InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy III ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

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

 

 

A Simple Legacy III by elle6778 - Chapter 3


Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and immediately bit back a groan of pain. The unfamiliarity of the despised feeling of weakness made it even worse. It was rare for him to sustain such injuries and he did not care to repeat the experience.

A quick glance at the window told him that the sun was already setting. He had wasted too much time sleeping. It was time for him to rise and assess the damage inflicted on his home. His eyes immediately narrowed as the thought of Ryokusen crossed his mind. He also needed to find out how his castle's defenses had been breached.

Wincing slightly as he pulled himself to his feet, he strode to the chest that contained his clothing. When he opened the chest, his attention was immediately drawn to a little wooden box nestled within. An odd feeling came over him. He had placed the box in the chest when he realized that each time he set eyes on it, he was reminded of the miko.

Opening it, he took out the armband. His lips quirked. After what had occurred recently, perhaps it would do no harm in wearing the miko's gift. With that thought, he attached the armband to his left arm, the arm which the miko had healed.

After dressing as rapidly as he could while being careful not to tear open his recently healed wounds, Sesshoumaru walked to the shoji screen. He slid it open to find Rin standing at the end of the hallway talking to one of the guards.

The guard noticed his presence and bowed. “Sesshoumaru-sama.”

Sesshoumaru inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Rin immediately brightened as she saw him. “Sesshoumaru-sama!” she yelled excitedly.

His eyes softened as she rushed towards him. When she latched onto his leg, Sesshoumaru bit back a wince of pain. Perhaps it was not wise to let the child near him just yet.

“Rin was so scared something bad happened to Sesshoumaru-sama,” the girl exclaimed.

Glancing down, he placed a hand on her head. “This Sesshoumaru is fine.”

The girl beamed. “Rin is glad Ah-Un found Kagome-chan.”

The girl had been wise in seeking the miko for assistance. “You did well, Rin,” he praised.

“Ah-Un did well,” she corrected.

“And Ah-Un,” he assented absently as his something nudged at him. His senses detected the miko's approach before the sound of footsteps reached him. Turning to sideways, he found said miko striding towards them.

The miko did not look pleased.

“Sesshoumaru!” she chastised, her brows furrowed. “What do you think you're doing? You shouldn't be up yet.”

It was clear that the miko had yet to learn to hold her tongue. Strangely enough, Sesshoumaru felt a glimmer of anticipation at the forthcoming conversation with the miko. Not wanting Rin to hear their argument, he glanced down at his ward. “Inform the guards to send out two scouts to locate Jaken,” he instructed.

Rin nodded obediently and ran off.

Turning around, he gave the miko a firm look. “There are important matters which require this Sesshoumaru's attention.” Such as finding out how the neko-youkais had gained entrance to his castle and assessing the damage Ryokusen had brought to his lands.

The miko's eyes cleared in understanding. Then she set her face in an expression of determination. “I know. But right now, you should be resting. If you need to talk to anyone, I can bring them here.”

“No. Not in the sleeping chamber.”

She let out a sigh of exasperation. “Fine. Be stubborn but don't blame me if you take longer to heal.”

His brow furrowed. He could heal just as well in the study. With that, he began to walk. As expected, the miko followed him.

After a moment of silence, she asked, “Do you know who did this?”

“Hn.”

“Who?”

“It is none of your concern, Miko,” he said as he slid open the shoji screen to his study.

She gave him an irritated look. “It became our concern when Rin came to find us. So who is it?”

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. He had almost forgotten how persistent the miko could be. Deciding to assent, he bit out, “Ryokusen. The Lord of the Northern Isles.”

“Northern Isles? But why?”

“His purpose is unknown. However, Ryokusen will pay for this disrespect,” he growled, feeling his youki rise at the thought the other youkai.

The miko bit her lips. “You need to get well first.”

“This Sesshoumaru is well,” he declared tightly, ignoring the sudden stab of pain at the back of his shoulders. His bones were obviously trying to heal.

Giving him an uncompromising look, she insisted, “No you're not. You almost died.”

