at his highhandedness, her apprehension immediately forgotten. Tilting her chin, she shot back, “Well, I can't address you with anything seeing that I don't even know your name, can I?”

 

He seemed taken aback at her response. Then, his expression set in hard lines, he ground out, “You will address me as Lord Sesshoumaru.”

 

A lord, huh? So what? And what sort of name was `Sesshoumaru'? She rolled her eyes. “Well, Lord Sesshoumaru. There's been some mistake here.”

 

He quirked a questioning brow, obviously waiting for her to continue.

 

“You see. I don't belong here.” Gesturing in a random direction, she added earnestly, “That Kouga kidnapped me while I was sleeping. And now, I need to find my way home.”

 

He simply stared at her with that infuriatingly blank look.

 

She waited for him to reply, but after a while, she realized that he was not going to. Frowning, she prompted impatiently, “Are you listening?”

 

“There has been no mistake.”

 

Gritting her teeth, she insisted, “Yes, there's been a mistake. Whoever you think I am, I'm not her, alright? I'm not some servant you ordered from Kouga. Do you understand?”

 

His lips thinned visibly. “It would be prudent for you to mind your tongue, wench. You are merely a gift from the Northern Lord. And now, you are this Sesshoumaru's property.”

 

Her eyes bulged in disbelief. Shock soon gave way to outrage and she flared, “A gift? A property? What am I? A thing? I don't care what your deal is with Kouga or whatever Northern Lord, but you can't simply keep me here as a servant against my will.”

 

“Wench, you shall cease your pointless argument.”

 

“Don't call me wench! I have a name. It's Kagome. Ka-Go-Me. Get it?” she snapped, feeling her temper rise another notch. Her hands fisted by her side. Was the guy thick or something? Why was it so hard for him to understand that she was not his property? Breathing heavily, she glared at him. Her entire body buzzed as she tried to rein in the urge to last out with…something.

 

To her bafflement, surprise flashed in his eyes before a contemplative look settled over his face. He was silent as he studied her intently.

 

Unnerved by his perusal, she asked irritably, “What is it now?”

 

“You are a miko,” he stated flatly.

 

“Huh?” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about? I'm not a miko or anything like that. I'm just a regular girl.”

 

“You are a miko,” he repeated firmly. After a thoughtful pause, he added, “Your presence could be beneficial.”

 

She eyed him suspiciously. What was going on in that head of his? Deciding that there would be no harm in asking, she went on, “You know, Lord Sesshoumaru? You might want to expand on that. I have no clue what you're going on about.”

 

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “It would be a waste of your powers to assign you the task of a mere servant. You will serve the Western Lands in another manner. However, you are forbidden to purify any demons or else your life would be forfeit.”

 

Kagome gasped. She did not know that it was possible for her to feel even more confused that she had done a few minutes ago. But she was obviously wrong. Abilities? Powers? Purify? Those words were completely alien to her in this context.

 

Kouga must have tricked him. That was the only explanation she could come up with. Sesshoumaru had expected someone else and Kouga had delivered a `gift' which did not meet Sesshoumaru's expectations. And she could tell by the absolute certainty in Sesshoumaru's tone that he fully believed what he had just said. And from what she had seen of him so far, he was not likely to change his mind anytime soon.

 

She simply had to find a way to prove to him that she was not what he expected. When he realized that he could not use her for anything, he would let her go, right? She would need to convince him that she was not a miko. But how?

 

Kagome stifled a groan.

 

This was bad.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Sesshoumaru studied her, careful not to let his curiosity show. He had been surprised to say the least when her aura had flared earlier, revealing her true identity. How had Kouga managed to capture a miko without being purified into dust? Was the wolf prince actually stronger than he had assumed? Or perhaps Akiyama had been the one to capture her and Kouga's task had been simply to deliver her?

 

The fact that she was a miko was surprising enough, but his brief exposure to the flare of her powers told him that she was no ordinary miko. The strength of her pure power was rare in these days of war, corruption and greed. It made him wonder why she had not attempted to purify him yet. Of course, it was not as if she would succeed. After all, he was mostly immune to purification. Prolonged exposure would only weaken him, not kill him.

