InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Requiem of Time ❯ ... It's Another ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: What did Kagome do with that comb? :D Enjoy!

P.S. The title's sort of a continuation from the last chapter's. :3 In case you're wondering.

Chapter 7

... It's Another

Since Sesshomaru was busy verbally grappling with his mother in the snow, with the forgotten cousin looking in shock at his own blood as it came easily from his nose, Sheng thought that going to check on Kagome would be a better use of his time. So far, he was right.

After a pause to glance at Chiro as she was organizing things in the visiting lord's and lady's quarters, he strolled further down the hall and had arrived to witness Kagome throwing a decorative hairpiece at the Lady LÃ©i's chest, who shied and shrieked in horror for some odd yet nevertheless amusing reason. Why some women preferred screaming and shielding over fighting was beyond Sheng.

Whatever had transpired between them, it left the miko very flustered, and sent her marching down the hall for Sheng while the delicate, twin fingered decoration was still clattering to a stop at Lady LÃ©'s robe covered feet.

“Shall we?” Kagome asked him delightfully through her teeth before grabbing his sleeve, her pace not slowing. He glimpsed Lady LÃ©i's anger as she got over her excitement and glared past her shoulder, then his feet moved to follow before Kagome yanked him back into a stumbling predicament.

Nothing much happened between then and having Jia serve them some sake later in Sheng's quarters (which happened to be exactly where most of the sake was currently focused).

Sheng tickled his small cup thoughtfully, his fingers feeling warm despite the room temperature of the liquid. It must have been Kagome's locked gaze. For some inexplicit reason, she found his nails to be a fascinating focus for her thought-fogged eyes, no matter how often he tapped the ceramic for distraction. “Something on your mind?”

Kagome blinked, flickered her gaze from his over to Jia, then looked in the complete opposite direction and tilted her cheek slightly to him, lips pursed in trouble.

“Jia,” he addressed with a smile. A human's body language was so easy to read that they couldn't help but to look innocent most of the time. “Would you mind calling on little Li Hua's select guards for this discussion?”

The young servant nodded, a small grin on her face, and then rose and left while bowing at the same time before closing the door with a tap. What she found to be funny, or perhaps promising, was not imparting itself upon Sheng, so he got to settle down, pour another cup, and wait for the conversation to start as Kagome bit her lip and began tipping short rounds of sake to her lips.

It was about three minutes into the silence, which was permeated by the miko's fidgeting and random gulping of alcohol, when she breathed heavily in slow succession, shook her head at a passing thought, and looked at Sheng. His anticipation was almost lethal at this point.

“Remember when we first met, you tormented me by requesting to hear my whole life's story?”

He nodded. “Yes. I still look forward to seeing one of those Ferris wheels, too.”

A sheepish grin blanketed her face, and then slipped off. “Well, I'm going to make you pay me back now with a `story' of your own,” she began, bending a finger from each hand at the word `story', which had been emphasized in a quirky fashion.

A very small part of Sheng was alarmed, mostly because of the way she said that, but he swallowed his sake and set it down. “If I recall correctly, which I do, you were absolutely mortified at the thought of my telling you my life story.”

She snorted. “Yeah, because I'd be getting gray hair by the end of it.” She eyed her cup, and then grabbed it and turned it upside-down, of all things. Maybe to discourage further use. “I do plan on this taking a while though.”

For some reason, she stopped talking there, making him wonder just what kind of story she was looking for. He had many, and then many more which would send her blushing madly right out of the room. The latter could explain her brief will to getting tipsy... “Alright,” he filled in.

Satisfied, she bobbed her head, took another breath, and broke their eye contact. “I, ah…” He was hoping that this wasn't the long part… “Um. Oooh! I don't want to be ignorant anymore!”

Blinking with surprise, thanks to his previous thoughts of sending her blushing out of the room, the corners of his lips twitched. That was just his thought process playing tricks. Wondering why she was yelling, Sheng waited for more.

“I-! Oye… I don't know. That's the whole, huge, fricken problem. I don't know!”

Damn. This was probably, indeed, the long part. “Don't kno-o-ow…?” he prompted for completion.

Some hair was tucked behind her ear. Some thoughts analyzed against the ceiling. Continents drifted. Then she answered. “Anything.”

“Anything,” he repeated.

Sighing, as though he were making this difficult, he began receiving waves of embarrassment as they washed off her. The emotion was raw enough to tickle his nose, like that European pepper.