His eyes narrowed. He would never succumb to such a dishonorable death, especially at the hands of one such as Ryokusen. “Ryokusen is weakened by the loss of his neko-youkais. This is a good time to teach him a lesson,” he bit out.

She placed a hand on his sleeve. “You don't have to do it alone. When you're better we'll come with you.”

Her offer brought forth an odd feeling in him, one he could not quite name. Brushing it off, he said, “No. This is between him and this Sesshoumaru.”

Her eyes flashed. “I swear, you're just as stubborn as Inuyasha sometimes. Can't you see that you'll have nothing to lose with our help?”

He glowered at her. Was she implying that he could not deal with his enemies by himself? Just because he had been outnumbered in the past, it did not mean that he was not capable of exacting revenge. Now that Naraku was out of the way, he could focus all his energy into destroying Ryokusen. It irked him that she thought so little of him.

Her eyes softened in understanding. Too late, Sesshoumaru realized that his barriers were down. Then he decided that the effort to keep the additional barrier up was simply too much for his current state. After all, no one else but the miko has the capacity to read his emotions.

“We're friends, Sesshoumaru. Friends help each other. It doesn't mean that I think you're weak. And it doesn't mean that I'm asking you for something in return.”

Her sincerity made him pause. Not for the first time, he realized just how selfless the miko was. Any other would have demanded payment for their help but not this miko. Even if it meant risking her life.

“Ryokusen is a taiyoukai. He is nothing like Naraku,” he pointed out, needing her to understand that this would not be an easy battle. Not that he would allow her to take part in it.

She blinked. “It doesn't change anything I said.”

“You will be endangering your life.”

Shrugging carelessly, she replied, “It's nothing more than what I've been doing for the past few years. And anyway, I'm much stronger now, thanks to you.”

He resisted the urge to avert his gaze although he felt uncomfortable with the look she was giving him. What he had done was simply his part in their agreement, nothing more.

“Come on, Sesshoumaru. Think about it this way. You won't have to travel all the way north by yourself,” she coaxed.

“Solitude would assure this Sesshoumaru of his peace,” he remarked dryly.

She gave him an odd look. “Very funny, Sesshoumaru.”

“It was not meant to be humorous,” he intoned blandly.

A slow grin grew on her lips. “You're doing it again.”

Unsure what she meant, he remained silent. Knowing the miko, she could have meant a number of things.

“I believe you just made a joke, Sesshoumaru.” Then she waved a dismissive hand. “But of course you won't admit it.”

“This Sesshoumaru does not jest.” His tone was dry.

She shrugged. “It still sounds like it. Anyway, back to Ryokusen. I mean it, Sesshoumaru. It's better anyway to have more of us fighting, right?”

“We shall see, Miko.”

Glowering at him, she snapped, “What is that supposed to mean?” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Look, you can try to stop me, but I'm not going to let you go alone.”

He simply stared at her. It suddenly occurred to him that she was possibly the only living being who dared to defy him and live to tell the tale. He should dispose of her, for it was simply unthinkable that one was able to defy him in such a manner. However, disposing of her was not an option seeing that he had unwittingly formed a rather troublesome attachment to her.

She gave him an uncompromising look. “I'll just follow you, you know. So you might as well save yourself the trouble of talking me out of it.”

Sesshoumaru fought the urge to groan. He could hardly believe that less than two days ago, he had almost wished for the miko's presence.


...***…***…***…


Sev eral days had passed since the attack and everything seemed to be calming down.

The last time Kagome had seen Sesshoumaru, he appeared to be fully healed. Not that she could tell, seeing that his barriers, emotional or otherwise, were all back in place. Kagome made a face. It was much easier to read him when those barriers were down.

Sighing, she turned back to the story she had been reading to Shippou and Rin. Both of them were seated in front of her in Rin's new room in the west wing, their eyes shining with interest as they eyed the book in her hands.

The sudden commotion outside drew Kagome's attention away from the story. Lowering the book, she glanced quickly in the direction of the sound before turning back to the children.

“Wait here, okay? I'll go see what's going on,” she said.