 

It then occurred to him that she might not be the type to extract herself out of a situation by force. From what he had seen so far, she preferred to battle verbally. The only sign of physical aggression he had seen in her so far had been the brief clenching of her fists. Although her language was coarse, he did not sense any deceit in her, even when she had claimed ignorance at his words. Her lack of pretence astounded him. Perhaps that was the reason for the strength of her powers.

 

This changed everything. A miko was rare, especially one so powerful. They were always sought after. And he had his own reasons for wanting a powerful miko. He required one to perform a specific task. One which could only be carried out by her kind.

 

She was a young, pretty and powerful miko.

 

However, he had no intention of making the human wench his concubine, whatever Akiyama and Kouga might think. The very notion made him cringe.

 

He had planned to send her to the servants' quarters, which was some distance away from the main dwelling. That might not wise after all. His guards and warriors might decide to entertain themselves with her. And Sesshoumaru could not be certain if she would refrain from unleashing her powers on them if forced. One thing he was certain of was that if she decided to do so, none of his guards or warriors would survive.

 

No, it was certainly unwise to send her to the servant's quarters, he realized with dismay. He would have to secure her in the main palace so that he could keep a close watch on her. At least, until he could ascertain if she was strong enough for the task he had in mind.

 

A small hand waved in front of him, drawing him out of his contemplations, invading his space. He bit back a growl of annoyance as her wide brown eyes stared into his fearlessly. Her insolence was astounding. He wanted to clamp his claws around her fragile neck, but he realized that to harm her would mean the delay of the task he required her to perform.

 

“Hey, I'm not lying, you know. I really think there's a mistake here.”

 

“Miko, your words are noted. It is not necessary to repeat yourself.” His tone was dry.

 

“So, aren't you going to do something about it? And don't call me Miko. I'm not one and it bugs me when you do it,” she declared with a scowl.

 

He gave her an almost curious look. “Why do you deny your heritage?”

 

Eyes widening, she sputtered, “W-what? I'm denying the miko thing because I'm not one. Trust me.”

 

Trust her? His senses never failed him and he was not about to discount what it told him. But for some reason, she was truly convinced that she was not a miko. Perhaps she believed that she was not a miko. Perhaps something had happened to her before she was captured. Something such as the loss the memory and the loss of knowledge of her powers. That would explain her odd responses, Sesshoumaru decided. She certainly did not exhibit the same indiscriminate hate towards demons as was the norm for a typical miko.

 

Or perhaps she was simply an untrained miko. Yes. That was plausible. Otherwise Akiyama and Kouga would never be able to capture her.

 

This would be beneficial for him. If she did not possess the usual prejudice against demons, he could harness her powers to be used on his side. He was certain that it would not be an insurmountable task to bring forth her powers. He could only hope that her strength was sufficient to release his foolish hanyou brother from the tree which he had been sealed to since fifty years ago.

 

Sesshoumaru would have simply left Inuyasha there, if not for the fact that he wanted Inuyasha alive so that he could teach the hanyou a lesson. It incensed him that hanyou had allowed himself to be weak enough to be displayed as the spoils of a battle, not considering that his foolishness brought dishonor to their family. Not only that, Inuyasha's untimely incarceration had meant that he failed to aid the Western Lands in its time of need.

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. Yes, the miko would release Inuyasha from Goshinboku. This Sesshoumaru has a bone to pick with his little brother.

 

Now, the issue was, how was he supposed to convince her that she was a miko?

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

The engine purred smoothly as Sesshoumaru sped down the highway. As the result of a dream-laden sleep, he had failed to rise at his usual time. And therefore, he was now late for a meeting.

 

Sesshoumaru grimaced as he recalled his dream.

 

A miko indeed. It was unthinkable that one of them would be willing to help demons. He remembered how deep their prejudice ran. Even an untrained miko would harbor the same prejudice towards demons. Therefore, the notion of receiving a miko as a gift certainly bordered on the ridiculous.

 

Sesshoumaru frowned as he tried to remember what he had actually received five hundred years ago from the Northern Lord. Pelts came to mind. However, he could not be certain. The memory appeared to have escaped him. He glowered inwardly, refusing to believe that the centuries had managed to erode his mind. One such as he would never succumb to such a thing.

 

Still, whatever it was, there was no question that the miko was simply a part of his dream and nothing more.

