InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Her Protector ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Inuyasha, it's the sole property of Goddess Romiko Takahashi, and I cannot take credit for her genius.

 

Kagome is a college student unaware of the mortal peril she is in. He's a bitter silver - haired Adonis with a checkered past and a vow to protect humans. So when the two meet, it's a given that fireworks follow…

 

 

A/N: A big thanks to my wonderful beta, Rowdyjaner. Thanks for all the effort! Any mistakes are still all mine!

 

 

Chapter 4 - Revelations

 

The demon paused in front of the familiar doors, hope and anticipation lighting his face. Glancing about furtively, he removed his swipe card from his wallet and passed it through the reader, waiting expectantly for the doors to open. Nothing happened. Biting back an oath, he again swiped his card through reader with the same result. Sesshomaru could have howled in frustration. He slammed his fist against the doors as he realized that Divine Protection was closed to him. `Kaede! This is all your work. You actually followed up on your threat to prevent me from entering the premises.'

 

It had been two days since he had wrapped up the Otani case. Two mind-numbing days of staying at home, comforting Rin and just lazing around. Two days that had been about as exciting as watching paint dry. He couldn't take it anymore and had made his plans accordingly. After re-scenting Rin and dropping her off at her tutor's place, Sesshomaru had driven to Divine Protection, intending to cross swords with Kaede regarding her order. Idleness was something that the demon lord abhorred.

 

But he had not anticipated the wiliness of his `boss'. She had said that he would not enter and had ensured that. He would have normally flattened any door that refused to open when he wanted it to, but then, these were no ordinary doors, having been made to withstand youkai. When these doors were closed, they could not be opened by force - even by someone as strong as himself.

 

`So, if they do not open with force, then maybe I can get them open with craftiness.' He smirked as he dialed Yura's number. One of his crazier colleagues, Yura was obsessed with hair and was the proud mistress of the largest collection of wigs and hair ornaments in the world. And today, her obsession would help him thumb his nose at the old woman.

 

Disguising his voice, he said, “Yura, Kenichi here. I have that beautiful hairpiece that you wanted. Why don't you come on down and have a look at it. Yes. I'll be waiting.” Snapping the phone close and ducking behind a conveniently placed pillar, he counted silently `Three…two…one…Open Sesame!' The doors opened as Yura streaked out from the office. Sesshomaru slipped in before the doors could close and mentally congratulated himself on his quick thinking.

 

Now that he was back in familiar surroundings, he felt rejuvenated. The only problem was that he had no case to work on. Deciding to catch up on the developments in the office since his last visit a couple of weeks ago, before facing off with Kaede, Sesshomaru searched the hall for the one person in the building whom he trusted implicitly. Even though he sometimes wanted to throttle the young demon, Shippo was still one of the most loyal friends the taiyoukai had. Not only had he personally inducted the Kitsune into Divine Protection after his parent's death, but they had, since then, worked as a team on a number of cases and had grown quite close.

 

Skirting the maze of noisy cubicles, he walked to the end of the hall towards the testing room. Entering the room, he realized that a trial was in progress. He watched carefully as the redhead Kitsune, who had his back towards him, waved his hand over a couple of pens lying in a pile on the table and then pointed towards the thunder demon standing in front of him.

 

“Come on Hiten! It's not that tough. I know thunder demons don't have the best noses, but even you should be able to find out which one belongs to you.”

 

The thunder demon grunted at the Kitsune's mocking face. He knew that the Kitsune was up to one of his tricks, but wasn't sure what was going on. He cautiously sniffed at the pile of pens and then rasped out in irritation “None of them. These are just illusions. Where the hell is my pen, you pesky brat? I know you swiped it from me. I need to fill out a ton of paperwork and I don't need this aggravation from you.” Green-eyes swimming with elation, the fox picked up the top most pen and presented it to Hiten with a mock bow. The thunder demon frowned at him and sniffed the pen experimentally. It was his pen alright. “How…?”

 

Chuckling, Shippo winked at him before turning towards the door. Seeing the demon lord in the doorway, both youkai gasped out, “Sesshomaru-sama!”

 

Hiten gave his superior a low bow and then quickly left the room. Sesshomaru knew that within a few minutes, the entire office would know that he had somehow made it into the office flouting Kaede's order.