Shippou looked as if he wanted to follow, but Kagome directed a pointed look at him, and then at Rin. Understanding her unspoken words, Shippou gave her a small nod and settled back on the padded mat in Rin's room.

She rushed out of the east wing, using her senses to find the source of the commotion. It finally brought her to the large reception room. The first thing she saw was Sesshoumaru bending over something with his back to her, surrounded by a couple of his scouts and a few other concerned servants.

Sesshoumaru seemed to have sensed her presence, for he turned to glance at her over his shoulders before motioning her to join him. Curiously, she closed the gap between them. The servants parted to allow her through.

When her eyes landed on the little body on the floor, she gasped in horror.

“Jaken?” she whispered disbelievingly.

The diminutive toad youkai was beaten up beyond recognition. There was barely any sign of green amidst all the discolored wounds.

“Is he alive?”

“Barely,” one of the scouts replied quietly. “Found him like this at the edge of a forest in a bush. Probably would have died in a couple of days. I cleaned him up the best I could.”

Her expression hardened in determination as she knelt down beside Sesshoumaru. He simply gave her his usual unreadable look, but she could tell that he wanted her to try to heal Jaken.

She would not disappoint him.

Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand over Jaken and concentrated on healing him. Right before her eyes, Jaken's wounds closed as her palms glowed. She concentrated harder, willing the little youkai to heal and live. When she knew that she could do no more, Kagome stopped.

An older female inuyoukai bend down and placed a hand on Jaken's chest. “His blood flows stronger now. He will live.”

A collective sigh sounded around them.

Kagome looked up to find Sesshoumaru giving her a look that could only be described as grateful. A warm feeling washed over her and she gave him a smile.

She could almost swear that he had returned it, even though it only showed in his eyes.


...***…***…***…


Drenche d in sunlight, the courtyard appeared to sparkle as the soft breeze blew the petals of fallen sakura blooms around them. This, however, went unnoticed by Sesshoumaru as he listened intently to the serious words of the female in front of him.

His lips tightened a fraction as the forest youkai informed him about the traitor in his castle. From Moriko's description, Sesshoumaru realized that the inuyoukai in question had been living in the servant's quarters ever since the days when Inu-no-Taishou had been alive.

“The trees saw a meeting between this inuyoukai and a neko youkai a few days before the attack and since then, they had been working on the wards around the castle. I guess they must have found a crack or something,” the forest youkai added. “He was the one who released the poisonous fumes and then fled. With the guards unconscious from the fumes, it was a simple matter for the rest of the neko youkais to get in. There are also rumors that Ryokusen is not planning to stop just at the Western Lands.”

“Hn.”

Ryokusen had either been planning this for centuries, considering that he had planted a spy for such a long time. Or the inuyoukai servant had only been recently recruited by Ryokusen to betray the Western Lands. Whichever was the case, he had every intention of making sure that no such event occurred again, even if it meant interrogating each of his servants and guards. Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed in irritation at the thought of time that very task required. Then, as soon as the more important matters were taken care of, the traitorous inuyoukai would meet his end.

Before he turned to leave, Sesshoumaru said, “Your information is appreciated…Moriko.” The forest youkai had taken the initiative to obtain this information without being asked and thus, deserved his respect.

The forest youkai looked surprised. Then she gave him a tentative smile. “You freed me from Naraku, however unintentionally. As far as I'm concerned, we're allies.”

“Hn.”

His expression settled into a thoughtful look as he walked away from the forest youkai.

Moriko's information was useful. At least now he knew that his defenses had been penetration because he had a traitor in the castle. The weakening of the barrier surrounding the castle, however, concerned him. Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth in annoyance as he realized that he had neglected to inspect the barriers the last one cycle of the moon. He would have to repair the barriers before he left to confront Ryokusen.

There was no reason for him to wait any longer, seeing that he was fully healed. It was time Ryokusen paid for his insolence. Sesshoumaru's eyes gleamed in anticipation. Considering the number of neko-youkais he had killed a week ago, Ryokusen's forces should be severely depleted. It would be wise to attack now.

