InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyous may not be all the same ❯ A meeting and a banquet ( Chapter 7 )

Hello again! I'm sorry it took so very, very long, guys, but I'm on a vacation and I don't have a computer to update!! I'll try and do so every chance I get, anyway. So, once again, DOMO ARIGATOU to my reviewers, I love you guys!

Aspecial thank you to AquaCrystalQTfor her corrections. I wrote nee-chan (older sister) when Sango talks to Kagome instead of imouto (younger sister) and kesu instead of kuso (shit) when they curse, so please note it when you read!

Anyway, enough chatter, here it goes a new chappie for you. Enjoy!!

 

Chapter 7: A meeting and a banquet

 

Inuyasha mumbled angrily and cursed under his breath as he made his way through the forest that had his name to the Bone Eater's well. Miroku and the taijiya had practically shoved him in after they had gotten to Kaede's village, as, being unable to find the shards without Kagome's aid, they had decided to spend the following week enjoying a well earned mini vacation.

 

It had been the old miko the one that suggested that he went to Kagome's time in order to assure her mother that nothing had happened to her beloved daughter.

 

`And what the fuck am I supposed to tell her? That my asshole of a brother has practically kidnapped her for the next week, and will continue doing so for the next three months?' he growled in disgust at the mere thought `Oh, and Mrs. Higurashi, WHY IN THE BLOODY HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOUR DAUGHTER WAS A FUCKING HANYOU??!!'

 

Lost in those thoughts, he missed a pair of crimson eyes that watched his every movement from the tree line. He was mere yards from the old wooden well when a demanding and slightly amused female voice brought him back to Earth.

 

“Hey, what the hell are you doing hidden in those bushes?” said the voice

 

He immediately lifted his head, long silvery locks jerking back from his face, to be met with a sight that would be engraved in his memory for years to come. Kagura, the wind witch servant of Naraku, was awkwardly crouched down behind some bushes right in the tree line surrounding the clearing, her face a strange mixture of annoyance and bewildered surprise and turned to watch the loud mouthed intruder. Right behind her stood a young female youkai with long midnight blue hair, poking her shoulder as her face barely hid the amusement of someone that had just caught a child in some harmless yet inappropriate activity. Mirth danced wildly in the silver pools that were her eyes as her white kimono melded with the wind to play around her feet, which were actually floating a few inches above the ground.

 

Inuyasha spent a couple of seconds taking in what he was seeing, before he was able to react. He drew Tessaiga and held the transformed fang in front of him in his usual battle stance. The sudden burst of youki brought back both female's attention to the silver haired hanyou.

 

`Damn that idiot! Now that the hanyou knows I'm here I'd better run as fast as I can. And I couldn't get any useful information... Naraku's not going to be happy'

 

Kagura jumped up and drew her fan, as the other youkai stepped aside, her beautiful eyes wide in surprise at the turn of events.

 

“Hey, what's up with the two of you?” she said, her delicate brows frowned slightly.

 

Kagura didn't bother to respond. Instead, she waved her fan aiming at Inuyasha.

 

“Dance of the dragons!!”

 

“Fuck” he said, quickly jumping aside. As he saw the attack pass mere inches from him, he slashed back with Tessaiga.

 

“KAZE NO KIZU!!!!”

 

Kagura was fast pulling out one of the small feathers that were on her hair, which immediately transformed into an enormous version of itself, then she took off into the air and out of the harm's way. Inuyasha, however, realized too late that a pair of shocked silver eyes were now facing Tessaiga's rage, only to loose sight of them a fraction of second later.

 

“Oh, fuck, fuck, FUCK!!!” he yelled as he ran forward, hoping to find the girl still in one piece but expecting the exact opposite.

 

The dust slowly started to settle as the hanyou searched frantically until he heard a screeching voice right behind him.

 

“What in the bloody hell did you think you were doing, you baka??!!”

 

He turned around and his eyes widened when he saw the translucent image of the female that had been in the way of his attack. His mouth fell agape.

 

As she had been speaking her image had been gaining consistence until she was fully corporeal again, her silver eyes flashing dangerously while she stalked over to tha stunned hanyou.

 

Inuyasha didn't know what to do as she approached him, so he just stood still. When she was close enough, she reached out and grabbed one of his sensitive ears, then yanked painfully.

 

“You bastard!! You could have killed me if I hadn't changed into my wind form! What the fuck were you thinking about?!” she ranted as she shook the poor hanyou's head by his ear.

 

“Ouch! You little… Itte! Let go of my ear!” he screamed while trying to undo the death grip she had on his abused appendage.

