InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ You Said You'd Never Leave Me ❯ Her Place ( Chapter 3 )

Kagome took a step forward and paused a moment, taking in the sight of her lord and master, who was at the far end of the room. He stood tall and intimidating there, his eyes locked onto her as though he might charge her at any minute and rip her throat out. She avoided his gaze, but still had to look him over. He was much different that she'd seen him before. He had his armor removed and was wearing an entirely different outfit than she was used to. His current appearance made him seem more like a human lord of the manor rather than the fearsome demon lord that he was. He wore a plain blue kimono that would normally be worn under a haori which was tucked into a pair simple black hakama. If she hadn't of known better, she might have thought he was docile.

 

Ha! Docile? He's more likely to rip someone in half with his claws for no more reason than that he just could before he could be considered docile. She mentally chided herself and blinked hard as she tried to regain her composure.

 

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and she hurried over to him, having to dodge his illustriously laid out bed to do so. Certainly, she had been in this room before to discuss things such as Rin's well being and, as always, Naraku. But this was the first time she'd been in his room when it wasn't set formally with the bed put away and a table, much like her own, pulled out, but piled with papers of great importance. Now, that table had been pushed just to the side of the bed near a table with a large bouquet of fresh flowers in a painted vase that had probably been frantically put together with his early arrival. In it were several flowers she had come to recognize, as many grew in her private garden. Red tulips, edelweiss, a few daffodils, and some sparse red poppies and lavender for a pleasant smell were all bunched in together to make an awkward combination. I suppose all these differences are because he has returned home at such an unusual time.

 

“My lord.” Kagome bowed deeply to him and tucked her hands into her sleeves after the greeting. Sesshoumaru replied with a nod of the head and swept his hand with a quick flourish towards the table. She nodded to his silent command and sat down at the table across from him.

 

He picked up a few papers and shuffled them to the side so they were not in the way and looked up to address her. “As I said, we have important matters to discuss.”

 

“Is that the cause for your early return milord?” She made sure not to meet his gaze. It was far too brazen, as he would say, for her to do so. Sesshoumaru commanded total obedience from his followers.

 

“Hai.” he replied briefly, looking up at her and paused a moment before speaking. “As you well know, I was in the east and close on the trail of that half-demon scum, Naraku. It just so happened that the trail suddenly went cold on me. And what I found at the end of that trail was bothersome. Do you know what I found?”

 

“Iie, no, milord, but one can assume it would follow his nefarious pattern of terrible death and destruction.” She replied curtly, glancing up his way for only a moment before looking away again.

 

“Normally, you would be correct. But what I found was not the gore of his caliber, but rather something that will present itself to be quite troublesome in my quest to destroy him.” She watched as Sesshoumaru tightened the grip on his right hand and then loosened it again while his expression remained unchanged. “I found the leftover ingredients for and a few remaining puddles of the masking potion that you had once used to hide your true self. With that in the hands of such a cur, I am unable to use my talents to seek him out. The only person who is capable of such a thing is you.”

 

“What are your plans then, Lord Sesshoumaru?” She asked.

 

“I need time to strategize, perhaps a week, two at most. After that you, Jaken, and I will return to the abandoned castle where I made my discovery.” He then turned his head slightly and stared at the vase of flowers for a moment before he stood. Kagome watched as he made his way to the table and looked over the flowers in the vase. “I will also use that time to take care of another problem, once that has recently developed. And that is the problem of my meddling brother and his impudent band of friends who've recently taken up camp far to close to the castle grounds for my liking.”

 

“They didn't leave?” Kagome blurted out before she could catch herself.

 

“You knew they were here?” His voice held an unnerving twinge of anger in it and he turned to face her, his face still as calm as ever despite the sound in his voice. And it sent a chill down her spine so deep that she couldn't help but shiver from it.

 

“H…hai, my lord. Rin, Rin got lost this morning after leaving the grounds without permission…wanted to pick flowers…for…you.” Her voice escaped her for a moment, blocked by the tightening in her throat, and she had to cough to continue. “They found her only moments before I had. They didn't recognize me, but they recognized Rin and Ah-Un. I sent them away, demanded it, but they are far too curious for they're own good.”