Sesshoumaru was somewhat concerned that he would be leaving his castle so soon after the attack, but that was not something that he could do anything about. The only thing that alleviated his worry was the fact that the presence of the miko, Inuyasha and the forest youkai should be sufficient to discourage any attacks.

Even if he was unexpectedly delayed.

Sesshoumaru grimaced at the unpleasant thought that he might end up wounded again at Ryokusen's hands.

As he passed the hotsprings on the way to his chambers, he caught sight of the miko. Fresh from her bath, she stood facing him in her indecently short kimono. Realizing that his eyes had strayed down to her long limbs, Sesshoumaru quickly jerked his gaze away and resumed his journey back to his chambers.

“Sesshoumaru?” the miko called out behind him.

Knowing that she would follow him, he did not pause. When she caught up with him, he glanced over to find her wearing a worried look.

“You're planning to attack now, aren't you?” she asked.

“Ryokusen is weakened by the loss of his warriors. It would be wise to attack soon.”

A look of determination crossed her face. “I'm coming with you.”

He halted. “Miko…” he began, annoyed that he had to tell her again.

Her eyes flashed. “Try to stop me.”

His eyes narrowed. “You will not come, Miko. This matter is not open for discussion.”

“Who said I'm planning on discussing anything?” she retorted defiantly.

He gave her an uncompromising look. “You will remain here with Inuyasha and the rest until this Sesshoumaru returns.”

“I'm sure Shippou would love to stay here with Rin. I don't know about Inuyasha, though. He didn't say anything about leaving yet.” She paused, and then placed her hands on her hips. “But I'm coming with you.”

Deciding to ignore her, Sesshoumaru proceeded to walk back to his chambers. He had every intention of leaving that very day.

Without the miko.

Unsurprisingly, she remained close behind him as he stepped into his chambers. She stood at the entrance as he fixed his recently repaired armor into place. Tenseiga and Toukijin went to his hips, their familiar presence giving him a sense of comfort.

Pointedly not meeting her eyes, he brushed past her on his way out of the room and headed straight for the courtyard.

He was confident that she would not be able to follow him.


...***…***…***…


Kagome could feel her heart thumping hard in her chest as her feet pumped the ground at a speed she did not know she was capable of. She had been running for practically hours now without break and she felt as if she must have crossed the entire Western Lands. Her lips tightened. Come to think of it, the scenery seemed to indicate that she was somewhere in the east.

Gritting her teeth, she glanced up into the sky to find Sesshoumaru flying high above her. It was obvious that however fast she ran, his cloud would always be faster. Soon, he would disappear from her sight and she would have to try to make it to the Northern Isles by herself.

She glanced down briefly at herself, realizing that she was hardly prepared for a trek across Feudal Japan. As usual, while she was staying at Sesshoumaru's place, she had reverted to her old clothes. This time, it was a jumper and a short skirt. Not to mention she had no weapons or any supplies with her. But stopping now would mean that the distance between her and Sesshoumaru would widen further. She would just have to rely on her miko powers. Considering how it had developed for the past five months, it should be more than enough.

Glancing up at Sesshoumaru again, she cursed softly under her breath. He could have just brought her along. What was his problem anyway? It was not as if she could not fight and would burden him. And anyway, he had just recovered not long ago and as far as she was concerned, he should still be concentrating on regaining his strength.

But no, he had to rush out just because he figured that he could not wait to get his revenge.

Well, she was not about to let him go off alone. Even if she could not catch up with him to join the battle, at least she would be there if anything bad happened to him. Cringing, she crossed her fingers, hoping that that would not be the case. Seeing Sesshoumaru injured badly once had been enough to last her a lifetime.

She dragged in a long breath, forcing herself to continue running. This would really be a test of endurance.

She just hoped that she would not kill herself in the process.

A blur out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Without pause, she glanced warily to the side only to gasp in surprise. Flapping towards her was the crane youkai she had met more than a week ago. The memory of the dance he had performed appeared in her mind, followed by Sango's suspicion. Kagome frowned in irritation. This was really not the time for her to be dealing with something like this.

