Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Angelus
By : TwilightAlien
Category: InuYasha > General
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Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
Chapter 24
Kitana had had enough.
They had left Bokusenou�s strange valley two
days ago, wandering back into known territory first by the air, and now by
foot. She followed Sesshomaru in her own way, sometimes amongst the group,
sometimes on her own on a parallel course if she ever needed loneliness. It
irritated him when she left though; of course he didn�t say a word, but she
could feel his resentment from a distance and his relief at her return was
nothing but subtle. The link between them had yet to fade and the taiyoukai was
very much aware of the connection, knowing perfectly well by then how he could
affect her with his moods. But on this late morning, the one who was near
exasperation was not the youkai.
When they passed for the second time before the
beautiful waterfall encased between two high rocky walls in a deep part of
Inuyasha�s forest, where the moss that clung to the dark grey rock was such a
luxuriant green it gave the impression of being in a tropical forest, she
didn�t gave it a second thought. Of course he could make them pass twice on the
same path, especially when he was following a particular scent on the wind.
What scent she wouldn�t know, and there were no wind on this hot day, but she
gave him the benefit of the doubt and kept quiet.
Up until the third time. When she heard the
distinct rumble of the water rushing upon the rocks before crashing down in a
deep pool of water, she saw red. From her perch in the canopy of a large oak,
she jumped from tree to tree before finally reaching her destination. A last
leap brought her above a branch that was suspended right in the path of the
taiyoukai. As her speed was about to make her miss that perch, she swung her
tail and coiled it around the tree limb, and in a graceful rotating movement
she fell on her feet just when Sesshomaru arrived at the spot. He stopped dead
in his track, looking utterly bored by her display and unaffected in the
slightest by her ire; a poker face that was totally betrayed by the impatience
that came off from him in powerful waves.
�Okay. I suggest we make camp. Rin is hungry
and needs to bath.�
Sesshomaru raised a single white eyebrow when
his ward answered Kitana�s request.
�But Rin just ate -�
The earnest look that Kitana gave her stilled
the child�s protest.
�Yes Kitana-sama, Rin is very dirty! And there
will surely be good fish in the pool of the waterfall, I looked yesterday and I
think I saw some! Come, Jaken-sama, help Rin catch some fish!�
The clever kid caught the kappa�s sleeve and
jumped down Ah-Un�s saddle.
�Whaaaaaat! Rin, you crazy human, have you
knocked your head!� the kappa said after hitting the ground in a much
undignified way. Raising and dusting off his sleeves, he was caught once again
in the grasp of the small girl who tugged on his arm repetitively, jerking him
forward inch by inch.
�Come, master Jaken! You have to help Rin make
the fire to cook the fish!�
As the diminutive youkai passed by them,
reluctantly following the enthusiastic child, Kitana�s gaze returned to
Sesshomaru�s questioning features. Sighing, she jumped on the side of a tree,
where she sat comfortably on her heels four feet from the ground. Her eyes now
level with his companion�s, she spoke her mind.
�What�s wrong, Sesshomaru?�
The taiyoukai frowned slightly at her question
but did not deign to honor her with an answer. On the contrary, he insulted her
by starting to walk in the direction his followers had taken.
A hiss and the whipping of a strong skeletal
tail on the ground right before him stopped him again, but this time a feral growl
escaped his lips. One did not act this way toward him without consequences, and
the perpetrator of this vile act soon found herself rammed into the tree with a
set of poisonous claws tightly encircling her neck.
She looked at him through narrowed eyes, and
her irritated glance was returned tenfold by her aggressor. Nonetheless, she
didn�t give up and submit to his will; this overgrown mutt had to learn that
violence wasn�t the best way to deal with her, however stronger than her he
was.