 

He decided that his dream was probably a manifestation of the conversation he had with Inuyasha a few days ago concerning his brother's latest flings. He had told Inuyasha that he would under no circumstances bring any of his females home. The conversation had quickly turned physical when Inuyasha challenged his authority.

 

Sesshoumaru blamed his brother's behavior on one despicable miko. At one time, Inuyasha had been foolish enough to leave himself vulnerable to a certain female. That one mistake, that one vulnerability, had resulted in him being sealed to a tree for fifty years. All for the love for a human miko. It was that experience which had swayed Inuyasha to the other extreme. The hanyou no longer trusted females and hence only sought their company for physical gratification.

 

There was only one puzzling thing about the entire event. Even until now, they had never ascertained how exactly Inuyasha had released himself from the tree. All Inuyasha could remember was waking up at the base of the tree. And all Sesshoumaru could remember was that the arrow had simply dissolved, breaking the spell.

 

How odd.

 

However, it was pointless to speculate upon an event which had occurred over five hundred years ago. He had more urgent issues to deal with at the moment.

 

Pulling into the underground carpark of the building which housed Taishou Securities, he parked and exited his Porsche. A few moments later, he was walking down the corridor to his office. His secretary, Natsumi, greeted him cheerfully as he passed her.

 

“Oh, Rin called, Mr. Taishou,” the golden-haired female inuyoukai informed him.

 

“And the meeting?”

 

“Oh, Katsuo is holding the fort for now. You can settle in first,” Natsumi said with a smile.

 

“Hn.”

 

Entering his office, Sesshoumaru promptly set his briefcase on the oak desk and peered out through the blinds. The congested morning traffic appeared like miniature boxes from his window on the fifteenth floor. Turning back to his desk, he sat down and picked up the phone. Not long after he had dialed a number from memory, a female voice answered.

 

“Rin?”

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru!”

 

Sesshoumaru's lips quirked. No matter how many times she had been admonished, Rin still continued to address him by his old title. It was fortunate that those close to him were all demons who had known him by the same title in the past, otherwise it would have raised a few eyebrows.

 

“You called.”

 

“I just wanted to remind you to turn up in a few weeks to the premiere of the Demon Carnival. Shippou is presenting a new bunch of performers. His already sent out the complimentary tickets and everyone under Taishou Holdings should get it soon.”

 

His eyebrow rose. “New performers?” As far as he knew, the rotation comprised of no new demons.

 

Rin laughed. “Well. No one you haven't met before. But they are from the Third Rotation. We haven't seen them for a few years and it's going to be like a reunion. Oh, and we got a few transfers from outside.”

 

“I see.” So, outsiders had decided to join them. Idly, Sesshoumaru wondered who they might be.

 

The Demon Carnival had been created for the sole purpose of allowing the demons a few decades of reprieve from all the concealment. Sponsored by Taishou Holdings, the carnival moved from one town to another, staying for months or even years at a time, performing feats which the humans considered outrageous, but entertaining. Apart from allowing the demons to live without the hassle of concealment, the tight-knit carnival community also allowed them to practice their demonic skills without restraint. Many demons tended to view the carnival work as an extended vacation.

 

Suppressing their demonic powers often became tedious after some time. Hence many demons tended to appreciate the opportunity to be themselves. They could, of course, visit one of the private islands owned by the more affluent demons. However, such trips tended to be short due to the prohibitive cost.

 

“So I'll see you there then?” Rin's voice was hopeful.

 

Sesshoumaru stifled a sigh. The last thing he wanted to do was to spend the night surrounded by a crowd of rowdy human employees cheering on the demon performers, thinking that what they were seeing was merely magic tricks and high-tech effects. Little did they know that those displays by the demons were real. His demon employees would no doubt turn up for the event as well. However, their reaction would be more to criticize the techniques used in the performances.

 

It was the same each time.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama? Please?” Rin coaxed.

 

After so many centuries, he knew that any protest would be futile. Rin had always managed to get to him.

 

“Hn.”

 

“Great! I'll see you there then.”

 

Sesshoumaru hung up and stared his cellphone. He should really attempt to harden his heart against Rin, but ever since he had revived her with Tenseiga five centuries ago, she had been by his side and had somehow wormed her way into his heart.

