InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Longest Journey ❯ Mischief and Malice ( Chapter 21 )

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

Chapter 21: Mischief and Malice

Leiko walked into the main reception room of the Northern Palace, and smiled, pleased with her preparations. She was ready for the old dog to come home - soon, she'd officially be the Lady here, and not have to resort to threats to get her way. She frowned, she'd definitely be replacing that Suma creature as soon as things were finalized.

Most of those here had fought her when she'd first arrived, bringing her two most faithful soldiers with her, but after she'd killed a couple of the most forward of the servants, the others had grudgingly fallen into line, and followed her orders.

The biggest fight had come when she'd ordered her things placed in the rooms adjoining Sugimi's - it seemed the little ningen wench had been given those rooms, and her things were in them. Grudgingly, she'd left them alone, deciding to wait till Sugimi returned and she could convince him to mate her instead of the stupid ningen woman.

Now, she only had to wait. She knew that the group was on its way back to the palace, she'd seen in her mirror that something was going on, and they were coming here at a rapid pace - although, she hadn't seen Sesshoumaru, and wondered where he'd gone.

Settling herself down on one of the cushions thrown around the room, she considered the shiro, and all she'd seen. It was obvious that it had been completely redone recently, due to misuse by the previous occupant, but the results were beautiful - whoever had directed the redecorating certainly had style. She wondered idly, it rather looked as though Sugimi himself had done it - it was a good match for his tastes.

Smiling happily, she nodded. Yes, this place will suit me just fine - and I'll still have my own estates to go to if I need a break.

From her point of view, things couldn't have been more perfect.

---zZz---

Kagome had spent what little time in the evenings she could meditating, trying to figure out an answer to the mess they'd found themselves in. Unsure of what, exactly, they would be facing, she could only guess just what Inuyasha had been aiming for - and what had actually happened, since he'd been using shards tainted with Naraku's malice and hatred.

It was causing a lot of frustration, as the others seemed to think she'd find the answers easily, and be able to assure them that everything would be okay. It was causing a bit of tension within the pack - and that wasn't really a good thing.

Sugimi himself seemed to be the only one besides the children that understood, and didn't pressure her, and she was enormously grateful for it, because she was just about ready to fly apart, if the truth be told, and finally, one evening as she sat near the fire, the comments and questions and complaints took their toll, and she snapped at them all

"That's enough!" Jumping to her feet, her eyes spit sparks at the suddenly silenced people sitting around staring at her. "I said I would try my best to find a way to save him, but dammit! I am not a kami, and I'd really appreciate it if you all would stop hounding me! I am not the one that made this stupid-ass mistake, Inuyasha did, so blaming me because I'm struggling to find a way out of this for his sake isn't helping!" She closed her eyes, tears of exhaustion and stress, and even more, pain, slid down her face, and finally, she turned on her heel and walked away, saying over her shoulder, "Just leave me alone - I can't even look at any of you right now, I'm too exhausted to deal with it anymore tonight."

No one spoke as Kisho hissed at them all and took off after his mistress.

After a time, Sugimi spoke into the silence. "Kagome is right. Inuyasha made this mistake, and she is doing her best to find a way to save him from his stubbornness and idiocy - but hounding her about it is not going to accomplish anything, and is strictly counter-productive. This isn't something that even Midoriko could have just fixed - I wouldn't want to even attempt to figure it out." He caught each person's gaze, noting the guilty looks they all sported, then spoke again.

"I will not allow any of you to continue bothering her about it. If she wants to speak of it, that is up to her, but otherwise, I don't want to hear anything on this topic unless you have something helpful to say, is that clear?" Everyone nodded. "Good, because I will not allow anyone to cause my Lady anymore grief than what has already been thrust upon her - and I can promise great pain to those who do not heed my warning." He stood then and moved off after Kagome, disappearing like an apparition under the trees.

Miroku stared into the fire, and then looked up, frowning. "I'm afraid he's right. We have only been making things worse for her." Looking at Kikyou, he nodded at her. "I understand your worry and fear - but taking it out on Kagome won't change anything. Inuyasha really did bring this on himself."

Kikyou nodded, but looked away. "I know - but it's really hard. I keep getting so many horrible feelings coming through the mark... and I fear that the longer this takes, the more of his mind will be destroyed." Standing, she moved towards her bedding, then looked back over her shoulder at the rest of the group. "If this takes too long, there won't be anything left of him to save."