“You want me to enlighten you on something?” he suggested, looking forward to a possible sneeze. It had been centuries since his last one, and he quite enjoyed them.

“Yeah,” she replied through an exhale, shoulders loosening. “A lot of things. I just don't know where to start.”

That was something she needed to deal with, so he refilled his cup and sipped the silence away, brushed with a silly sense of loss for a completely faded sneeze.

“Okay,” she whispered, sounding decisive. “To put it simply, I want to understand yÅkai. As in, what your thoughts are based on, your culture, certain… Ah, customs.”

“Mating?” he suggested, humored.

A pretty little flush filled her skin. “Yes. I'd ask Sesshomaru, but he seems a little strung out right now, and you're just pretty easy to talk to.”

As far as he had gathered, Kagome already heard an explanation on mating. From Sesshomaru's mother, of all the hilarious sources. He was certain that it hadn't lasted hours though, so Kagome was, most likely, delving for detail now.

The light footsteps of about four guards settled outside the door, two of them moving in opposite directions away to flank the walls. Kagome didn't seem to notice them.

“I feel at a really big disadvantage,” she jumped onward. “Not just with strength in general, or the senses, but, you know… I don't really fit in here, and it's uncomfortable.”

Sheng laced his fingers, and settled his forearms onto the table, the act leaning him forward a little. “You do realize that, though information can help, things will only get better with time and experience. Correct?”

A humbled mood saturated her features, and she smiled a little while lifting and dropping her chin once.

He mimicked the expression and gesture, and sat back. “Good. By all means, start asking questions.”

----------

He should have just killed his cousin... After all, deaths were easier dealt with than attempted murders, since a corpse could not speak and thusly stir politics into a frenzy.

At least, that's what Sesshomaru kept thinking while walking the o-shiro. It had been a while since he last did a patrol of his private land, looking things over and making sure no one and nothing were as they shouldn't. So far, it was as dull and uneventful as ever.

Kueng had opted to leave after the night, seeing as Sesshomaru still felt there was some meat to tear between them. His cousin's wench had scoffed upon overhearing Kueng's decision, but made no other response. Sesshomaru had scented Kagome on the woman, and left their presence for his mother to juggle in favor of seeing how his intended was fairing. By the looks of the deaf and mute guards, who reminded Sesshomaru of a long silent conversation with Lady Feng, it seemed that Kagome wanted a very private audience with Sheng, in his quarters, which bothered Sesshomaru about as much as the smell of fresh sake did.

Why the analyzed scene irked him, he didn't know, but he now found himself oddly jealous and ready for murder. Just what, exactly, could be so secret that even he was not allowed to overhear? Certainly, he could have walked over and opened the door to blatantly listen, but that would require four dead bodies of his mother's hell-bent-on-obedience guards. So, begrudgingly, he left.

This was, as he saw things, not appropriate. Kagome was beginning to pull authority through the fact that everyone knew he was seeking her, and that was not supposed to happen. In fact, it was very rude, and the servants would soon begin to second guess whose request came first in fulfilling.

He forced into himself a deep breath, and seethed it out while stepping off the wooden walkway to wander through the thawing grounds. He wasn't really mad at Kagome. It was his pent up emotions looking for release, nothing else. He knew she wouldn't tolerate a 'this is where you stand' conversation, something which sounded enjoyable to give, but it would be hard to phrase that one delicately anyway so he avoided the thought. Besides, everyone knew that exposure and time were the best lessons. She would learn. It was just taking a little while. Still, was he just going to stand back and accept it? Let her do as she pleased? Well, it seemed that having the one security force which didn't obey him (didn't mind proving as much) happily guard her and Sheng off was very pleasing, and that…

His breath was forceful, and the sound of it in his ears reminded him to rein himself in. Do as she pleased? It sounded fair, with her being a guest more than anything else, but there were uncheck limits. They were not mated, so she should not have permission to exercise the authority that she did, whether she saw it as requests or not.

Then again, she was ignorant. For her, requests were never orders, but obedience was still given. And he was overlooking Sheng, who would have easily been heeded should he ask for a fraction of the guards. Then again, why would he? Why would Kagome be in a protected conversation, in Sheng's quarters? And why was it now lasting for more than an hour?

