InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beside You in Time ❯ 1649: Triberg ( Chapter 7 )

The humans were afraid of the forest. Kagome had told him so many times that this fear would fade in time - soon enough, their situation would be desperate enough to force them into the Black Forest not only for the occasional hunting trip but to live. He had always found such warnings vaguely amusing, although he never showed it. If only the humans knew what really lurked in the forest. They wouldn't take one step into its dark shadows.

Sunrise was still a couple hours away, but Sesshoumaru sensed the nearby village of Triberg stirring to life already. Fires would be stoked and breakfast would be prepared by the women, and the men would crawl out of bed and into the fields just as the first rays crested the horizon. His horse, a roan beast the stable boys had laughingly dubbed Lucifer for his nasty temperament, snorted and shook its mane. Sesshoumaru eased him into the forest, letting the steed take his own pace. The dog demon could smell the sweat underneath the saddle, and he had no wish to push the horse beyond its capabilities. Sometimes, he longed for the days of traveling with a lightening-spewing, teleporting, two-headed dragon, but Lucifer was the best he could get in a world where dragons were becoming creatures of myth.

The trees closed in behind him, and Sesshoumaru found himself relaxing. He knew he was far too close to the human settlement to let his attention wander, but his muscles would not obey. He could not stop the thoughts of the luxury that awaited him at the castle - a bath, real bedding, fresh food instead of travel rations. Soon he would be home.

He rolled his shoulders. The truth was that he had spent very little of the past decade and a half at the castle that served as the Alliance's headquarters and training grounds. Even as he returned now, he realized that it had been over eight months since he had last traveled through this forest. Kagome's warnings about the humans encroaching upon the wood had not been taken so lightly by the Countess Gisela von Triberg-Todtnau. She had dispatched him to the north - to the new human empire of Sweden - to establish a secondary base.

Of all his work for the Alliance, the task had been the least enjoyable and also the longest. He and so many others in the Alliance viewed it as a retreat. Sweden would provide a better hiding place for the youkai population, but since when had their aim been to hide? Most of his missions were kill orders - the Alliance would receive reliable (or at least, reliable enough) information about an Order operative, and Sesshoumaru would hunt him down and kill him.

Unfortunately, he had to agree with one argument of the countess's - the humans were multiplying, while the demons were diminishing. For all their effort, the Alliance was still losing. It might have to come to hiding one day.

But Sesshoumaru was not ready to concede quite yet.

It took the entire morning to reach the guards' perimeter and another hour after that to come close to his destination. With the bird youkai that Gisela had sent out to patrol her borders occasionally fluttering overhead, the last hour seemed to pass quickly. Soon enough, the imposing fortress rose into view. The mossy brown stone looked rich at this hour - the small sections of white plaster near its storied rooftop stood out underneath the crossbeams of blackened wood, like printer paper with large X's on it. The lake that had pooled into the cleft of the hills below the castle glittered in the midday sun. The gates stood open, as they did during the day, and he did not stop until he came to the front doors. As a groom took the tired Lucifer to the stables, the countess appeared.

"Did you get my message?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "No. I have been traveling for many days. What happened?"

Her expression relaxed slightly. "I sent you a note before I knew the details," she said, and he frowned at the placation in her tone. She lifted her chin. "The envoy was attacked."

"The one to reinforce Sweden?" Sesshoumaru asked evenly.

"Yes. And yes, our agents are dead. Before you ask."

The taiyoukai took a breath, trying not to snarl in the face of his host - and, for all intents and purposes, his superior - but rage was bubbling up inside of him. He could not keep it all out of his voice. "The agents are nothing to me. What happened to the documents they had with them?"

Gisela blinked a few times in rapid succession. "We'll discuss this inside," she replied, her eyes sweeping over the courtyard full of workers. She turned with a swirl of her crimson gown and walked into the entrance hall. Her personal study was tucked up on the top floor of the castle for her own convenience, so she turned into the front salon. It was not convenient - or wise - to keep the taiyoukai waiting the length of time it would take to get to her room.

"Out," Sesshoumaru snapped at the few unfortunate demons relaxing in the sun-bleached salon. He waited until they scrambled out and shut the door behind them. "This has undone my work," he announced, dropping his bag.

"How?" Gisela circled the table in the center of the room and sat down gracefully at the edge of the brocade sofa. "Many of those that attacked were killed. I see less humans in the world. What do you see?"

"You cannot believe that this was a random luck of the Order. They know about our secondary base. Only one had to live and escape with our documents in order to succeed."

