Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Moonlight
By : kirayasha
Category: InuYasha > General
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Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Moonlight
Author�s notes:
Once again I�d like to thank Ithilwen for her invaluable help in betaing this fic!

Scroll two: Friends or not?
They strode quietly towards the
women�s quarters. Tsukikage noted with interest that the farther they got from
his mother the more Sesshomaru seemed to relax, until they finally slowed down
to a leisurely walk. She wanted to say something to him, but she was unsure of
what to say or how to go about saying it, so the silence hung in the air
between them like a living thing until she could not take it any more.
�Sesshomaru-waka-sama�I just want
to say I�m sorry�.�
�For what?� He said angrily as he stopped and turned to face her.
�For� for� ummm� I�m just sorry about what happened� ummm,� Tsuki mumbled
helplessly as she shrank back from his anger.
He regarded her silently as she
stood there trying to think of something to say to break the silence before he
turned and continued on towards the women�s quarters. Tsukikage followed as
quickly as she could, for he could move fast when he wanted to. Finally they
reached the garden courtyard and Tsukikage was surprised to see the sun was
already setting. She marveled at the way the light and shadows played against
each other in the soft dusky twilight. She noted someone had come by and had
lit the lanterns, which cast a warm glow over the place. That was when she
spotted a twinkling among the flowers and feeling sorry for him, she decided to
try and lighten his mood they way her older brother used to do for her when she
was feeling upset.
�Look, Waka-sama! There�s some fireflies! Come on, let�s go catch some and
make a wish!� She said as she ran over to where she spotted them.
�Hunh? Make a wish?� He said with a puzzled look on his face,
which she saw as she turned to face him.
�Hai! You just catch one, hold it close to your heart, make a
wish and then you slowly open you hand and blow on them so they fly away�� She sighed as she tired not to
laugh at him. �You mean to tell me you�ve never done this before?� She asked as
he shook his head at her. �Then watch me. It�s really a lot of fun! I used to
do this all the time when I was little! You know my Onii-chan taught me how to
do this.� She said with a smile as she turned and stalked her �prey�.
�Gotcha!� Tsukikage cried as she caught one. Then holding her hands
close to her heart she made a silent wish before slowly bringing her hands out
and away from her. She brought them up slightly as she opened her hands and
blowing softly on the firefly, laughed as it flew away. �Now you try.� She said
as she looked at him, eyes full of mischief.
�Iie! I don�t have time for this nonsense.� He said as he shot
her a bored look.
�Well then if you have somewhere
else you�d rather be, Waka-sama; don�t let me keep you.� Tsukikage said coolly
as she shot him an annoyed look. �I know the way back from here.� She bowed,
fully expecting to be dismissed.
Sesshomaru, who really had nowhere
else to go, stood there studying her silently as she waited before speaking to
her. �Really? Then you must be smarter than you look,
ne?� he said dryly.
�Hai!� Bristling with anger at the insult, Tsukikage replied
sarcastically, �You know your Haha-ue must be very proud of you, ne? Seeing how
polite and well mannered you are. Although I suppose I could have found my way
back here eventually� but thankfully I didn�t, since you were kind enough to
show me the way.�
He shook his head at her as he
chuckled to himself. �You really are an idiot if you think you can speak to me
in that tone and get away with it.� He said with deadly calm.
�Gomennasai; you are right,
Waka-sama; I am an idiot for thinking I could speak to you�and an even bigger
fool for thinking I could distract you from your troubles.� She said quietly.
�What do you know of my troubles?�
He demanded as he scowled at her.
�I saw what your father did� and I
saw your mother�s hurt and anger over it�.�
�I didn�t ask for your sympathy nor
do I want it!� he hissed at her.
�Fine! I was only trying to make you feel better, but if you�d
rather wallow in self pity, then so be it, Waka-sama!� She hissed right back at
him. �Trust me, you�d be much better off if you didn�t!�
�Nani?� He stared at her, as he was not sure what to make of her in that moment as
she seemed so different from the meek girl he had met this morning.
�What I meant is this; I know what
it�s like to have something eating at you that you can�t change no matter how
much you wish you could��
�You sound just like that bitch!�
He interrupted and for a minute Tsukikage wondered what he was going to do; as
he was clearly reaching the limits of his anger. Then a cold deadly calm
settled over him and he narrowed his eyes to slits as he folded his arms across
his chest.
Tsukikage took a deep breath and
went on as she ignored his outburst. �Waka-sama� Listen to me, please� and
forget about her for the moment.� She
said calmly. �Look, I was taken away from my family with no means of getting
back there� I don�t even know if they are still alive or not. I don�t even know
what happened to them. I think one of my playmates is here working in the
kitchens� Kami knows how many others may be here working in the fields or
elsewhere in the palace�� She closed her eyes and sighed.
She then went on, �I don�t even
know if they�re still here! For all I know Inutaisho-dono-sama may have given
them away or worse� but I am still here and while I have no way of finding
anything out right now�� She bit her lip as she tried not to cry in front of
him. �One day I might be able to and then I can do something about it. But if I
were to wallow in self pity� well I wouldn�t be able do anything, as I�d be so
upset and angry all the time�� She looked at him pleadingly as she tired to
make him understand how she felt.
Tsukikage held up a hand to stop
him from speaking. �Anyway before you
start yelling at me for being so familiar� I�m just telling you this because it
bothers me you�re so unhappy and I�m not saying that because you�re the
Waka-sama either! I wouldn�t care if you swept the dung from the stables� all
I�m saying is your life would be a lot easier if you were happy; that�s all.
Any fool could see that!� She sighed. �Besides I must be a fool to think you�d
listen to me.� Tsukikage took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she looked
him in the eye.
�You�d better get going�� He said
softly as he ignored her outburst. Closing his eyes, he thought about what she
said for a moment before dismissing it as nonsense.
�Hai�please Waka-sama, just think
about it. Even the most powerful daimyo have advisers who they listen to�� She
trailed off and shook her head. Feeling defeated for he was still standing
there eyeing at her coldly she changed the subject. �Konbanwa, Waka-sama� I
will see you tomorrow, ne?� She said softly as she bowed to him before turning
to leave.
�Konbanwa�� He said automatically
as he gave a slight bow. Dismissing her he stood there, watching her leave.
�Wait a minute! Where are you going?!�
She sighed as she stopped and
turned to face him. �To my room, Waka-sama. Why?�
�Who said you could have that
room?�
�Ningen-hime�� She said softly.
�She said you could use it?�
Sesshomaru asked incredulously. �She knew whose room that was� Stupid wench!�
He swore to himself.
�I know it�s your cousin�s room and
I haven�t touched anything by the way except the bedding� If you want to, you
can see for yourself�� She sighed as he pushed passed her and headed for his
cousin�s room. Sighing, Tsukikage hurried after him.
Sesshomaru slid open the shoji, and
stepping out of his sandals, he walked inside and looked around. He was pleased
to see she had not lied to him for the only change made to the room aside from
the unrolled futon and bedding, was the thick layer of dust that had been
removed. He turned around at the sound of her voice.
�I�ve even replaced the flower in
her vase. Gomen, but I couldn�t get a chrysanthemum; anyway I hope she likes
peonies�� Tsukikage said as she watched him from the doorway.
�Hai�� He said distractedly as he
walked over to Hitomi�s dolls. He picked up the bride doll and looked at it for
a while before setting it down again.
�The bride and groom are my
favorites too. Ummm� maybe we can find a way to send them to her? I think she
might like that a lot, don�t you?�
He shrugged as he wandered around
inside. �You can come in if you want��
�Hai� it�s just that I�ve never had
a boy in my room before except my Onii-chan. And I was very little at the
time��
�I�m not a boy; I�m�� He started.
�The Waka-sama�� She finished.
Smiling she added, �You know, Waka-sama or not, you�re still a boy from where
I�m standing�� She finished lamely.
�That�s not what I was going to
say.� He glared at her. �What I was going to say is soon I�ll be old enough to
change my name.�
��Sesshomaru�� Tsukikage said
softly. �You know, Waka-sama, if I were you, I would
keep �Sesshomaru�, as it suits you.�
�Really?� He said dryly as he ignored her familiarity. �I believe I
told you, you could come in here.�
�Hai�� She said as she also took
off her sandals and entered her room. �Would you like to talk about her? I
think Ningen-hime said her name was Hitomi-hime��
�Is! Baka! Her name is Hitomi-hime. She�s not dead.� He
let out a deep breath in a huff.
�Gomennasai, I know that. I was
told she was married off sometime ago, and that she was loosing her sight.� She
looked at him and he nodded as a sullen look settled onto his features. �I
overhead someone saying she was going to have a pup soon�� She flinched at the
look he shot her. Another heavy silence settled between them as she came over
and sat across from him; separated by a low table. �Gomennasai� Would you like
some tea?�
Sesshomaru nodded as Tsukikage got
up and took her time getting the tea ready. He sat there with his eyes closed,
imagining it was his cousin he could hear moving around behind him and he let
his thoughts drift back to her�
�Sessho-kun�guess what?� She said as she came
over and hugged his seated form from behind.