 

Being a human, it had not taken long before she grew up to be a young woman. Much to his consternation, she had grown up to be beautiful. Soon enough, he had ended up spending much of his valuable time threatening lustful males who was foolish enough to pursue her. However, no amount of threats had worked once Rin met Shippou, a young kitsune. To his credit, Shippou had been nothing but respectful towards Rin until they finally mated.

 

Sesshoumaru supposed that he should be thankful to the kitsune. After all, without their mating, Rin would not be here today.

 

For that, he would deign to suffer through another carnival.

 

And now it was time for him to join the meeting. He disliked meeting with humans, however, he could not avoid them all the time. Walking out of his office, he headed down the building towards the meeting room. Tracking Katsuo's scent, he made his way down the corridor until he reached the room at the end of the hallway.

 

Even through the door, he knew that Katsuo was aware of his presence. Without knocking, Sesshoumaru pushed the door open and went into the soundproof room. As with all other meeting rooms, this one was also bare apart from the two paintings on the wall, an oval meeting table and the padded chairs around it.

 

Seated in one of those chairs was the chairman of the research laboratory, the one which had been attacked just two nights ago. Sesshoumaru's nose twitched at the heavy scent of cologne in the air. Gritting his teeth, he tamped down his annoyance. Was it absolutely necessary for the human to drown himself in the vile product?

 

“Ah, Mr. Taishou,” the human exclaimed, extending his hand.

 

Trying to ignore the almost unbearable waft of cologne, Sesshoumaru inclined his head as he shook the human's hand. He would make sure that this meeting did not last long. “Mr. Sagara,” he greeted as he took a seat opposite the human. “I believe you have been briefed on the situation?”

 

Sagara nodded, a small frown appearing between his brows. “It is worrying. How did they get close enough to release the gas?” he grumbled.

 

“They approached from the roof and entered the rooftop service area,” Sesshoumaru explained. “Since that area does not belong to your company, it is not possible for us to secure it.”

 

“Can't you just post someone up there?”

 

This human was truly dense, Sesshoumaru decided irritably. “That is trespassing, Mr. Sagara. Perhaps you would like to discuss the possibility of access with your neighbors,” he suggested evenly.

 

Sagara muttered absently, “It is crucial that our research remains protected. We cannot afford any leaks to our competitors. That is why I hired the best security firm in the market to guard it.”

 

Sesshoumaru suppressed the urge to snarl. Did the human think that he did not know that? When he responded, his voice was bland. “There has been no leakage. The situation was adequately contained.”

 

Sighing, the chairman leaned back against his seat. “Thank you, Mr. Taishou. It's just that with all the competition in the perfume market, we could not afford to let anyone know what we're up to.”

 

“Your concerns are noted.” His tone was dry.

 

Oblivious to Sesshoumaru's irritation, Sagara asked, “Can you find out who's behind this?”

 

“The process in underway as we speak. Do you wish to question the intruders?”

 

The human quickly shook his head. “No. I'll leave it in your capable hands. Keep the police out of this. I don't trust them.”

 

“Hn.”

 

With that, the human stood up and extended his hand. “Well. I look forward to hearing from you.”

 

Sesshoumaru took the proffered hand, taking care not to exert too much force. “You will be contacted when we have more information.” Gesturing at the grey-haired demon near the door, Sesshoumaru added, “Katsuo will see you out.”

 

The human nodded and then headed towards the door, leaving behind another waft of cologne as he swept out of the meeting room.

 

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Kagome had shown up late to work on her first day but strangely enough, no one seemed to mind. Once she had been shown the ropes, she had been left mostly on her own, with only the security guard as company. After only two days of working as a receptionist, Kagome was glad that she had decided to take her intensive classes to become a paramedic. There was no way she would survive a job which required her to be polite all the time, especially when there were idiots involved.

 

Dropping her eyes to the textbook in front of her, she continued to study until a discreet series of blips interrupted her. Picking up the call, she greeted the caller and took note of who he wanted to speak to.

 

“Please hold on,” Kagome said politely into the mouthpiece.

 

Pressing a button, she transferred the call to the ninth floor. Then she leaned back against the comfortable seat. This office definitely spared nothing when it came to comfort. Everything from the little artificial waterfall in the corner to the strategically placed frosted glass partitions screamed money. Kagome sighed. She just wished that she had that much money.