Miroku glanced at Sango, then at Koga, and sighed, before looking back into the fire.

Damn you, Inuyasha! Why couldn't you be happy with the mate you have? Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone?

Now instead, you've left us with this mess!

---zZz---

Sesshoumaru cast a quick glance at the kaze youkai, curious as to how she'd been brought back. He'd been well aware that she'd died - he chuckled internally - seems like death just wasn't all that binding lately, what with Kagome, whose death was fake, to his father and Kagura, who both really had died.

"Tell me, Kagura - how did you regain your life?" He ignored the presence of the child-youkai, and the sleeping infant, concentrating only on her.

Kagura looked over at the handsome youkai Lord she was currently flying near, and smiled. "You know I keep calling Kagome 'mother', correct?" At his nod, she grinned and continued. "While I've mostly been doing it, I will admit, to annoy her, in a literal sense, she really is."

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. "Explain."

"Kagome is the shikon jewel, Sesshoumaru, and since Naraku used it to 'birth' both Kanna and I, she is, in a very real sense, our mother. Her soul is what gave us life."

He nodded. "Understood. However, that still doesn't explain how you are still alive, when you should be dead."

Kagura just laughed. "And why should I be dead? Because Naraku said so? But he wasn't powerful enough to naysay Kagome's soul, and it is her soul that kept me in my elemental form, until this form could be regenerated. It was not, apparently, my time to die, so my mother saved me."

Sesshoumaru shot her a considering look. "Hn."

Kagura's lips curved upward wistfully. "In a way, it's nice to be able to call someone 'mother'. Those of you born the normal way are lucky, you know. Kanna and I are... different."

Sesshoumaru nodded silently. After awhile, he said, "Different is not necessarily unacceptable... do not apologize for what you are." He met her eyes then, holding her gaze steadily until she blushed and dropped her own, before turning and gazing ahead again.

No further words were spoken.

---zZz---

Sugimi scowled. They'd had a long, frustrating week spent moving as quickly as possible to get back to his home, and now that he was nearing it, he was picking up on an aura that he could definitely have done without.

Leiko.

How the hell had she found out he was back - let alone what he was doing, and where he was living?! And then he wanted to smack himself - her mirror. He really hadn't been thinking... he should have paid attention when Sesshoumaru had brought her up.

He growled, beginning to get vastly pissed. None of them needed this right now, but Kagome really didn't, and he was going to gut the obsessive bitch if she upset his Lady - and with Leiko, it was a given. She always pissed people off, it's where Sesshoumaru had gotten his antagonistic side from.

Kagome maneuvered Kisho nearer to him when she caught his angered expression - she didn't understand why he'd gotten pissed so fast. After all, they were nearing the shiro, so he should, by all rights, be pleased.

"What's wrong, beloved?"

Sugimi shot her a rueful look. "Do you remember what Sesshoumaru said about his mother?"

Kagome nodded cautiously. "Yes... why?"

"Because it looks as though she's invaded the shiro, and if I know her, she's taken over."

Kagome closed her eyes wearily with a deep sigh. She felt like she was ready to just cry - what else was going to come down on her head?

Seeing her reaction made Sugimi even angrier, and he was ready to put the bitch firmly in her place. She'd pulled this kind of stunt before, with Izayoi, and damned if he'd let her do it this time.

Jaw clenching, he turned and looked ahead at the palace as it came up on the horizon. "Do not worry, my love. I will deal with her. She needs a good swift kick in the ass - and I'll give it to her. She may be the mother of one of my sons, but that doesn't give her the right to invade our home this way."

Kagome just nodded at him, too tired to really argue about it. I hope she doesn't try anything with me... as tired and grouchy as I am right now, I just might purify her ass - and then I'd have to explain it to Sesshoumaru. She shuddered at that thought.

Seeing her shoulders slump, he moved closer to her, and with a thought to the fire neko, he slid her off his back, and into his arms, nuzzling his nose into her hair affectionately.

"It will be okay, beloved. I will always protect you, even from the little things - like Leiko. You need not be concerned - whatever she has pulled will be dealt with by me."

Kagome nodded, pressing her face into his chest, just beneath his armor, and inhaled deeply, needing his scent to calm down. She wrinkled her nose in irritation when the armor got in her way.