 

“Very impressive, Shippo!” He saw the young Kitsune flush with pleasure at his unexpected praise and smiled inwardly. It was so easy to make the kid happy. Of course, it helped that the kid was a genius.

 

“Huh! This is nothing. I'm working on a new scent distortion charm. While it's almost impossible - not to mention illegal - to make a pure scent charm, the charm that I'm working on slightly alters the scent so that a person or youkai wearing the charm doesn't smell exactly the same as he did before.”

 

Sesshomaru nodded distractedly, “Hmm, I can see the advantages of that. But you will have to be careful, such a charm may also be considered illegal…Turn that up will you.” The demon lord nodded towards a brand new, flat screen, Plasma television mounted at one end of the testing room, playing the news on mute.

 

Shippo grinned as he swiftly hunted for the remote. “Mr Otani was extremely pleased with your swift removal of the threat to his life and displayed his immense gratitude by installing brand new televisions throughout the office.”

 

“Shhh!” The Inuyoukai waved the kit to silence as he paid attention to the news item with the caption of “ANOTHER EYELESS MURDER?” that had caught his attention.

 

“…was last seen at Poison two days ago. Her friends claimed that they thought she had left with someone from the club and did not miss her the next day. It was only today, two days later, that the alarm was raised as to her whereabouts. We spoke to Mr. Fudo Onigumo, world renowned archaeologist and owner of Poison, on this matter.”

 

The screen shifted to focus on a middle-aged man with piercing black eyes. The man stared gravely at the screen as he spoke. “This is an extremely unfortunate incident that has occurred. We have always endeavored to make Poison extremely safe and such a thing has never happened before. Of course, we cannot be held responsible for any unwise decisions made by our patrons or any event that takes place outside our premises. However, it has greatly disturbed me that my club has become associated with a young lady's disappearance. I would like to take this opportunity to announce a reward of 5 million Yen for the successful return of Ms. Saki Mitsuri. I hope and pray that the lady is successfully returned at the earliest.”

 

The newscaster reappeared on the screen, “While Mr. Onigumo's offer of a reward is extremely generous, it may not be realized, considering the facts. Our sources within the Tokyo Police Department have informed us that the circumstances surrounding this case are very similar to those of the Eyeless Murders. We tried to speak to officials of the Youkai Law Enforcement Agency to get their input on this case but were rebuffed, as they said, and I quote, `This is a human case and as there has been no evidence of any youkai involvement, it is up to the Tokyo Police Department to handle this situation. As such, we cannot comment on this case.' Meanwhile, officials in the Tokyo Police Department have claimed that this case cannot be clubbed with the Eyeless Murders, since no body has been found as yet. It is hoped that they can solve the case before any harm comes to yet another innocent girl. And now to other news, the Grand Alliance has…”

 

Sesshomaru looked thoughtful as he put the television on mute again. `Two days ago? I was there that day…Could I have seen the girl? Or the murderer? Could I have helped her? Did the strange feeling of evil that I felt have anything to do with this disappearance?'

 

His attention shifted to Shippo, when he realized that the young kit had spoken to him. “…sure is strange, isn't it?”

 

“Repeat yourself.”

 

The teen smiled at the demon's high-handedness but complied. “Hai, Sesshomaru-sama. I was just saying that one of my friends Suichi `Kurama' Minamino was at Poison that night and had a strange experience there. He was there with his friends when some cute chick began flirting with him. She apparently could make out that he was a Kitsune despite his concealment charms. Things were going fine when suddenly she cried out in pain and started trembling. He said that her aura was fluctuating so much that he could hardly bear to see it. Kurama tried to steady her but as soon as he came in contact with her aura, he burned his hand. He was so shocked that he let her go and the last he saw of her was that she was pressed up against some other guy.”

 

The Inuyoukai listened to the tale with a stoic face, but inside his head he was busy processing the information, comparing and compiling it along with his own experiences at the club. `Something strange happened that day at the club…was this incident related to the girl's disappearance? Damn, but I need to speak to Kaede about it.' Not looking forward to what was coming next, the demon lord moved towards the exit throwing his words over his shoulder, “I'll be back Shippo. I just need to talk to Kaede about something.”

