InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Deception ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru

 

The group stood stunned at what lay before them when the servants opened the thick doors that allowed people into the Great Hall. Tables filled the enormous room from wall to wall. The Great Hall lived up to its name; the ceiling was easily ten stories high with all the windows too high to be reached by humans. It seemed that the entire room was built to keep humans out.

Why would such lengths be done just to keep humans out when the entire palace is filled with humans? Kagome mentally wondered but didn't have time to ponder because the servant had motioned for them to sit at what looked like a prestigious table.

“I'm not sitting here!” Inuyasha yelled and the servant was confused but Kagome and the others knew; it was because Sesshoumaru was sitting at the head of the table.

“Then leave,” Sesshoumaru ordered and surprisingly enough, the rash half demon did just that. The rest sat down and once everyone was settled, the first course consisting of Shabu Shabu, rice, and green tea to drink was served. The Inugroup was impressed but not surprised at the quality of the food.

After the first course of the dinner was done, a short digesting period was given. It was during this that the volume inside the Great Hall increased.

Shippo burped and sighed contentedly, “Why do you ever leave this place?”

“Various reasons,” Sesshoumaru replied as he watched the kitchen staff prepare the next course of the dinner.

“Do you always eat like this?” Sango asked.

“Nope, it's just a big deal when Sess decided to grace us with his presence,” Shikobira plunked himself down at the table next to the demon lord. “Sess here spends very little time here so it's a big a deal when he passes through,” Shikobira poked Sesshoumaru in the shoulder, “You should really spend more time here. Secrets or no secrets.” The Inugroup stared and wondered what the wolfdog meant by secrets. No one asked because all knew they wouldn't get an answer anyway.

The room went quiet as the second course of Nikujaga, Shogayaki, and Umeshu to drink. Again, the quality of food was no surprise.

This place looks like it could easily afford the meat Kagome mused as she ate.

“Is there dessert?” Shippo asked as he pushed away his empty plate.

Rin nodded enthusiastically, “Yup! I don't know what it is though.” Shippo had stopped listening after Rin had confirmed that there would be dessert. Kagome chuckled a little at how excited the little fox was. Once more, a short break was given and people used this opportunity to stretch outside while the weather was still nice. Unlike before, a bell was rung to signal that dessert would be served shortly.

The dessert was of course impressive. It was Daifuku, Yokan, and hot green tea. The dessert ended and everyone was now just sitting and chatting while children ran around the tables chasing each other. Kagome smiled as Rin convinced Shippo to join her and the other children in their games. Sango had gone off after Miroku who was asking any beautiful woman to bear his children. The priestess found herself alone with the silent dog demon. Again she was consumed with the desire to have an actual conversation with him.

“Did you run around like that when you were a child?” Kagome asked.

“Feasts were not heard of when I was a boy,” he replied and Kagome remembered he had grown up during a famine.

Smooth move Kagome she mentally berated herself but stopped when she saw him leaving. Quietly, she followed him out into the gardens that surrounded the mighty building.

“Why are you following me priestess?” he asked suddenly and stoically.

“I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me the other night,” Kagome replied coolly.

“Humans seem to thrive on physical contact,” was all she got as a response. This didn't deter her one bit though.

“Why did you leave the room?” Kagome was more determined than ever to have a conversation with him.

“Why do you have such a great desire for my company?” he didn't look at her but rather at the flowers blooming in the moon light.

“It's beautiful,” she gasped again. She turned to the demon lord, “I fully understand why it is indeed called the `Heavenly Palace'.”

“They originally grew in the soil surrounding the monument to the dead,” Sesshoumaru informed, “the seeds landed on the walls and began to grow.”

“So there's no real story behind the flowers,” Kagome had to admit, she was a little disappointed.

“The villagers and permanent inhabitants of here believe that the souls of the dead threw the seeds down from the heavens to bring happiness to their mourners,” Sesshoumaru replied.