�What?� He said as he gently rubbed his cheek on her hands.
�Ojisan said I am to be married as soon as my wedding kimonos are made.�
�Really?�
�Hai! Can you believe I am to be married off to Fujitaka-sama?�
As she was kneeling behind him, Hitomi never saw the pained look on his face.
�And that Ojisan was having a palace built for us as a wedding gift? This is
wonderful news, ne? I can�t believe how lucky I am! Chichi-ue was saying I
would have to commit seppuku before I become a burden to everyone and now I
don�t have to! Sessho-kun�? Sessho-kun�are you
alright?�
�Sesshomaru-waka-sama?� Tsukikage said as she set the tea things down in front of
them. �Sesshomaru-waka-sama� Are you alright?�
Sesshomaru rubbed his forehead as
her voice pulled him from his memories. �Hai� I am fine. Why wouldn�t I be?� He
said; his tone implying she was an idiot to think otherwise. �I believe the tea
is ready and you were going to pour for me.� He said as he motioned towards the
empty cups.
�Hai�� She said softly as she made
tea for the two of them. When it was finished brewing, she held her sleeve back
and carefully poured him a cup. Picking
it up, she handed it to him. She then waited while he took a sip before pouring
for herself. They sat there sipping their tea as the silence once again stretched
between them.
�I know!� She said with a smile.
�Hunh?� He replied as he watched her get up and walk
over to a small cabinet on the other side of the room. Once there she took out
an ink block, a brush and a bit of paper before returning to sit down. �What
are you doing?�
�I�m going to draw her for you� and
I was wondering if it would be alright if I used this.�
�How? You don�t even know what she looks like,� Sesshomaru said
as he frowned, before adding, �Who said you could go looking through her
things?�
�Ningen-hime said I could look
around as it�s my room now.� she said defensively. �Anyway, I know I don�t know
what she looks like� but you�re going to describe her to me� I can do this, you
know.� She said as she caught sight of the look he gave her. �I used to do it
all the time when I was little� my Onii-chan would tell me a story and I would
draw all the scenes and people from it� You know, just from listening to him.
Now go on�� She said as she added a bit of water to her ink block. Then she
carefully loaded some ink onto the brush and taking a scrap of paper she made a
few practice brush strokes. �Well?�
�Where�d you get the paper from?�
Sesshomaru said before taking another sip of tea.
�I got it from one of the laborers�
there was a broken shoji and I asked them if I could have the torn paper. Why?�
She asked and he shrugged in reply. �Will you tell me about her now? You know�
so I can draw her for you�?� Tsukikage said with a smile as she picked up her
teacup and had another sip.
Sesshomaru took a deep breath and
let it out slowly. �Well for one thing she looks like me; everyone used to call
us litter mates because we looked more like siblings than cousins�� He trailed
off as he watched her draw the basic outline of Hitomi�s face and as he went on
Tsukikage added Hitomi�s features. �Wait� her eyes are larger and her hair is
all the same length�� He added as he appraised
her new corrections.
Tsukikage added more brush strokes
to the simple ink painting as Sesshomaru watched; fascinated by how the
portrait was taking shape. �She would wear it up like you do in the summer�
umm� she has two vertical stripes on her right cheek�� He continued to describe
his childhood playmate. �Amazing� that looks so much like her�� He looked at
Tsukikage then back down at the small ink painting she had given him. �If I
didn�t know better I�d swear she was here sitting next to me when you did
this�� He sat there lost in thought as he studied the small painting and a
faint smile tugged the corners of his mouth.
�Keep it� It�s nice to see you
smiling for real, for a change�� Tsukikage blushed as she returned his smile. I can�t believe he likes the painting with
all its mistakes and corrections. Then she blurted out, �If you want I can
fix it up�you know make it better and put it on a scroll for you instead��
�I� arigatou�� Sesshomaru said
softly as he looked up at her. Flustered as well, he decided to compliment her.
�You know, you�re very good with a brush.�
�Arigatou�� She said softly as she
pretended to doodle on the paper, hoping he would not notice her cheeks heating
up again.
They sat there in silence, drinking
their tea and she would give him an occasional look before pretending to be
very interested in what she was doodling. It did not stop her from being
attentive to his needs and Sesshomaru found himself drinking more tea than he
wanted to.
He took another sip of tea and
draining his cup, the youkai prince motioned for her to pour him another cup,
in the hopes of seeing what she was doing.
�What are you doing now?� He finally
asked as his patience wore thin and curiosity got the better of him.
�Nothing� It�s just a sketch I might put on a scroll along
with a poem�� She replied as she tried to cover up the paper. Baka! What am going
to do if he sees that it�s him I�m drawing and he gets mad? She thought as she smiled sheepishly at him. But he�s sooo handsome, especially when he
smiles at me like that.
�Give it to me.� Sesshomaru said as he
took the paper from her. Glancing at it he smiled at the quick sketch of
himself she had made. His smile turned into laughter as he read the poem she
had written. �Baka��Waka-sama-looks so happy smiling in the moonlight�� He
smirked at her.
He thought for a minute as he
quickly came up with a poem of his own. ��Tsukikage is as beautiful as
moonlight.��
She colored prettily as she sat
there disquieted by his poem, while she stared open mouthed at him. He thinks I�m beautiful�or is he just making
it up? What should I do? She thought as she smiled at him, thoroughly
unsure as to what to make of him.
Then, rising to the unspoken
challenge, Tsukikage replied, �Waka-sama�s words are sweet like honey��
�Tsukikage� Tsukikage� umm� I give
up. You win.� They laughed. �You know the only other person to ever win when
playing this with me is my Chichi-ue.�
�He�s very good at it, ne? Don�t
tell anyone but I managed to beat him as well!� She smiled at him, pleased that
she finally lifted his dark mood.
�Iie?! No one beats him at the poetry game.� She could hear the
grudging respect in his voice.
�Well either he let me win or I
really won� who knows?� She shrugged as she poured them some more tea. �All I
know is he declared me the winner�� They lapsed into silence again but it was
more companionable this time before he broke it by saying he had to leave.
�Konbanwa,
Tsukikage-hime.� He said as they got up
and bowed to each other.
�Konbanwa� Waka-sama.� She said softly as she watched him leave.
~
The next day at their studies
Tsukikage was surprised to find Sesshomaru just as surly and sullen as he had
been before. It was as if the night before in her room had never happened and
it bothered more than she cared to admit.
It became a frustrating pattern of
events as the weeks turned into months. Tsukikage found it highly annoying that
she never knew just where she stood with him as her overtures of friendship
were just as likely rebuffed as they were accepted for what they were. She
found it extremely frustrating, until she realized one afternoon that
Sesshomaru enjoyed keeping everyone guessing as to what his true motives were.
�Now what�s the matter, Waka-sama?�
she said tersely while they sat there translating a particularly difficult
passage from an old Chinese epic poem that their sensei was fond of. He had
been sitting there nonchalantly, letting her do all the work while all the
while belittling her efforts.
�Nothing�� He replied in the same
bored tone he had been using all morning and Tsukikage found she had had enough
of his nonsense.
�Well then if it�s nothing, perhaps
you would be so kind as to tell me what this word is?� She said sarcastically
as she pointed to a frustratingly familiar looking character. �It looks like it
should be the character for �horse�, but that makes no sense. I mean why would
anyone have a horse in their tent?� She blew out her cheeks in exasperation as
she studied the text.
Sesshomaru chuckled softly to
himself. �It doesn�t say �horse� as in �horse�� He rolled his eyes and Tsuki
bristled at the implied �baka�. �He�s referring to one of his generals, the one
that�s nicknamed �The Horse� see,� he pointed to the passage and read it out
loud to her.
�Oh�now it makes sense, arigatou,
Waka-sama.� She smiled sweetly at him and went back to her work.
�Keh�� He shrugged as he looked out
the open shoji. Sesshomaru shot her another quick glance before looking back
out the shoji and rubbing his temples he leaned forward until his elbows rested
on the table.
The movement had caught Tsuki�s eye
and she whispered, �Are you sure you�re alright?�
�Hai!� he whispered sharply back at
her and let out a low moan.
�Waka-sama?� Tsukikage and Ryoushi-sensei chorused and Sesshomaru
smiled inwardly.
�Hai?� He said softly and made another show of rubbing his
temples.
�Waka-sama�is there anything
wrong?� Ryoushi asked nervously as he rushed over.
�It�s nothing. My head�s just a bit
sore this morning�� Sesshomaru said as he smiled weakly.
�Perhaps we should call it a day
then and finish this tomorrow, ne?� Ryoushi said placatingly as he wondered
whether or not he should go for help.
�Hai�perhaps you could walk with me
back to my rooms?� Sesshomaru asked as he prayed their teacher would decline
the request.
�Waka-sama, I can help you if you
like.� Tsukikage volunteered, just as he had hoped she would.
Sesshomaru, although still somewhat
unsure if she meant her kind words or actions, decided to accept. �Hai, arigatou, Tsukikage-hime. Shall we go?� He said as he
got up slowly and allowing her to assist him they walked leisurely back
in the direction of his rooms.