 

The buzzer sounded, startling her from her quiet contemplation. Straightening, she pressed the flashing button. “IY Media and Entertainment. Kagome speaking. How may I help?”

 

“Hi, I got a delivery here for Ikazuchi Hiten.”

 

Kagome glanced questioningly at the security guard at the entrance. He immediately went to the monitor at a discreet corner and studied the close circuit camera display. Then turning to her, he nodded.

 

“Come on in,” Kagome said as she pressed another button to release the lock on the door.

 

The delivery boy walked up to her a dropped a large package on the reception desk. Handing her a sheet of paper, he pointed to a dotted line and instructed, “Sign here.”

 

Kagome quickly scribbled down her signature and returned the paper to the delivery boy. Eyeing the package curiously, she placed a call to the seventh floor. When it was answered, she said, “There's a package here for Mr. Ikazuchi.”

 

The girl on the other end of the line told her that she would come down to pick it up.

 

A few minutes later, a bubbly girl with short black hair walked up. Smiling, Kagome passed her the heavy package. To her surprise, the girl's eyes widened in excitement and she began to tear the package open right at the reception. Kagome eyed her warily. Should she be opening the package at all? After all, it was addressed to Ikazuchi Hiten.

 

Then the girl held up a handful of what looked like tickets. “It's finally here!” she exclaimed.

 

Kagome raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

 

“Oh! Tickets to the Demon Carnival,” she explained. Pulling out two tickets, she thrust them at a surprised Kagome. “Here, have a couple.”

 

“Huh?” Her eyes widened. She had heard about the carnival, but it was not something that she could afford to go to. And now she was being offered tickets? But maybe the girl did not know that she was just temping here. Kagome sighed inwardly. Sachimaru would have loved to see it.

 

The girl grinned. “Don't worry. They are complimentary tickets since IY Media and Entertainment sponsors them from time to time.”

 

Kagome eyed the tickets longingly. “B-But…I'm just temping here.”

 

Waving a dismissive hand, the girl said, “It doesn't matter. Take it.” With that, she dropped the tickets in front of Kagome. “What's your name?”

 

“Higurashi Kagome,” she replied automatically.

 

“Great. I'll just pop your name on the list. These tickets are for the first night, the premiere, so it is guest-list only.”

 

Kagome stared at her with slack jaw as the girl swept out of the reception area. And then her eyes lowered to the tickets.

 

“Just take it, girl.”

 

Her eyes shot up, making contact with the guard's.

 

“Yura is in a generous mood today. Better take advantage of it,” he remarked wryly.

 

Kagome blinked. Then she grinned. “I'll keep it then.”

 

The guard nodded in approval. Eyes twinkling, he said, “Good. Just be careful when you meet all the demons, alright? Some of them don't know how to behave.”

 

Demons indeed, she thought with a laugh. “Sure.”

 

She could only imagine those performers in the carnival all dressed up with tails and fake fangs. Somewhat like her odd dreams, she supposed. Her imagination must be wilder than she had known.

 

She could understand how she came up with Sesshoumaru's looks. After all, she had a miniature version of him running around at home. Grinning, she realized that their names even sounded the same. Sesshoumaru and Sachimaru. Yes, she must have been imagining someone who could be Sachimaru's father.

 

After all, Jii-chan had more than once claimed that Sachimaru was a demon child. According to her grandfather, Sachimaru's silver hair and golden eyes were definitely demonic traits, not to mention his slightly pointed ears. Kagome grinned. She had listened so much to Jii-chan's stories about demons and fairy-tales that her mind had decided to supply her with her own story.

 

Even to the extent of populating her dream world with other demons.

 

Propping her chin up, she let her mind wander back to her dream, recalling how odd some of them had looked.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

She found herself led somewhere in the castle by a small creature which looked suspiciously like a toad. She squinted at it, watching as he hobbled in front of her with a weird-looking staff with two equally weird heads perched at the top.

 

As they turned corner after corner, she realized that the place was huge. It was done in the traditional Japanese wooden frame with mainly bamboo coverings and washi paper screens. The corridor was illuminated with strategically placed oil lanterns that flickered gently as they passed.

 

The creature stopped abruptly. Kagome caught herself just before she barreled into him.

 

Sliding open the shoji, he stood aside to allow her entrance. “This is your room, Miko.”

