InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Another Visitor ❯ The Dinner meeting ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: As promised, chapters 2 and three. Sorry they're both really short.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"..." Talking

<...> Thoughts

The Dinner Meeting

Sesshoumaru had led me through a garden and into the castle to a room in the eastern wing, which is where I was now standing before a mirror admiring the kimono the demon lord had supplied for me. It was a beautiful, multi-layered court gown that a servant had helped me to dress in. Each layer was a different shade of blue with the lightest shade coloring the outer robe and the obi was pure white.

A knock at the door interrupted my musings. Another servant walked into the room and bowed. "Lord Sesshoumaru bid me to announce that dinner is served and to escort you there."

I nodded and followed him down several halls to a large dining room where Sesshoumaru and Rin were already seated at one end of the table. An empty place was situated next to Rin.

A servant walked over to Sesshoumaru and whispered something to which the lord nodded. The youkai looked up to me and said, "I am expecting other guests, they should arrive shortly. Please do not talk to them unless they address you directly."

I nodded and looked down to my hands where they sat folded in my lap. <Well this should be fun,> I thought to myself a little bitterly. It wasn't long before a door opened on the far side of the chamber and several demons were ushered in.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, it is a pleasure to see you," one of them said congenially. "And who is this?" he asked, indicating myself.

"Rin's new nursemaid, Lord Shiro," Sesshoumaru responded brusquely.

Lord Shiro smiled kindly to me and said, "So I take it Sesshoumaru-sama rather leaves you in the dark as to what's going on, eh? That is very much like our dear Lord of the Western Lands. Well, I am Shiro, lord of the Eastern Lands, the young man in red is Hitomi, lord of the Southern lands, and the one with the beautiful lady ever at his side is Sasuke and the lady is his daughter, Sakura."

Shiro himself was a very gentle demon with pale green eyes and long gray hair. Hitomi was much more tanned than Sesshoumaru or Shiro with red eyes and black hair. Both Sasuke and Sakura had blue eyes with Sasuke having gray, nearly white, hair and Sakura's hair being a light shade of pink. They all sat where servant demurely pointed them to and Hitomi spoke first.

"Why don't we just get to business and get this over with. There is no need for formalities or introductions to a human wench." At slight nods from everyone else in the room he continued. "You know why we're here, Sesshoumaru. We need to have Naraku eliminated so we must send someone to help the miko and hanyou. And, as I'm sure you've already guessed, we've decided you would be the best to do it."

Sasuke sighed and added, "We wouldn't ask this of you knowing of your history with the hanyou, but you are the strongest of us and would be able to complete this task with ease."

Sesshoumaru nodded and asked, "How long do we have until it would be necessary to step in?"

"No sooner than two months. The hanyou and miko are extremely slow at gathering the shards and all the shards must be gathered before Naraku will need to be destroyed," Shiro answered.

Sesshoumaru again nodded, obviously signaling the end of the conversation and the commencement of dinner. Everyone ate in silence except a few comments from one of the lords or Rin. At the end of the meal Sesshoumaru told me to take Rin to her bedchamber and wait there for him.

I followed the girl to her room, still being unfamiliar with the castle, and sat on her futon staring at nothing thinking about what Sesshoumaru might want with me tonight.

"Are you okay?" Ring asked me with a small frown marring her features.

I smiled hoping to assure her that I was fine and said, "Sorry Rin, I was just thinking."

The girl nodded and said, "Rin does not like what the other lords were talking about. What if Sesshoumaru-sama got hurt?"

"I, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands, could not be harmed by a weak hanyou that has to seek a jewel for power," Sesshoumaru stated as he stood in the entrance of the room. Rin jumped up and ran to hug the demon lord around his legs. "Rin, it's time for you to go to bed."

Rin sighed and went to her futon, which I had vacated to stand closer to the door. "Good night Sesshoumaru-sama. Good night Lena-san," she mumbled tiredly as she quickly fell asleep.

I smiled and said," Sweet dreams Rin-chan." When I looked back to Sesshoumaru he was walking out of the room so I followed him. "You wanted to speak to me about something?" I asked as I nearly jogged to keep up with his pace.

"Yes, you heard what is wanted of me. I will have to leave soon to accomplish this task and I will not be able to take Rin with me. Thus, I want you to train so as to be more capable of protecting her while I cannot. This is not a request. You will train and you will protect Rin, whether it pleases you or not." With that he left me outside the room that he had given to me and left, leaving me to rest to be ready for the hellish training he would be putting me through tomorrow.