They walked on in silence until Sesshomaru determined they
were far enough from their sensei to talk without being overheard. �Come on,
let�s go for a walk.� He said brightly as he increased his pace a bit.
�Nani?� Tsukikage stopped dead in
her tracks as she eyed him suspiciously. �I thought you were ill a moment ago��
She said as she raised an eyebrow at him.
Sesshomaru regarded her for a minute before he laughed. �Keh! I told you it was nothing. Besides it beautiful out
and I just didn�t feel like sitting there any more. And you can�t tell me you
didn�t want to escape the boredom of the �Dragon King� as much as I did.� He
gave her a look that dared her to say otherwise, as he folded his arms within
his kimono sleeves.
Tsukikage stood there thinking about for a minute. �But isn�t
that lying? I mean pretending to be sick like that�� She trailed off
uncertainly.
�Iie, I really did have a headache before. So do you want go
for a walk or is this just your way of getting me to ask you to come to my
room?� He smirked.
Tsukikage felt her cheeks color at the implications of his
statement. �Iie! I am not!� She said sharply. �Well
then, if you wish to go for a walk and want me to accompany you, I will!� She
said rather heatedly. She frowned when he smiled and she wondered what he was
up to.
Sesshomaru stole another glance at her and shook his head as
he started walking again. She followed just as he knew she would and he laughed
to himself about her predictability. It
didn�t matter what it was; the longer he knew her, the easier it was for him to
read her and get a reaction out of her. Getting a rise of out her was one of
his favorite things to do, especially when he spent any length of time in her
presence. He disliked her gentle subservience
immensely, as it reminded him too much of the hated pet human. Bad
enough she has the misfortune to look like her without having to act like her
too, he thought as he contemplated
yet another way to feel her wrath. One of his favorite ways of making her angry
was to mention anything remotely connected to sex and the possibility of
becoming someone�s concubine. Sometimes all he had to do was hint about it and
she would get all heated up as if he lit some imaginary fire in her. It may not
have been a fiery blaze that was ignited; still it was sparks and he found it
preferable to her usual meekness.
As Sesshomaru eyed her surreptitiously, he thought of the
perfect thing to get her really fired up. The young youkai prince paused and
then made a sudden left turn towards the part of the palace where his rooms
were. He had been trying to get her to come there for no other reason than she
had been so insistent that she not go there.
He could not imagine why since he had been to her room unchaperoned
several times before and he did not have a clue as to why one was acceptable
and the other was strictly taboo. Shrugging mentally as he hid a smirk,
Sesshomaru decided to take the long way around to his rooms. Not that it made
any difference, for as far as he knew the girl had never been here before,
although he was certain she would figure it out eventually. He knew she had a
vague idea of where she was simply because he had once seen her leave his
father�s room along with the stupid human. They walked slowly along the vast
maze of corridors and he frowned as he realized his father�s pet most likely
walked these same halls in an effort not to be seen.
�Waka-sama�are you sure you�re
alright?� She asked softly and Sesshomaru sighed; irritated by her mild tone.
�Hai! I�m fine.� He snapped and
anticipating her next question, he barked, �I was going back to my room to get
something if you must know.�
�Oh. Should I wait here then?�
�Iie! You�ll come with me and we can
leave from there. Now what?� He moaned as she shot him
a wide-eyed look.
�Your rooms? What would people think
if they saw me there?� Tsukikage touched her cheek as she felt herself
blushing.
�Nothing�I expect they would be very happy to see me bring a
girl there.� He said dryly.
Tsukikage made a small sound of frustration and bowing to the
inevitable she followed he towards his room.
~
Sesshomaru knelt before a door and looking back over his
shoulder he motioned for her to hurry up.
Tsuki walked as slowly as she could without irritating him,
as she was not sure of his motives in bringing her to his room. Once there, she
also knelt before entering through the low door. She took a long look around
the room, and she marveled at the sheer spartaness
that greeted her. She looked at him and smiled nervously. �Are you sure this is
your room? It doesn�t look like anyone lives here.�
�Hai?� He frowned; puzzled by her
reaction and dismissing what he thought of as her stupidity, he fell back on an
old standby, �Go make me some tea.�
Tsuki shot him a look that said �go make it yourself,� before
she got up to do it. �Where do you hide your tea things?� She said as she
walked over to his tansu.
�Behind the left door; near the top.�
He called out to her from his vantage spot on the floor.
�I can�t reach that and I doubt very much that you can ��
Tsukikage said sarcastically while waiting for him to come over and help her.
She stood there admiring the dark heavy wood of the cabinet
all the while wondering about its odd shape. It looked like a series of smaller
and smaller boxes placed on top of one another to give it a stair shape.
Tsukikage reasoned the lower cabinet doors hid his futon and bedding and she
supposed the upper ones concealed his clothes. Still its odd shape made her
wondered about its purpose and she wondered how to bring it up, while she
waited for him to come and get the tea things.
Sesshomaru rose in one fluid motion and he went quickly to
her side. Tsukikage heard him approach and as she turned to face him, found
herself practically in his arms. He watched amused as startlement followed by
anger danced across her face.
�The tea things�� She said helplessly and she warily watched
him reach around her to get them. As he took his time, she looked up and over
her shoulder where she noticed the trapdoor on the ceiling. �Where does that
go?� She asked as she wondered what was up there.
Sesshomaru pretended not to understand her. �Hunh? You know you�re in the way here�� He pointed out the
obvious and chuckled to himself as she wiggled out of his way. Once she had moved, he was able to reach the
tea things with no trouble. He silently removed the tea pot and container of
tea, which he handed to her before removing the rest of the items needed before
sliding the tansu door shut.
Tsukikage clarified as she pointed out the ziggurat shape of
the tansu. �That thing looks like a set of stairs��
�Oh that�wanna see what�s up there?�
He asked mischievously and she blushed.
�Hai!� She blurted out as curiosity
got the better of her and encouraged by her newfound boldness, Sesshomaru
walked up the side of the tansu. At the top he pushed open the trapdoor and
stepped into his inner sanctum. Tsukikage followed close behind him and she
nearly bumped into him, when he paused.
Tsukikage felt her jaw drop as she caught sight of the room.
Where as the lower level looked as though no one lived there, this room was
almost decadent in its furnishings; there were many beautiful scrolls
decorating the walls as well as fine silken cushions to sit on. Scattered about
were Sesshomaru�s childhood treasures and Tsuki found herself drawn to a small
shapeless lump of fabric with a crude face drawn on it. She gently picked it up
and asked softly, �Hitomi-hime�s?�
�Iie...� He said sadly. �I had a sister and her name was Katakuri-chan� I made that for her, but she died a
few days after she was whelped and I never got the chance to give it to her.� He swallowed. �Then Chichi-ue brought her here��
�Gomennasai� I didn�t mean to upset
you�� Tsuki said softly and set the doll down as a heavy silence settled in the
room. Hoping to distract him and lift his mood, she asked, �Do you want to play
shougi?�
�Hai� I�ve got the board already
set up over here.� Sesshomaru sat down in front of a small table. Tsukikage
took one last look at the doll before sitting down opposite him. They played
for a while before he opened up and told her a few stories from his childhood.
Laughing she shook her head at him,
�I can�t believe you did that to poor Uekiya! He must have spent hours digging
holes and planting all those bulbs��
�But the look on his face was
funny, when he realized the bulbs I kept handing him were ones he had already
planted.�
�And what did your parents have to
say about you tormenting old Uekiya that way?� She picked up a soldier and
moved it forward.
�Haha-ue called Uekiya an idiot and
I think she said something about getting a new gardener, but Chichi-ue wasn�t
impressed at all.� He smiled ruefully. �I remember he asked Uekiya what he
would have done if one of his own sons had played a trick on him like that. I
guess Uekiya must have told Chichi-ue exactly what he�d have done or possibly
what he wanted to do to me, because I had a hard time sitting down that
day. Plus I spent the next week
re-planting the garden Uekiya�s supervision.�
She laughed again until she noticed
the dark look that settled on his features. Tsuki apologized quickly as she
knew he didn�t like being laughed at, even if he enjoyed a good joke at
another�s expense. She supposed it had to do with how he was treated by the others
and she found a little ego stroking on her part often smoothed things over with
him. �Gomen�but it was a funny story.
And I�m sure the garden looked lovely too.� She made a move with her flying
chariot. �Too bad I can�t see that garden, as I really would have liked to.�
�I can show it to you if you want��
He picked up his honorable horse and captured her flying chariot. Too late he
realized he had fallen into her trap and ten moves later she won the game.
�Waka-sama, I think I should go now
as I need to get ready for dinner. I�ll be singing again tonight and I need to
rest my voice.� She said almost apologetically as they packed away the shougi
pieces.
