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Suffering and Rebirth	By : scattered-dimensions Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 8846 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. This is for fun not monetary gain.

Chapter List
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Noriko paced the gardens trying to clear her head of the day’s terrible events. It was no secret that the West was under attack, but the fighting was being contained. Lord InuTaishio was an excellent general, but it seemed that the human nobles weren’t as convinced. She understood their misgivings, truly she did, but they would hear none of her reasoning.
There were threats made and spiteful words given to the priestess who consorted with demons before the men left the fortress grounds. It was most disheartening, but expected. The only thing she could do was weather the storm and keep hope alive just as Lord Masahiro wanted. Lord InuTaishio had vowed to uphold his father’s beliefs and she trusted him with every ounce of her soul.
“Lady Noriko!” Came a small voice following the quiet whispering pitter patter of feet on the grass.
She turned with a smile to greet her Lord’s son. He ran up to her and bowed low in greeting.
“Master Sesshomaru, it is not proper for one of your station to bow to another.” She admonished with a light laugh and Sesshomaru blushed looking contrite.
“I’m sorry. I forgot.” He said offering her an apologetic smile.
“Think nothing of it, young Master. Just remember your etiquette in court. So, what brings you out here on such a chilly day?” She asked taking a seat in the grass to be more on his level.
He looked up to the sky scrunching his nose as the wind ruffled his short silver locks.
“Is it really that cold?” He asked and she nodded. “Humans are so strange.” He commented innocently and plopped down in the grass beside her.
“And demons are not?” She asked playfully tugging his little pointed ear and he smiled big enough to show his fangs.
“Sesshomaru.” A sharp melodic voice called from their left.
The young Prince jumped to his feet and raced towards his mother holding his arms out wanting to be picked up. It was an endearing sight if his affections were directed toward anyone other than the Western Lady.
“Don’t be so silly, pup.” She said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
His face and arms fell simultaneously.
It hurt Noriko’s heart to see such a thing. He deserved to be loved by his mother not groomed. He still had centuries yet to become the Lord of the West. His childhood was a fleeting thing. Couldn’t this female see that? Golden eyes met hers and she averted them. Noriko stood and bowed respectfully.
“My son, your tutor is waiting for you in the library. Tardiness is unacceptable.” Lady Avaka continued and Sesshomaru squared his narrow shoulders.
“Yes, Mother.” He replied dutifully.
He walked inside at his mother’s behest and turned back sneaking in a wave. Noriko gave him a small smile in response before he disappeared. He was an adorable little boy and very bright. He reminded her so much of his father with his ceaseless questions and bubbling curiosity about every little thing.
“How odd it is for a human to be outside in such weather. You wish to become ill, do you?” Avaka asked boredly inspecting her painted claws.
“My Lady?” Noriko asked in confusion.
“Oh, come now. Don’t play coy with me, girl. It seems my mate has such a soft spot for weaklings.” The Lady answered her eyes pinning Noriko to the spot.
She felt her blood run cold and couldn’t form a legible sentence in her mind. Did she know of her and InuTaishio’s past? No, it couldn’t be. He had promised never to tell.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Avaka asked following her little comment with jovial laughter knocking Noriko from her momentary stupor.
“No, my Lady. I just don’t understand your meaning.” Noriko said keeping her eyes off of the beautiful inu demoness.
She was trying to pick a fight.
“I forget how stupid mortals are. Allow me to reword the question to a simpler version for your comprehension. Are you trying to catch the attention of my mate?” She asked slowly, her eyes burning through flesh and bone with a dreadful intensity.
And there it was.
“No, my Lady. I am Lord InuTaishio’s counselor just as I was for his father.” She answered feeling anger rise from within, but kept it contained.
“Yes, you keep saying that time and again, but yet I cannot help to feel the lie behind those words.” Avaka said her voice turning to ice.
“It is the truth, my Lady.” Noriko insisted.
“Is it? I do wonder. Perhaps I should ask InuTaishio of his feelings. Would that trouble you?” Avaka asked her voice lightening a little with the promise of mischief.
“If that is what you so desire, but his answer would be no different.” Noriko said standing her ground.
And it wouldn’t. InuTaishio had been nothing more than a friend since their tryst many years ago. They were able to speak to one another as understanding equals and discussed many aspects of state, something Avaka was extremely jealous about.