She leaned back, draping one arm over the edge of her seat. "It is a shame that we lost three talented operatives that were going to support your work. And I agree that one living operative from the Order could pose a threat." She paused. "But our agents were in a place infested with Order members. We always knew the risks. So did they."

Gisela's calm made Sesshoumaru feel foolish in perpetuating his own anger. He sat down across from her. "Can you confirm whether or not any of the Order members survived our defense?"

"I have agents there now, looking for evidence to answer your question."

The taiyoukai lifted his eyes. "I doubt we will ever be able to confirm whether they stole our secrets. We must assume the worst."

"So that's what has you worried."

"I am angry, not concerned," the dog demon corrected her, his voice lowering.

Gisela smiled her catlike smile. "Don't be angry, my lord. They had nothing of value."

"Impossible. Not everything can be memorized, and writings are an unfortunate and risky necessity in this fight," murmured Sesshoumaru. "You forget that I will not believe your false assurances."

The countess's smile vanished. "I am not lying. If I was, you could easily tell." She stood and crossed over to him, sitting down again within touching distance. "The envoy was a decoy. While you were gone, it came to our attention that the Order was aware of our attempts to set up another base, but not as to where. We sent two groups out, and they predictably attacked the false one. If they have anything at all, they have documents full of lies."

"I have been recommending such measures for years. What does the true delegation hold in their possession?" he growled.

"Some things that you know already," she said, waving her hand. "Some of which you don't. We can't share all of our secrets, Sesshoumaru. Not even with each other."

The taiyoukai got to his feet. "You would..."

"Yes," she cut him off. "Of course. I have more to think of than just how you will react to everything I do here." She remained sitting, looking up at him, but Sesshoumaru felt as if she was willing him to shrink before her eyes. Her nails, blunted by the concealment spell that she wore even inside the castle, dug into the back of the sofa. "Now. You don't have to worry about any of that anymore. Tell me about your own trip to Sweden."

Sesshoumaru exhaled and wished there was an Order agent beside him, so that he could snap the human's neck. "Your second fortress is finished. It is well-hidden and guarded by a contingent of demons I trained myself. They are young, but most of them have promise. Brandt chose well from the list of volunteers. My only concern is that they will grow lax before they are needed."

"Brandt will be going there every once in awhile to keep an eye on things," Gisela said, avoiding mentioning the men in the true envoy that were apparently on their way there already. She patted the cushion beside her, indicating that he should sit again, and she frowned when he ignored the request. "Although he's not as skilled as you are on the battlefield, he can keep their training going. We need you for other tasks."

"You have information on other agents from the Order?"

"Rumors that need to be confirmed," she replied. Gisela was methodical, and her precautions before sending out someone to kill an Order operative bordered on the obsessive. In the beginning, the Alliance had been too eager to beat back their enemy quickly and early - they had lost valuable soldiers. Gisela now personally oversaw every mission that required a demon to fight the Order.

"I am not going to Sweden again. Not if others are taking care of it for me."

Her frown deepened. She did not miss his rebuke and the quick steering of the conversation back onto their former topic. "No. You're not going to Sweden," she said after a moment. "I think after your extended trip to the north, you deserve a measure of rest."

"This is not a time to rest," Sesshoumaru replied. "Where am I to go?"

She sighed softly. "We'll talk about your next assignment later, my lord. I'm sure you're tired."

It was a dismissal. He was being dismissed from her presence. He wondered if his subordinates wanted to rip his throat out when he did this to them, as he wanted to rip out Gisela's throat now. As she looked up at him, her eyes widened, as if she could see into his mind. He turned his back on her, grabbed his bag and walked to the door, yanking it open with more force than necessary.

"Sesshoumaru." He looked back over his shoulder. She was standing, and her hands were folded. The air of superiority faded in an instant. "You have to understand that I'm trying..."

"It's fine," he replied shortly. He did understand, which perhaps was the most infuriating thing of all.

"Is it?" Her hand floated over her brow. "I depend on you more than anyone, you know. I'm happy that you're home."

She gave a faint smile as his eyes flickered towards the open door and the youkai lingering in the front hall. "I never thought I could be accused of having too much emotion before I met you." The smile broadened. "We'll talk later, I hope."

She was not dismissing him this time, but giving him the choice to leave. The taiyoukai nodded and did so, immediately ascending the central staircase to the fourth floor. His room was towards the front, probably freshly dusted for his arrival. Kagome's room was tucked into the back corner of the same floor, where it had been isolated from the other inhabitants of the castle by an awkwardly placed servants' stair and spare storeroom.