Sesshomaru's pace was a little fast, and the humming of the barrier greeted his sensitive ears as he neared it. He stared past the calm swirls of youki at the roiling clouds, which hid the base and sometimes the sides of the flying castle. Seeing as no one was seeking them out with malicious intent, the cloud was left to be thin, and not thirty feet or more overhead.

Really, he should not have to deal with this. Questioning the actions of both his future mate and a most trusted counsel member always promised displeasure. But he was displeased already, so that did not seem worthy of worry. Still, he was at least bothered, and being bothered was vexing.

“You are nearing your limit...” came his mother's voice from earlier, flashing through his memories.

Listening to the frustrated growl dragging out of him, he tried to just push everything aside. Kagome was not in the position to understand these things, and he shouldn't hold her accountable for them.

Like she did to me for having a concubine.

He loosened his fists. Sesshomaru was not this immature. He refused to be. Her lack of comprehension had led to months of slow recovery, and he was not about to turn around and repeat it.

That didn't help to keep the anger from roiling like the nearby clouds as it sought its source and for a means to vent. Beating his cousin hadn't helped, much. In fact, Sesshomaru was feeling worse. Aghast over suddenly visible restraints which used to be his rights. He did not understand the why of present things, and that was a problem in and of itself. Maybe this downward spiral of events was his fault. Maybe he was doing something wrong.

Someone appeared at the outskirts of his senses, and he turned to continue along the barrier, catching a figure in his peripheral. It wasn't male, so he took a glance before training his eyes ahead and continuing his stroll.

“Lord Sesshomaru...” came a lost voice, hollow with abandonment yet light with recognition. He should not feel bad about the weight in her tone, it was not his doing. It was Kagome's. Which was odd, thinking of it like that. Maybe she had been exercising power not only over the servants? That sent his hands into fists again.

“Lord Sesshomaru,” she repeated, sounding more firm. He heard her stepping onto crunchy snow to follow him, and wondered if she had been stalking the more muddy bits of exposed grass to get that close in the first place. “Please, wait?”

“No,” he bit out, emotions boiling. This was a bigger mess than he realized. He was a bigger mess than he realized. Despicable. No wonder his cousin held limited respect for him.

Chiro wavered in her path, but continued following cautiously and meekly after him. “Forgive me. I merely wished to say hello.”

He ignored her, wondering if servants were peeking through hair width slits in doors. If they thought he was interested in Chiro, it would be a matter of minutes before Kagome knew. ... This was not how he should be living. After all, they were at least eighty feet from the nearest building, and the senses of servants were not as sharp as someone's of higher status.

“You seem bothered,” she commented, staying a good six feet back and studying him.

His breath was somewhat heavy. This time he ignored it, and remained silent and on course. As soon as Kagome was done talking with Sheng, he would go see her. Kueng had attacked her honor excessively, and Sesshomaru now wanted to see how she was feeling about having that scenario over being unquestionably stuck in the past. She could be very sensitive to certain things, and seeing her would do his mood some much needed good. Maybe.

Hesitation was shadowing Chiro, loud in her slightly quick movements, in her short breath. That was about as much as he could pick up from her, seeing as she was downwind and to his back. At those odds, she could read him better than he could her, which did not improve his mood.

“You're hurting.”

Nope. Did not improve it at all. “Attend to your duties,” he ordered automatically, hearing his voice in its familiar neutral authority. When her footsteps continued following him, he stopped and turned halfway. Some people needed an expression to be persuaded to leave him alone.

She faltered to a stop, hands together and to her chest as though willing herself to not run away. She had a horrible look on her face. “You are.”

It was pity.

He should not have to deal with this. “Leave.”

Her legs visibly stiffened, denying his order. “What did she do?”

His fingers twitched on their own, and she glanced at them with worry.

“Do as you are told, and leave me be.”

Chiro's face tightened, trying to hold in emotions. Good. “Those orders are not yours, are they?”

He glared, but was a tad off guard. Of course they were his, who else would- … She was referring to Kagome?

“Lord Sesshomaru, would you like to talk?” Chiro asked, looking sad now. “We could always talk.”

Furious, he took a step towards her. How dare she defy him? How dare she even speak to him? She knew what she had done. She needed to learn to leave him alone.

Fear bolted through her, and dropping to her knees submissively, Chiro put her face centimeters from the snowy patch in a practiced show of demure inferiority. “I'm sorry, My Lord!”