Noriko respected his relationship with his mate, as unfitting a match as it was, and he respected her in all things giving her clout enough to govern in his stead should he and the Lady be absent at any point. She was his most trusted vassal, a mantle she wore with no small amount of pride.
“Hmm, interesting. Thick as thieves, I see.” Avaka said waltzing back to the garden entrance.
She stopped at the doors and turned, her eyes like molten ore, her face set in stone, and her carefully painted lips thinned into a baleful sneer. The chill running down Noriko’s spine had nothing to do with the temperature.
“Just one more thing, human. Stay away from my son. I’ll not have his head filled with your filthy spewings.” Avaka spat and turned up her nose haughtily before leaving.

Noriko awoke coughing, her frail body being wracked by haggard jerks. The elder Miko was by her side in an instant. The twin tail had transformed and was assisting Kaede in lifting her head enough to press a cup to her lips. She drank the refreshing liquid greedily before turning her head away and having it placed gently back onto the pillow by Kirara’s paw.
“Do ye require anything else?” Kaede asked and Noriko noticed she was in her sleeping yukata.
“Twas nothing but unpleasant dreams. I require nothing further.” Noriko answered with a smile she didn’t feel.
“Ye seem to have these nightmares most every night. Care to tell an old woman a story?” Kaede asked settling herself beside the futon.
The neko laid down behind the woman and allowed her to rest upon her side comfortably. Noriko pondered the suggestion and shrugged mentally.
“Would it surprise you to know that I knew Sesshomaru as a small child…or pup, as the case may be?”
The way that both Kaede and Kirara gapped at her told her that it did indeed.
“He was nothing like he is now, the human hating wretch.” She growled, but stamped down her useless anger. “He used to smile and was so curious about the world around him.”
“That is most surprising, but I must say, he is not as harsh as one would believe towards the human race.” Kaede said defending the Taiyoukai.
“Just because he has found himself a pet doesn’t mean his views on humanity have changed. He’s the son his mother molded him to be.” Noriko added with a sigh.
“His mother?” Kaede asked in astonishment and Noriko regarded her curiously.
“Yes, his mother. You do not know of the Lady of the West?” Noriko asked astonished.
“No, I had not heard.” Kaede said with a shake of her head.
“Ah, now that is a long story indeed. Shall I start from the first time Lady Avaka and I met face to face?” Noriko asked happy to have an audience to unload her troubled thoughts upon, knowing that this woman would pass no judgment.
“Please.” Kaede nodded leaning further into the neko’s ginger fur.
“It was during a banquet to acquaintance the members of the court with InuTaishio’s betrothed. It was an arranged mating, something that had been put into place several years after InuTaishio’s birth and long before my service to the West. They had met only a few times in their lives and held little to no common ground, but she was beautiful, the perfect complement to the Western Prince.” Noriko shut her eyes allowing the memories to seep to the surface.
She felt her heart constrict painfully at what that day signified, but plucked it away like a weed from one of her gardens.
“Avaka was cold as ice, like her father. They both regarded me as if I were merely an annoying insect. Lord Masahiro defended me of course and even threatened Avaka’s father once over their harsh words, but as you well know, respect is earned not freely given.”
“Were ye the only one they treated in such a way?” Kaede asked with a yawn.
It was rather late and Noriko felt a twinge of guilt at keeping the elder woman awake, but she continued with her story anyway.
“No. The poor servants were run ragged and I remember that she brought one poor girl to tears that very night with words alone. Horrid woman, she was. Back then, I was still innocent in the ways of the world and I saw her slights as a challenge. I was determined to prove to her my worth. I thought if Lord Masahiro and his son could see that I was useful, so would she given time and understanding.” Noriko answered with a self-deprecating laugh.
The servant had been a kitsune, petite with flaming red hair and kind eyes. All she had done was ask Avaka if she would like her plate removed. The degrading tongue lashing the poor thing received had been excruciating to watch and Noriko remembered the sting of her blunt fingernails digging into the flesh of her palms as she struggled to remain quiet about the entire affair.
Finally, the poor fox fled from the room sobbing uncontrollably. Noriko visited her that night in the servant quarters and gave her words of apology which she accepted gratefully. It was not the last time she would have to clean up one of Avaka’s messes.