She held on the tree with her hands as she
placed both of her three-toed clawed feet flat against Sesshomaru�s body armor
and pushed as hard as she could. She was weaker than he was, but he didn�t
expect this kind of treatment and his surprise gave her the opening she needed;
using him as a stepping board, she propelled herself higher up in the tree�s
foliage, hanging upside down on a large branch that overlooked her opponent.
�If you have a problem Sesshomaru, better say
it out loud than attacking me out of the blue! You are not acting like
yourself, and if you don�t want to tell why, then quit it and go back to normal
at once!�
�Insolent wench! Who do you think you are to
speak to me like that? You will learn your place!�
His claws were glowing an unhealthy green as he
prepared to unleash his whip at her. Surprisingly, Kitana didn�t react to this
sight by fleeing away like she usually did; instead, she calmly unfolded her
body and descended on the ground once more, her features calm and composed. The
insufferable link they shared came into play when he received her soothing,
calming emotions; emotions that he didn�t want to feel at all, not now, not
then.
�I think I am your friend, Sesshomaru, or at
least something approaching a friend. My place so far seems to be by your side,
but I won�t be led blindly by someone who doesn�t even know what he is doing!
You appear to be lost, you are confused and angered and I won�t let you get
this anger out on me. So speak or get a grip; either way, I�ll be waiting for
you with Rin and Jaken.�
On these words she left and he let her go,
bewildered and lost in thoughts.
--
Just as she started to walk toward Rin, Kitana
sensed a group of familiar energy signatures in the vicinity. Sure enough when
she arrived in the clearing not too far from the noisy waterfall, she caught a
funny sight.
Rin was happily chatting with the priestess
Kagome, while Sango turned fish over the fire under the hungry eyes of Shippo
and Inuyasha. Miroku was sitting not far from them, one of his ofudas stuck to
the forehead of the kappa. An area of burned bushes and leaves at the periphery
of the small clearing explained Jaken�s situation; if he dared attack them he
entirely deserved to be contained that way.
�Hi Kitana! Nice to see you!�
It was Kagome, of course; as usual Sango tensed
when she saw the approaching creature and Inuyasha and Shippo sat down warily,
still not too far away from the promised meal. Surprised was mixed with
distrust in Inuyasha�s mind, and Kitana couldn�t start to understand why. After
all, she travelled with Rin and they had joined the child, did he expect her to
be absent?
�Hi everyone! Kagome, nice to see you to! I did
not expect to run into you here; that forest is quite deep and can be
dangerous.�
�Lady Kitana, you wound my heart when you imply
that we are not strong enough to withstand travelling here; beside, we are
returning home for a while and Edo�s village
is right at the edge of this forest, about an hour of walk away from here.�
�Please forgive me Miroku; I wouldn�t want you
to take my comment that way.� She turned back to Kagome. �If you allow me to
ask, are you returning home, Kagome?�
�Yes I am, for three days; you see I took
summer class this year so I could catch up with the rest of my class. The final
exams are coming and they will hold preparatory examinations tomorrow.�
�I see; well in that case shouldn�t you be
studying while we prepare the meal?�
�Keh, the wench has been studying for days now;
I don�t see how a few hours would change anything.�
Kagome turned a murderous look toward Inuyasha,
who crossed his arms and raised his chin in the air.
�The fish is ready, everyone! And there is
plenty of it, so don�t start fighting with Shippo, Inuyasha!� said Sango while
she sat down beside the monk. As a slap resounded in the clearing, the group
gathered around the fire and started to distribute fish. The hurt monk removed
the immobilizing ofuda from Jaken, allowing him to join the meal even if he
grumbled and ranted all along.
Kitana joined Rin�s side by the fire Jaken had promptly
built, the young child happily eating a fish while the woman lied on her back,
her arms crossed behind her head as she watched the dance of the sparks above
the fire. The fire filled the air with crackling and sizzling sounds,
accompanied in the background by the chaotic but pleasant discussions of the
group of travellers. The only thing that disrupted the peacefulness of the
moment was when the ravenous Jaken tugged on a fish with Shippo before winning
the fight and eating his third portion of fish, and no one wanted to stop him
for at least with his mouth full he wasn�t complaining about anything. As she
finished her meal, the child turned her attention toward her black skinned
companion.