 

That went on for a while until Inuyasha saw the place where he'd been standing when Kagura attacked. What met his eyes drained all the blood from his face and made him stop his struggles.

 

“Oh, shit…” he whispered.

 

The girl blinked a couple of times, then turned to look the same way as him. `What could have scared him like that?' she wondered. She couldn't see but the broken pieces of wood from the old well that had been standing there.

 

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Kagome did her best to stand still as Chio managed to get her wings through the twin slits that had been cut on the back of her kimono without crushing the delicate golden feathers. Said kimono was a beautiful cream coloured silken garment with golden embroidery at the hems. Delicate leaf patterns decorated the left side, intertwining from the neckline and down the wide sleeved arm.

 

Once the water youkai managed to get her task done she moved on to wrap the matching golden obi around Kagome's narrow waist, that way bringing out her curvy figure. Chio smiled broadly, her pearl white fangs glimmering in the fading light of dusk.

 

“You look really beautiful, Kagome-sama” she said “Sesshoumaru-sama will be most pleased” her now greyish eyes shone slightly in an unspoken question when she mentioned the name of the Taiyoukai.

 

“Thank you, Chio-chan. It's really your feat, though. I haven't done much except for just standing still” answered Kagome, oblivious to the other female's curiosity. “Tell me, Chio-chan, why are your eyes grey now? I thought they were emerald green earlier”

 

“It's because I'm a sea youkai. One of our usual traits is that our eyes reflect the colour of the sea where we were birthed every moment” she answered, shrugging “I guess that today my relatives will be having a little rain to deal with”

 

Kagome laughed as she let Chio fidget with her hair to pull it partly up in some kind of complicated style. Biting back a whimper when Chio pulled a little too strongly on a particular lock, she mused about how different the water youkai was from what she had believed at first sight. It had taken but half an hour to get past her meek behaviour and to her real cheerful self. Though she still treated her with undeniable respect, referring to her as Kagome-sama and such, she turned out to be quite a lively young spirit, always ready to share light conversation, be it joking, gossiping or just small talking.

 

She had helped her bathe, being mindful of her delicate wings, picked out the beautiful kimono she was wearing and fussed around her as if she was getting ready to walk down the aisle.

 

“There, do you like it?” Chio said, wiping away some beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead.

 

Kagome turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror that hung from the wall and gasped. Chio was right, she was beautiful. More so than she had ever been in her life. Loose raven locks framed hr delicate features. The colour of the silken kimono only accentuated her tan and flawless skin, hugging her curves as it flowed to the floor. She wore no make up, as youkai favoured a natural look rather than the artificial one that was so often seen in the human courts, and she couldn't agree more with the idea. Smiling brightly, she turned to face the youkai female that stood behind her.

 

“It's so beautiful, Chio-chan” she commended “But was it necessary to go through this all just to have dinner?” she asked, slightly worried that she'd have to go though it all for each meal. Chio just laughed, shaking her head, as she believed that her newly found friend was just joking around.

 

“Of course not! But it would not do for you to look like a mess when you're being honoured with a welcome banquet, now would it?”

 

Holding back a sigh of relief, Kagome just smiled, and was going to retort when a soft knock on the room door caught her attention.

 

The door slowly opened to reveal the stoic face of Sesshoumaru. She took in his appearance, clad in a midnight blue haori and matching hakamas, with a silver obi to bind it all, he resembled some mythical god of the night, or he would have hadn't it been for the amber colour of his eyes, that reflected the warm golden rays of the setting sun.

 

He nodded at her and she made a small bow in return, none of them speaking a single word. Sesshoumaru stared at her for a moment. `So the Sun and the Moon meet again, warm gold and cold silver. Even if I am mistaken, she could fool anyone dressed like that' Almost startled by his stray thought, though none of it showed on his expressionless features, he stepped aside and waited for her to come out of the room and join him.

 

Chio, who was back to her meek behaviour, blushed prettily when she saw that Konosuke had escorted the Taiyoukai and was waiting out of the room.

 

Kagome walked out ad greeted the dragon youkai with a bright smile before turning to Sesshoumaru and putting a more serious face. She was determined not to ashame the Taiyoukai in front of his court.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama” she greeted politely, slightly bowing again.

 

Much to her surprise, he replied.

 

“Kagome-sama” he nodded again and offered her his arm. Shocked, she took it and they walked towards the dinning hall as she wondered about his odd behaviour. `Well, they think that I'm some kind of royalty, so he has no choice but to play along. It's just too weird.' As they made their way through the corridors something else came to her mind.