“Did Lady Avaka rise to the challenge?” Kaede asked shaking Noriko out of her relapse.
“It depends on your point of view. To her there was no challenge. To others it was jealously. To others still, I was a meddlesome mortal who had no business in a demon fortress.” Noriko answered.
“That changed when Lord Masahiro died.” Kaede urged and Noriko nodded.
“Indeed it did, for the entire Western populace that was loyal to Lord Masahiro. His sacrifice was honored and respected without question and, to be frank, it scared me. People were suddenly bending knee to me and falling over themselves as if I were nobility. These things made Avaka very angry even as I struggled to adapt to the unwanted reverence. After InuTaishio’s ceremonial coronation, the Western Lands were attacked by the North and I rushed out with my bow to aid in the defense of the nearby villagers. I was attacked and injured. I found out many years later that the demon had been given explicit orders from the Western Lady herself to kill me.” Noriko explained.
“And how did ye uncover such information?” Kaede inquired.
“It’s a wonder what centuries of patience can accomplish. You see I never forgot his face, the demon I mean, and after my service to the West was completed, I sought him out. I found him in the far south, near a swamp and asked him myself. He confirmed my suspicions and asked for my forgiveness.” Noriko answered helpfully.
“Did ye forgive him?” Kaede asked.
“No, but alas, I’ve trailed off subject. Where was I? Ah, yes. Lord InuTaishio began to involve me in issues concerning the youkai population as well as all things regarding the humans under his control. Avaka was present for every court session and private meeting. She insisted that youkai were superior to humans and that there was no need to regard them as anything other than a meal.” Noriko continued.
“Ye mean to say that she ate humans?” Kaede asked aghast.
“Yes, she did, as many demons do, but InuTaishio forbade such practices on his lands. It was discovered well after my departure that she never stopped. She just travelled outside the Western borders to feed and would return as if nothing happened. She was the partial cause of some of the negotiation breakdowns we were experiencing, but of course I was oblivious to it all.”
“Was this something she taught Sesshomaru?” The Miko asked curiously.
“My belief would be yes, but not until he had gotten much older. The boy was so adamant for his father’s approval that I doubt he would have been receptive to his mother’s wishes back then, though I cannot say for certain. Sesshomaru was the son of a great Taiyoukai and those footsteps are hard to follow. I do know that he pushed himself very hard to achieve absolute perfection in every aspect of his life until I was cut off from him.”
“Cut off?” Kaede repeated.
“Avaka claimed I was warping his mind and ordered the guards and servants to keep Sesshomaru away from me. InuTaishio was furious, but that caused an even bigger rift between the two mates and fueled Avaka’s hatred toward me that much more. Still, she got her way in the end. She always did. You have to understand that these were troubling times for the West. Lord InuTaishio was often away on one campaign or another leaving the Lady as sole ruler in his absence. I lamented those times like no other. It was as if she would constantly try to outdo herself when it came to making me miserable. I can tell you personally that her success rate was exemplary. Never had I met a creature such as her. She was the one to first plant the seeds of hatred in my heart.” Noriko finished solemnly.
“I understand to a point. However, hatred is a volatile thing and a choice one makes for themselves. It is not forced.” Kaede said wisely rising to her feet with the help of the twin tail.
Noriko turned away from her with a frown. The old Miko’s words held truth, of that there was little doubt, but Noriko questioned if she would say the same should the rest of her story be told. InuTaishio’s mating to Avaka had been devastating, but not soul crushing as she had originally believed it to be. The flame that she held for the Taiyoukai was never extinguished because he still found need for her in his life, at his side.
Their friendship had meant everything to her. He had meant everything. The sad part was the fact that he knew. He knew her thoughts, her dreams, her fears, her love, everything and he betrayed her without even batting an eyelash. There had been no apologies, not even an excuse for his actions. Avaka had a field day when she found out and it was the first time Sesshomaru degraded her publically for her humanity. It was a day she would never forget and had wished for many centuries that she could.

A/N: Appreciative as always to my wonderful reviewers Luminari_Lilium (You know what they say about great minds…^_^) & Beautifulstorm1991.
Thank you to everyone else who’s taking the time out of their day to read my story & vote.
There will be more Sess & Kag chapters soon I promise.
~scattered-dimensions~
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Suffering and Rebirth