�Is Sesshomaru-sama angry, Kitana-sama? Rin
spared a fish for him but maybe Master Jaken will have to eat it instead.�
Turning her head toward the girl, she smiled at
her and answered her plea for reassurance.
�Don�t worry Rin, Sesshomaru is close by. He
has some things to look at before joining us, that�s all.�
�About that��
We met a friend of us, a wolf demon named Kouga, and he told us that he
saw you get into a fight with Sesshomaru. According to him, you were not having
the upper hand at all. He did not stay until the end, but we have been worried
about you for a while.� Sango�s stern tone of voice made it clear to Kitana
that she was in fact demanding what happened, not merely voicing her worry,
which was in fact non existent.
�Yes my Lady, and earlier when Inuyasha came
back from patrolling around the camp and told us he met with Rin, then saw you
fight with Sesshomaru, we were very surprised and relieved! I am inclined to
think that Kouga might have mistaken you for another.�
Kitana turned a smiling face toward the monk
and the slayer before addressing Inuyasha.
�When you saw us, we were merely arguing,
Inuyasha. And it is true that we stumbled upon Kouga and his companions; what
they witnessed was only a misunderstanding. You know as well as me that if we
had fought, I wouldn�t be here at this moment.�
�Keh! I don�t know, you could have toasted the
bastard�s ass back on the rat mountain; I wouldn�t be too fast to bet on him
winning a fight against you.�
�Well, I hope you�ll never have to take such a
bet.�
�Anyway, my asshole half-brother is nowhere
around here so I�ll have to wait to see that happen. That argument of yours was
rather heated if you get what I mean; I don�t think we�ll see him anytime soon,
so give me his fish brat!�
The small Rin was surprisingly faster than the
hanyou and managed to get the sole fish away from Inuyasha�s grasp.
�Sesshomaru-sama often needs to be by himself,
but he always return.�
She turned her deep hazel eyes and met with
Kitana�s black and golden ones as she spoke eagerly.
�But if you are angry at each other, maybe he
won�t want to come back. Maybe it would be better not to be angry; Rin prefers
when you like each other.�
�Nobody is truly angry, Rin; often grown-ups
need time to adjust when new situations arise. He simply needs to take a
decision, and you know him, once it�s done he will be here with you.�
A huge toothy smile appeared on the youngster�s
features and she turned toward Inuyasha, handing him the fish she had been
protecting so fiercely from him moments ago.
�Here, Inuyasha-san. Sesshomaru-sama doesn�t
like human food anyway.�
The hanyou didn�t wait for the kid to change
her mind, and before Shippo or Jaken could chime in, he devoured the offered
food.
�So guys, anything new about Naraku?�
On these words, a weight seemed to appear onto
everyone�s shoulders. The small group of friends looked at each other sadly,
then at the ground.
�No, nothing new. No new shards, no sightings
of him. There is just Kouga who met with Hakudoshi and this new incarnation, if
it is one. We were trying to track them down, they are less elusive than
Naraku, but then my test was approaching so we decided I would go back home
while everyone would take some days of rest.�
Kitana nodded at Kagome�s words.
�I see. Well, maybe Kouga told you, but be
careful when you face the kid and the Moryoumaru; there is something about this
youkai that I can�t place. He is dangerous.�
�Feh! As if we don�t know that! When I see this
detachment, I�ll first thank it for the good beating he gave to the wimpy wolf
before I tore it apart!�
The hanyou�s words and pumped up attitude made
everyone smile, somehow relaxing the atmosphere.
�Are you far from your destination, Kagome? I
am interested in seeing this time portal of yours, if you don�t mind. I could
do with a change of companions for a few days; mine seem to be particularly
grouchy at the moment.�
Jaken chocked on his fish at these words,
trying to defend his master�s honor while not sending food down the wrong hole.