 

“I see.” He said, walking over to her and grabbing her abruptly by the chin and held tight, jerking her head up to look straight at him. And his golden eyes were like fire burning through her as he examined her face, most likely looking for even the single hint of a lie. “However, this Sesshoumaru is wary of their intentions and of yours. But you have thus far been unwaveringly loyal to me despite the circumstances, so I chose to believe what you say…this time. But don't think that means I trust you not to run off to your beloved. I will be watching. Now leave.”

 

He let go, swinging her head away and she could feel her teeth gritting. There were always the good meetings and the bad meetings between them, but they had always been in far more formal settings and not so late in the evening. Still, he had never so roughly laid his hands on her before. And she didn't appreciate that he had. He should at least respect me, if only for the fact that I am a miko. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as she stood and bowed to him, mostly mumbling her goodbye before going to the door.

 

But as she reached it and had just begun to open it, he spoke to her again, the hotness gone from his tone. “Miko.”

 

She paused and turned back, gently watching him. He had gone back the vase of flowers and had pulled the poppies and the lavender out of the group. She spoke gently to him. “Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

 

He turned his head back slightly to look at her. “You should clean your face. Such indulgences like make-up are unappealing of a miko.”

 

She furrowed her brows a bit before she realized he was talking about the makeup she had put on earlier that night as a personal pleasure and a reminder of a now seemingly distant past. She blinked a few times, her eyes watering slightly as she turned away and looked back again in time to see him crush the flowers he had pulled out before dropping them to the floor like garbage and stepping on them.

 

Kagome snuck out the door as quiet and as quickly as she could, for fear of another reprimand from him. She slid the door shut with a quiet rap of the frame and fell to her knees, letting out a hurt gasp that she had been holding in. For that moment in which Sesshoumaru had grabbed her face, she had been so sure that she would have been dead as soon as he let her go. Now, it took all her strength not to break into tears. She put a hand to her heart and could feel it fluttering wildly in her chest. With her other hand she wiped away the tears that had welled up at the edge of her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out loudly before she got to her feet, trembling a bit.

 

She had always been strong and faced everything head-on, but he instilled a fear in her so deep that it sometimes gave her nightmares. She hadn't been afraid of him before, but then, she hadn't really known all that he was capable of. The world around her felt distorted as she made her way back along the corridors to her bedroom, the only sound she heard clearly being the pattering of her own feet against the wooden floorboards. She returned to her room feeling drained and flopped onto her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as her lord's last remark bounced through her mind.

 

“You should clean your face. Such indulgences like make-up are unappealing of a miko.”

 

She furrowed her brows and scowled to herself as she muttered. “He should listen to his own advice.”

 

He's the GUY wearing make-up. She harrumphed and blew at the loose wisps of hair that had fallen over her face before she rolled off the bed and onto her feet. She sat at her little table with the mirror and looked at herself. She looked so tired, and couldn't even bear to smile at herself like she normally would. Silently, she took a cloth and wetted it down before wiping away the make-up from her face. Better not to incite his anger. She sighed, as she wiped away the last traces of the make-up and realized that she finally sympathized with Kikyo.

 

Kagome laughed quietly at that thought. She had never felt any sympathy for that woman before, and now, trapped in nearly the same conditions, she could see all the things that were similar. She got up and lay down onto the bed, closing her eyes and breathing in the feathery scent of her pillow, letting InuYasha's face fill her mind as she lay there, trying to sleep. It made her smile to think of him. I wasn't often that she did because it usually made her so sad, but seeing him that day brought her the tiniest glimpse of hope that she might be able to find a way to free herself from her servitude to Sesshoumaru.

 

“K…Kiga-san?” A small voice called out from beyond the door. Kagome opened her eyes and saw the silhouette of a little girl flickering against the shoji from the pale lamplight on the other side. Kagome got up and went to the door, sliding it open quietly and smiling down at Rin's tear-streaked face.