He stopped outside of her door and leaned back against the cool, stone wall of the dark corridor. The cold spread over his shoulders and down his spine like trickling water. His heart was still quickened in anger against the countess - if he entered the room now, he knew Kagome would notice and ask prying questions - and so he waited.

Sesshoumaru had come the castle with the knowledge that he was taking an inferior position to the countess. It was not something he begrudged in the beginning - this was her operation, after all. For him, it was secondary. He didn't notice the shift in power. He was absent so often, and his work in the field commanded respect. But he had been a part of this for so long. It was inevitable that his instinct would begin rebelling against the rule of someone that was not truly his superior. It seemed that he was hit smack in the jaw with the inequity of it the moment he stepped onto the castle grounds these days.

Gisela's inborn response was to try to prove that she was worthy of his submission. She would never succeed, of course. They both knew that they would have to part one day - it was the same reason that he and his father had gone their separate ways. Two demons of his and Gisela's power must meet on equal footing. Otherwise, they would slowly destroy themselves, taking the other apart brick by brick in a competition for dominance. It didn't matter that it defeated their purposes of working in the Alliance - the instinct was too strong. It was like a fox chewing his own foot off when it got caught in a trap, except they were each the trap and the fox.

He would have to leave before it came to that. And then they would be equals again, able to pursue the obvious - although they were competitors here in the Alliance, they were natural complements to one another. He could not deny that he had never met a clearer match for him than the countess.

Although, sometimes, he wondered if even instincts could not become confused. The miko had long ago given her diagnosis. "She's dangerous, beautiful, intelligent and powerful," she had listed, ticking each one off with a finger. "On paper, she's perfect. But it doesn't always work that way, Sesshoumaru. Don't let yourself get confused by this game you two are playing." It had been unsolicited advice, and he had accordingly ignored it, but sometimes he could not forget it.

It was impossible that the girl was correct. He remembered that she was, despite her longevity, still a human - she had no idea what drew mighty beings like him and the countess together. Gisela would one day be his mate because she possessed the necessary power and prestige that his own station demanded. It was no more difficult than that. The priestess's evaluation suffered from the one trait that he most despised - sentimentality. She thought it was required in a relationship of any kind. She was wrong.

As his thoughts passed over the miko, he realized that her unimagined voice was speaking from the other side of the wall he faced. He tilted his head towards her door.

"Isn't there something less formal than this?"

"No, miss," answered the voice of Ida, the maid that Sesshoumaru had insisted be assigned to Kagome upon their arrival. She was not his sister here, of course, but more than that - Kagome was under his explicit protection. To leave Kagome unattended in his absence would reflect poorly on him, and so, he had chosen the reptile demoness to serve the human girl. "Give me that wool one. Shoving it straight into the dustbin when I get downstairs."

There was a rustle of silk. "Don't do that, Ida! It's my favorite!"

"It's disgraceful." He could hear the sniff of disapproval in the maid's tone. Ida was the sort of forthright servant Kagome had been to him - Sesshoumaru had taken a rather passive aggressive pleasure in choosing her to attend the priestess. "Until I make you one of decent cut and color, you'll be in satin and silk, miss. Like a proper lady, just as Lord Sesshoumaru ordered." The voice tilted at the mention of his name. Ida knew he was hovering outside the door and was letting him know it.

"You know, I can make..."

"Not your place," interrupted Ida. "It'll require spinning, and Lord Sesshoumaru will have my head if you're to do any hard work like that. Ladies can sew and embroider. Carding wool is something else entirely."

Sesshoumaru suppressed a smirk and relaxed against the wall. He could imagine the flash of annoyance passing over Kagome's face and the effort she was exerting to not bring up the fact that she had done far more difficult work in her life. Yes, he had done an admirable job in choosing Ida.

Kagome must have silently given in, because Ida continued, "Good. Come here, miss, and I'll lace you up."

There was a gasp or two for breath before the maid announced they were finished. "Do you think you could check for me, Ida?" asked Kagome, wheezing slightly for the sudden constriction around her chest.

"Don't know why you're so keen. He's coming quite soon, I'm sure."

"I know," Kagome answered quietly. Although the entire Alliance knew he and the miko had received immortality, only Gisela and Brandt knew of the binding force between the six creatures cursed with it. "I know he's close, but could you check? I don't want to barge in on his meeting with the countess. She doesn't like me much."

"You must understand why that is, miss."

"I'm not sleeping with Sesshoumaru!"