�We are close by, Kitana; we should reach the
place tonight if we hurry. You can come along, but as I told you before the
well has only ever accepted me and Inuyasha.�
It was now to Sango and Inuyasha to turn
respectively white and red under Kagome�s words.
�Kagome, are you sure it is a good idea?
Knowing about the well is one thing, seeing its location is another��
�Sango, if Kitana meant any harm to us, she
would have done it already, isn�t it right Kitana? Besides we are almost there,
so why refuse?�
Kitana smiled to Kagome, ignoring the hostile
attitude of the other members of her group.
�Thank you, Kagome. I am honored by the trust
you put in me, and I look forward to this little� exploration.�
As she said these words, she sensed that
Sesshomaru had begun to move toward them, fast; when she turned to look down
the path leading to the waterfall, she saw him emerging from the shadows of the
forest, heading straight at her. Inuyasha jumped right back on his feet and unsheathed
his sword, but his brother did not care about his provocative attitude. He
stopped beside the black skinned female, towering over her lying form as she
didn�t care to rise for him.
�Follow me. Jaken, you will stay with Rin. Make
sure she is safe.�
�But, but, Sesshomaru-sama!�
A severe look silenced the servant who shut his
mouth in fear of punishment.
�Rin will wait for you, Sesshomaru-sama,
Kitana-sama! We will all wait for you together, Master Jaken, Ah, Un and Rin!�
Sesshomaru nodded at the child before looking
down again at his partner, who was only frowning and not the least interested
at rising and following him blindly around.
�What is your problem, Sesshomaru? I just
arranged a few days with Kagome and her friends and you think you can change
that and order me around?�
His eyes reduced to a dangerous glare, he
simply looked at her, letting the atmosphere in the clearing reach freezing
temperatures before speaking.
�I am going where you wanted so much to go; whether
I travel alone or accompanied, it is your choice, woman.�
He turned his back on the group and left them
as silently as he arrived. Kitana rose to follow the departing youkai, even
though she was pissed by his attitude. She would never get him to open up and
speak his mind and she knew it, but she was getting tired of having to endure
his stubborn and proud nature. She needed a break from him and his moods, she
needed their link to vanish, she needed� She didn�t know what exactly, but it
was clear that blindly following an infuriating stuck-up demon lord was exactly
the contrary of what she wanted to do. Nonetheless, she rose and followed
anyway, debating with herself whether she was sane or totally inane to do so.
�Well, I am sorry Kagome, guys, but it will
have to be for another time. I wish you luck for your exams Kagome! And Rin, be
good with Jaken!�
�It�s okay, Kitana, I understand� We will look
after Rin if you want.�
Kitana was already leaving, but as she turned
to answer she heard the words of the child.
�Does it mean that Rin could play with Shippo
and see his tricks and eat Pocky with him again?�
�Yes it does, Rin-chan, although I will have to
restock Pocky and other goodies while I am at home.�
The black female bowed to Kagome and her
companions before leaving the ecstatic child with her new friends and hurrying
to join Sesshomaru.
He was waiting for her at the place where they
quarrelled earlier on, and she was surprised to see Sesshomaru turn to face her
and extend his arm to her. Puzzled, she cocked her head to the side and
frowned. He frowned in return, suddenly appearing tense, worn out and tired.
�Come.�
He advanced toward her when she refused to
move, worried by his attitude. He exuded a resignation that she couldn�t
understand and it put her on edge. He was not one to feel defeated usually, and
she could not see what battle he lost for it was an inner one. Now standing
straight in front of her, the taiyoukai encircled her waist with his arm and
tugged her closely to his armored chest, not caring about her futile resistance
to his actions.
�What are you doing Sesshomaru?� she asked when
he pressed her even stronger against him, his fur pelt now immobilizing her;
her hands on his chest plate were now the only thing that separated them, her
confused eyes being mere inches below his bland, golden ones.