 

“Ano... Sesshoumaru-sama?” he turned his gaze to look at her and she tried not to gulp. “Where are Shippou and Rin-chan?”

 

He was going to answer, but Konosuke beat him to it.

 

“They should be waiting in the dinning hall, Kagome… sama” he added the honorific when he felt a wave of anger emanating from the silent Taiyoukai. `Well, well, isn't this interesting? What's on your mind old friend?'

 

Eventually they reached the doors of the dinning hall. Jaken was waiting for them by the doorframe, a serious look of dignity on his face as he held his staff of two heads with both hands. When he saw them he hit the marble floor twice with the staff and cleared his throat. Everyone in the banquet fell silent and got up. Then he started speaking.

 

“Enter Sesshoumaru-sama, Lord of the western Lands, the most powerful youkai alive, the only Taiyoukai in Japan, most…” he cut himself short when he received a look of annoyance from the youkai lord he was presenting. He cleared his throat again. “And Kagome-sama, honoured guest of the great Sesshoumaru-sama and the one we are honouring tonight in this banquet” he finished much less enthusiastically.

 

Kagome did her best to emulate Sesshoumaru and keep her expression blank of any emotion as they made their way into the dinning hall. She could hear the whispers from the many youkai that sat around the low tables that were scattered about the room. Most were wondering who she was and where she came from. Almost half of the females were wondering what the hell she was doing holding to Sesshoumaru's arm, and not few males were wondering what the Taiyoukai was doing holding to hers. She wanted to roll her eyes at all of them, but held back. She had promised to behave and, as she had no idea of what was expected of her, she would become a copy-cat of the Taiyoukai, at least until she found a female she could emulate. Not surprisingly, all of that went out of the proverbial window when she spotted Shippou and Rin sitting at a table at the back of the room, unusually still if not at all quiet. She made a move to go to them, but felt Sesshoumaru's hand tightening arund hers. She turned to look at him, but he had his eyes fixed ahead as he guided them to their place at the head of the main table.

 

She sat down to Sesshoumaru's right as Konosuke, who had been behind them the whole time, took the place to his left. Chio went to sit a few feet away, lining with the rest of the servants that were there in case their masters needed anything. Next to Kagome sat a blond haired youkai, whose kind Kagome had no idea about, with who she supposed was her mate. She pointedly ignored the miko once courtesy greetings were made. Sesshoumaru ate in silence while Konosuke talked with the youkai to his left, so she settled for looking longingly towards the children, who were now laughing like mad about the apple they had manged to stuff into Jaken's mouth, so deep that he wasn't able to take it out. The image of the toad trying to keep what little dignity he had left by acting as if nothing happened lifted her spirits a little.

 

“Rin and the kitsune are still pups. Their status is, therefore, lower than yours, and for that reason they are not allowed to the honur place you are occupying right now” explained Sesshoumaru's velvety voice.

 

Kagome turned to look at him, surprised that he had spoken at all. He just stared back. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted.

 

“So, Kagome-sama, how long are you going to be staying with us?” asked Konosuke.

 

Kagome smiled, happy to have someone she could speak with that would utter more than a sentence per hour.

 

“Oh, just a few days, Konosuke-kun” she replied “But I'll probably be visiting again sometime soon”

 

“It's a shame you're not staying longer, but I'll take you on your word that you'll be back soon”

 

He gave her a charming smile that showed his white fangs and winked at her. Kagome's cheeks tinted slightly red.

 

“So, tell me, Kagome-sama, where do you come from?”

 

“Ano…” she hesitated and looked at Sesshoumaru for help. Surely he wouldn't expect her to tell him the truth.

 

The Taiyoukai, who had been following the conversation with growing annoyance, caught the plea in her eyes and decided to comply. The wench seemed to be such a bad liar that his general would catch her for sure if she tried to make something up.

 

“Kagome.sama comes from the Northern Islands, beyond the Western Domains” he stated flatly.

 

“Honto?” Konosuke exclaimed, impressed “Then it's been a long journey you have done to these lands. Which issues could bring you this far from your homeland?”

 

His tone held a hint of suspicion as he eyes alternatively the miko and the Taiyoukai. Before she could answer Sesshoumaru decided that the conversation was taking a dangerous path and stood, sending a death glare the way of the dragon youkai.

 

“It is late and both Kagome-sama and her pup should be tires” he stated “Chio, pick the children and take them to their quarters. This Sesshoumaru shall escort Kagome-sama to her own”

 

Kagome felt the iron grip of Sesshoumaru's hand on her arm and stood up. However, she hadn't seen Shippou since they arrived at the Western Palace and was fed up with all the pampering, protocol and shit like that. She had put up with it without a single complaint but enough was enough. Now they were telling her that she wouldn't even be able to tuck his kid into bed. Well, she wouldn't stand for it. However, there was no reason to make a scene out of it.