The taiyoukai blinked at the exasperation in her voice. Of course they had been dogged by such rumors since they had first become allies, but a houseful of demons (and demon senses) was not a place he expected to hear them. They should know better to spread lies, especially to the point where she seemed accustomed to them.

"She knows that," Ida replied. "But you hold some power with Lord Sesshoumaru, miss. You have his ear. That makes the countess nervous, I expect."

"His ear?" The miko laughed. "You know what he'll do as soon as he gets home? He'll go to her study, and they'll talk for hours. Then, after dinner, he might go to her rooms."

Sesshoumaru straightened at the insinuation in her tone. Where had she heard such things? As the object of other rumors, he had not expected the miko to perpetuate the ones about him and Gisela.

"Maybe, maybe not, miss," Ida said. In the end, she was a proper servant and would not divulge personal secrets about her mistress. The countess was the most eligible female in Europe, if the gossip was to be believed, and the entire castle had an interest in Gisela making a good match, which was far more likely if her reputation was untarnished. "But he goes to see you in the meantime. That doesn't sit well with her."

"Mostly he just makes sure I haven't killed anyone while he's away," the miko murmured. "You know, after that first time."

Ida scoffed. "That idiot deserved that purification you gave him. Trying to attack you while your protector is away? Not even Brandt is that foolish."

Kagome had told him that her and Ida's shared dislike of Gisela's advisor had cemented her friendship with the maid. "Still, I felt bad for Sesshoumaru having to deal with it after a difficult assignment."

"Didn't happen again though. Seemed to work."

"True." Her voice was not as steady as he would have liked. "Will you check if he's done with the countess yet, Ida?"

"Suppose I could." Ida's footsteps came towards the door. "Should I get Ranulf too, miss?"

"Ranulf? Why would he want to be here?"

"He said as much to me. Thought he'd mentioned it to you, miss."

He heard the creak of her wardrobe doors closing. "I guess you can tell him if Sesshoumaru's here or not, if he wanted to know."

The door opened, and Ida came out into the hall along with the sunlight that had filled Kagome's room. She was a plump female, and by far, her most attractive feature was her beryl eyes of her reptilian heritage. "M'lord," she muttered, leaving the door open. "She's decent."

"Ida!" called Kagome. Her shadow fell across the threshold and into the hall. "You didn't shut the... Sesshoumaru!"

She had appeared in the doorway before he could collect himself. "Kagome," he said after a moment. "You look well."

It was a vast understatement. The blue silk she wore exposed the pale expanse of her throat and bare shoulders. It was the emerging style and far more revealing than anything he had seen her in since her school uniform days. When she moved towards him, her voluminous, pleated sleeves and petticoats rustled like bed linens. "You look tired," she replied with a smile. Her small hands brought his own hand towards her, and he could smell the perfume in her woven hair. "I'm so glad you're home!"

The words warmed him more from her lips than the countess's, and he almost forgot to tug his hand away from her. "So am I."

"Have you even been to your room yet?" she asked, not noticing his uncharacteristic agreement. She was sliding his bag from his shoulder. "Come in and tell me about Sweden. Unless you're too tired?" Her brown eyes lifted to look at him.

"I am fine."

She gave him a brilliant smile and led him back into her room, insisting that he sit in the chair by the small fire as she fussed with her hair. "They're having a feast tonight in honor of the new fortress," she explained, sliding a jeweled comb into her tresses. "I hope it's finished," she added with a smile.

"It is," he replied. "It was built before I even arrived."

Kagome nodded. "And are you going to go tonight? Or are you going to sleep for about three days? I would go for the sleep." She put a hand on her stomach and frowned. "Of course, you don't have to wear a corset."

"I will attend, although the countess did not mention it."

"Did you come in swearing about that delegation that got attacked?" she asked.

He frowned. "What do you know about that?"

"Oh, snap out of the paranoia. Everyone knows about it. The countess has had people scurrying in and out of the castle for days now." She watched him in the reflection of her small hand mirror. "Is it bad?"

"No, it is fine."

She set down the mirror. "Uh huh."

He had the sudden desire to change the subject. "You are still friends with that simpleton stable boy," he stated.

Kagome turned, her brow creased in annoyance. "His name is Ranulf, and he is not the stable boy. Or a simpleton. Far from it. He's the gamekeeper, which you very well know." She cocked her head. "You were eavesdropping."

"I have exceptionally good hearing," he said, looking into the fire.