�Hold on tight.�
As more questions were about to spill out of
her mouth, she stared wide-eyed at her companion. Suddenly, his youki flared
all around him, furiously agitating his silver hair and a crimson color seeped
into his eyes, eating all the warm gold of his irises. Right in front of her,
his teeth lengthened and the corners of his mouth broke out in a large, wolfish
grin up to his ears. She held her breath when she realized that they had left
the ground to travel through the sky at a great speed when the transformation
started, and her hands found their way around his neck, clenching tightly into
his fur. It was no more clothes that adorned his form, but the thick, lush fur
of his animalistic form. She felt his grip on her relinquish as his members lengthened
and morphed into paws, and she climbed upon what was now the broad neck of a
giant white haired dog running through the skies, his back legs and tail
merging with a cloud of white youki.
No word could describe the feelings that
coursed into her at that moment. Wind hit her face as they crossed the skies at
a tremendous speed, the strong muscles of the youkai shifting and contracting
below her to propel them forward, and her hands dug deeper in the fur to take a
better grip. Why he did not warn her about his intentions was beyond her
understanding, but Kitana was more concerned about the reasons of his strange
actions than the way he imposed them upon her. She had seen his canine form
twice in the last weeks, and both time it was in a heated battle; what could
have pushed him to undertake such a change when no threat was perceptible?
The faraway ground disappeared below them as
they entered a cluster of large cumulus. The moisture of the air impregnated
the fur of the youkai and soon cold droplets of water condensed on Kitana�s sun
warmed ebony form. She was trying to wipe them out when her eyes caught a sight
that made her forget all about her small discomforts.
Appearing amongst the clouds as a jewel
suddenly shining from its opened case was a pure white marble stairway. The
stairs climbed high, disappearing into the clouds, and the place they led to
was still not visible to her eyes. On each side of it were regular rows of
grades elegantly decorated with alabaster balustrades. Straining her eyes, she
distinguished guards standing stiffly on the grades, each of them wearing armor
not dissimilar to Sesshomaru�s own and holding a pointed or half-moon bladed
spear. She could clearly feel their energy now that they approached, and
decided that they were probably youkai, too strong to be humans, but far from
the level of Sesshomaru, or even herself.
Sesshomaru landed on the lower step of the
grand stairs and as he did, he transformed back into his humanoid form. Kitana
was still held firmly by both his arm and his pelt, but as he felt that she
regained her balance, he released her.
She could feel a slight anxiety coming from the
taiyoukai, and she did her best to send him calmer waves of emotions; this
state of mind didn�t fit him at all, and she couldn�t help but wonder what in
the world could make Sesshomaru worry. As she pondered that thought, her
companion took a step forward, starting his ascension toward whatever laid at
the top of the stairs. Turning her attention to the summit, Kitana sensed a
strong presence, much stronger than any of the guards who stood near her, impassibly,
but still weaker than her partner. Was it the source of his discomfort?
She joined him hastily and started climbing the
stairs steadily by his side, her curiosity getting the best of her. As they
progressed further on the path to the top, she noticed that his already serious
stance took on a more rigid form. From time to time he shot her an irritated
side glance, especially when she dared ask him a question.
�Where are we, Sesshomaru, and why are we
here?�
He narrowed his eyes and shot forward, flicking
a loose strand of hair back in its place. She almost sighed, feeling how much
his nervousness had increased when she spoke and deciding that she would
instead see for herself rather than ask him once again. Or maybe turn tail and
leave, so he could see that there were more unpleasant things in life than
being spoken to.
As they almost reached the top though, her
irritation gave way to curiosity once again as she noticed that the armor of
the guards were now much more intricately decorated than what she had seen on
the former soldiers. These guards seem to be some kind of an elite troop, as
she could sense from their stronger energy signatures. Sensing what could only
be their master waiting for them at the top of the stairs, she began to share
Sesshomaru�s uneasiness. What kind of monster could spark such feelings in her
partner, she wondered.