�Hai�later then�� He murmured
distractedly. Spying the doll he had made for his late younger sister,
Sesshomaru picked it up and handed it to Tsukikage. �Here take it, you seemed
to like it before and I don�t want it any more��
�Are you sure?� She asked as she
took from him. He nodded and started down the tansu. �Arigatou.�
She said softly as she followed. �Aren�t you going to close it?� Tsuki asked as
she looked back up at the trapdoor.
�Later�� Sesshomaru said he reached
the bottom and looked back up at her.
�Ja ne...
and umm�thank you again. You know, for everything.� She smiled shyly.
He shrugged. �You�re welcome.� He
said and then added as an after thought, �See, I told you nothing bad would
happen to you, if you came here.�
�Hai�� She reluctantly agreed. �But
you still won�t tell anyone I was here, okay.�
�Why?� He asked.
�Because�ummm�just because.� She
shot him a pained look. �Please Waka-sama; don�t tell anyone I was here.
Please. I just don�t�� She sighed. �I just don�t �never mind.� She shook her
head. �Umm�I�ll see you later then.� She smiled at him and headed towards the
shoji leading to the hallway.
Kneeling at the door they bowed to
each other and before she left she asked him for directions back to the
corridor leading to the main part of the castle. Sesshomaru slowly slid the
door shut after he told her how to get back. Sesshomaru then froze in the
process of getting up. He could have sworn he heard Tsukikage talking to
someone as she walked away. Straining his ears as he resisted the impulse to
open the shoji and stick his head out, Sesshomaru caught the sound of a male
voice. Tell me that�s
not Takahara she�s talking to out there! Damn it! What the hell is that bastard doing here?
~
A few weeks later something
happened that left Tsukikage wondering what Sesshomaru was up to again. They had
been playing a series of war games that were based on the epic poetry they had
been reading. They took turns playing the winning side, when Ryoushi-sensei
asked her what she would have done differently if she were the Dragon King in
order to win against Sesshomaru. She had started to explain when he cut her off
and had them set up the board.
�Show me instead, Tsukikage-hime,
as I�d like to actually see if you can do this.� Ryoushi-sensei said and
Sesshomaru also nodded in agreement.
Their teacher told them to recreate
the battle from their story and halfway through, Ryoushi asked Tsuki to deviate
from what they knew would happen in an attempt to win. Sesshomaru knew she had
a good head for strategy as she would often beat him in the little skirmishes they
had when playing war games. He also found it extremely annoying. This time
around he was intrigued, and he looked forward to seeing what she was going to
do. I wonder how the silly Baka plans on
beating me this time� Sesshomaru
also decided he was not going to mind it if she did win, since he enjoyed the
ego stroking she would always lavish him whenever she did pull off a victory. You�re right, Chichi-ue, loosing does have
advantages.
He rationalized his losing to her
as a healthy respect for her battle sense. He was lost in pleasant thoughts of
losing to her and the subsequent ego boosting when she captured a lone samurai
on horseback. Puzzled by the look of satisfaction that briefly flitted across
her face; he shook himself out of his reverie as his curiosity was piqued.
�What are you doing?� Sesshomaru
asked as disinterestedly as he could.
�Nothing�� Tsuki said as she
replaced one of her own knights with the captured one. �By the way this one�s
mine and so we�ll be able to the difference, I�m putting this on him.� She said
as she placed a tiny ball of paper on the tiny horseman�s lap.
�And�?� Sesshomaru prompted.
�He�s going to represent one of my
men�just pretend my man exchanged his clothes with the captured man.�
�A spy?� Sesshomaru chuckled.
�Possibly�I don�t know as I haven�t
thought that far ahead yet�� She made a small purring sound as she thought
about it. �Maybe he just likes your uniforms better�� She smiled at him.
Sesshomaru became wary but soon
forgot about the lone horseman when Tsuki started massing her army together. He
knew she was not only fearless in battle, but he noticed there were times when
she became very reckless as well and he wondered if this was going to be one of
those times. Now what are you up to? He
remembered too, that she would often throw away part of her troops for no
apparent reason, only to come back and beat him soundly. He knew if she kept her head about her and
gave serious thought to the battle at hand, she would be practically
invincible; a trait he admired.
Tsuki therefore planned on doing
something really tricky; knowing Sesshomaru as well as she now did, she devised
a plan of keeping him distracted from that lone samurai. Then, she quickly went
on the offensive and attacked his army head on, while surreptitiously moving her captured piece along. Tsukikage
had kept a smaller detachment of troops separate from her main army and this
she used to her advantage by coming around in a pincer move. She had nearly
captured a good part of Sesshomaru�s army with it, as she had another small
detachment in an apparent suicidal move that drew him out as Sesshomaru saw her
archers as easy pickings. That threw him off balance for a while, as she
quickly brought her main troops into the fray.
So as she advanced her army, she surreptitiously snuck her lone horseman into �enemy
territory� by pushing it along with her finger as she brushed some imaginary
debris off the �battle field� and just as she counted on him doing, Sesshomaru
became irritated enough to complain loudly at her before going back to the main
battle. Tsuki repeated the move again and when she nearly knocked the small
wooden figure over, Sesshomaru picked it up and moved it back into his
territory by his reserves. She silently thanked him for his help now the small
figure was safely ensconced there. Tsuki then ignored it for a while until she
was sure Sesshomaru had forgotten it. It
was while she regrouped and moved her main army forward again to clash with
his, that she brought her �spy� into the fray and neatly captured his general
in less time than she had expected.
Their sensei praised her lavishly
and so did Sesshomaru, which surprised her, but not as much as his behavior a
few minutes later, when Takahara arrived with a message from Inutaisho.
�What are we doing today, Sensei?�
The older youkai asked as he looked Tsukikage up and down.
�We were attempting to resolve the problem of
where they went wrong in the �Dragon King� and the girl figured it out
nicely...� Ryoushi beamed.
�Really�I would have thought Sesshomaru
would have been the one to figure it out. But then any victory is cause for
celebration, Tsukikage-hime. Not many can see the problems hidden in a tale and
work around them to command victory. I hope you were paying attention to this,
Sesshomaru-waka-sama.�
�Normally he does; he�s brilliant
when it comes to battles, but this time I asked the girl to figure it out.�
Ryoushi pointed out nervously.
�Oh�and you mean to tell me you
couldn�t stop a mere girl from capturing your general?� Takahara smiled nastily
at Sesshomaru before complimenting the girl again. �A lone horseman; used as a
spy�brilliant!� He cupped her cheek and Tsukikage blushed profusely.
She smiled shyly as she willed
herself to relax and though she hated to admit it, she liked the way he
complimented her on her victory even though his attention scared her a bit. He is so handsome, but then again he�s so
old and experienced. Plus I don�t like all the stories I�ve heard about him. I
know Toukasa-chan loves his dark looks; I wonder if he too has yamainu blood,
as I�ve never seen anyone one else here with such dark hair besides myself and
Ningen-hime, but I don�t know, somehow when he looks at me, it�s like he�s
looking at a prize to be won�not at all like when the Waka-sama looks at me when
he�s actually being nice and not calling me names� She unconsciously smiled
which Takahara took as encouragement. Tsukikage looked up and caught the look
in Sesshomaru�s eye. The brief flicker of jealousy she saw there before he
replaced it with his usual coldness upset her more than she cared to admit.
Takahara moved his hand down her arm and reached for her hand before Tsuki
closed her eyes. She started to pull her hand away then stopped for fear of
insulting him. Forcing a smile she looked up at Takahara then quickly looked
away. Takahara let go of her hand and casting a brief smirk at the young youkai
prince, he asked Tsuki if she would like to go celebrate her victory. Tsuki
politely declined as she was expected to meet with Ningen-hime as soon as she
was finished here.
�Come on, I�m sure she won�t mind
if you had lunch first�� Takahara wheedled and he felt encouraged by her brief
smile and furtive looks she kept throwing his way, which he mistook for
flirtatious glances.
�She got lucky.� Sesshomaru
interrupted and Tsuki flashed him a quick and grateful smile while Takahara
frowned. The youkai prince shrugged in confusion as he tried to ignore
Takahara�s persistent fussing over Tsuki and her silent acceptance of it while
he struggled to overlook the jealousy gnawing at his gut. �It happens, besides
it�s only an exercise; it�s not like it was a real battle.� He said as
nonchantly as he could although he was now seething inside. Tired of being
ignored, Sesshomaru went back to packing away the tiny samurai. He pretended to
study the �spy� who had won the battle for Tsuki before flicking back into the
box and closing it.
�True, but you should treat them
all as though they were real, as life is not that forgiving.� Takahara smiled
and turned his attention back to Tsukikage. Sesshomaru bristled at being so
casually dismissed and he shot dark looks at the older youkai who was busy
flirting with Tsuki. Eyes narrowed he watched in disgust as Takahara
complimented her this time on her the song she sang the other night at dinner
as he lead the conversation back around to her victory celebration.
�Tsukikage-hime, since you won so
decisive a battle, I really do believe a little celebration of some sort is on
order, ne? Uekiya has some strawberries that are ripe enough to pick, and I
thought it would be nice if we spent the afternoon in his private garden.� The
older youkai gave her his best smile.