He stopped. With her actions being performed right then and there he was forced to acknowledge them. Suddenly uncomfortable, he looked away. The damage had been done though, and an emotion flaked up from its beaten position in his subconscious, warming his mood. It had been a very long time since someone demonstrated their weakness openly to him, and the protective instincts wanted to kindle into awareness. Wanted to reassure her that she could stay and serve him, that she was still accepted. It was stronger since the last time, which was ages ago. Not only was he older, and nearing the age when he would inherit full authority from his aggravating mother, but he'd also been pursuing Kagome as a mate. He knew those two factors stimulated the urge to become something more than he was. More than he, logically, was prepared to really handle.

Even without that, he couldn't accept Chiro's display, because there were consequences.

Sesshomaru turned and left her there, and a hollow emptiness carved into him, almost painful after being exposed to the opposite and losing it.

He should not have to deal with this...

----------

Kagome's head hurt, but it was a dull throbbing now, going down with the sun. YÅkai were complicated, confusing, and irrational beings, and the ones she was dealing with just had to be dogs. Cats would have been easier. They were superior to anything, loved you for what you offered, and killed you for fun if you were smaller than they were. But dogs… Their psychology was an instinct driven mess. If Sesshomaru ever gave her crap for being a female, she was throwing his species right back at him.

And now she sighed, surrendering herself to her bed with an 'elegant' flop. Limbs sprawled comfortably and thoughts racing, she decided that the room was warm enough to stay above the blankets, and dragged her makeshift pillow over. Sure, they did have pillows in the past, but they were the most horrid things she'd ever come across; thin wooden blocks with a rolled fabric as thick as her wrist was not comfortable, though seemingly accepted by everyone she laid eyes on. Even bundled up hay would be better than what they had, no matter how pretty they were. By the looks of it, Sesshomaru just didn't prefer pillows, though he did seem to enjoy the one in the guest room at her home.

“Sleeeep,” she slurred like any professional zombie, turning her left cheek to the folded fabric and relaxing, hoping the headache would resolve itself by the morning. It was an odd headache, and unsettled her ever so slightly. “Gooood sleeeeep...”

Minutes passed, and the only thing keeping her from slipping off was her train of thought. It held her suspended above the foggy pool of unconsciousness, and its gray swirling promised some good dreams as it ran like a cloud through her muscles, numbing them from her mind and allowing it to focus solely on the new information.

Her conference with Sheng lasted the whole darn day, interrupted for food and use of the `facilities', both on her part. It was well worth it though. Her questions started off simple enough, and he answered them with stories and examples galore, which was probably why it had taken so long now that she thought about it. A lot of the things he said though kept her laughing, so the day wasn't a boring fact-fest. Besides, Sesshomaru said he'd be in meetings -or at least that's what she related them to- all day. Despite the fight, a schedule was a schedule. What else was she supposed to do? Sit like a good little rock?

Groaning, she snuggled into herself, reviving her muscles and making them whine with odd reflexes, and finally decided to wriggle under the thick coverlet. Settled anew, with warmth all around her, her mind rested.

And then it began wondering how she'd think about all the things Sesshomaru did from that point on. The meanings of every action were magnified now. Words held more power. Even scenarios which didn't involve her could reflect on her mere presence, which Sheng related the day's big brawl to, and that was horrifying. Still, it all explained too many things. Even, if she thought really hard to remember, some little scenes from four years and some odd months ago.

Flashbacks flickered to life, putting situations in a different light. It made her groan with a stomach twisting embarrassment, and she pressed her face forcefully into her pillow briefly. If she thought that Sheng's pointing out that a yÅkai's nose could pick up emotions was as mortifying as being seen making out with the skeleton in your closet, then this… This was a reality TV stunt gone horribly well for the producers, then for the media.

Dusting the mental images away, she snuggled her `pillow' and waited for the next thought to settle into awareness.

Apparently, Sesshomaru started taking interest in her years ago.

She giggled nervously, her gut clenching lightly as a means to anchor her abruptly soaring spirits. Sleepiness ebbed for the moment in light of the thought. Did he really? It didn't seem like it. Then again, she had probably begun to fall for him then, too. That would explain the little giggle she wanted to give when he had undone her obi knot for her. That was so long ago… Had he enjoyed it? … If anything, he'd probably enjoyed her lack of decency when she jumped out of the bath at the feel of the Shikon no Tama approaching.

