InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Angel ❯ Council ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two:

Council

Slowly, awareness flooded her senses.

With her consciousness came a throbbing headache and sore limbs. She felt drained and bruised, her body slow to respond.

Feeling a cool sensation upon her forehead, Kagome forced open her tired eyes.

She blinked her eyes several times, willing the blurriness to subside. Once she could see, she looked around, taking in her surroundings, instantly recognizing the stone walls and cheerful fireplace.

Brown eyes met concerned violet.

A young man sat next to her bed.

"My Lady, are you alright?" he questioned softly.

Giving a shy smile she nodded gingerly, acutely aware of her throbbing temples, "Yes, I'm fine Miroku,"

"Another vision I presume,"

It was more of a statement than an actual question.

He knew her well indeed, her young advisor. As Lady of the Northern lands, she often turned to Miroku for council on major as well as minor issues that arose in the running of the Northern lands. All in all, he was an essential part of the brains behind the scenes in her opinion.

It had actually been Miroku's suggestion to keep her identity secret from the Lords of the Western, Southern and Eastern lands.

While it was not illegal for a woman to be Master of a territory it was certainly unheard of and Kagome knew, if any of the ruling lands found out, she'd have a fight on her hands that she wasn't sure she'd win. Her Northern land was very prosperous, their military second only to the Western land's military, and yet they lived very simple lives.

A mostly peaceful land, there was of course the occasional squabble between the inhabitants, easily solved with a trip to Lady Kagome.

Stern, and yet fair, they felt comfortable allowing her to pass judgment.

Respected and cherished, Kagome was their Lady. Their unbending loyalty kept her identity a secret.

Although the other Lords had yet to find out the truth, it did not stop them from trying. Several invitations to council meetings and social functions had been extended to her, and each time, the invitation was either respectfully declined, or a proxy was sent in her place.

Usually, her proxy was Miroku and each time the young man returned slightly nervous for Kagome.

Expressing concern as to how much longer they could keep her secret, which in turn made Kagome extremely nervous as well. Dragging her thoughts back to the present, she sighed softly.

"Indeed. It doesn't look good Miroku", she confirmed sadly, answering his earlier statement.

Sometimes, she hated her visions, hated seeing what was coming, because it was almost always bad.

Why couldn't something good ever happen?

Why couldn't she have a vision of a prosperous season? Or maybe a vision about an upcoming wedding? Why was it always death and destruction? If only she could pick and choose.

But then, her visions would not really be of any help.

Even she had to admit the visions of death and destruction did help more than hindered things. Last year, they had been able to prepare for a flood, vacating an entire village before it had hit, and the year before, they had prepared for a drought in another village. So as much as she hated her bad visions, she knew they did a lot of good. Her gift was a cursed blessing.

How ironic.

Knowing Kagome wasn't one to exaggerate; Miroku steeled himself for the news.

He knew that her Visions were almost always bad news and were ALWAYS accurate. Not once had she ever been wrong.

He sat quietly as he listened to her explain.

"I was shown a possible future not only for the Northern lands, but for all of Japan," she began, “there's no way something so terrible could be contained only here in the North,”

Miroku felt the pit of his stomach drop at her words.

"There were these…monsters. Horrible, horrible monsters. Vicious beast like monsters that killed everything in sight,"

"Monsters?" he questioned, "Are you sure they were not youkai. There are many youkai that resemble monsters or have been called monsters,"

Kagome shook her head.

There was no way in hell those were youkai.

"Those monsters were not youkai, they were something else entirely,” she negated, “In fact they were killing youkai. They had rows and rows of sharp fangs lining their mouths, and they were spewing forth green gases and saliva that made my eyes burn,”

Kagome felt her stomach tighten, remembering the emaciated creatures.

“They stood upright on two legs with sharp teeth that dripped of a toxic poison,” she continued, “They attacked the people of village, both humans and youkai. The human villagers fell prey easily to them, while the youkai slew many of them but fell prey to ghost like creatures that latched onto them, sucking their strength from their very bodies, leaving their flesh to blacken. It was horrible,"

Miroku could only imagine.

This definitely did not sit well with him. How were they to battle these beasts and where in the hell had they come from? What did they want? Who was controlling them?