�Arigatou�but I can�t�� Tsuki said
softly as she looked to Sesshomaru for help. �Gomennasai�but I have a lesson
this afternoon that I can�t miss. I�ve already missed it twice before and it�s
real important I go.� Finding no help from him, she looked back at the dog
general�s friend. She smiled weakly at him before she went on, �Perhaps��
Sesshomaru in turn eyed her
narrowly as he got the impression she was asking him for permission to meet
with Takahara. If you want to be with him
so badly, I don�t see why you need me to give my consent. Shit! Just go with
him already�
�Whatever it is, don�t worry about it.
I�ll take care of it.� Takahara said smoothly as he dismissed her excuse. He
gently cupped her cheek as he tried to get her to look at him again. Takahara
had the feeling she was going to meet with Sesshomaru and it only spurred his
efforts to get her to agree to spend the afternoon with him instead. So you�re going to spend the afternoon with
him, eh? Not if I can help it� Takahara smiled to himself.
Tsukikage kept glancing at
Sesshomaru, a move not lost on Takahara, as she struggled to come up with a way
of declining his offer without offending the dog general�s friend. �Ummm�� she
said helplessly. �Ummm�I don�t think she�s going to like that��
�Who? You needn�t worry about Inukouhi-sama�I can assure you she
won�t be upset with you once I have a word with her.� Takahara replied
helpfully. He smiled at the girl and dropped his hand when he noticed a
fleeting look of fear in her eyes.
�It�s not Inukouhi-okugata-sama��
Tsuki said softly.
�Then who? Toukasa-chan? Sakura-chan?
Don�t tell me you�re meeting with Atsuimi-hime? If that�s the case I�ll speak
to Inukouhi-sama and you�ll have nothing to worry about.� Trying again, this
time he took her hand and patted it as he smiled at her. Tsuki merely shook her
head helplessly as she tried to tell him it was Ningen-hime she was meeting.
�I believe you said my father
wanted me?� Sesshomaru interrupted and quirked an eyebrow at
Takahara as he waited for him to reply.
�Hai�And I don�t know what he
wanted so don�t ask; all I know is that he was looking for you.�
�I see. Come Tsuki-hime.�
Sesshomaru said as he gave them a slight bow.
�Hai.� Tsuki said and she
flashed the youkai prince a grateful smile as she also bowed and started to
follow him out.
�Wait, I thought we were going to
get something to eat; to celebrate your victory.� Takahara gently grabbed her
arm when she tried to leave. She stood there hesitating as she wondered which
one she should go with. She did not want to disappoint either of them and she
hoped one or the other would tell her to go with him, while the other backed
off graciously.
�Gomen, Takahara-sama, but the girl
is coming with me.� Sesshomaru said quietly and there was no mistaking the
threat in his voice. �Since my father wishes to speak with me, no doubt his pet
will be there and this way the girl can entertain her for us�� Sesshomaru said
as he ushered her out and Takahara smiled nastily at him. Tsuki looked aghast
at Sesshomaru�s rudeness; she none-the-less mumbled a
quick apology to Takahara as she was ushered out of the room. �Come; let�s
hurry before he comes after us with some other stupid excuse to get you to go
with him.� He hissed at her as he pulled her along.
Once they were far enough out of
earshot Sesshomaru let go of arm and stopped dead in his tracks as he turned to
face her. Glaring angrily at her he was about to berate her for flirting with
Takahara when she spoke first.
�Arigatou,
Waka-sama.� Tsuki said a small meek
voice that he had to strain to hear. �I�� She trailed off softly and swallowed.
What the hell is she thanking me for?
Sesshomaru was momentarily thrown by her apology. Ignoring it, he took a deep
breath and started to put her in her place. �I don�t care about your excuses!
And I don�t know what games you think you�re playing at with that oaf, but if
my mother really does desire your presence; then you�d better go quickly as she
doesn�t like to be kept waiting! And don�t you even dare say to her I made you
late, you hear me?� He watched as she nodded mutely. �Shit! It�s bad enough you
had to stand there simpering over my father�s friend like every other woman
here but if you knew you were going to late then you should have had sense
enough to agree to meet with him later, without all the playing around! Damn
it! What are you crying about?� He sighed in frustration.
�Nothing� Waka-sama.�
She bit her lip as she fought to hold back her tears. �It�s just that �ummm�I
have to go�� She managed to sob out. �But the truth is I�m needed back at my
rooms.� She said softly. �I forgot Ningen-hime is meeting me there and now I�m
late.�
�Don�t be an idiot! The stupid
human�s with my father just like she is every afternoon! How long have you been
here now and you haven�t figured that one out yet? Baka!�
Tsuki shook her head at him. �I�m
sorry, Waka-sama, but she�s not with him as she was going to give me a lesson
�� But what if he is there and I�m late�?
�Don�t lie to me!� He roared at her
and she flinched at the force of his anger.
�Gomennasai�I�m not lying�and I
really need to go�please�� She said softly and he nodded. Tsuki wiped her eyes
and turned back towards the same direction Takahara had left in before she
hurried away. Sesshomaru wondered if she were in fact going to meet with him,
since the stupid human was most likely in his father�s company at this hour. He
knew from experience that once his father had his pet human alone with him,
she�d be gone for hours. Sesshomaru stalked off, wondering why he felt as
though his day was ruined.
~
One morning, Tsukikage had arrived late to their lessons,
looking somewhat disheveled with her hair hastily done. She quietly apologized
to their teacher and she promised him she would be more careful about
oversleeping. When it happened again a few days later, Sesshomaru was positive
she was spending time with Takahara. He figured why else would she get so upset
whenever he questioned her about it. He could tell by here reaction that she
wanted desperately to tell him to mind his own business and he took a perverse
delight in annoying her about it.
Sesshomaru found it was very easy to get a rise out of her
if he mentioned anything remotely do with sex or Takahara. It amused him to no
end that she would go from being meek and mild one minute to angry and
high-spirited, if he suggested something as innocent as relaying a message to
the older youkai or implying that she was late for their lessons because
Takahara wanted to pillow with her before she left. He would watch fascinated
as she would first blush with embarrassment before the color would drain from
her face. He imagined her thinking she was finally caught and her secret was
out as she sputtered to change the subject. Then there were the times she would
pretend not to hear him and he loved that the best for he would mercilessly vex her about it until she either
started crying or begged him to leave her alone. The last time he bothered her
about it he was sure she was going to finally tell him that she was in fact
sleeping with Takahara. Since she was not only late but reeked of the older
youkai he was certain she was going to finally admit to it when she said she
wanted to speak to him in private after their lessons. The fact that she seemed
somewhat troubled puzzled him as he tried to push her out of his thoughts
without success.
Shit! I�m not
asking her to tell me her pillow secrets as the gods know I could care less
about anything to do with that bastard Takahara. He mused as he stared at her out of the corner of his eye.
And it�s not as though I�ve asked her to
pillow with me instead� He laughed to himself as he wondered where that
thought came from and imagining her angry retort, he nearly got himself in
trouble when Ryoushi asked him what was so funny.
�Nothing, Sensei�I was just thinking about a joke I heard
in the barracks about a geisha, a samurai, and a magic turtle. Would you like
me to tell it to you?� He asked innocently, knowing full well that his teacher
would never allow it.
One day she never made it to their lessons and Sesshomaru
decided he had had enough of her nonsense. He stormed the palace halls and
searched everywhere for his absent classmate, without success. He was sure she
was pillowing with Takahara as lately she spent almost as much time in his
company as she did in Sesshomaru�s. He barreled his way through the corridors
where his father had rooms along with a few of his favorite men. Sesshomaru
figured it was time to see for himself, if she was
spending her free time with the Old Bastard. So intent was he on storming his
way into Takahara�s room and catching her flirting with him, or worse that he
barely had time to stop himself from colliding with her just outside the older
youkai�s rooms. He was about to demand she explain herself when he noticed
Ningen-hime, with his father close behind. He looked away from the human woman
to girl before him and was surprised to see she had a flower arrangement with
her.
�Where�d you get that from?� Sesshomaru asked as he glared
at her then back at the flowers. Tsukikage ignored his rudeness and held it up
to let him admire it.
�I made it myself, do you like it?� Tsuki asked, holding it
up again, so he could see it from all sides.
�Hai. So, you made it yourself, hunh?�
�Hai. I�ve been taking lessons from your mother for a while now.
I mean, where else do you think I got it from?� She frowned in annoyance at the
suspicion in his voice.