Her feet rubbed one another under the blanket, and she hummed, cheeks pink but overall liking this. Apparently, even the fact that he had listened to her rant at the carnival showed he respected her a lot, and he hadn't even liked her! Or at least, he did really well in not showing it. Then again, the meaning was probably subconscious to him as well, since Sheng said most instincts come and go like breathing and heartbeats, just as heeded. On the other hand, he should have regardless, seeing as she had hosted him at her place, treated him to the carnival, and had gotten dressed up to avoid looking odd with him. Not that she expected things from Sesshomaru... She enjoyed what he offered freely anyway.

Kagome stilled for a little while, thinking. Alright, she had to admit, she did have a few expectations, such as he not see other women if his intent was to court her.

“I cannot spend the rest of my days with a broken woman at my side.”

“Hmm...” she hummed with a huge smile, thinking. She'd never forget those words. Ever. She wished he never saw her as being 'broken', no matter how traumatized she had been. The jerk had been unofficially courting her, and bedding a woman on the side?

That still upset her when she thought about it, but Kagome sobered and scrambled for something else to occupy her mind.

Where was Sesshomaru, anyway? She half expected that he'd seek her out by now…

Her curiosity peaked for half a second, then got washed away. He was wherever he wanted to be, or had to be, and she was tired. Damn, Sheng could really talk when he got into it. His making her tell him her life story had placed him to be more of a listening man in her views, but apparently he was flexible.

Images of the fight flickered, and she wondered how that one turned out. Sheng had said that men righteously defend the honor of those they care about, and it turned out that Kueng had delved artistically into some Latin to call her a bitch. Was that what had snapped Sesshomaru's patience? Quite frankly, though it peeved her to know what the ass had called her, hearing Latin for a while seemed quite poetic, even in cursing. Sesshomaru liked languages. He even related them to power while sharing with her that he'd been studying English. Maybe he spoke Latin? … French seemed a little harder to imagine, but nothing was impossible. Italian would be interesting. Well, now she had a good conversation starter the next time she needed one.

Then again, people always learn the curse words first, so it wouldn't surprise her if he didn't speak any of them…

But really, had he attacked his cousin over something little like that? Dear lord, she was being presumptuous. It felt good, she couldn't deny that, but it also irritated her a little. Really, fighting was stupid and a waste of time, but being protected so vigorously... It was enough to make her shudder happily. Li Hua was right. She said he'd protect her, and her children if such were the case. If Kagome remembered correctly, the woman said he'd protect her with his very life if need be.

Feeling warm, Kagome curled up a little more and smiled lazily, feeling her emotions wrap themselves around that warmth. Cradling it like a helpless infant needing nourishment, and holding it close to her heart. It felt good, and the relaxation it induced whispered through her.

…

Waking up alone was extremely disappointing, but Kagome ignored the emotion. She quickly brushed her teeth, running low on toothpaste, ate some snow from outside and scrubbed her face with some more, brushed her hair with her fingers, and then flossed her teeth with the strands she tugged loose. Hey, it was the closest thing to floss she was getting to, so she couldn't complain much.

Felling as ready as possible, she straightened her clothes, knowing they were going to remain crooked for having slept in them, and left the room. She wanted to go and greet Sesshomaru, wondering how his night was, and looked for him by scanning the place for his energy. Then frowned. His location wasn't being obvious.

“Hum,” she commented to herself, walking in the direction of Jia, the closest person she recognized. After exchanging morning courtesies, Kagome asked if she knew where Sesshomaru was.

The young woman's brow furrowed, an unexpected expression, then looked around as though she could see through walls. “I have not seen him for a time. He may have left.”

“Oh,” Kagome replied, wondering why. That odd feeling from last night stirred, without the headache, and then subsided. “For any reason you can think of?”

She shrugged, still helping another servant in folding a huge obi. Apparently, it was laundry day. Quite a few servants were in pairs, and each group was designated a pile of clothes, most of them looking like they just belonged to the servants. There were children off in a good quarter of the fairly large room, playing with and trying to fold less colorful fabrics belonging to them and their parents.

“Do not worry yourself,” Jia reassured with a smile. “He does this because he bears a lot of responsibility.”

Kagome smiled, feeling her chest light for some reason. Really, no need to throw a hissy fit. He was out. So what? “True.”