His head was spinning with questions.

"How do we stop such creatures?" Miroku asked.

"We have to find a sword called Aman du Rai,"

"Aman du Rai?" Miroku inquired.

He was sure he had heard of it before.

Kagome nodded, watching the gears turn over in his head.

"Have you heard of it?"

"It's believed to be a sword commissioned by Totosai for the demon Siunki. It was used to slay the Ra Ku Youki. The Ra Ku Youki were monsters created by the Ryu youkai Vishious. The battle lasted a number of years, in the end, Siunki perished after sealing Vishious and the Ra Ku Youkai inside a jewel called the Emerald Moon. The jewel in turn was split in two and vanished forever from this world, and the Aman du Rai was lost."

Taking all this in, Kagome mused over this new information and sighed once more.

"We have to find that sword Miroku."

"Aye," he said, "I agree, but there are other matters that I must bring to your attention as well."

"Other matters?" she asked surprised.

"Aye, those murders that have been occurring in the villages,"

"Have the investigating soldiers returned?"

Miroku shook his head.

"No, there is no sign of them,"

Kagome closed her eyes. This was not what she needed. With this new threat on the horizon, they needed to devote their time to getting that sword before trouble began.

"We will wait a few days before we send a team to find out where they are and if they are alive," Kagome decided.

"Of course, my Lady,"

Kagome laid back on the fluffy pillows, her eye lids heavy.

She was so tired.

Her visions always took so much out of her. Seeing how tired she was, Miroku walked over to her.

"Rest my Lady," he said pushing back her dark bangs with a smile.

Kagome gave him a grateful smile as she drifted off to sleep.

Miroku left the room quietly. As he closed the door behind him and entered the hallway he was startled to find Rykotsu standing right in front of him.

Rykotsu covered his mouth before he could make a sound.

Miroku removed his hand.

"Must you do that?" Miroku asked.

"Do what?" Rykotsu asked with an amused smirk.

"Sneak up on people,"

Rykotsu shrugged as he turned and walked down the hall, Miroku following behind him, grumbling as he walked. Sango met the two in the hallway. She stood in full gear, her large boomerang attached to her back.

"How is she?" she asked the two males.

"Fine, just tired," Miroku assured her.

"Was she well enough to speak of her vision?"

Miroku's eyes turned serious.

"Aye," he confirmed.

"And?"

He shook his head.

"It is not good news," he admitted, "Kagome said that soon, monsters will be unleashed throughout Japan,"

"Monsters?"

"Aye, they are called the Ra Ku Youki based on the information she gave me,"

Rykotsu stiffened at the name, but said nothing, as Miroku continued.

"There is a sword, the Aman du Rai, which has the power to slay the creatures. It is that sword that we must find,"

"I see," Rykotsu said, "Please, excuse me. I will go and inform the troops to be on the lookout for rumors of the sword,"

Miroku nodded as he turned and walked away. Sango looked up at Miroku, her eyes concerned.

"This isn't good," she said.

"Aye, it is not," he said putting an arm around her shoulder, leading her in the opposite direction Rykotsu had left, "Come, there is naught we can do until Kagome has recovered or we receive a lead on the sword. Let us have lunch,"

Sango shifted the giant boomerang on her back.

"No time, I'm on my way to a village that's been having reoccurring youkai attacks,"

"Youkai attacks?"

She nodded.

"Some youkai go mad at times. There is no reason for it, at least none that's been discovered, but they run a muck if not dealt with properly,"

Sango specialized in demon extermination. Though humans and youkai lived together mostly in harmony, there were times when the peace was disrupted by individuals, humans and youkai alike, that felt one was more superior than the other. When such things occurred, Sango was called in to keep the peace.

"I will go with you," he said.

He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, however, he knew that it was dangerous business she engaged in and with the murderer still on the loose and this new threat looming he would not feel comfortable with her going out on her own.

"Go with me?" she asked in surprise.

Miroku never volunteered to go out on a kill with her. She wondered what had suddenly made him want to accompany her.

"Aye," he said, "If you do not mind,"

"Not at all," she said as she turned and headed down the hall again, Miroku following.