Sesshomaru shrugged and went back to studying his father
and the hated human woman who stood outside his room talking. �Thought maybe
Takahara-san, gave it to you��
�Nani? Why would he do that?� Tsukikage asked. She gave him
another odd look when he ignored her, before she walked away. Why does he think Takahara gave it to me? She
wondered as she walked back to her room. The
way he was glaring at me, I�d swear he thought Takahara was showering me with
presents all the time, which is nonsense and he knows it. She sighed
quietly to herself. Thankfully I haven�t
seen Takahara in days� which is great, because come to think I�ve just about
had enough of his nonsense too! Besides I�d rather die than spend time alone
with him! Tsuki shuddered. How many
times can I tell him I don�t want to go to his room? Who cares how many old
books, beautiful scrolls, and rare treasures can one look at! Although why the Waka-sama thinks I�d have
gone there is beyond me! As handsome as Takahara is, he�s just too old for me,
and besides Toukasa-chan is so enamored of him, that I couldn�t�. She
sighed again as she thought about how accelerated her training was getting. I guess you�ve been so busy, Tsuki, studying
under Atsuimi-hime and Ningen-hime, not to mention Inukouhi-okugata-sama, that
you don�t even know what day it is. She hurried back to her room as she
realized she was late for a singing lesson. She quickly dropped off the flower
arrangement and as she prepared to leave her room, she spotted the doll
Sesshomaru had given her. She paused and touched its face gently as it reminded
her of him, before leaving for her lesson.
Waka-sama, if you must know I�m supposed to help Ningen-hime entertain your
father and some of his men later on this week�and now that I�ve spent some time
in your mother�s company, I don�t feel right about it�I really wish I could
talk to you about it� She sighed softly to herself. If only this was something as simple as spending too much time with
Takahara-sama�
~
Tsukikage was sitting in Sakura-chan�s room along with
Ningen-hime and Toukasa-chan listening to the women gossip while they waited
for Atsuimi to arrive. Sakura-chan pointed out a few things of interest to talk
about later that night at the private dinner, while chatting away with her
friend Toukasa-chan about Sesshomaru.
�Why do I always have to be Inutaisho-dono-sama?�
Toukasa-chan complained.
�It�s because you�re nearly as tall as he is, that�s why.�
Sakura-chan explained.
�Heh! So�s Ningen-hime and she always
gets to be herself. Besides I don�t see why you can�t
be Inutaisho-dono-sama for a change!� Toukasa-chan pouted.
�I can�t as we�ve been going over this dinner all week with
you being Inutaisho-dono-sama. Besides Ningen-hime is supposed to be there. You
know, it�d be kind of silly having her be herself as well as
Inutaisho-dono-sama, now wouldn�t it?� Sakura-chan beamed as if that settled
it. �Now I�m going to be Takahara-sama�� She shot her friend a warning look
when Toukasa-chan frowned.
�Fine! I�ll be Inutaisho-dono-sama, this time, but next time I�m
going to be my Taka-chan and that�s final!�
Toukasa-chan fumed until her friend whispered something in her ear that
made her laugh.
�Why don�t you two just carry on as if you�re waiting for
the rest of the men to arrive?� Sakura-chan waved her hand at Ningen-hime and
Tsukikage, while Toukasa-chan got up and sat back down again, like a man would.
�Toukasa-chan�we�re seeing a bit more of you than we care to�� Sakura leaned
over and whispered loudly to her friend.
��Toukasa-chan?� Takahara�I know you love the wench a lot, but mixing me up
with her leads me to believe your head injury is acting up again!� Toukasa-chan
pitched her voice lower as she gently chided her friend to get into character.
�We�re supposed to be the men now!� She explained as she got out of character.
�Fine, but we all know Inutaisho-dono-sama would never say
anything like that! Why don�t you talk about the Waka-sama? He loves to brag
about his son, ne?� This last was said to Ningen-hime who nodded.
�Hai! He mentioned the other day something about
Sesshomaru-waka-sama�s lessons in swordsmanship.� Ningen-hime said softly as
she tried not to laugh.
Lessons in
swordsmanship�I bet that�s where the Waka-sama was the other morning. Tsukikage thought as she quietly went about the room
serving tea.
Toukasa-chan, who was helping out by pretending to be
Inutaisho, said, �You should have seen my son today, Takahara. I think even you
would admit to being impressed. He had that great big sword thingy he��
��Sword thingy�? What the hell are you talking about �Inutaisho-san�?�
Sakura-chan laughed.
�Keh! Forget that �Inutaisho-san stuff�! I mean you really
should see how well he�s been doing, Sakura-chan!� Toukasa-chan exclaimed.
�Hai! I wish I could as it must be something to see, ne? By the
way just how did you get yourself invited to the training grounds?� Sakura
asked. �Don�t tell me Takahara-sama took
you there again?� She added, which had both youkai women collapsing in
laughter. Tsukikage blushed as she caught Sakura�s double meaning and tried to
cover it up by clearing away the remains of their tea. She moved around the
room silently cleaning up as she thought about Sesshomaru and his lessons. I wish I had seen it�as Toukasa-chan is
right; it must have been an impressive sight.
�Iie! If only he would�� The older woman said wistfully.
�Actually, I was with Inukouhi-okugata-sama, when the Waka-sama came to visit.
And we were both treated to such a lovely demonstration�You know my heart
swelled with so much pride, I felt as though for an instant he was really my
own son��
�Hai! We all know what a soft spot you have for him�Tell us what
Inukouhi-okugata-sama thought of it!�
�What I thought of �what�?� Inukouhi asked as she entered
with Atsuimi.
The women bowed and came over to where Sakura-chan and
Toukasa-chan were sitting. Toukasa-chan filled the dog queen in on what they
were talking about.
�Hai! You should see my Sessho-kun handle a sword, Sakura-chan.
You know I�ve told his father we should have Toutou-sai-san
come and make a sword especially for Sessho-kun. But he never can seem to find
the time for it, yet he has time for everything else...� She sighed and eyed
the lone human woman in the room darkly. �Well you know how men are when they
get fixated on something��
�My Lady, I�ve told you not to concern yourself with such
things as it would do nothing other than upset you.� Atsuimi said soothingly.
�Please, let�s speak of the matter at hand. Ningen-hime, am I correct in
assuming Inutaisho-dono-sama is inviting several of his men to a private dinner
to celebrate Hikaru-san�s promotion?�
�Hai. I believe he will have no more than ten men at the most.
Tsukikage-chan and I should be able to handle it ourselves, ne?� The human
woman replied.
�Hai, but you might do well to have another girl or two
with you. Let me think�� Atsuimi furrowed her brow as she went over several possibilities
in her head. �I�ve got it: Rika-chan and Hana-chan
are around Tsukikage-chan�s age and Chiharu-san is very old and motherly, which
is just the thing to make Hikaru-san feel at ease.� She paused as she pretended
to think it over. �You know if I didn�t know any better I�d swear Hikaru-san
still suckles form his mother�s titty.� She smirked
and the other women laughed.
�Atsuimi-chan, where did you ever hear such stuff?�
Inukouhi laughed.
�Well I heard your son complaining about something similar,
so I did a bit of investigating. Turns out the Waka-sama wasn�t
far off in his assessment.� She smiled and leaned over and spoke softly to her
friend. �You know, you should make mention of this to your husband. By the way
I have another girl for Ningen-hime; Hinadoriko-chan. She�d be prefect for
Hikaru-san too as a possible wife. She�s still young but her soul is very old.�
�Hai�I will be sure to tell him that. Arigatou my
friend�� Inukouhi then engaged
Toukasa-chan in further conversation about her son.
Intrigued, Tsukikage decided she wanted to see Sesshomaru�s
swordsmanship for herself, although she was warned not to go the training
grounds by Ningen-hime. Inukouhi-okugata-sama had also cautioned her about
going there, after one of her lessons with Atsuimi-hime, as it wasn�t safe for
palace women to go unescorted. Tsuki then wondered if she should try and find
out when he was visiting his mother. Then
I can stand in the shadows and watch him�maybe if I�m lucky enough, he�ll spot
me and then we can talk about the next day at our lessons�or if you�re really
lucky, Tsuki, he�ll come to your room for some tea and we can talk about it
then�And I could tell him how much I enjoyed watching him�but then he�d
probably call me stupid for hiding in the shadows�well it�s not like he wasn�t
showing off for all to see. Or maybe I could get invited to the barracks to
watch�But who�s going to invite me there other than the Waka-sama himself or
his father, which is out of the question�Takahara? She tried thinking of ways to get invited
there to watch him, but since they all seemed to center around Takahara taking
her there, she decided to let the matter go for now. The last thing I need is Takahara thinking I want to spend time with
him when I don�t really want to�
~
�Tsuki-chan�� Toukasa-chan whispered. �Come here girl�� The
older youkai woman motioned with her finger.
�Hai!� Tsukikage said as she came over to her. �Is there
something wrong?� She asked anxiously.