 

Sesshoumaru had called the creature Jaken. With a nod of thanks, she said, “Thank you, Jaken.”

 

The creature's eyes widened slightly, as if he was surprised to be thanked. Then, with an unintelligible croak, he spun around and walked away.

 

Not knowing what to make of Jaken's strange behavior, she simply shrugged and walked into her room, sliding the shoji shut behind her. A pair of brown eyes began to scan the sparsely furnished room. Apart from a rolled up futon against the wall with a neat pile of beddings beside it, a clay pot in the corner, a low table and a small chest at the opposite side, there was nothing else in the room. Unless, of course, she counted the two hanging scrolls on the otherwise bare wall. Lord or not, Sesshoumaru definitely did not care much for luxuries, she decided humorlessly. But at least it was far better than spending the night in the wild or on a dirt floor.

 

Noticing another shoji screen on the opposite side of the room, she padded across the tatami curiously. Not knowing what she might encounter on the other side, she cautiously slid the screen open.

 

Her eyes widened as she took in the view before her.

 

The moonlight shone brightly, illuminating the outdoor space in front of her. Carefully tended grass sloped down gently from a wooden platform in front of the screen, leading to an outcrop of smooth boulders of various sizes. The boulders formed a natural enclosure to what appeared to be a hot spring. She could see the gentle steam curling up from where she stood.

 

The entire courtyard before her was bounded by four identical wings of the building, all with shoji screens facing the centrally located hot spring. She could see why it was done in such a manner. With no other way to access the courtyard except from the rooms, one was assured of privacy and peace.

 

Well, it seemed that Sesshoumaru cared more about natural beauty than luxurious furniture, she thought with amusement. Now that she thought about it, she was not too surprised. He seemed to be the type.

 

She sighed as she inhaled a deep breath of air, noticing how fresh it was compared to her home in Tokyo. A couple of days had passed since she last seen her mother, her grandfather and Souta. She missed them terribly and she feared that it might be some time yet before she found her way home.

 

A scraping sound tore her attention away from the landscape before her, making her tense involuntarily. She turned around to find a golden-haired girl bowing at the open shoji on the opposite side of the room. The girl was young, probably her own age. But what caught Kagome's eyes was her golden tail swaying behind her as she bowed.

 

“Miko,” she greeted respectfully. “I'm Natsumi. Jaken asked me to bring you some clothes.”

 

That was when Kagome noticed the pile of cloth in the other girl's arms. Missing her own clothes and realizing how uncomfortable the furry clothes were, Kagome brightened. “That's for me?”

 

Natsumi nodded with a small smile. Glancing at the wooden chest against the wall, she asked, “It is alright if I put them in the chest?”

 

“Of course,” she replied, rushing over to help her.

 

“If you wish to cleanse yourself, the hotsprings are outside in the courtyard and there is a bathhouse next to Lord Sesshoumaru's chambers,” the girl informed her.

 

Kagome refrained from making a face. There was no way she was going near Sesshoumaru's bathhouse. The hotsprings, however, must be the one she saw just now.

 

As they sorted out the clothes together, she noticed that there were twin sets of plain yukatas, black hakamas and matching cream hakamashitas as well as the traditional Japanese socks, tabi. Her lips twisted. If she ever returned home, she would be an expert at traditional Japanese wear.

 

Then she froze as a thought occurred to her. Based on what she had seen so far, she could well be in the past. After all, apart from the demons, everything else seemed to fit what she read in her history books. Her eyes widened at the implication. What if she did something to mess up the natural course of history? What would happen if she accidentally erased her family and friends in the future?

 

Knowing that she had to find out for sure, she turned to the other girl. “Um…Natsumi?”

The girl looked up from her task of arranging the clothes. “Yes, Miko?”

 

Uncomfortable with the title, she quickly said, “Call me Kagome. That's my name.”

 

Natsumi hesitated for a moment. And then she nodded. “Kagome. Do you need something?”

 

“Can you tell me what year is this?”

 

Natsumi's brow furrowed. “I don't understand.”

 

She decided to try another line of questioning. Wracking her brain to unearth her history lessons, she tried, “Okay…erm…does the Kamakura era sound familiar to you?”

 

The other girl's expression showed her bewilderment. “Oh. That is over. We're now in the Sengoku era,” she explained, giving Kagome an odd look.

