InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Mononoke of Forest Keep ❯ Caveat Emptor ( Chapter 2 )

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The Mononoke of Forest Keep

Chapter 2: Caveat Emptor

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Bored

So terribly terribly bored.

Bored bored bored bored bored bored.

"Ehhhayaa!" The young man sighed irritably, before flopping on the tufted turf. He trained his golden gaze to the green canopy above him and scented the wind. His silver mane splayed out on the grass below him, small twigs and brambles caught in its lengths, making him look wild, untamed.

What he wouldn't give for a little sport. A squirrel, a fox, a cat, a …

Then he caught the scent. Mingled with the unmistakable tang of electrified ozone was the scent of a girl.

His eyes narrowed and flashed crimson a predatory grin already spreading across his face. He barked a short feral laugh; a stupid human girl was in his forest. He cracked his knuckles purposefully admiring the way his claws gleamed in the fading light.

"Well bitch, let the hunt begin."

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Kagome was not quite sure what she expected the inside of the castle to look like, but was still unprepared for the sight that greeted her. The front entry opened into a modest vestibule that connected to a long hallway. In the growing darkness she could see a light, as well as the silhouettes of her family, at its end. She padded closely behind the retreating figure of Miroku into the light of the great hall. Here the room widened to easily the size of a small house and the ceiling swept up nearly fifty feet. It was everything she imagined a feudal lord's castle to be, that is to say everything her old home was not. She groaned imperceptibly and found the figure of Jaken beside an unfamiliar female.

The woman appeared to be slightly older then Kagome, by two or three years. About Miroku's age, she would guess. She was thin with an athletic build, undeniably pretty with gentle warm brown eyes, the colour of polished cherry wood. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a sensible ponytail. Though she stood with her head demurely bowed there was a tightness in her smile a certain tilt of her head; that belied an inner strength, a fire. Her plain knee length black dress and white apron marked her as the maid, the only remaining maid.

Kagome snuck a peek at her cousin, and was not surprised to find a rather large appreciated smile plastered on his face. Perhaps appreciative was not quite the right word, giddy, goofy, idiotic… Kagome sighed, such a predictable reaction. Well perhaps if the maid wasn't a total airhead Kagome would have at least one person her own age to talk to.

Mai was surveying the great hall, delighted to find everything as it had been the day she had agreed to purchase the property. On the walls still hung the historic tapestries depicting ancient battles and fearsome beasts, the hard wood floors glowed with a soft burnished luster.

"Please allow be to present Taijya Sango, the maid." Jaken inclined his head to the black clad woman who bowed at her name.

"She has graciously offered to remain in your employ, and will be able assist you with whatever you need."

Kagome noticed Miroku's eye twitch at the statement. She rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side. He turned his head and mouthed the question `what? jealous?' and arched an eyebrow suggestively.

She rolled her eyes at him and made a gagging motion with her finger and mouth. Miroku arched the other eyebrow pretending to misinterpret the fairly obvious sign she was making.

Kagome looked confused for a second when she saw her cousin's reaction. Then as if a magic light bulb went on over her head she simultaneously narrowed her eyes at him and turned beet red. She was about to smack him when he made a placating gesture with his hands and snickered under his breath. Kagome rolled her eyes but then giggled too. She noticed Sango sneaking glances at their antics with her head still demurely lowered, and suddenly Kagome felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment for her immature behavior. She cleared her throat, and smoothing the front of her skirt trained her eyes back to the toad like man who was saying his goodbyes.

"Now if you are quite sure that you will not reconsider, I will take my leave."

Mrs. Higurashi and her father shook their heads `no', and smiled at the departing man. Miroku raised his hand in farewell and called after the retreating figure.

"Have a safe drive Jaken-san."

Sango gave a low welcoming bow to her new employers and intoned formally, "I bid you welcome to the Forest Keep." She stood and smiled "Please follow me, I have tea waiting for you all in the library."

If Kagome had been impressed by the great hall and the vestibule she was in awe of the library. She could tell by the look on her mother's face that she had never seen this room either. The long low room was paneled in a dark mahogany at the end of which was large stained glass window. Kagome was a bit puzzled though by the seemingly western style room in the ancient Japanese castle.

Sango noticing the reaction and quickly explained, "The young master of the keep was well traveled and had journeyed to Europe in his youth. He had this room reconstructed to remind him of the time he spent with his mother; I was told it was his favorite room."