The two headed out to the main gates where Kirara, Sango's two tailed youkai cat, waited. As the two approached, Kirara burst into flames. As the flames died down, a larger Kirara stood before them. Sango walked over to the animal, petting its head once before climbing atop the animal's back. Miroku climbed on as well.

With a perverted grin, he wrapped his arms around her waist, edging his hands upward, closer to the bottoms of her breasts.

"Watch the hands," Sango warned.

Miroku laughed nervously.

"Why Sango, I would never-"

"Save it perv," she said as Kirara took off.

Miroku sighed.

'Oh well, was worth a try,' he thought to himself.

They traveled in silence, Miroku looking down at the lush green land below them. He never really ventured pass the main gates other than standing in proxy for Kagome. With all the paper work and responsibility he bore as her advisor, there was never really any time to do so.

He had forgotten how beautiful the lands were.

He could not help but remember his days before becoming an advisor, or before he had come to be in the Northern castle at all.

He had been an orphan. His mother had died birthing him and his father had died fighting a youkai attacking their home. After his father had perished he had been wandering around in the snow, his small body shivering. He had made it to a village a few minutes away and lived there, stealing foods and such to get by. Then, he had met her….

Nine year old Miroku walked slowly through the snow, his body shivering uncontrollably. The thick kimono and britches he wore no match for the strong winds and frigid snow.

Though his body shook, he was numb all over.

He didn't feel the coldness. His reaction to the snow was purely involuntary.

He had no idea where he was going, no idea what he was going to do. He had nowhere, and no one. Father had been all he had in the world, and now, he was gone. He was alone now.

There was the chance that he could find shelter in an orphanage, but he had heard terrible things about that place, that the owners of the orphanages used and abused the children that were under their care. There was no way in hell he was going to go there. The elements abused him enough, he didn't need anyone else to as well.

He walked along the snowy main road for approximately a half hour before he found a village. He and father had lived pretty isolated atop a hill, away from any villages or cities. Father only ventured into the villages when he needed supplies or medicines.

As he entered the village, the few villagers that were outside in the snow did not even spare him a look. As he walked along the dirt road, at the very end, a bit away from the main stream of the village, he found an abandoned hut. Staggering inside, he collapsed, instantly falling asleep.

He slept off and on for days, before finally awakening to gnawing hunger.

His stomach growled and raged, no longer allowing him the bliss of slumber. Standing weakly, he staggered out of the hut and headed to the village. It was crowded; the village bustling with energy, the snow having ebbed off for the moment. He came to a stand selling apples.

He eyed the juicy red apples, his stomach cramping in hunger.

The shop seller was currently engaged in conversation with a patron of his goods. Miroku looked over at the two males engaging in conversation, then looked back at the apples, his heart pounding.

Never had he stolen anything in his life.

His father had taught him that stealing was wrong and a man never stole, but what else could he do? He would die without food. He had to take a chance.

The merchant was busy speaking to a customer to notice the four apples he took from the stand.

Not taking any chances, his little heart pounding, Miroku ran as far away from the stand as possible, expecting to hear shouts for him to stop. He took cover behind a tree. Moments passed before he relaxed. When it was clear no one had seen his bad deed he sighed in relief.

Sitting down, he devoured the apples with a ravenous hunger.

When he's polished off the apples he lay back against the tree, closing his eyes, content for the first time in what seems forever.

For the next few months, that was the way he lived, stealing food from different stands.

One day, as he was stalking a stand selling fresh baked bread, a woman approached the stand. It was not so unusual to see a woman at the stands; however, this woman was incredibly beautiful.

She had long dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was a petite woman, graceful and feminine. She wore an expensive red kimono and obi, blue rose and rose petals adorning the delicate silk. Her hair was down about her body, nearly touching the ground.

Turning away from the beauty, he turned his attention back to the food. Reaching out he snagged a piece of bread. Before he could run off, a hand caught the back of his worn shirt. His heart was pounding like crazy as he was lifted up and off the ground, his feet dangling a few feet above the ground.

"Stealing from me shop eh?" growled the merchant, shaking him angrily, "I'll have ye hand cut off for that!"

"Let me go! I wasn't gonna steal it!"

"Oh so I'm guessing ye were gonna pay fer that bread with money?" the merchant snorted.