 

“Rii-chan.” Kagome spoke softly to the girl as her arms encircled her small body, picking her up and cradling her on her shoulder as she closed the door again. She ran her fingers through the girl's hair and kissed her head to soothe her before gently setting her down on the bed. Kagome caressed her cheek and wiped away the tears from them. “Did you have another bad dream?”

 

“Ah huh.” Rin replied, sitting up and hugging Kagome close as she buried her head into her side and whimpered. “I had a dream that the bad man sent wolves after me. Only they weren't normal wolves. These ones had wings and they chased after me even after I flew away on Ah-Un. They knocked me off and I was falling, but I woke up before I hit the ground. I was so scared Kiga-san!”

 

“I'm sure you were.” Kagome kissed the girls forehead and smiled at her. “But the wolves can never get you because our Lord wouldn't let them.”

 

“But Lord Sesshoumaru isn't always here anymore!” Rin cried out, clutching onto the sleeve of Kagome's kimono.

 

“I'm here though, aren't I? You know I would never, ever let anyone even try to hurt you.” Kagome hugged her and laid her down on the bed, covering her with the blankets. She heard Rin sigh softly as she got up and went to the other side of the bed, climbing in with the girl. “I'll let you sleep in my bed tonight, but next time I want you to be a big girl and stay in your own room, okay?”

 

“Okay. I'm so glad you're here Kiga-san.” Rin said with a yawn, curling into Kagome as the older girl held her gently and stroked her hair. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too, Rin.” Kagome told the girl as she fell asleep. Rin smiled and snuggled closer, soon fast asleep.

 

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, finding that she had to wipe away a tear that fell down her cheek. Sometimes it feels as if Rin is my daughter. I love her as though she were, but, she'll never truly be my child. I can never have a child of my own, not as long as I'm a servant of Sesshoumaru's. I won't even be able to ever get married either. Thoughts like this reminded Kagome of the weddings and births that had taken place in the castle while she was there.

 

------------------------------Some Months Ago------------------------------

 

“Oh, that's a lovely kimono Asako!” said a young girl who sat among a group of three or four others who surrounded an older girl. Kagome saw them from a distance, and was curious as to what they were up to. So, while pretending to be inspecting the castle grounds she walked close by the group and eavesdropped into their conversation. Those girls, after all, reminded her of the way she and her friends: Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, once were.

 

“Yes, it will be perfect for your wedding to Hiroshi.” Another girl chattered, smiling wide to Asako, who covered her mouth as she laughed and blushed at the thought of her wedding. Kagome glanced their way as she walked by, accidentally catching their attention with her stare.

 

“Oh, Lady Miko!” Asako said to Kagome first, bowing to her along with the others, before addressing the others in a hushed voice. “We should be working! Come on girls, let take care of our chores.”

 

In a rush they disappeared, before Kagome even had time to tell them it was okay. Thus was how fearful the servants were of Sesshoumaru's wrath. Kagome could something pull painfully at her heart that made her cry out quietly.

 

------------------------------Present--------------------- ---------

 

That was the first time Kagome realized her new place in the world. She couldn't even share in the joyous event of a wedding, and could never have one of her own. After that, she heard that the girl, Asako and her new husband, Hiroshi, another of the servants, had left the castle to start their life elsewhere. Maybe, if I am able to help Sesshoumaru destroy Naraku, I'll be free of our agreement and then I can be with InuYasha again. Maybe. With that though, she could feel sleep slowly drawing her up and she let it take her away into a deep sleep.

 

Some more little things about the flowers that I want to point out to you that I thought you readers might enjoy and probably wouldn't have caught without my mentioning it.

 

1. Sesshoumaru's Bouquet: Red tulips stand for pride and the orange poppies mean `success.' In Japan the edelweiss means both `courage' and `power' but it is also known as the flower of eternity because even when dried it looks about the same as it does alive. The daffodil is the perfect flower to give to bosses, teachers, older relatives, and public figures because it means `respect' in Japan. Red poppies are seen as `fun-loving' flowers in Japan and lavender means `you are always in my heart.' Which of these flowers did Sesshoumaru pick out of the bouquet and crush?