Kagome scanned the room, it wasn't hard to tell why, the room was lovely and had a very cozy feel. Or that's what she thought until her eyes fell upon a suspicious looking dull red stain marring the wood floor beneath Sango's feet.

Kagome's mother must have noticed the stain as well because she was already calling Sango's attention to it.

"Sango dear, it seems as though something has been spilt there." Mai pointed to a spot right in front of Sango. The maid flinched as if slapped then looked down and took an involuntary step back.

Sango cleared her throat then seemed to mentally steal herself, "Yes ma'am." She replied in a low voice, "blood has been spilt there."

"Well it'll have to be cleaned up, I can't have a blood stain in my library now can I." Mai chirped brightly. Kagome noticed that her grandfather was scanning the book titles on the shelves, and that Souta and Shippou where happily munching on the almond biscuits that had been set for tea. Kagome groaned and felt that weird tingling sensation again; she just knew that Sango was not talking about some recent spill from some household accident.

Sango replied in the same low anxious voice "It's the blood of lady Kikyou, who was murdered by her fiancé the young Lord Inuyasha on the eve of their wedding, nearly five hundred years ago. Lord Inuyasha survived her three years and then quite suddenly vanished under very mysterious circumstances. His body was never found but his guilty spirit still haunts the keep and the surrounding forest. I'm afraid the bloodstain can not be removed."

Kagome had gone stark white at the maid's words, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood rigid. She knew that not a single word that Sango had said was in jest. This was not some lark she had invented for jollies, those dark old trees and the gathering storm that seemed to converge directly over the estate where testimony enough. She looked over to gauge her family's reaction. They all seemed oblivious to all the sinister evidence, her cousin was even smiling brightly at the nervous maid.

"Nonsense, I have just the thing." Kagome waited for him to produce some sort of ofuda or talisman to banish the stain put sweat dropped when instead he produced a container that appeared to be an all purpose stain remover. She wasn't quite sure whether to be more surprised that her initial assumption was wrong or by the fact that Miroku was carrying around stain remover.

"Kazaana champion stain remover and detergent will clean it up in no time," and before Kagome or the nervous house keeper could interfere the monk had fallen to his knees, and was rapidly scouring the floor. In a few moments no trace of the bloodstain could be seen.

He stood with a triumphant smile and dusted off himself off, " I knew Kazaana would do it!"

He looked around at his admiring family, but no sooner had the words left his mouth when a horrifying flash of lightning lit up the somber room followed by a fearful peal of thunder. The timing seemed to be too much for Sango because she slid bonelessly to the ground, or would have had Miroku not caught her.

Kagome on the other hand had gone completely rigid and was staring glassily out the window. For and instant, just one moment she was sure she saw a flash of red streaking beyond the casement and the faint unmistakable sound of sinister laughter. She gulped but dared not move.

Then the moment was broken.

"Oh my, the poor dear. What monstrous weather." Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed. "Well let's get her off to bed."

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"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes Jaken, I'm here."

"It is done, they refused the offer, and took the house willingly even after the warnings."

"Good, good. And the girl?"

"Lithe and lovely as a fawn."

"…"

"Hmhh," the reptilian youkai cleared his throat "umm, what I meant to say was yes she bares a remarkable resemblance, more so then any of the others, even."

"Hmph, and the weather?"

"A storm, as always. A shame really, I thought they would refuse after the warning."

"Yes a shame, it's always the same."

"Yes, such a waste." The small man nodded his head as he cradled the cell phone in the crook of his neck, swerving to avoid a fallen branch in the road. He had almost left the storm behind.

"No doubt she'll die quite horribly, pity." The cold voice of the Western lord for one brief shining moment held the faintness trace of genuine remorse before he pressed the button to end the call.

Alone in his office he looked to an ancient portrait that hung on the far wall depicting two silver haired demons; One tall and elegant the other rugged with an arrogant smirk, both handsome; obviously brothers.

…a pity…

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Lessons in Latin: Caveat Emptor roughly translates as "to the buyer,

Beware."

A/N: So that's chapter 2, hope you liked it. For anyone who's interested this story is based loosely (very loosely) on a famous short story by one of my favorite authors. Guess the author or story title and get a chapter dedicated to you J

Please check out my other stories: also viewable on fanfiction.net

The Sleeper

Robes of a different color

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