"Hmm. Well, yes, I am still friends with Ranulf. He was one of the first demons not to want to kill me in my sleep when we got here. I think that's worth some sort of recognition on your part. You know, as my protector," she said, pronouncing the last word with a lilt to her voice She found the concept of an immortal girl needing protection both amusing and patronizing and didn't let an opportunity to make fun of it pass by. "Really though, when you're not here, what do you expect me to do? It'd be lonely if I didn't make friends."

"He is not of your station," Sesshoumaru said.

"You mean, he's not of your station," she corrected. "If I could only have friends that are of your station, I'd could only talk with the countess and possibly Brandt. I'm not much of a fan of either of them, you know, and they feel the same way about me."

"You could be more discriminating."

"Key word being 'discriminate'. No, Sesshoumaru. I'll make friends where I can get them," she said. "I don't have anything of worth for most of the youkai here, except a loose association with you. My only gift is my miko powers, which they fear. My only curse is immortality, which they resent. I can't win."

He was fast losing the second argument of the day, but he was saved by a sharp rap on the door.

"Come in!"

The scent of wolf rolled into the room with the gamekeeper. Although Kagome kept her large room relatively free of clutter, Ranulf filled the space. Sesshoumaru stood a few inches taller than the other canine, but Ranulf would have dwarfed the wolves in Japan with his mass. His wide shoulders and thick chest resembled the mythical Atlas more than the lean wolves of home. "Kagome," he greeted. "Lord Sesshoumaru. Good to see you have returned."

Sesshoumaru nodded. It was a lie - there was no love lost between the two males. The main reason was apparent even now, as the gamekeeper walked across the room. Kagome was chattering already, guiding the limping wolf demon to the seat opposite of Sesshoumaru's. She had a light touch and called no attention to Ranulf's disability but took care that he wasn't uncomfortable. Although that limp had earned him Sesshoumaru's straightforward rejection from the ranks of soldiers for the Alliance, it had also formed the bond between Ranulf and Kagome. Just like she had done for Inuyasha years before, Kagome earned the wolf's respect for not treating him like an invalid or a burden.

"Have you solved the problem with the ermine?" Kagome was asking.

His broad, tanned face broke into a grin. "Of course. The pheasant eggs will survive in the spring without those little beasts gobbling them up," he said. "I captured several of them alive. The ladies of this castle will be warm once the ermine turn white for winter."

"Not me," Kagome said with a firm shake of her head. "I don't need it, and you know I don't want those poor little things killed so I can look fancy."

"They eat their weight in food," Ranulf replied. "They will be killed sooner or later."

"Can't you release them in some other forest?" She turned to Sesshoumaru. "What would you do with them?"

The dog demon frowned at her weak attempt to draw him into the conversation. "I would have killed them in their traps. I have no need of ermine fur, and I prefer to eat pheasant."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I should have known better. Of course you don't mind killing cute and fuzzy little creatures."

Ranulf leaned back in his chair, making it creak with the strain of his weight, and ran a hand through his cropped black hair. "For you, Kagome, I will do my best. The countess has enough furs, I suppose. Perhaps I will take them with me on the hunting trip next week."

Kagome beamed. "Wonderful!" She laughed. "Are you sure the others won't tease you about releasing them while you're hunting?"

"They will, undoubtedly, but I will bear it," he replied.

The miko stepped close to him. "Ranulf, you're so..."

"Did you want to speak with me?" the taiyoukai asked, interrupting the miko and earning a huff of annoyance from her direction.

The wolf went still and confirmed Sesshoumaru's suspicions in an instant. "I do, Lord Sesshoumaru." His eyes moved once towards the girl. "Ah, Kagome, could I ask a favor? I haven't had a thing to eat today, and Lord Sesshoumaru hasn't either, I'm sure."

The miko faltered. "I guess I can get you something, but..."

"Do as he asks," the taiyoukai said, cutting her off again.

Kagome scowled at him, her tone sharpening. "Fine, but if any food gets spilled on this dress, you're both answering to Ida."

They waited until the door closed behind her, staring at each other as she hovered outside for a moment. When she gave up and her footsteps receded down the hallway, Ranulf finally let out the breath he held. "Thank you, my lord," he said, his voice barely above a whisper and his strong chin falling to his chest.

The corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth turned down. "She will not be long. Tell me what it is that you could not say in front of her," he said, although he already knew.