"I have money!"

"Oh do ya? Well let's have it then, boy," he said setting Miroku back down on his feet.

Miroku fished into his pockets; into his empty pockets. He looked around, debating if he could make an escape.

"Here you are, sir," said the woman, holding out a coin to the merchant.

Both child and merchant looked up, surprised, especially since she was offering the man more than the cost of the bread. With that much money, he could buy a week worth of bread.

"Yer Ladyship, I cannot possibly-"

"It is no trouble, I assure you. I insist," she said with a smile.

The merchant took the coin dumbly.

"Thank ye, yer Ladyship,"

Miroku watched the exchange in awe. Even his father had never had that much money at one time.

"Are you not going to take your bread, little boy?" the woman asked.

A blush stained his cheeks as he looked up at the beautiful woman.

"I'm a young man not a boy!" he declared, little chest puffed out.

The woman giggled behind the sleeve of her kimono.

"Okay, young man, will you take your bread?" she asked with a smile.

Miroku stared at the bread, a hungry look in his eyes. Scooping up an armful of bread he took off, just in case the woman changed her mind. He made it back to his hut and ate, storing the rest of the bread away for later.

He came out of the hut a few minutes later and headed for the village to look around for the woman. He didn't know what he was going to say to her when he found her, however, he was curious about her, not only that, he needed to thank her. Clearly he had been stealing the bread, and instead of letting him be maimed by the shopkeeper, she'd paid for enough bread for him to eat for a few nights.

The least he could do was say thanks.

As he reached the end of the village and debated going home, he heard familiar laughter. Following the sounds, he found the woman play with the village children. They seemed to be playing a game the children called hide and seek.

He scuffed.

He was way too old to be playing such games.

But boy did it look fun. As the woman looked his way, he ducked into a nearby bush.

Once the coast was clear, he watched the game, trying to stamp down his envy and longing, to no avail.

He wanted to play.

Over the next few days, Miroku saw the woman all over the village, and each time, she would buy foods in abundance and then leave them underneath the tree he had first taken the stolen apples to. He knew what she was doing, though he said nothing and took the food.

In all honesty, it felt nice to have someone show that they cared about him at least a little bit.

Only father had done that for him.

One day, however, when he went to go get the food from underneath the tree, she was there waiting, a big smile on her face. She sat under the tree, eating berries from the wooden bucket that sat beside her.

"Come and sit with me," she invited.

After a brief hesitation, Miroku came and sat down, a good couple of feet away, just in case he had to run. He was so used to being cautious around adults it was almost like second nature to him.

He didn't trust them.

Not by a long shot.

He had only been beaten a few times, but he had seen some of the other orphans beaten to near death. He took no chances. Looks could be deceiving.

"Do you live here with your family?" she asked.

"I don't have anymore family," he said eyeing the berries.

"Why is that? Have you run away from your parents?"

"No, they're dead," he informed her absent mindedly, his stomach growling.

The woman fell silent.

"I see," she said after a moments pause.

Seeing his brown eyes locked on the barriers, she pushed them towards him.

"Have as many as you like," she encouraged.

Miroku watched her for a moment, trying to figure her out. What possible motive could she have for being so nice to him? Was she looking for a new servant? No doubt she lived in a mansion of some sort judging from her clothing and the money she gave away so freely.

Or maybe she was looking for a 'boy toy', whatever that meant. He had no idea what a boy toy was. He had heard good things about it from boys older than him, boys in their teens, but boys his age said it was the worst thing in the world, that they hated worst than getting kicked in the balls…

Well almost that bad. If it came close to such a thing, Miroku was sure he didn't want to be anyone's 'boy toy'. If that was her angle then she could just forget it. There was no way in hell he would even consider it.

"How would you like to come back to my home with me?" she asked.

"Forget it," he said munching on a handful of berries.

"You will not even consider it?"

"Nay, I will not be your boy toy,"

The woman stared at him, completely stunned. He turned as laughter bubbled up in her chest. Miroku's cheeks stained a bright red.

"What's so funny?" he asked angrily.

"I have a husband and a daughter at home. I do not want you for a `boy toy', dear. Where ever did you hear of such a thing?"