 

The young Kitsune shuddered slightly. Kaede would not be happy that the demon lord had disobeyed her orders and an angry Kaede was a sight to behold, especially with her eye-patch making her look even more fierce. But if anybody could stand up to the old lady it was Sesshomaru. Still, he mused, there sure were going to be fireworks today.

 

xxXxxXxxXxx

 

 

“…there is no doubt about it, you are absolutely sure?”

 

“Damn it, Kaede! I have been dreading this for the past 18 years. Do you not think I would take the trouble of making sure before coming to you?”

 

Kaede looked critically at the tearful woman before her. She hadn't met Satori since that fateful night 18 years ago, but the woman looked no different. Bringing her attention back to business, she tried to diffuse the situation. “You are right. Gomen Satori. It was not my intention to doubt you but I had to be sure.” The older woman grasped her friend's hand. “It will be an extremely trying time for us. Since she cannot be told anything about this, we will have to be very careful. But we will succeed. Nothing will happen to her. This I promise you, and you know I keep my promises.”

 

Satori nodded thinking back to a similar promise made 18 years ago. “Hai, I know. But how will we accomplish it? She leaves for university in 4 days and there is no time to find her a protector-”

 

The door to the office crashed open as a tall demon strode inside. “Kaede, we have to talk…” Sesshomaru had barely taken a step inside the room when he realized his mistake. Kaede was sitting at her desk with another lady sitting next to her. `Kuso! I should have made sure she was alone before barging in like this. Well I can hardly make a graceful retreat after that display…'

 

He looked at Kaede calmly as she sighed and ran a tired hand over her face. “I thought I ordered you to stay away from Divine Protection, Sesshomaru? Why are you here, and more importantly, how did you get in?”

 

Giving her a small smirk, he answered loftily “You think you could prevent this Sesshomaru from doing what he wanted to? And you know why this one has come here. I want a case. If you don't give me one, then I'll investigate the Eyeless Murders independently - I have some theories and-”

 

“Fine, I'll give you a case.” Kaede interrupted him in irritation. Looking at the nonplussed look on the demon's face, she cracked a small smile.

 

“You want a case, you got it. This is Satori Higurashi, our client and Satori this is one of our best bodyguards, Sesshoumaru Taisho.” She watched in mild amusement as the demon lord gave a short nod to the woman who was watching him with a mixture of wonder and understanding. “Satori fears that her daughter may be in some danger and has requested our help. If you are willing to take this case, you will be protecting her while she is at university. I will have the papers prepared and you-”

 

“Wait a minute! I am taking the case. Now, if she is in danger why is she going to university and what kind of danger are we talking about. If I am to…”

 

“Are you a dog?” Sesshomaru turned towards Satori, a piercing look on his cold face, as she covered her mouth with her hand aghast at what she had said. “I..I..I didn't…mean..uh..”

 

Controlling his urge to vent his displeasure at the increasingly nervous woman, he stated in a tight voice. “I. Am. An. Inuyoukai.”

 

Satori blushed and gave him a low bow. “Gomen Nesai, Sesshomaru-sama.” `I was right; he is a dog…a silver dog. Hmm, could it be…'

 

The demon dismissed the apology and turned back to his boss, trying to wrangle out more information, surprised that she was being so stingy with information about the case. “Kaede, this is ridiculous. If the girl is in danger, then it would be easier to protect her at home. Why does she HAVE to go to university? What is the danger that I have to protect her from? How do you expect me to protect her if I know nothing? And don't lie to me saying that this woman is a new client of yours. You know her from before.”

 

Looking slightly abashed, Kaede gestured towards Satori. “It is not my story to tell and if the CLIENT wants to keep some information private then you work within that framework. You should know that, Sesshomaru.”

 

“No, Kaede! He is correct. We should give him information that he NEEDS to know to protect Kagome.”

 

“But…” Kaede looked at Satori in bewilderment and then shrugged. “Go ahead then.”

 

Sesshomaru turned towards their client as she started speaking. “I hope you realize the honour that I am showing you in revealing such an important secret to you, Sesshomaru-sama, and that you will also recognize that I mean you no disrespect when I say that certain portions of the truth are too delicate to be mentioned right now.”

 

The demon quirked an eyebrow at the lady's soft words. He understood these things better than she realized having been brought up in an environment that seemed to thrive on deception and half-truths. He nodded slightly, indicating that she should go on with her story.