�Iie, it�s nothing really. I just need your help. It would seem
my Taka-chan is very taken with you�� She held up a hand to stop Tsuki�s
protests. �I�m fine with it, really I am. Actually it fits in perfectly with my
needs.� She smiled sweetly as Tsukikage nodded in agreement, although she
really had no idea what Toukasa was talking about. �If it makes you feel any
better, my Taka-chan is only interested in your maiden-head and once he gets it
he�ll leave you alone�� Toukasa sighed and made a long suffering face. �You
know he chases after every pretty young thing that arrives and once he�s had a
taste of them, he quickly forgets them, so there�s no need to worry.� She
paused as Tsuki nodded. �Besides if were possible I really would like it if my
Taka-chan is the one to claim it rather than someone else, simply because of
the prestige he would get from it. Think about it.� Toukasa held up a finger
and tapped her temple. �You look so much like Ningen-hime that you could be
sisters if such a thing were possible�and well it�s no secret that she�s
Inutaisho-dono-sama�s mate, however much Inukouhi-okugata-sama wishes it were
otherwise.� She whispered the last part before going on, �He would gain a lot
of respect from his men for this honor�but enough of that.� She looked around
nervously as she paused. �Actually Tsuki-chan, what I need you do for me is to
act as my go between.�
�Go between?�
�Hai! Since Taka-chan is so taken with you it would be only
natural that he�d want to be seen in your company, ne? So then you can carry
little messages to him from me and visa versa.� Toukasa beamed as though she
were relating a plan of unparalleled genius. �I�d really appreciate it and
you�d be forever in my debt�.�
�Okay, but why can�t you just see him directly? Gomen, but
I don�t understand the need for all the secrecy��
Toukasa sighed. �When you�re older you�ll understand�but to
answer your question, it�s just a little game we like to play�� Toukasa
crinkled up her nose and pinched the younger girl�s cheek. �And I thank you
very much for agreeing to help me.� She said as gave Tsuki a slight bow with
her head and left.
Great! Now I have
to spend more time with him�Tsuki thought
miserably.
~
There were the nights when she would be asked to perform at
dinner along with some of the older girls. At first she merely played her flute
before she was asked to sing. After Kouchou-hime had mentioned to Inutaisho
that Tsukikage and Suzuki had beautiful voices this became a regular part of
her entertaining along with dancing. She loved singing especially when the dog
general would dine with his family, for she knew she�d see Sesshomaru.
Tsukikage would sometimes sing a song that was meant for his ears alone as she
knew he would enjoy as much as Inukouhi did, although for different reasons.
Her solo over; she would blend her voice back in with the other girls before
leaving with them for their own dinners. She found she did not mind leaving
along with them as much as she thought she would, for she was beginning to make
friends with the other girls, even though she missed Sesshomaru�s company.
A few times she was asked to appear alone and it was these
times that Sesshomaru liked the best for he could then sit back and watch her
without notice, simply because everyone else was. He would sit there, waiting
in anticipation; hoping that Tsukikage would appear alone, until he realized he
was not the only one sitting back and watching her.
That night Sesshomaru found he had a rival for her
attentions and he was surprised it bothered him more than he cared to admit. He
had arrived late again and he was irritated to find Takahara had called
Tsukikage over to him. As he headed towards his seat, Sesshomaru saw his
father�s friend pull the startled girl onto his lap. He sat there, half a
table�s length away, watching them as he pretended not to. Sesshomaru appeared
to be sitting calmly although inside he was seething with rage asTakahara got a
bit rough with her. It was all he could do to sit there as if nothing was wrong
as he hoped his father would notice. Inutaisho did notice and Sesshomaru found
much to his chagrin, that he was annoyed by his father�s mild rebuking of
Takahara. Chichi-ue�why can�t you see
that Takahara is such a bastard? Besides I thought you didn�t tolerate this
stuff at dinner. Sesshomaru frowned. I bet if he paid that much attention to your
precious little Pet, you�d be a lot angrier than you are�Does Tsuki-chan mean
that little to you?
Takahara may have been one of Inutaisho�s closest friends
as well as his best general, but he had strange reputation among the ladies of
the court. They were divided into two camps concerning him. Those that loved
him for his good looks and clever tongue and those who believed the rumors
about him especially since Naoko-hime refused to explain why she was covered in
bruises after spending the night with him. Despite his reputation Toukasa-chan
adored him and she readily forgave his infidelities.
As he sat there watching, Sesshomaru was puzzled to find
that he wanted to rip the hands off Takahara, powerful youkai or not. He sat
there trying to cover up his annoyance as he watched Takahara pull her onto his
lap. Sesshomaru brooded impotently as Takahara tried to push Tsuki�s kimono off
her shoulder while he nuzzled her neck.
�You have such a beautiful neck, Pretty One, and you should
learn to show more of it, ne?� He murmured in her ear before looking to his
lord for permission.
�Take it easy Taka-san. She�s not been schooled in those
ways yet� Besides it looks like you�re scaring her half to death�� Inutaisho
quietly warned his friend.
�Relax Tsuki-chan� I assure you Takahara-san�s bark is
worse than his bite!� Toukasa-chan said from where she sat watching the goings
on. �He�s just had too much sake, ne?� She smiled at her lord and his friend.
�Hai! Dear Lady, you know me too well.� He laughed.
�Please stop�� Tsukikage whispered as Takahara nuzzled her
neck again.
�Oi Takahara� I believe that�s enough. Let the girl get up
and sing for us.� Inutaisho frowned. �Go on Tsukikage-san, why don�t you sing
that pretty song my darling wife likes so much��
Tsukikage gratefully got up and fixed her kimono before she
sat apart from the others and sang a sweet love song for Inukouhi. She was
somewhat troubled about having sung the same song the night before for a
private dinner for Inutaisho and Ningen-hime but she sang it anyway as if
nothing was bothering her. She looked around the room as she sang and she did
her best to ignore the hungry looks Takahara sent her way. She had closed her
eyes as she came to a particularly romantic part and much to her surprise when
she opened them; she noticed Sesshomaru was smiling at her. She was happy to
see the anger fading from his face although she wondered why he was so angry in
the first place. Smiling inwardly, she sang part of it to him before turning
her attention elsewhere. Unfortunately, Takahara noticed and while he was not
very pleased about it, he kept his observations to himself.
~
A few weeks later, Takahara finally got a chance to see
just how much they cared for one another. He sat across the table from Sesshomaru
and although he flirted with Toukasa-chan on his right, all his attention was
focused on the youkai prince. So you�ve finally become a man, Whelp? I
wonder just when you�ve had the time to do seeing how busy the girl�s been
these past few weeks... He glared at his lord�s son as it galled him to
think the suckling whelp may have gotten to her first. Then again maybe you�d just want me to think you�ve been there first,
ne? Okay�if you want to play games
Whelp, then we�ll play games� Takahara thought nastily. Now that
Toukasa-chan had declared Tsukikage their go between, Takahara figured he could
still have a bit of fun at Sesshomaru�s expense by tormenting him about the
girl, especially if his suspicions about her and the Waka-sama were true. Besides
he figured if things were not as he feared, then his Toukasa-chan had given him
the rare gift of the girl�s company. Plenty
of time then to coax her into my bed�He thought as he eyed Tsuki as she
danced alone for their pleasure.
Sesshomaru spent the time before dinner watching Takahara
trying his best to get Tsukikage to come and sit again in his lap. Sesshomaru had the feeling his father�s
friend was trying to get Tsukikage to agree to come to his bed later that night
and he found the thought highly annoying. Thankfully
Chichi-ue has made it clear she�s to be left alone or poor Tsukikage would be
in for a terrible night. Sesshomaru thought as he watched his father come
over and speak to his friend. Why can�t
that idiot see she doesn�t want him to behave like that in public? He
thought as he remembered the uproar that happened when Tomoe-hime was found
hanging by her obi after a night spent with Takahara. It bothered him that
there was nothing he could do to help her and the more Takahara persisted in bothering
her, the angrier and more helpless about the situation Sesshomaru felt. It's not as though she�s my woman, but why
does she make me feel this way, whenever I see anyone with her? He stole a
quick look at her as she tried to politely excuse herself from Takahara�s
advances. Why doesn't Chichi-ue stop that
oaf?! Why because he is too busy eying his Pet to realize what is going on�
Shit! Before he realized what he was doing, Sesshomaru found himself
standing which had the desired effect of making Takahara stop his pawing at Tsukikage. Then he found his cheeks burning as all eyes
fastened on him when Takahara innocently asked him what was wrong. Licking his
lips Sesshomaru made some excuse about needing to go outside for a minute.
That's when Takahara eyed him narrowly, but nonetheless kept his mouth shut as
he was certain that there was something going on between his lord�s son and the
girl, although he was not what it was. Upon his return, Sesshomaru was
unprepared for what Takahara had in store for him.
Takahara had managed to see what everyone including the
boy�s parent�s overlooked: Sesshomaru had feelings for the girl. He was sure
she returned them too, as he was positive there where times that her songs were
just for the young Waka-sama. It was if the two had their own private language,
where they could speak of things better left unsaid, right under everyone's
noses and no one would be the wiser. If
you truly have had her first, then I sure as hell don�t want your leftovers! No
grown male in his right mind would take a mere suckling�s
leavings�Takahara fumed to himself. You fucking little
shit! Just what do you think you�re playing at, Waka-sama? Denying me what is mine, just because you�re
Inutaisho�s son? Well that�s not going to help you this time,
Whelp! So when Sesshomaru sat down again, Takahara shoved the girl at him.
This caused a bit of laughter around the room, with most of coming from
Sesshomaru's own father.
�Go ahead! Kiss her, Waka-sama! She seems to want a younger
man, does she not, Yamamoto-san?� Takahara said as he nudged the man next to
him.