 

It was obvious that the girl thought she was mad, Kagome realized. But at least now she knew that she was about five hundred years in the past.

 

Natsumi stood up. “If there isn't anything else, I'll leave you to rest.”

 

She nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

 

Natsumi smiled at her and bade her goodnight. “Oyasumi nasai.” And then made her way out of the room, sliding the shoji shut behind her.

 

Kagome walked back to the other shoji and stared out worriedly into the courtyard.

 

What was she going to do now?

 

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru was already awake by the time the first rays of light streaked between the mountains to reach across the sky. Seated cross-legged on the cushion behind the low table in this study, he sifted through the scrolls in front of him.

 

After a moment, he gave them a withering look. Land deeds, records of disputes, crops productivity logs, all of the scrolls blurred into one fine mess in front of him. It had been far too long since he had last taken a rest from the tedious governing of his lands.

 

Giving up on the scrolls, Sesshoumaru stood up and walked to the end of the room. Sliding the shoji open, he stared out at the landscaped courtyard in front of him. The whole area was bathed in a soft orangey glow of the dawn. As peace settled over him, Sesshoumaru stepped out onto the wooden platform and sat down.

 

Closing his eyes, he prepared himself for meditation. Sinking into the place of peace, Sesshoumaru released the petty troubles which plagued him.

 

He did not know how much time had passed before a shrill squeal interrupted the tranquility. His eyes snapped open abruptly and his lips thinned at being yanked so rudely out of his peaceful state.

 

A splashing sound could be heard not far from where he sat, but the origin of the sound was obstructed by a large boulder. Silently, he unwound his legs and launched himself a short distance until he landed on the top of a boulder.

 

The view which greeted him made him raise his brows.

 

The miko was immersed in the steaming water, splashing happily. Her hair streamed behind her as she swam from one end of the spring to another as if she was a fish. As she reached the edge of the spring closest to him, she stopped and straightened.

 

Sesshoumaru knew he that should avert his gaze, but he also knew that if he moved, she would discover his presence. And something told him that his ears would suffer gravely if that should happen.

 

So he remained still as he watched her toss her wet hair back, sprinkling droplets of water everywhere. Her eyes were shut in apparent bliss, unaware that her provocative actions were being observed. Her flat stomach, slick with dampness, disappeared into the water. With her arms raised, he could see the swell of her breasts covered by two tiny pieces of white cloth, practically transparent in its wetness.

 

Involuntarily, his body responded to the visual challenge. Gritting his teeth, Sesshoumaru willed himself to maintain control and quickly averted his gaze. It seemed that he had gone far too long without satisfying his carnal demands. He should have sought the company of a female long before then. But with all his responsibilities, the notion had not even occurred to him until now.

 

He glowered. How dare she flaunt her human body before him? The miko had only been there for one night and she was already complicating matters. Not only was she insolent and disrespectful, now she had the audacity to tempt him with her state of undress. He began to wonder if her miko powers were worth all the trouble. With her ignorance, he would never know for sure until he did something to encourage the emergence of her powers.

 

Perhaps he had been too hasty in accepting the Northern Lord's gift. Perhaps he should have demanded that Akiyama brought him something else. Sesshoumaru grimaced, knowing that he could not possibly return the miko to Akiyama without offending the elemental. Not to mention that with the miko's potential strength, Akiyama would be invincible if she chose to ally herself with him. Sesshoumaru supposed that considering the circumstances, he had done the only thing he could do.

 

The sudden silence brought him out of his contemplations. Glancing down from the rock, he noticed that the miko was gone. Sesshoumaru immediately released the breath he had not realized he was holding.

 

With a graceful leap, he found himself back on the wooden platform in front of his study.

 

A soft sound reached his sensitive ears. It came from the direction of the miko's room. To his surprise, he realized that she was singing some strange song. Her voice was strangely haunting, completely at odds with the shrill tone she had used with him last night. His eyes narrowed as he hardened his resolve. It was time that he did something about her. The miko needed to earn her keep.

 

Once she was sufficiently prepared, she would release Inuyasha.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

A/N: Okay, I hope that the picture is becoming clearer now. Anyway, let me know if it's not and I'll try to clear it up if it doesn't involve giving away the plot, :P. As always, please review and let me know what you think!