 

Satori took a deep breath. “Before I begin, I must ask you, what do you know about the origins of the Grand Alliance?”

 

Looking slightly affronted, the Inuyoukai turned towards his boss, “Kaede, why do you not tell her who I really am. Perhaps then she will stop insulting this one.”

 

Nervously, Kaede plaited her hands and softly implored the cold demon, “Please answer the question. I promise you that she does not mean to patronize you or insult you.”

 

The youkai huffed in irritation. “Even a child can tell you about the origins of the Grand Alliance. Over 500 years ago, a group of 100 of the most powerful mikos joined hands to rid the world of all youkai. The wars that they instigated between the humans and youkai, called the Miko wars, were extremely brutal and led to heavy casualties on both sides. Shocked by the extreme cruelties perpetrated by the mikos and the mounting death toll, the leaders of both factions met in secret and formed an alliance to overthrow the power-hungry mikos and end the war. With the combined efforts of youkai and humans, the mikos were defeated. Once the war was over all mikos, irrespective of their involvement in the war, were executed. Over time, mikos became extinct. One of the most important functions of the Grand Alliance, besides regulating human-youkai interactions and maintaining peace, is to ensure that there are no mikos left alive to cause any mayhem and death.”

 

“Is that what you believe happened, Sesshomaru-sama? The truth may be somewhat different-”

 

He interrupted her with a disdainful sniff, “Ms. Higurashi, this one was merely giving you the version of history popularized by the Grand Alliance and what has come to be common knowledge. Being the descendant of one of the original members of the alliance, this one knows that the truth is quite different.” Watching in thinly veiled amusement as the women exchanged guarded looks, he continued. “The truth is that there is no way that all the mikos could have been killed. It's not as if a miko is an entirely different species. A miko is merely a human woman with higher ki or spiritual powers than most. The founding members could not agree on exactly how much ki a person had to have before they could be considered to be a miko. They could hardly kill all human women. Also, at that time there was so much hysteria and anger among the general populace that hundreds and thousands of women were killed by angry mobs on the mere suspicion of being mikos. To stop the innocent bloodshed, the alliance members initiated a rumour that all mikos had been exterminated and they had become extinct. The ploy worked and since then, whenever a girl with strong ki is born, strong binders are secretly put on her. No one is the wiser and the girl lives her life unaware of her powers, and therefore, unable to use them. You, on the other hand, were able to overcome your binders. How did that happen, Kaede?”

 

The newly revealed miko gasped as his eyes pinned her to her chair, “I…don't…understand…what…”

 

“I know you are a miko. There is no point in hiding it.”

 

Satori swiftly moved in front of him as if to protect the ashen-faced miko from his cold anger. “How is it that you know so much, Sesshomaru-sama?”

 

Glancing at her determined face, the demon lord cracked a small smile “This one inherited his father's seat in the Grand Alliance after his death. However, due to certain, personal reasons, this one decided to abdicate the seat.” He looked at his boss who was trying to bury herself inside her chair. “You did not answer my question, miko.”

 

Kaede visibly cringed at his words “You are correct that I am a miko, but I was not born with high spiritual powers and so did not warrant a binder. As I grew, so did my ki. When I realized what I was, I put a voluntary binder on myself, so that my power would remain hidden. Now that you know, will…will…you report me?”

 

“No, Kaede. This one will not betray your secret. This one has nothing against mikos. It is lies that this one cannot stand.” There was a moment's silence as the ladies contemplated his words.

 

The females exchanged a quick look that seemed to be laden with hidden communication and then relaxed. Satori broke the silence, a small smile playing on her face. “I am glad to hear that! Sesshomaru-sama, there is much that you know, but there are still gaps that I need to fill before you can correctly understand why my daughter needs to be protected. Much before the Miko wars, mikos and youkai were at peace. Midoriko, a very powerful miko had even found a way to combine a miko's spiritual powers and youki, the demon power to create extremely strong spells and charms. However, there were many mikos who disdained her working with demons and they murdered her after stealing a very powerful artifact from her. Using the artifact, these rogue-mikos gained immense power and started the Miko Wars. When Midoriko was killed, one of the seers made a prediction that the powerful miko would be reborn to complete her work. She also predicted that the reincarnation would be in severe danger `til she gained control of her powers.”