Ranulf straightened in his chair and looked the taiyoukai in the eye. Even if Sesshoumaru considered the gamekeeper as dull as dirt and of no use to a fortress that needed soldiers more than a lame gamekeeper, he could not deny that the wolf had a measure of bravery. "I want to ask you for Kagome. I mean, as a mate. My mate." His jaw clenched, and a spark of determine flared in his gaze. "I want her to be my mate."

The dog demon's frown remained. "Have you asked her?" he asked, again aware of the answer Ranulf would give.

"No," admitted the wolf. "Tradition dictates that I must ask her family for permission. She tells me she has none, but you are her protector. You are the only one that can give consent on her family's behalf."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "True."

Ranulf sat for a moment, but soon realized that the taiyoukai was not going to speak again. "I love her," he continued. "She is the most amazing creature I have ever met, either demon or human. Strong and intelligent and beautiful. She doesn't care about... about this." He gestured to his lame leg, looking annoyed that he had to address it at all. "I will provide everything she needs or wants."

"That is obvious," the dog demon replied, thinking of the ermine. "What does she feel for you?"

The wolf allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "I think she loves me as well. We would be happy."

"And that may be the case," Sesshoumaru said, "but I cannot allow you to take her as your mate."

Ranulf's expression didn't change - the smile still lingered - but his eyes emptied of all its cautious hope. "May I ask why?" he asked after a moment, doing an admirable job of keeping his voice steady.

"I do not need to explain my decision."

"Do you love her? Do you want her for yourself?"

The question was the only thing the wolf had said that was at all unexpected. "Of course not," growled Sesshoumaru, "but if you require an explanation as to why an immortal, human girl cannot mate with a gamekeeper who has never been outside of this forest, then you do not know as much about her as you believe."

"I know about the other immortals," whispered Ranulf, his face contorting into something the taiyoukai recognized as wrenching pain. "I will come with you. I will go wherever she needs to go, and I won't interfere."

"You know that is impossible," the taiyoukai replied, resting his head on his hand. "You would be a liability."

"I would not get in your way," the wolf said, bracing himself on the arms of his chair. "I know that any one of you immortals, including Kagome, could kill me in an instant. Do you really think I would be so foolish as to fight them? And for anyone else, I can fight. You know that."

"No."

"But I love her. You don't. You can't think that she's happy with you as her constant companion," Ranulf said, his voice growing deep and dangerous.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to break the rebellious brat in half. Did no one remember his status in this place anymore? "I have heard no complaints from her."

The wolf got to his feet, but didn't advance. "Of course you haven't. As if she ever would."

"What do you mean by that?" Sesshoumaru asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You are ice, my lord," the wolf replied, his tone barely civil any longer. "She is... she is warmth and light. She is the very sun. And yet, you strangle her! Do you realize what trust she holds in you? She has put her life - her long, immortal life - on hold for you!"

Sesshoumaru stood as well. "You know nothing of our history. She is the one that asked me to join her."

"Do you know how long it took to get her to admit to me even the slightest misgivings about that choice?" Ranulf snapped. His eyes were blazing. "She is your unfaltering companion, but she is bound to you by responsibility only. Do not let that responsibility take away the one corner of her heart that is not consumed by her sadness at this half life she leads with you!"

"And it is not your responsibility to air her complaints on her behalf," growled the taiyoukai. "You may not take her as your mate. That is my last word."

"It has taken this long. You have been in this very castle for sixteen years. Why do you deny me the time - what must be a short time for you - to be with her?"

Ranulf stepped back before Sesshoumaru could reply, and the dog demon knew why - the miko was coming. Kagome, holding a tray laden with bread, butter, cheese and ale, appeared in the next moment and kicked the door closed behind her. "I dropped the knife in the hallway," she said as she put the tray on the table between the wolf and the dog. "Away from me, thank goodness, but I'll have to get it and wash it."

"Don't trouble yourself, Kagome," Ranulf said. A few drops of sweat had beaded on his brow, but the storm that had raged within him seemed to have passed in an instant. So great was his control that Sesshoumaru wondered for an instant whether he had underestimated the wolf as a potential spy.

The girl frowned. "What do you mean? You're not going to tear at it with your hands and teeth."

"No, I mean..." He paused and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. He was looking everywhere except at her and the taiyoukai that had just rejected him in her stead. "I really only came up here to tell you that I'd be taking the job the countess offered me to train the archers."

Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru out of the corner of her eye for a second. He resumed his seat with a casual grace, not looking at the couple. "You said you wouldn't do that. The archery training grounds are two days' travel from here. You'll hardly ever get back to the castle."