"You don't?" he asked, surprised.

The woman shook her head, still giggling.

Miroku turned away with an angry pout. He felt like an ass. So then she wanted a servant. That had to be it. There was no other option.

"Then you are looking for a servant,"

"Good guess," she said with a mischievous smile, "but no,"

He raised a brow.

Now he was confused.

If she didn't want a servant and she didn't want a 'boy toy', then what did she really want? He raked his brain with reasons of why she would want him at all. He was a dirty little boy, with no parents and no skills.

"Then what do you want?" he asked rudely.

"I want nothing but to help," she said.

"Why?"

"Why not?" she countered.

He thought about it. What did he have to lose? He already had nothing. Why not take a chance?

"How exactly are you going to help me?" he asked.

"Well, you'll have some where nice and warm to live, safe, fresh clean clothing, and food,"

He sat quietly, mulling it over in his head.

"And if I don't like it there?"

"You are free to leave at any time," she said.

He thought it over once more before agreeing. The two left together that day, walking back to the castle she lived in with her husband and child…..

Meeting her husband had been a bit weird. The man had reminded him so much of his father that he had actually had tears in his eyes. Tamiko had been a man filled with joy and laughter and yet was firm when the time called for it. He was fair and caring, and loved his family, just as his father had been. It was as if his father had never actually died.

Then he had met Kagome, their five year old daughter Kagome. At first, the two had fought like cats and dogs. Like real brothers and sisters Kajiki, Kagome's mother, used to say. Looking back, she had been right. They had, but eventually, they had gotten along. It all seemed so long ago.

A lifetime ago.

It was times like this that he really missed them both. They had given him a second chance at life, had taken him in and nurtured him as if he were their own child. For that, he would always be grateful.

His thoughts turned serious as Kirara began to descend.

The village below was in shambles, some smoking from a recent fire. Some of the village people were out atop their homes, hammers in hand, fixing and mending roofs. There were bodies, covered by blankets along the houses, blood staining the blankets, staining the dirt below.

It was a sad place.

An elderly man met them as they walked past another three completely destroyed huts.

"Welcome, Sango," the elder man said.

"Hello, Jinji," Sango greeted bowing, "This is Miroku, he's an advisor to Lady Kagome, and will be assisting me in the extermination,"

Miroku bowed.

"Nice to meet you Jinji-san," Miroku said.

"Thank you for coming, Miroku-sama," the elder returned, "As you can see, the village is suffering from the attacks. Come, I shall explain the situation to you both,"