 

Satori glanced at the youkai's stoic face. “My daughter, Kagome, is Midoriko's reincarnation. Due to certain omens, we knew this fact and had prepared accordingly. When Kagome was born, her powers were so strong that she almost purified a youkai nurse two rooms away. Not only were her powers extremely strong, but they were also highly unstable. Thankfully, anticipating this Kaede had prepared an extremely powerful binder that was put on her in the hospital. Now, as she is turning 18, her binder is gradually growing weaker to allow her to first become comfortable with her powers, and then, learn to control them. We know she is in danger but since she cannot know of what she is, it is difficult to protect her. That is where you come in.”

 

The demon lord tried to assimilate what he had heard. `I am to protect the reincarnation of the most powerful miko in history without letting her know what she is…huh…'

 

Looking at the quiet demon, Satori mentally apologized to him. `I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama, for not telling you the entire truth but you will understand it all in time…I hope.'

 

“Fine, I will do it. We will protect her at her University. What is my cover to be? A professor? Or maybe a guard?”

 

This was the part that Kaede was most worried about. When she had discussed the plan with the other woman earlier, she had known that it would be difficult for most demons but, considering the demon in front of her, it would be all but impossible to get him to agree. “No. You are going to be a student. To ensure that she will be protected 24/7, we have decided bndfbdsofodfdrxvagvxgvusu.”

 

Even with his superior hearing, Sesshomaru did not catch the last bit. “Stop mumbling, Kaede. “

 

Staring at her table as if she could find the courage to face the irate demon there, she repeated herself softly and peeked timidly at the thunderheads growing on his face.

 

“NO WAY!!! There is no way in the seven hells that this is going to happen. If you think that this one is going to do this, old woman, you are out of your mind. Both of you are totally crazy to even suggest this to me. There is no way that I, Sesshomaru Taisho, Lord of the Western Lands, am going to pose as a GIRL!!!”

 

 

TBC……

 

 

 

A/N: Ok, I have a slight dilemma. Like I told you, I have pretty much the entire plot worked out with several chapters in various stages of completion. However, I have read enough stories where the stories are moving in one direction when a sudden twist turns them around 360 degrees. While I had originally planned the rest of the story with Sessy playing a girl and causing some awesome mayhem and confusion, I am a little unsure of how it would be accepted by you guys. So I'm giving you all a chance to choose.

 

Sessy as a guy or girl?

 

Of course, I'll have to change the story drastically to accommodate a male Sessy and you would loose out on some hentai limes, but as I said the call is yours. Difficult choice much? LOL…

 

And heartfelt thanks to my reviewers:

 

Sovereignty: Thanks for all the tens! They're my first ones. ;) I am glad that you liked my story enough to write a review even though you were obviously so sleepy. And I'm gladder to have made you feel better after getting yelled at. Mission accomplished!

 

Nekokyttin

 

Like it or hate it or just plain indifferent to it, please review. I will really appreciate it.

 

A/N 2 - I know I should be doing this in the next chapter, but since I almost crushed my left hand in an accident I'm afraid that that chapter may get delayed a bit since I hate one-finger typing. (that's what I'm doing right now)

 

 

Miss Mischief: Thanks! It makes me so happy to know that you loved it. As for the Sessy being a girl bit, you have no idea what kinda mischief I've planned for him. LOL!!! Damn this accident. I can't wait to write it.

 

ChibiRin: You're the first one who wants Sessy to remain a guy. Sorry but if the votes keep coming in like this its gonna be a female Sessy. But don't worry he's not gonna be scary - ridiculously strange but not scary, that I can guarantee.

 

Sovereignty: My dear, you almost gave me a heart attack when I read your review. My first though was - IS SHE PSYCHIC? Do I need a tin-foil hat to prevent her from reading the twisted turns in my hentai mind? Then after getting my heart in control I re-read the review. You were close but haven't quite hit the nail on the head. I was a lil disappointed after all the work I did to lead to this LOL. No matter, seems like you're becoming my reviewer no 1.

 

Jessica_Hemora: Thanks for the encouragement it means a lot to me but I'm very sorry that it will be delayed for some time due to my injury.

 

Like it or hate it or just plain indifferent to it, please review. I will really appreciate it