"I know, but I feel that I should do something more for the Alliance. I came here to fight, Kagome, and if I can't do that, I will teach others how to fight in my place." He shifted on his feet as Kagome stared at him. "I need to go. They asked for my help in the kitchens for the feast."

"You're not going? But you always attend the feasts." For all of Sesshoumaru's sneering, Ranulf had not been born into a servants' family and was welcome at the table at the castle.

"What place do I have there?" he murmured. He bent down and pressed a chaste kiss to the crown of her head before she could reply. "I'll come say goodbye before I leave," he said. He limped towards the door and left.

Sesshoumaru stood up to leave as well, hoping that he could avoid the scene that he felt brewing in the room. She caught him before he took two steps. Instead of the waspish ire he had become accustomed to, she spoke softly. "What did you say to him?" She turned to look at him. "What was so awful that he's not just running away from this room, but the castle?"

"He asked a foolish question. He did not appreciate my answer," the taiyoukai replied.

Kagome took a breath. "He asked if he could take me as his mate, didn't he?"

"I thought he had not discussed it with you."

"He didn't," she said. "A girl can tell."

"If you knew, why did you ask?" He moved past her.

"But you haven't answered me," Kagome said, stepping in front of him so swiftly that even he was surprised. "Did you really refuse him?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at her with his amber eyes. "Of course. I would imagine that if I allowed it, he would have not announced his departure from the castle."

"Allowed it?" she repeated. Her breast rose and fell in deep breaths that he realized she was using to calm herself. "Allowed it? You? Allowing me? And him?"

The taiyoukai raised an eyebrow. "I could not. You must understand my decision. He had some ridiculous notion that he would stay out of fights with the other immortals and defend himself at all other times." He forced himself not to look away from the incredulous, angry expression that she held. "It would have ended in your suffering, regardless. I doubt he would have adhered to his own rules once you were in any perceivable danger. And even if he did remain out of a fight with the shape-shifters, they would never ignore his presence. You would lose your life just to save his. In the end, he would always lose his own life. Either way, you would suffer, and our mission against the shape-shifters would suffer along with your human emotions.

"Besides," he continued on, increasingly discomfited by her staring, "you are under my protection in this place. If you took him as your mate, you would be under his protection instead. I could not extend my influence over him. The ones that still hate you would kill him in your place. No matter how this went, it would end in his death and possibly your own. So why are you looking at me as if this was not the only option we had?"

Her mouth moved without sound for a moment. "We had? We?"

"You are being repetitious. Stop that," he ordered.

"You're such an idiot!" she whispered, her voice harsh with barely-controlled anger. "Since when was this your choice?"

He frowned. "But you agree."

Her eyes widened and she took a step towards him. "You had no right to decide that for me!"

"I am your protector..."

"My protector?" she scoffed. "A protector of what, exactly? A human girl that can fry any demon in this place and suffer through any wound? A human girl that can't die? What are you protecting me from besides the ability to make my own choices?"

Sesshoumaru straightened so that he loomed over the girl. "You have no idea how much violence I have shielded you from over these past sixteen years."

Kagome, not to be outdone, lifted her chin and stared back. "You," she said, her voice now quiet and steely, "need to stay out of my personal life. You can have my loyalty as your ally, Sesshoumaru, but we both have to have lives apart from this responsibility we've taken on. We'll go mad if we don't. If I love someone, you need to realize that it's my choice whether to accept the risks that come along with that!"

He studied her for a moment. "And do you love him?"

She blinked. "Yes, of course."

Sesshoumaru waited for the inevitable continuation - the explanation that she only loved Ranulf as her dear friend, as she had described so many men and women over the half-century. But Kagome didn't continue. "You would have accepted him?" he asked.

"That wasn't my point!" she hissed.

"I know," Sesshoumaru snapped back. "I am not asking about my rejection of his suit, but whether you would have accepted him, if he had come to you first."

The question took the wind from her sails. "I... I don't know," she said.

The taiyoukai frowned, his heart beating a rapid rhythm that felt different from the angry pattern during his conference with the countess. "You could not. You know what I said is true. He would die. You would die attempting to protect him. If you managed to live..."

"I know!" she interrupted, waving at him with both arms. "I know! I know that this would have changed things and that it would become so much more dangerous for all of us. I know. I just wanted to be able to make that decision on my own!"

"Hn."

"Even when I felt that he was going to ask, I didn't want to admit that I couldn't be his mate," Kagome said. "Perhaps some part of me just wanted a normal life without all this running around after shape-shifters and immortality and a jewel. Just for awhile, it would have been nice. But I know I can't endanger him for 'nice', not even if I do love him. I can't do that to you either, after all that you've given up for this too. We have a responsibility that we've taken on, after all."