The day was busy, for everyone except Kagome, and she was quickly bored. The children wouldn't be able to play yÅkai-soccer, seeing as they were busy. If Kagome was desperate, she could offer to watch the babies, but that was better avoided.

“Hm,” she breathed, relaxed and not very entertained in her bath. There were three women attending her, as usual, but Jia was somewhere else. It was the middle of the day now, but why not, she could still be folding clothes. She offered her help before leaving, but in all practicality, she didn't know how to fold kimono. Or obi. Or most anything they were working on. There was a system they all knew, and she wasn't in the mood to learn it anyway.

The women tending to Kagome were strangers, yet knew what to do, keeping themselves busy in the bath room. It was odd to be waited on hand and foot, but it was also a nice treat which they refused to not give. Kagome never got to bathe in private at the o-shiro. It was as though they saw it as dishonoring her if she was left to scrub her own darn toes.

“Would you like more hot water?” one of them asked politely, and Kagome peered through a cracked eyelid. It was the woman with green eyes.

“Sure,” she agreed, knowing that if she denied, the steam of being on the burner would fog up the air a lot. She enjoyed hot baths anyway.

A bucket was dipped into her tub to remove some lukewarm water before adding more, a fantastic idea she would have overlooked, and she squeezed to the side to avoid the liquid cloud of heat before it had a chance to be stirred in with a paddle-like stick the size of a big, wooden, salad serving spoon.

“Would you like an oil today?”

“No, thanks,” Kagome replied, testing the water with her hip before easing into it. It was fantastic.

“Have you eaten, my lady?”

The girl with brown eyes was cute, looking quite new at this. The other two servants shifted, apparently forgetting that Kagome's being human made her hungry at least three times a day.

“No,” Kagome admitted, ready to say that she didn't need to eat. The girl bobbed her head though, short cropped hair swishing, and she was gone almost instantaneously to get food.

A bath and breakfast were always splendid for any day, but now that Kagome was ready, she had nothing to be ready for. Where was Sesshomaru, anyway? Maybe at the well? He said he'd have it fixed. How, though, she hadn't a clue, but he said it so it must be possible. Or did he say he'd try? … If he jumped into it, she was going to have an argument with him. That is, if she still existed to have an argument with him. Time was tricky like that.

“Are you bored?” Jia asked later on.

The question startled Kagome out of her training stance. Even when wearing hakama and a haori, it was still hard to keep your balance with a sword in hand and with bumpy, packed-into-ice snow underfoot. The five minute long routine was now extremely interrupted, so she sheathed the blade and sighed, sweating in the shade which was typically that spot and kept it icy.

Still nothing from Sesshomaru. Couldn't hurt to ask for an update. “Is he still gone?”

Jia nodded, and Kagome shuffled her feet, bored out of her mind. This was one reason she was disinclined to even consider living there. Visiting was good enough, for now. Maybe she should take the initiative to leave though, seeing as nothing good was coming of being there. Hell, why stay if other houseguests want you dead?

Stepping into the light, a glance at the sun revealed the time. Quite a bit past noon. Sango would be cooking for her family soon, seeing as they ate two times a day in the winter. She really did have quite the culinary skills, seeing as she was the only female in the home most of the time while growing up, and therefore the one to feed her father and brother. Kagome would just bring a lot of 'future delights' while they were shard hunting, and it became the norm to cut out the need for a big cooking pot, so Sango didn't really get to shine until after Naraku's death, when she married.

After talking a little while, Jia left and then brought Kagome a pitcher of water and a cup to drink it from, keeping them both in the sun to prevent freezing. Kagome continued with what she was doing, hoping for sore muscles. At least they'd give her something to mutter and complain over later on.

After two minutes, something was really nagging at her. It was distracting and completely unneeded. It wasn't until she stopped for a craved drink of water that she saw someone watching from the shadows of an opened door. For resilient yÅkai, the cool weather was excellent for airing out winter stuffed rooms.

She stiffened, looking for features which would identify the unfriendly lord and lady, but soon recognized the man. He was- ... Um, he was-erm... Dammit, his name was so simple to reme- LE! It was Le, a member of the council. … What the hell was he doing there?

“Hey,” she greeted, pouring a glass and drinking almost greedily. It tasted so good...

“If you plan to continue with your training, it is common sense to not do so with a bloated sack of liquid in your midriff.”

She lowered her glass to glare at the guy over its ceramic rim, then finished it off. “It's not a life or death situation.”