Nodding, Miroku and Sango followed the old man through the village. The deeper they went the worse the damage. Many of the huts had been obliterated, leaving only a pile of smoldering wood and ash. They walked to a hut that seemed to have held up to the destruction well enough not to cave in atop their heads. The elder led them inside, closing the flap behind them for privacy. As they sat down on the dirt floor, the Elder began to explain the situation.

~~~~~~~~~

"I say we go there and drag him out of that castle of his!" Lord Yamiko cried out angrily, "We've sent invitation after invitation and instead of him honoring them like a true Lord and showing himself, he cowers and sends his human proxy! I'll take this insult no longer!"

Although the members of the council agreed with the young feline youkai Lord, they remained in control of their anger and frustration with the Northern Lord.

"I say we make a trip to the Northern lands and drag that coward out of his castle and demand an explanation for his insolence!" he spat in fury.

"Calm yourself Lord Yamiko, we are all just as outraged, but we must handle this situation with clear minds, we must not let our tempers get the best of us. Such an action will result in the Northern Lords refusal of our request and we cannot afford to lose his support." said Lord Sarinji of the Eastern lands.

Always the peace maker, the ookami youkai was the oldest of the lords at the table. Tall and lean, with dark hair and blue eyes, the demon lord was as handsome as he was fierce. His facial features were rugged and yet handsome, black stripes adorned his cheeks and a black full moon upon his forehead.

Dressed in his normal black kimono, which was embroidered with a white full moon on the back, and the black silhouette of a wolf, black hakama and blue obi, he was the essence of calm. Laid back and composed he was the exact opposite of Lord Yamiko who was the hothead of the Lords.

Tall and muscled, his hair was a brilliant forest green, pulled back into a tight, waist long braid. He was handsome and extremely arrogant, and was a well known womanizer. The youngest and the most out spoken of any Lord, he often spoke without much thought.

Dark blue stripes graced his cheeks, matching the diamond on his forehead; his expensive clothing consisted of a blue kimono littered with bright green diamonds on his right shoulder, blue hakama and green obi. Yellow eyes, at the moment, blazed with fury.

Yamiko growled and struggled to control his temper.

Silent amber eyes watched the two with complete disinterest.

Lord Sesshomaru sat silently, his mask of indifference firmly in place. He was the most feared of the Lords, often referred to as Killing Perfection; Sesshomaru was a force to be reckoned with. Waist length silver hair, cold amber eyes, perfected aristocratic face, not a flaw to be seen, he was what women called, "beautiful".

He wore his normal pearl white kimono adorned with red honeycombs and flower crest at the collar and sleeves, white hakamas and yellow obi, armor gleaming in place over his expensive attire.

Sarinji turned to Sesshomaru.

"What do you purpose, Lord Sesshomaru?" Sarinji questioned, "We need the cooperation of the Northern Lords army to rid us of these creatures that have raided our territories and slain our people. Even we youkai are perishing under these mysterious occurrences."

Sesshomaru's keen eyes took in the unconscious shiver that went through Lord Sarinji as he spoke of the horrible disease that racked the bodies of many youkai. Sesshomaru himself had witnessed the devastation.

It unnerved him to say the least.

Weighing his words carefully he spoke.

"I will agree, a visit to the Northern lands is in order,"

"Are all agreed?" Sarinji asked.

"Hell yeah!" Yamiko exclaimed.

"Then it is unanimous, we will leave for the Northern lands tomorrow at first light," Sarinji said, "This meeting has concluded,"

That said, each male stood and left the room.

Sesshomaru headed for the east wing of the castle where the soldiers were stationed, looking for General Haku.

He found the demon training the soldiers as he should be.

He stood a few feet away, watching as the soldiers went through their drills, his hawk-like eyes taking in every single detail.

First, they warmed up with a run around the castle, taking approximately an hour, after, they began various sword exercises. An hour later, they paired up for hand to hand combat. Sesshomaru was fairly pleased with their techniques and skills but in his mind there was always room for improvement.

After assigning the soldiers to various tasks, General Haku walked over to Sesshomaru.

"My Lord," he said bowing respectfully.

"There is room for improvement," Sesshomaru commented.

"Yes, my Lord," he said.

"Ready a small group of troops," Sesshomaru ordered, "We leave at first light tomorrow for the Northern lands,"

General Haku's eyes widened.

He knew of the tension behind the Northern Lord and his refusal to meet with the other Lords, and he also knew well enough that arriving in the Northern lands unannounced and uninvited could be seen as an act of invading that could lead to a possible war between territories.

As much as he wanted to as, he did not dare question Lord Sesshomaru. Such an action was extremely detrimental to ones health.

It was not his place to question an order, merely to follow it.

Lord Sesshomaru would see anything other than obedience as an insult, and he knew that his Lord had a temper off the charts. As cold and emotionless as he seemed to be externally, he tolerated no insults from anyone under any circumstance.

Punishment was often swift and brutal when his lord's temper was stirred.

He had seen his Lord behead a man for much less. He happened to like his head on his shoulders.

"Yes my, Lord," he said instead, "Would you like me to choose the group or would you like to hand pick them?"

"You may choose," was the uninterested reply.

"Thank you, my Lord," he said bowing, "It shall be done right away, sir."

It was a great honor to be able to select the soldiers. It showed a manner of trust between the two males, especially since Lord Sesshomaru preferred to use his own judgment when it came to things such as this.

"See to it that it is," Sesshomaru said as he turned and walked away.

Sesshomaru headed to his study, which was, as always, packed with papers, scrolls and other documents. There was always a never ending slew of work to be done. New laws wanting to be passed, complaints that needed to be seen and judged by him personally, finances, the list went on and on. It never ended; it was same thing day in and day out.

This was where he spent the rest of his afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slight revisions here, hope you enjoyed. Till next time!

Laters

~Sessakag