“Miko!” he called out as he tailed her, his breath coming out in heavy puffs.

Groaning, Kagome quickened her steps and tried to ignore the youkai. He seemed to have trouble catching up with her anyway.

“Kagome. Please, wait for me! I have a proposal for you,” the youkai yelled behind her.

Tossing a quick glance over her shoulders, Kagome responded tightly, “It's not a good time now, Yoshi. I'm in the middle of something.”

“Please. It will not take long,” he pled.

“I can't stop!” she snapped irritably as she continued running, glancing quickly up at the sky to make sure that she was not far behind Sesshoumaru. “Can you say whatever you need to say some other time?”

“Kagome!”

He was worse than Kouga, Kagome thought with a heartfelt groan.


...***…***…***…


The miko's persistence was astounding.

He glanced down quickly to find her running through the forest not far behind him. Even in that distance, he could see the pearlescent glow surrounding her feet. She had been running after him for almost half a day now, completely disregarding the fact that she was at a real disadvantage. It seemed to him that she was bent on catching up just by pure will. She could not run faster than his cloud, but it was clear that she would attempt to do so even at the risk of injuring herself.

Sesshoumaru simply could not decide whether he should admire her determination and strangle her slender neck for her stubbornness.

Detecting a figure close behind her, Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. It appeared to be a crane youkai who was, for some reason, pursuing the miko. To his surprise, the miko simply ignored the youkai and carried on running.

Sesshoumaru slowed down uncertainly.

He felt oddly compelled to descend to the miko's aid. While it was clear that she did not intend to pay any attention to the youkai following her, there was nothing stopping the youkai from attacking.

Sesshoumaru frowned. Alternatively, he could simply continue on his journey. After all, the miko was in no danger. The crane youkai who was following her appeared to be weak and the miko could easily destroy him should she wish to do so.

Expelling an exclamation of irritation, Sesshoumaru glanced down another time and finally decided to descend.

A mere moment later, he landed in front of her. Startled, the miko skidded to a stop and promptly fell over at the suddenness of the motion. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to smirk. Instead, he composed his expression into the usual careful blankness.

Then he turned his eyes to the confused looking crane youkai not far from them. Deliberately, Sesshoumaru expanded his youki in the other youkai's direction. As expected, the crane youkai's eyes filled with fear as he took a few steps backwards.

No words needed to be spoken. The youkai understood the warning and to his credit, was wise enough to leave without a single protest. Sesshoumaru waited until the youkai disappeared into the air before turning back to the breathless miko not far from him. The miko would no longer be troubled by the insignificant youkai.

“Miko.”

Sprawled on the ground with her hands clamped over her heaving chest, she only glanced at him briefly as she choked in the much needed air. It was clear that she was too exhausted to speak. Sesshoumaru's lips tightened. It was foolish for her to exert herself in such a manner, all because she was simply too stubborn to comply with his instructions. Unfortunately, he knew from their past associations that she would continue to defy him regardless of the consequences once she had set her mind on something. He suppressed a sigh of resignation.

Kneeling in front of her, he extended a finger and tilted her chin up. Ignoring her glare, he said, “If you insist on following this Sesshoumaru, you will arm yourself adequately.”

Her lips parted in surprise and she stuttered, “B-But…”

“It was foolish of you to follow in such a manner,” he continued in a stony voice.

She scowled at him even as her chest continued to heave. “You could have just brought me along, you know?” she snapped irritably.

His lips tightened. “Do not test this Sesshoumaru's patience, Miko. Perhaps it would be wiser to leave you here alone until you come to your senses.”

Averting her gaze, she muttered something under her breath which sounded like `unreasonable males'. Then she ventured tentatively, “So you'll allow be to come along once I arm myself?”

“Hn. We will return to the Western Lands to retrieve your weapons.” Considering the state she was in, it would not be wise for them to continue traveling.

He studied her as her excitement grew. Still sweat-slicked and flushed from her exertions, he found her appearance was strangely appealing. When he realized what he was thinking, Sesshoumaru froze. Brushing the unwanted thoughts away, Sesshoumaru focused on her condition. Her breathing was calming down, but he could tell that she was still exhausted.