“Do you believe that?” She asked.

“The dead are simply dead. To believe there is more to it than that is folly,” he replied stoically. Kagome wasn't sure how to respond and wondered just why he believed that.

“I like to believe we have souls and that if we're good we'll get into paradise,” Kagome mused. The demon lord stared at the stars in silence until he suddenly stood up.

“You are going to get wet priestess,” he warned and walked back inside. The priestess looked at the sky and saw the dark clouds forming. Quickly she stood up and ran inside herself to avoid the oncoming storm. Orders were given and servants were now busy locking windows against the storm.

By some stroke of luck, the rain didn't start pouring until after the windows were locked. Servants hurriedly cleaned up the water that a certain half dog demon had tracked in after being temporarily aught in the thunder storm.

“Why the hell wasn't anybody warned anyone of the storm?!” Inuyasha demanded when he finally found his older brother.

“Even a child could see the clouds gathering,” Sesshoumaru replied without looking up from the scroll he was writing on.

“You jackass!” Inuyasha tore the paper away from the demon lord. Said lord did nothing but grab a blank one and start over.

“Do that again and you will be left out in the rain,” he warned but again didn't look up. Inuyasha repeated his action and was tossed quickly through an opened window. Sesshoumaru looked at the servants around him who waited for further orders. “He does not come back inside unless I say so,” he ordered and returned to writing.

Inuyasha sat in the rain, stunned at what had just happened. It was when thunder crashed that he realized he was out in the rain because Sesshoumaru had thrown him out a window. The idea that he could get back in was too much for him to pass up. For the next couple of hours as the storm raged, Inuyasha had unsuccessfully tried to get back in. After realizing that it just wasn't possible to get back in, he spent the remainder of the storm in an abandoned hut.

Kagome stared at the crackling fire while she listened to the rain. She had heard Inuyasha bang against the closed window but she ignored him and his curses for her to let him back in.

“Still haven't forgiven him, huh?” Sango asked as she sat down beside her friend.

“I can't forgive him,” Kagome shook her head and looked at the demon slayer, “I can't love him either. But I do.” Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Sango sighed a little, “but what kind of love is it?” The question was rhetorical and Kagome knew that.

What kind of love is it? She asked herself and turned toward Sango again only to see that she had left. This didn't bother her though; she needed time to think to herself.

It wasn't until the next day that the rain had stopped completely. Farmers in the surrounding villages were tending to their water logged crops and the gardeners of the palace were clearing debris from the gardens. Inuyasha was finally let back in and was warming his cold self in front of a fire.

“You brought this on yourself Inuyasha,” Miroku sighed.

“Shut up,” he grumbled and the monk left the half demon alone with his thoughts. After Inuyasha dried, he was exploring the building and trying to find out if the real Shikon Jewel was hidden somewhere within it.

“It's not here,” Sesshoumaru said suddenly. Inuyasha jumped a bit at the sudden sound in the deserted hall.

“What's not here?” he asked smugly.

“The current object of your desire,” was the simple reply.

“How do you know about `the object of my desire'?!” Inuyasha demanded.

“I could hear your conversation with the undead priestess,” it infuriated Inuyasha at how everything his elder brother said was so blunt and uncaring.

“So you're not gonna tell me where it is huh?” Inuyasha grumbled.

“Even if I hadn't heard you and the undead priestess, I still would not have told you,” he turned and walked away from the severely annoyed half demon. Inuyasha let him leave because he knew that Sesshoumaru never gave information when forced to and in the rare time he did give information, it was always fake. The half demon didn't continue on with his search for the Shikon Jewel that his elder brother had hidden with great care.

 

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Shabu Shabu: thinly sliced meat and vegetables cooked in a skillet

Nikujaga: thinly sliced pork or beef, potatoes, and onions stewed in sweetened soy sauce

Shogayaki: fried ginger pork

Umeshu: plum liqueur

 

Thanks be to about.com for all the info on Japanese dishes!