Just before they could peer over the last step,
the taiyoukai turned toward her and whispered a few words that froze her on the
spot.
�Be wary of what is ahead.�
Shaking herself mentally, Kitana summoned her
courage and shook off the dreaded feeling that coursed through her when she
heard the few words from her companion. She continued forward, climbing the few
last steps between her and whatever was waiting for them.
The sight that met her eyes when they reached
the top of the gigantic stairs wasn�t remotely similar to what she expected.
The stairs opened up onto a very large courtyard with a splendid manor right in
front of them. The magnificent building had a high-rising inclined roof that
probably held at least three stories, but only the first one was visible from
the front. A set of double wooden doors were opening right in the middle of the
fa�ade, and a porch ran all the way along the front and visible sides of the
manor. There were other buildings further away, beside and behind the main
construction, but Kitana�s attention was not focused onto them at all; for
before her, sitting in a huge throne set in the courtyard halfway between them
and the entrance of the manor, was a small woman that exuded royalty and
aristocracy with her eyes glued to her.
The similarities between the noble woman and
the taiyoukai were too numerous to count; long silver hairs encasing a sharp
and intelligent face, golden eyes, cheek markings and pointed ears were the
first elements that struck her. A lush fur pelt, identical to Sesshomaru�s one,
unfurled upon her lap from both her shoulders so she could rest her arms upon
it, before descending down on the ground to wrap around her hidden feet. A
white and midnight blue multi-layered silk kimono with a pattern of butterfly
along the rim of the sleeves and a large, gold-encased jewel hanging around her
neck were emphasizing the importance and greatness of the being that wore them.
�Sesshomaru. It is unlike you to come here like
that, unannounced.�
Kitana�s eyes opened minutely upon hearing the
sugary, yet caustic tone of the woman; very few, namely she and Inuyasha, would
dare omit the honorific title when addressing the taiyoukai. Yet, this small
slip of a female did so and, surprisingly, Sesshomaru didn�t react at all.
�Do I need an invitation to enter my own home,
Mother?�
The casual, bored tone of Sesshomaru paired
with his earlier warning succeeded to keep Kitana�s astonishment in check; she
managed not to move a single muscle even though the thought of meeting with
Sesshomaru�s mother was unnerving, to say the least. Her imagination was
running wild, now that she knew for sure he wasn�t born of thin air like
whatever theories he shared with her about the origins of youkai. He had a biological
mother, probably a father; he had been a kid. The woman in front of her saw him
grow from a child to a warrior, but for whatever reason Sesshomaru was terribly
distrustful of her. The situation demanded utmost caution, if his opinion of his
mother was right; and he was not one to be wrong about anything.
A coy smirk reached the lips of the fur-clad
female, as she answered her son.
�Of course no, my son. It has been a long time
however since your last visit, and I wonder what brings you here in such haste
that you can�t even warn me in advance so I can get everything prepared for
your arrival.�
It was Sesshomaru�s turn to let a feeling
appear on his features, although it was more irk than mirth that reached his
eyes.
�For two days now I have been asking for the
appearance of the castle; this is enough announcements.�
The venomous smile of the woman widened.
�Indeed.�
Then her gaze settled on the female standing
beside her son, and the smile went down a notch, replaced by a disdainful look.
�But I did not know how to handle your new�
infatuation. Had I known you were seeking the touch of a female, I would have
found you a better one. But there you go, taking everything in your own hands
so to speak, and mingling with a low-life youkai harboring so little power she
can�t even be sensed. Is that befitting for my son?�
Sesshomaru�s brows frowned minutely.
�Nonsense. Kitana-sama is nothing of the sort.
You are mislaid.�
�Sama?�
The beautiful lady quirked an eyebrow in
surprise, before schooling her face back in an arrogant glance.