“You should rest, Miko.”

She glanced back at the path she had come from, and then turned a pair of hopeful eyes towards him. “Sesshoumaru? Um…Do you think you could let me ride on your cloud? I don't really want to run all the way back.”

He was surprised that she had asked. It had been his intention all along to transport her back to the Western Lands on his cloud.

“Hn.”

She beamed. “When will we leave again?”

“You will rest for one night in the Western Land. We will depart for the north at dawn tomorrow.”

“Maybe Inuyasha would like to come as well. We can all travel together.”

Sesshoumaru felt a stab of annoyance. “No.” The hanyou's presence would be unacceptable.

She sighed. “He probably won't want to anyway. But don't you think he should be involved, seeing that this is also an attack on his heritage?”

Sesshoumaru's expression remained unchanged, but the miko's words struck a chord in him. Inuyasha's had been gradually maturing in the recent months. Perhaps it was time he was given more responsibility in the Western Lands.

After all, that was what Inu-no-Taishou had always wished.

“This Sesshoumaru will speak to Inuyasha.”


...***…***…***…

< br> Kagome inhaled and snuggled deeper into the comfortable, fluffy pillow against her face. Then she frowned in annoyance as a solid spike stabbed into her hips. What sort of bed contained sharp spikes, she wondered blearily.

She cracked open an eye to find her vision obscured by something white. Blinking rapidly, it slowly registered to her that she was snuggled against Sesshoumaru's Mokomoko-sama. Two warm bands under her shoulders and knees told her that she was cradled in Sesshoumaru's arms.

Raising her head a little, their eyes met and Kagome instantly blushed. His golden orbs contained a hint of amusement as he continued to stare down at her. She groaned inwardly, realizing that she must have fallen asleep on her feet and Sesshoumaru had decided to carry her. He probably saved her from plummeting down to her death.

How embarrassing.

As she wracked her brain to come up with something to say, he broke their gaze and remarked, “We will be arriving shortly.”

“Oh.” How long had she been asleep? Sesshoumaru had carried her all this way in his arms? Clearing her throat uncomfortably, she said, “Um…I think you can let me down now.”

Their eyes met again. The amusement in his was clear as he quirked a brow. “Are you not comfortable?”

Her jaw went slack as she blinked dumbly at him. Then she sputtered, “Uh… I guess. B-But…” She gestured down at herself. “I can…uh…”

Before she managed to gather her scattered thoughts, she felt herself being lowered. Her hands came up by reflex to grab his armor as her feet touched his cloud. Now that she had lost the warmth of his body, she suddenly felt chilled. It had been nice, sleeping in his arms. She sighed inwardly. However comfortable the position had been, there was no way she was getting herself in that position again. It was way too embarrassing.

They traveled in silence for a short while more before the castle came into view. Sesshoumaru flew them over the entrance, nodding briefly at the guards as they passed.

When the cloud touched the ground, the first thing that caught Kagome's attention was snatches of conversation between Inuyasha and Moriko not far away. They appeared to be having some sort of argument. Curious, Kagome followed the sound until she saw the hanyou and the forest youkai standing facing each other next to a tree. Without looking around, she knew that Sesshoumaru was not far behind her.

“That pendant controls you, right?” Inuyasha snapped accusingly.

“It's not the pendant. The pendant absorbs youki. The band was the thing Naraku used to get me to do stuff,” Moriko retorted in a strained voice.

“That's what I'm saying. So how do you know what you did?”

Moriko's expression became pinched. “What are you talking about?”

“You were alone with him, right? Who knows what else you did for him when you were under his control?” Inuyasha muttered.

Moriko flushed, obviously angered by Inuyasha's word. Then she snapped. “You're going to apologize for that, Inuyasha!”

“Keh! What for?”

“Inuyasha…” Moriko's word carried a tone of warning to it.

“What?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You can't make me anyway.”

Moriko's eyes narrowed. “Really?”