Ranulf's words were ringing in his ears, but Sesshoumaru managed a nod. "I knew that you would come to that conclusion."

"Yeah," she muttered, "I guess that had to be my answer. So stupid..." She paused and then frowned up at him once more. "I would have been nicer about it though. It should have come from me."

"Next time, I will remember that," he commented dryly.

She shrugged. "He would have been good to me," she murmured. Sighing, she brushed past him and took her place in the seat in front of the fire.

Sesshoumaru hesitated. He rarely felt remorse for his actions, but after the frustrating conversation with Gisela and the way he felt he had been pushed around against his will, he could understand Kagome's reaction, if not her emotions. "When we kill the shape-shifters, you will be free to do whatever you wish. Until then..."

"Until then, I wait," she interrupted. She looked back at him. "We both wait."

"Yes," he replied.

Kagome gave him the barest hint of a smile. "I'll see you at the feast?"

He nodded. "I must change."

"Then I'll meet you downstairs." She turned back to the fire.

Sesshoumaru left and headed towards his room. As he passed by the stairwell, Brandt materialized out of the darkness, holding a knife. "Drop this?" he asked, spinning the kitchen blade between his fingers.

The dog demon sighed inwardly. He had been on the road for weeks alone, save for Lucifer, and now he desired that solitary existence again. This constant conversation was getting tiring. "Kagome did, I believe, but I don't think she needs it anymore."

"Ah well, that's understandable," the fire demon said, falling into step beside him. "She's feeling rather emotional, isn't she? And was that Ranulf, the gamekeeper, I saw in the front hallway? The big oaf looked upset. Lovers' quarrel, do you think?"

"I wouldn't know," the taiyoukai lied.

Brant smiled. "Of course." He ran his free hand through his hair, which was the color of fresh blood. Unlike his cousin, he didn't wear his concealment spell inside the castle. Kagome had once called him terrifying, and Sesshoumaru could see why. Brandt in his undisguised form looked like he had stepped straight out of hell with his fiery hair and the eyes that were such a pale ash gray that they seemed to not have pigment at all. "How was the trip home?"

"Fine. Tiring," he said, hoping the fire demon would take the hint.

"But you're going to the feast tonight, right?" His smile widened - something Sesshoumaru had learned was a very good indication of a deeply displeased Brandt. "You're the guest of honor, after all."

"Am I?" the taiyoukai muttered. "Then it seems that I must attend."

Brandt nodded, and the knife twirled faster between his fingers. "You're to escort Gisela."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "She didn't mention it."

"I think it was something that she just decided now." Brandt, as Gisela's foremost advisor and kinsman, usually accompanied the countess to formal dinners. "She sent me to tell you that she's wearing green tonight."

They reached the taiyoukai's door. "I will dress appropriately," Sesshoumaru said, when the fire demon still didn't leave.

Brandt leaned against the wooden door, preventing the dog demon from opening it. "I believe my cousin feels guilty for keeping you in the dark," he said. "But I am the only other one that knows all of the secrets of the Alliance."

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "A wise choice," he stated.

"If Gisela wants to make you the third one to know..." He trailed off and broke into a broad smile once again. "Well, I hope you take it as seriously as she does. I hope you take care with the trust she puts in you. I hope you will remember the magnitude of such a decision."

Cupid was certainly fouling up his job today, the taiyoukai mused. He wondered if Brandt's jealousy sprang from his position as Gisela's advisor, cousin or his hope for more. Cousins marrying was not so unusual among the powerful houses of Europe, and demons were no exception. He had never seen any indication that Brandt felt anything for the demoness, but he would not discount the fire demon's ambition, at the very least. "I will keep that in mind," Sesshoumaru replied. His hand shot out and plucked the spinning knife from Brandt's grip. "I will return this to the kitchen."

"Are you sure?" Brandt asked, still smiling.

"Certain."

Sesshoumaru watched the fire demon leave. He missed Sweden, he decided.

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A/N: Ack, don't kill me! Seriously, I had so many versions of this chapter, I was about to die. In the end, I really like how it turned out. It's always a good thing when I want to hug or run away from my own OCs (when that's the reaction I'm going for). And just to stop the questions now - no, this isn't Kagome/OC or Sesshoumaru/OC. It's Kagome/Sesshoumaru.

Many thanks to Ijin, who pushed me to go even further "with intensity". I just hope I went far enough. ;D