�Hai! That she does!!! Why don't you give her to him, my Lord?
It's about time the Whelp becomes a man!!� Everyone laughed at this except
Sesshomaru, who paled at the insult. He found it all the more insulting that
his father and his pet human joined in the laughter.
�Come on, Sessho-kun, she won�t bite you� and if she does,
then bite her back!� Inutaisho laughed before whispering something to
Ningen-hime who nodded as she smiled back at him.
So with everyone cheering him on, he roughly grabbed
Tsuki�s face. He gave her an awkward but forceful kiss, before he quickly
released her. He looked away from her in embarrassment and he felt his cheeks
heat up as he sat there cursing himself for doing what they wanted and kissing
her. She in turn, turned a matching shade of red while everyone laughed even
louder.
No wonder he hates
being laughed at! She thought. Poor thing�I bet Takahara does that to him
all the time! I wonder why Inutaisho-dono-sama allows it as well. She
frowned. If they are so concerned about
him becoming a man, then why have they not found him a woman sooner? Could this
be the reason for all my training? Am I to be given to him? Please gods, Tsuki
shyly looked over at Sesshomaru and blushed even harder before she looked away. I hope so, as that certainly would be
preferable to lying with that Takahara! Then she gave him a look of pity
that only made him feel worse. You have
no idea how badly I feel about all of this� Sesshomaru hated it when she
pitied him more than anything else, so he snarled at her and shoved her away.
Luckily, before things got out of hand, the serving women arrived with the food
and Tsuki was allowed to leave.
~
They avoided each other for days after the incident.
Sesshomaru once again happened to be absent from their studies, so Tsukikage
decided to see if he was busy with his lessons in swordsmanship, even though
she was warned not to go down by the barracks where the younger men lived.
Tsukikage wanted to see him practicing it anyways and she was pleased with the
opportunity presented to her. Instead of going to Takahara and asking him for
permission like she should have done, she made up her mind to just go without
asking before her courage failed her. She figured she could diffuse Takahara�s
anger by making up a story about wanting to visit him.
Tsuki made her way carefully across the courtyard to the
area where most of the men hung about. She was pleased to note that most of
them ignored her presence although a few of the younger ones made rude comments
as she passed. Clutching the scrolls she carried tightly to herself, she
quickly found him hard at work, sparring with another man before her presence
was discovered. While Tsuki was pleased she had found him, Sesshomaru on the
other hand was not pleased to see her there at all. He still found himself
uneasy in her presence as every time he saw her it reminded him all too well of
�the incident�.
�Waka-sama, I have brought you the scrolls you�ll need from
today's lessons.� She said as she handed the scrolls to him while Sesshomaru
handed his wooden sword to his sparring partner and glared at her. Tsukikage
smiled weakly at the other young men who had gathered around them.
�What lesson scrolls? Hey, Waka-sama,
let me guess; they �pillow� scrolls, ne?� They all laughed as they crowded
around. �Getting lessons in the pillow world, ne?� one of the other young men
asked as he grabbed the scrolls before Sesshomaru could. �Shit! She�s one of
your father's women, ne?� Several more of the older boys came over and crowded
around; eager for a look at the scrolls.
�Don't be such a dumb ass! My father wants her trained as a
geisha, so he's having her tutored the same time��
�OOOO!! A geisha, ne?�
�Just what are you
learning again?!�
�I bet she's the
Waka-sama�s homework! Shit, I wouldn�t mind studying that!�
�Waka-sama� do you
think we can study her when you�re finished with her?�
Cries of "Hai, hai!" were heard as she tried to
leave peacefully.
Laughing they called out to her, �Oi, Geisha-san! Where�re
you going? Don�t leave us!�
Just then Tsukikage found herself spun around as one of the
young men grabbed her and started touching her in places she did not want to be touched.
Sesshomaru then tried to help her, but he was torn between rescuing her and
finally fitting in with the others as he was not only younger than they were,
but Inutaisho-dono�s son as well. He found himself at first standing there
helplessly before being pushed out of the way as Tsukikage struggled to get
free of them.
�Waka-sama! Please make them stop!� Tsukikage called out. �Let me go!�
She blushed as one of the older men whispered an indecent proposal in her ear.
She managed to pull away from him and she called out again to Sesshomaru for
help. �Waka-sama! Help me!� Through a haze of tears
she watched as the youkai prince stood there hesitating before he finally came
to her rescue.
�That�s enough! Leave her be!� Sesshomaru said as he pushed
himself through the others to rescue her. He took hold of her arm he and
roughly pushed her on her way. He hissed at her, �Go, wench, and next time
don�t be so stupid as to come here by yourself! Fool! If I wasn�t here Kami
alone knows what could have happened to you! Shit, you were warned not to come
here; don�t you listen?� They glared at each other as the others went back to
what they were doing before. �Only the low women who follow the camp as it
travels come here, have you no sense?�
Tsukikage opened her mouth to say something, but changed
her mind, looking at him in disgust. He frowned at her, as he also wanted to
ask her if she was all right, but somehow he could not bring himself to do it,
so she bowed and turned to leave. He watched her go for a few minutes before he
decided to go after her. As he hurried to
catch up to her, he called out to her and he had to repeat himself several
times before she stopped. She stood there crying softly while she waited for
him. She had been frightened by what had happened and she was torn between
having him comfort her and yelling at him for not helping her sooner.
He was soon at her side and before he could say anything
she shouted at him, "Waka-sama, you are just as bad as they are for doing
nothing! I was frightened and my honor was threatened and you failed in your
duty as my lord! I thought you were my friend, Waka-sama and friends would
never do that to one another! I hate you! You are lower than that pile of
smelly steaming maggot infested horse shit!� He flinched at the force of her
anger. �You hear me, Waka-sama?! You are the biggest pile of horse shit I have
ever had the misfortune to meet!" They stood there for a few minutes
glaring at each other, before what she called him sunk in.
�What did you say to me, Bitch?� He said so quietly she was
not sure he spoke as she studied the ground at her feet.
Looking up at him with tears in her eyes she repeated it
although this time when she said it there was much less venom in her tone.
�That's what I thought you said. You are an even bigger
idiot for speaking to me that way than you were for coming here on your own!
You know I could have you punished or worse for that? And I don�t give a rat�s
ass that you belong to my father, so don�t think he�s going to protect you from
your stupidity!� He said his voice soft and deadly with his anger, as he glared
at her.
�Gomen�Waka-sama�Please forgive
me� I was frightened� I didn�t mean it� Please�� she said as she started to bow
to him.
�Stand up, Bitch�� He said softly as he tried to get a grip
on his anger.
Swallowing hard, Tsukikage replied softly, �Hai,Waka-sama� arigatou � and I�m
sorry��
�Hai. Now go!� He closed
his and took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
�Waka-sama� Takahara-sama is headed ov-�.�
She started to say before he interrupted her.
�I thought I told you to go!�
�Hai� but maybe I should stay so I can tell him it was all my fault��
�Iie! Just go.� He said as he dismissed her.
�But Takahara-sama is talking to the others� what if they
tell him what happened? What if he decides to punish me?�
�Baka! He won�t punish you now that you�re one of his women.�
Sesshomaru found his anger rising again over what he perceived as her
stupidity.
�Nani?� She looked at him
with a puzzled expression on her face. �He�s not�never
mind.� She sighed and looked away from him at the approaching figure.
�Now go!� He hissed.
Hai� but Takahara is��
�Bitch!� He swore; his jealousy of the older man got the better of
him. Losing control, he slapped her hard across her face. Tsuki reeled from the
blow and stumbled to the ground. Getting up she touched her cheek that stung
from the pain and holding her hand up, she noticed it was covered with blood.
Tsukikage looked at him and as the tears started flowing she knew he was just
as sorry as she was. She sat there on
the ground crying softly as she held her bloody cheek and gathered the scrolls
she dropped with her other hand. She had not realized she had not given them to him, until just now when
she noticed them lying on the ground in front of her.
�Waka-sama... please just take the scrolls and let me go...
now,� She said softly as she got to her feet and handed him the scrolls.
�Hai�� He said softly as he took them and watched her go.
He stood there for several minutes as he went over what had happened in his
head. Sesshomaru looked down at the scrolls and as he noticed her blood on them
he felt a moment of fear for mingled with the scent of her blood was the scent
of poison. �Oi, Tsukikage! Tsukikage-hime! Wait!� He called out as he started
to follow her, but stopped when he saw she was talking to Takahara. He felt
another wave of jealousy wash over him as he watched the elder youkai put his
arms around Tsukikage and comfort her as they walked away. Sesshomaru stood there feeling sick to his
stomach with dismay as watched them leave. Then he turned to go back as guilt
started gnawing at him. He knew his father would now find out about this and he
wondered just how long it would take him before he was summoned to explain
himself. Disheartened by the incident
and its outcome, Sesshomaru wished to all the gods she had not come looking
him.
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Moonlight	By : kirayasha Category: InuYasha > General Views: 2275 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Moonlight