Inuyasha's eyes widened for a second before a series of roots exploded from the ground to twine around his ankles. Kagome gaped at the sight.

“HEY!” Inuyasha yelled indignantly as he tried to pull his feet free. The roots held fast. He glowered at Moriko. “Let me go!”

Grinning now, Kagome watched as Moriko raised a brow. Her light brown eyes flashing angrily, the forest youkai demanded, “You're not going anywhere until you apologize, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and then his expression turned mutinous. Unsheathing Tetsusaiga, he said, “Keh! If you don't call them off, I'll just hack them into bits.”

Moriko raised a challenging brow. “Go ahead.”

Tossing her a glare before turning back to his feet, Inuyasha began to slash at the roots. However, new ones kept popping up in their place. Infuriated, Inuyasha let out a snarled and redoubled his efforts.

“Inuyasha. You will cease that ridiculous display.” Sesshoumaru said flatly.

Kagome looked up at the taiyoukai beside her to find his expression carefully blank. However, it was clear to her that he was not happy with Inuyasha's antics. She did not even need their connection to know that much.

Inuyasha glared at him. “Stay out of this! It got nothing to do with you!”

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed a fraction. “Tetsusaiga should not be debased in such a manner.”

Eyes bulging, Inuyasha yelled, “How am I supposed to get out of this then?”

Kagome let out an exasperated sigh. “Maybe you should just apologize to Moriko. After all, you did insult her for no reason.”

“Hey! Why are you on her side?” Inuyasha asked indignantly.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome decided to ignore her friend until he came to his senses. Walking away from the cursing hanyou and the laughing forest youkai, her lips twitched as she wondered how long it would take before Inuyasha succumbed. Those roots looked as if they were not going anywhere anytime soon.

“I'm glad that Moriko is not letting him walk all over her,” she remarked to the stoic taiyoukai beside her as they left the courtyard and entered the castle.

“Inuyasha should not have insulted her,” Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome glanced at him in surprise. It was rare for Sesshoumaru to voice his opinion on the affairs of others. But then again, perhaps he was beginning to consider Inuyasha as someone close to him. She grinned inwardly.

“Maybe you should talk to him about it,” she suggested.

“Such trivial matters do not interest this Sesshoumaru,” he scorned.

Kagome rolled her eyes. Just then, she heard the sound off footsteps behind her. She turned around to find Moriko rushing after them.

“Wait,” the forest youkai called out, her hair bouncing about her shoulders as she approached.

Stopping, Kagome waited for her to catch up before she asked with a grin, “Where is Inuyasha?”

Moriko's eyes narrowed mischievously. “He apologized, but he gone off somewhere to sulk.”

Kagome heard a strange noise which sounded suspiciously like a snort. She quickly glanced up to find Sesshoumaru staring ahead with his usual unreadable expression. Shaking it off as her imagination, she turned her attention back to Moriko.

“He'll be back when he's done sulking, I suppose.” Then Moriko brightened. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Just a while ago, the trees came back to me on that question you asked me.”

Kagome halted in her tracks. “What did they say?” she asked curiously.

Moriko's eyes flicked pointedly at Sesshoumaru.

Gesturing randomly in the air, Kagome reassured her, “It's okay. I don't mind him knowing.”

Moriko looked startled for a moment, and then she said, “A crane youkai called Yoshi has recently acquired control of a small piece of land in the east. The Prince of the Eastern Territories had rewarded him for some task he performed. Now, according to the trees, the youkai is unmated. And Sango was right. The crane youkai was trying to court you.”

Kagome's jaw dropped. To hear Sango's suspicions was one thing, but a confirmation was an entirely different thing. It was baffling to find that she was being courted by some random youkai. “B-But why?”

Moriko took a deep breath. “Basically, the news of Naraku's defeat at your hands began to spread soon after it happened. Usually, rumors tend to get embellished as they travel along. But this one seems to have retained most of the facts. So, when the rumor that a powerful human miko who allied with a hanyou and a taiyoukai widened, there was some speculation about your identity. And since they found that you're neither mated to Sesshoumaru nor Inuyasha, a lot of the males out there are thinking of courting you. From what I can gather, most of them just want a powerful mate.”