"I'll be glad when we get home and you can take that stuff off, love. I hate having to fight with your armor to touch you."

He chuckled as he looked down at her. "I promise on my honor that I will take the armor off as soon as we land - then I'll go deal with Leiko."

She nodded again, and he smoothed her hair away from her face, smiling softly down at her.

Anyone looking at him in that moment would have seen the immense love he felt for the young woman whom the kami and fates had chosen for him - and despite the long journey that it had taken to get to her, he knew that he would have gone twice as far just to be with her. No matter what it took - it would be worth it to have her, and he silently thanked the kami that he'd been chosen to be the one to love her. And the best part of it was, that love was most definitely returned.

Kagome had never been one to hide how she felt about anything, and she certainly felt no need to hide her adoration of the male currently holding her. He was just perfect, to her, and she couldn't ask for anything else in life. After she'd seen Inuyasha mark Kikyou, she'd felt so alone, wondering where she belonged... and now, she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt. She would live with him, and die with him, but they would never be apart, and that, she was adamant about. He was the heart of everything that she was.

He finally pulled his gaze away from her as they neared the shiro, and he growled angrily as Leiko came out of the formal entrance of the palace like she was the lady here... he was ready to kill her for her presumption. Landing softly, he looked down at his miko, and smiling at her, he set her on her feet, completely ignoring the youkai female standing impatiently before him.

Gesturing for one of the guards, he ordered that they open the gates for the rest of the group to enter, and then turned and faced the female that was busily ruining his homecoming after a difficult few weeks.

"Well, Leiko? Is there a reason I find you invading the home of myself and my intended? What business do you have here?"

Leiko laughed lightly, looking disparagingly at the female standing near Sugimi. "Surely, my dear, you don't mean this ningen child? How could you, Sugimi?" She sighed. "I had hoped that your sojourn on the other side had given you time to consider your responsibilities. Your little ningen is not a fit Lady, nor can she give you a pureblood heir for the Northern seat."

Kagome rolled her eyes and looked at the woman, then, dismissing her as unimportant, she turned to Sugimi. "I think I am going to find a bath and a nap, beloved. When you are done dealing with the company, come join me?"

He smiled and nodded. "Your rooms, or mine?"

She grinned. "Yours."

"I will see you in a little while then, beloved."

Leiko frowned at the intimate byplay between the two, fury surging through her as the wench walked away, after having so casually dismissed her as unimportant.

Sugimi turned to her as she was staring maliciously after his onna, and he growled ferally at her, snapping her out of her rage, and replacing it with shock.

"Do not think," he said, teeth clenched with anger, "to play your nasty little games with Kagome as you did with Izayoi, Leiko. I will not tolerate it. Last time, I merely tried to keep the peace, for Sesshoumaru's sake, but this time, I will not."

She tried to say something, but her cut her off, eyes flickering red, he let her see his beast, and he grinned viciously at her. "Don't make me destroy you, Leiko, because if you push me, I will. This is my home, and Kagome's home, and believe me, Kagome is one onna you do not want to piss off, do you understand? Push her far enough, and not even Sesshoumaru will be able to save you."

She scoffed. "That pathetic ningen child? Harm me?!"

Sugimi laughed then, motioning to the rest of the group as they came through the gates and headed towards him.

"Kagome is as far from pathetic as you can get, Leiko. She has far more power than you. Remember, I warned you. If you try your games, you will lose. I will never mate you, not ever, not even were there no other females left on earth would you be able to persuade me down that path, so you may as well give it up."

Turning to the rest of the pack, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "I will allow you to stay until Sesshoumaru returns, so that you may see him, but if you anger my intended, and she kicks you out, then you'll be out. Keep it in mind, and behave yourself."

As the rest of the pack joined him on the steps, he motioned for several servants, and began passing out instructions on assigning rooms to the various members of the group, completely ignoring Leiko - and she removed herself from the area with a huff. She would not give up so easily - the stupid ningen onna wouldn't last too long with her around. After all, she was known for her ability to make people uncomfortable - and especially ningens, she intimidated the hell out of them, and this one would be no different.

With a smile, she took herself out into the gardens. She would start her little campaign this evening at dinner.

Sugimi might not want her, but at least she could see to it that he wouldn't have that little bitch, either. If he wouldn't take her, then he couldn't have the ningen.

Simple.