Bending to set the glass down, something felt wrong. She didn't even bother to keep holding the container, and jumped back a good distance.

“It can be,” Le commented from three feet away, the glass now balancing on the flat of his sword. Holy crap... It slid down the blade, landed happily where she had aimed to put it, and he turned to her, looking really irritated. “That was a pathetic stunt you pulled yesterday.”

She bristled, but stepped back to a more comfortable four feet from him. “Hey, I didn't start it,” she defended, now thinking that five feet was healthier. “That bastard-”

“Made an attempt on your life,” Le stated a cold hard fact, and she watched him like he were a snake. His eyes, a really warm, dark gold, flickered to her hand, and he smirked evilly. “Seize your sword, and I will sever it from you via your wrist.”

Realizing only now she had been reaching for it, Kagome took the hint and let her hand drop. Dammit... At least she had her energy.

Considering what to do, she blinked, and flinched when the scenery changed without warning. There was a sword in front of her face, and a hard expression on the other side of it.

Shrieking, she tried to fall back, and simply fell. The blade followed her, and she found herself looking up its perfectly rendered design, starting at the tip, and going to the wrapped hilt and iron grasp. Not good...

Le harrumphed, and the sword left her personal space. “Get up.”

“I prefer sitting, thanks,” she snipped, hoping it was a part of his code of honor to not kill a woman while she was down. Hell, she hoped he had a code of honor. Double hell, she hoped he gave a damn about miko.

“Then I will spare young Lord Sesshomaru the shame of knowing one so weak.”

Temper ignited, she stubbornly found her feet, and decided to just will his toy sword away from him for the rest of the evening until he proved to be a good little boy. Within a fraction of time she had holy power coursing though her, lighting her blood and seeping into her muscles slowly like heat from bath water. It was there, whole and alive. And then it was gone, and her ears were ringing.

“AAAAGH!!” she cried, grabbing her head as things shook and her senses overloaded. Something scratched her throat, and she lashed out an arm to stop it, hitting nothing.

Something released. The floodgate opened. Kagome shivered as her energy gradually came back, dull and almost ashamed. Le was staring at her, and she was holding onto a support beam, which ran from the edge of the walk up to the roof. Not again... Why was everyone exploring this new trick all of a sudden?

“Dammit!” she yelled at him, touching her sore throat and feeling it wet. Surprised, she took her fingers back and looked at them, seeing a glimmering red. Nervous, she put her whole palm to the place which felt like a scratch, and her sweat came off to bathe in the opening like a true sinner into holy water, burning. Taking her hand back, she saw multiple lines drawn lazily in blood across the grooves of her palm, and counted. Six. There were six. Experimentally scratching a nail lightly up from the base of her neck, it caught on skin several times, confirming scratches.

“Seven decapitations,” Le began, slicing the snow once as a quick means to clean the blade, “for the price of wetting your eyes.”

Kagome grabbed her throat, wondering if her head would slide off. It never did, and she forced a shaky breath through a nervously clenched esophagus, then another.

“How dramatic,” the older yÅkai commented.

Kagome couldn't help but think that Sesshomaru was going to rip Le a new one, but she pushed the thought aside. Sesshomaru wasn't there to really give a darn right now, anyway.

“On your feet,” Le ordered in a suddenly lighthearted way, his blade disappearing as it spun like a baton to stop completely clean of any snow or moisture. “This time be ready, or I shall cut more deeply.”

In the time it took for Kagome's heart to miss a beat, the implosion and sapped strength echoed in her, and then exploded back, leaving her sitting mostly on the snow and holding the lip of the walkway. Her throat hurt more, and panic coursed through her.

“I can die,” she warned him without thinking, mortified.

“Good,” he replied calmly, barely slicing some snow again and spinning the sword in a complex gesture. “Then you will learn more quickly.”

Kagome fumbled her hands behind herself, feeling as she moved back and onto the walkway. Right now, her energy was weak, having been stripped from her twice, and a solid doubt in its usefulness fell like lead into her stomach. He was too fast for her sword, and he knew how to disarm her being a miko. “You're joking.”

The sun splashed scenery disappeared for an instant, dropping her into a darkness filled with a ringing, hollow pain, like her bones were struck bells. Then her vision was completely back, some hot little stars dancing at the edges of her sight, and she was left with a headache and a sight of the walkway's ceiling. And of Le, who was looking down at her from not too far away as she lay on her back.