Kagome gaped.

Beside her, she felt Sesshoumaru stiffen. Turning to him, she asked, “You know anything about this?”

He studied her silently for a while before he spoke. “No. But it is not unexpected.”

She threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “What do you mean, it's not unexpected? Am I supposed to be expecting a bunch of random youkai to court me now?”

“Hn.”

That one sound was enough of a confirmation for her. Kagome groaned helplessly. This looked as if it was going to be a problem she really did not need.

Moriko said softly, “Kagome, male youkai tends to seek out strong females to continue their bloodline. They won't harm you.”

“But I'm human!” she exclaimed incredulously.

“I don't think that really matters, seeing that your power is what most of them are after,” Moriko remarked wryly. She snuck a glance at the taiyoukai before turning back to the distraught miko. “Who knows, you might even meet someone you like.”

“It is unsafe.” Sesshoumaru's expression was stony. “The miko holds the Shikon jewel.”

“Exactly! If any of them get their hands on it, there could be another Naraku,” Kagome said, hardly believing that something like this was happening to her. Groaning, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sank down to the ground, “What am I going to do now?”

Moriko sighed. “Nothing much, really. Just be a little bit more wary of males approaching you.” Glancing sideways, she continued, “I'll leave you to think about it. Let me know if you need the trees to find out anything else.”

Kagome flashed her a weak smile. “Thanks.”

As Moriko walked away, Kagome sighed. The thought of going through another encounter similar to the one she experienced with the crane youkai did not appeal to her at all.


...***…***…***…


So it had begun, Sesshoumaru thought as he looked down at the dejected miko. He had known since his conversation with Kouga that this event could occur. However, he found the entire thought of the miko being courted by some worthless youkai even more distasteful than before.

Sesshoumaru grimaced. The crane youkai's appearance earlier now made sense to him. Such a weak youkai was certainly not worthy of the miko and it was unacceptable that the weakling had thought to court the miko. How many more of them would attempt to do so?

What the forest youkai said was true. The miko's strength would be an irresistible temptation to many youkais. And even if she did not possess all her miko powers, or powers enhanced by his strength, the mere fact that she held the almost completed Shikon was enough of a reason for many greedy youkai to seek her out as a possession.

The thought of the Shikon jewel made him realize that it was unsafe for the miko to carry it around, even if it was incomplete. Barricaded as it was with her miko powers and his ward, no one should be able to detect in. However, carrying it into battle with Ryokusen would be foolish.

He reached out a hand and touched the miko's shoulders. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped at the contact and gave him a questioning look.

“Miko. You will leave the Shikon behind.”

Her eyes rounded. “Why?”

“It is unsafe to enter a battle wearing the jewel,” he explained.

The miko frowned and shook her head. “I can't leave it here, Sesshoumaru. The castle had been attacked once and there's no telling if it can happen again when we're not around.”

“It will not be attacked again. The barriers around the castle have been strengthened.”

“Still…”

“Th e Shikon will be kept in a safe place,” he insisted firmly.

“What do you mean? What place?” she asked curiously.

Wondering if he should divulge the knowledge held only by those of his line, Sesshoumaru paused. Then, deciding that the miko would not relent until she possessed all the pertinent facts, he explained evenly, “There is a place in the castle which is heavily warded by the ancients. Only those with the bloodline of our ancestors could enter.”

“Which means that I can't enter?” she asked thoughtfully.

He tensed. “No. You will not be able to enter.” Did the miko trust him enough to allow him to possess the Shikon, knowing that she would never be able to retrieve it herself?

She frowned in contemplation. After a moment, she sighed in acceptance. “I guess you're right. It's probably safer there.”

Sesshoumaru felt his tension ebb at the miko's acceptance. She trusted him, and the thought of it filled him with an odd warmth. His expression set in its usual calm indifference, he inclined his head at her.

“Indeed.”


...***…***…** *…


A/N: That's it for now. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Please review and let me know what you think of it, :).