 

“I'd rather if I could take the children to bed myself, Sesshoumaru-sama”

 

He looked her way, annoyed that she had talked him back in public. It was bad enough that she did it all the time when his whole court wasn't around. He regretted the moment he gave her a status such that he couldn't just ignore her request and tell her to shut up that annoying mouth of hers.

 

“I will escort you then in order not to bother Sesshoumaru-sama with the walk” Konosuke said, getting up.

 

Sesshoumaru felt his annoyance turning into wild rage at an alarming rate, as he was having a hard time reigning over his instincts. His inner beast was raging, demanding that he tore to little pieces the offending male that dared show an interest in the female he had laid claim on. A low growl escaped his lips, his deep amber eyes flashing momentarily red. He quickly regained enough control that they were amber again, but not fast enough that the ones near him didn't catch it.

 

Kagome stared at him wide eyed. She had felt his anger and the sudden upraise of his youki as well, and for the life of her she couldn't figure what was wrong with the Taiyoukai. `Is he nuts? What's wrong with him this time?'

 

Konosuke, on the other hand, was biting his tongue pretty har in order to hold back the laughter. `So that was it. It took him long enough! I was starting to believe that I was mistaken' he looked subtly to Kagome `You've done well, my friend. She'll be a great Lady of the West' Still playing his role, he directed an innocent glance to the Taiyoukai.

 

“Is there something wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?” he asked.

 

“Hn… This Sesshoumaru said that he would accompany Kagome-sama to her quarters. If it is her wish to take her kit to bed herself then this Sesshoumaru shall escort her to it as well” he answered in his coldest tone.

 

Without another word he got up and headed for the table the kids were sitting at. Kagome followed suit, not before sending Konosuke a confused glance. He just grinned innocently.

 

“Okaa-san!” Shippou greeted when he saw the miko. He jumped to her open arms and settled there comfortably, yawning “I'm sleepy”

 

Kagome smiled. Then she noticed that Rin hadn't said a word, and when she looked her way she found her half asleep, her head resting on her hands.

 

“I think it's time the two of you got some rest. It's been a long day”

 

She offered her free hand to the young girl, who took it somewhat sleepily and they followed Sesshoumaru, who hadn't said a single word, out of the dinning hall.

 

Once they reached the children's quarters Kagome tucked them in, kissing each of them on their forehead before exiting their rooms.

 

On their way to Kagome's room, she decided to ask something that had been in her ind since they left the dinning hall.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama?” she started “Why didn't you allow Konosuke-kun to escort me and the children? I don't think you're doing it because you like it”

 

He did his best to prevent the annoyance he was feeling from showing on his stoic face. Without even looking her way, he pondered whether he should answer her question at all. He did not want to talk about it that very moment, but the wench wouldn't leave him alone if she did not get some kind of response, so he settled for an uncompromising answer and willed it to be enough.

 

“It would not have been appropriate for you to be left alone at night with an unmated male” he said, still not looking at her.

 

She could tell by his scent that he wasn't lying, but somehow she believed it wasn't the whole truth either.

 

“Are you mated, Sesshoumaru-sama?” she asked pointedly.

 

This time he stopped in his tracks. He didn't like the path the conversation was taking, so he tried to cut it short.

 

“That is none of your concern” he answered non-committally, his expression stoic as ever.

 

`Oh, no, you're not getting out of it that easily' thought Kagome.

 

“But it is my concern, Sesshoumaru-sama, because you have just said that it would not be appropriate for me to be left at night alone with an unmated male, and well, you're definitely a male, so I'll ask it again. Are you mated, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

 

`Damn the clever wench to the eternal flames of the Nine Hells' he thought `Very well. I shall tell her now if that is what she wishes. Be that as it may, she does not have a say in it, and it is not as if I shall stoop as low as to mate with a half breed, however powerful she might be'

 

“This Sesshoumaru does not have a mate” he said tonelessly.

 

“Then don't give me that crap about the unmated male and tell me the truth”

 

Ignoring her insolent tone, he responded in his cold voice, though the intensity of his youkai side warmed it somewhat.

 

“You are not to be left alone with him because you belong to this Sesshoumaru”

 

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So that's it for now, a long chappie this one! Anyway, please review tell me if you liked it!

Baka: idiot

Haori: Kimono shirt

Hakama: Kimono pants

Obi: belt

Honto: really