Kagome screamed and lifted a knee instinctively, but seeing as her calves were hanging off the edge of the walkway and he was standing between her knees, the action didn't do a whole hell of a lot of good…

She heard the simultaneous thud of her elbows smacking against the same thin wooden floorboard her head lay on before feeling the pain, and inside she was shrieking.

“There are things worse than death, you know,” Le almost commented, perfectly fine with having her pinned in an ancient `bad' position that sent her muscles quivering for action and her mind scrambling. “If you plan on becoming Sesshomaru's mate, then you sure as hell better expect the worse to come.”

Her energy swelled on its own, and again was ripped from her consciousness, leaving her in a soul wrenching agony. This time her vision remained off, no matter how hard she stared up for the ceiling, and her arms and legs didn't have it in them to shake anymore.

“Kagome!” came Jia's pretty voice, and sharp little smacks soon hit her cheeks.

“I'm here,” she said, a little hollow. Damn, she was tired. Some clouds were coming across the black canvas, pin pricked by stars, and as they continued to form Kagome realized that it was her vision sharpening. “… I'm here.”

“How many eyes to I have?” Jia asked, and Kagome frowned, not really able to see them yet.

“Two.”

“Okay,” Jia confirmed, sniffing the air. “Can you sit up?”

“U-huh,” Kagome replied, blinking and not doing much else. “After a nap?”

“It smells like Lord Le was here,” Jia commented, making Kagome's reality spin as she was forced to sit up.

Her body felt like it was moving through water, and her mind like it was a buoy in it. Feeling that beam rub her shoulder, Kagome leaned heavily into it, not trusting her spine. Damn, she was sapped. How weird was that? At least now she could see very blurred shapes. Her heart hurt, beating oddly. “Yeah, because he was.”

“He was?!” the girl chirped, and then Kagome felt warm fingers on the cuts on her neck, and she flinched. “Did he do this?”

“Yeah.” Feeling sick now as some double vision was resolving itself. She'd had her tonsils removed before, and waking up from that was starting to feel similar to this. Just the slow, sluggish recovery time. The drug had taken five minutes or more to resolve though. So far, this was taking fifteen seconds.

Energy flickering like a candle in a hurricane, Kagome focused on it, and willed more power into her. For some reason, her limbs shook again, and her heart raced steadily, despite the fact that she only had enough in her grasp to feel others out, which would do.

As soon as she found her footing again, she was going over to Le and having a chat with him.

----------

A/N: So, did the comb thing surprise you? XD Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry it took a while to update again. Things are going a lot better, and I've been rediscovering fun, time consuming hobbies. Writing hasn't been the most popular though, sorry! :(

In reference to the chapter, yes, there's a little twist here with Sesshy, but I promise to keep it small and not drag you along like I did in the end of MD. Not to say that it's unimportant and a waste of chapter space. Anyway, we'll see what comes of it.

And I'm thinking that quite a few people are going to erupt over Chiro's appearances and actions, but I guess I won't know until such is voiced. Er, typed.

Also, the re-entry of a long at peace character, Le! When I first wrote him in, I was actually thinking he'd be more popular (tenfold…) than Sheng. I know, `what was she thinking,' but this isn't the first story that's had characters take charge of their own fates. It tends to render great results, anyway. :D

Speaking of Sheng, I was going to write out his and Kagome's conversation, but it really wasn't working out the way I'd hoped, so expect Kagome to refer to that.

Oh, and here's a news flash! I have a plot developed for a new story! A fun story. I hope it's an original idea, too. My friend (and persistent non-reader, hehe) says that she thinks it is original, which I find to be reassuring since she's digging through both fanfiction.com and mediaminer.org all the time for the best stories to read. So, I'll be updating the first chapter of that story along with the last chapter of this one! -gasp- Can you believe it? The last chapter… Oh, this glorious nightmare can rest soon! (joking. … About the `soon'. Dear lord, any bets one that one?)

Oh, and speaking of mediaminer, I'm sorry to everyone reading this from that site, for the last chapter if nothing else. Apparently, the formatting is `skitzing' out a little, and so I've gotten some duo-site-readers coming into their fanfiction accounts to read this story. Again, sorry for the trouble, I hope it clears up.

As always, review, please, and thanks for reading! :) I'll keep trying to update sooner.

~AD