�Let me judge for myself. Please forgive my
ignorance, girl, I don�t engage with the likes of you usually so I wouldn�t
know who or� what, you are. Could you enlighten me, dear?�
This was the moment Sesshomaru had been warning
Kitana for. He needed her by his side for this task, but he knew how sly and
formidable an opponent his mother could be if she set her mind against his
partner. Calling forward all the calm and serenity that he could find to try and
muzzle the acidic words that would surely be spelt from the creature�s mouth if
he could judge by her terrible mood at the moment, he was taken aback by her
answer.
Kitana started by bowing toward his mother and
answering in a low and respectful tone of voice, never making eye contact with
the silver haired female.
�I will do my best, my Lady, but my people are
very seldom known here. I am merely a lowly travelling companion to the great
Sesshomaru-sama.�
The use of the highly respected honorific,
sama, in conjunction with her name had stunned her a little bit, especially
coming from the taiyoukai, and she would try her best to impress upon the woman
who called him a son.
Somewhat reassured by her acting talent,
Sesshomaru braced himself for what was to come as he witnessed the lightly
furrowing of his mother�s brows.
�Seldom known you say? Do you dare insulting
the vastness of my knowledge, youkai? Name yourself!�
Sesshomaru cringed internally, but Kitana was
sending him amused feelings; how disturbing.
�Pardon me, my Lady. I am named Kitana, and my
people call themselves ��
She did it; she said the very same, strange
word that Sesshomaru heard on the day of her awakening. That time though, the
taiyoukai was ready for it and he did not let the word affect him in the way it
did before; only the hairs on his nape reacted by erecting instinctively,
nothing else. Instead he focused his attention on the totally foreign
inflexions, the way she used her tongue, lips, teeth and especially inner jaw
to modulate the sound and create that terrible word. Then, realization dawned
on him: Tsowandar. If he ever took a fancy in trying to replicate the word,
lacking the physiological structures necessary to add the hissing, the staccato
and the growling that Kitana was able to do, the best approximation he could
get was Tsowandar. How strange.
His mother and her guards though were not
prepared for the word, and it pleased him immensely to smell their fear in the
air, to feel their fright through his bond with Kitana. His mother was not one
to be impressed easily, and seeing her defeated by a mere word was a pleasure
he never thought he would indulge in. How fierce would the retaliation be
though, he dared not imagine.
�Silence!�
Sitting more squarely on her throne, the noble
woman was irked by her reaction to the sayings of the ebony creature, and the
heavy whisperings from her guards and retainers was too much for her to endure.
As they obeyed her command, she brought her eyes back on Kitana�s bowing form,
mirth having left her eyes to be replaced by fury.
�Your people must be truly insignificant and
few, for you were right, youkai; I never heard of them.�
Sesshomaru kept his glance on his mother all
along, relieved to see her attention come back to him; his face was as stern as
ever, even with Kitana�s delight coursing through his veins.
�So, my son, will you tell me the reason of
your visit? Or are you just here to entertain me with your new� pet?�
�Ridiculous; Kitana-sama is anything but an
entertaining creature.�
The annoyance of his partner as she heard his
words hit him and a smirk almost reached the corner of his mouth; he refrained
it though, his mother being too observant to allow her any power over him by
reading his emotions. He needed to honor her through the proper channels if she
was to be accepted at this court, yet he did not want to show her how she
really deserved that honorific. Harmless teasing it was, unnoticed by anyone
but them.
�The whereabouts of a certain hanyou named
Naraku are certainly common knowledge for your numerous spies; that is what I
am here for.�
The dirty little smile was back on the woman�s
lips.
�A hanyou, Sesshomaru? Are you falling so low,
my son, that you cannot even find a mere half human?�
Sesshomaru knew better than to let his anger
prevail in this place.
�The creature is cunning, mother, and knows
ways to evade my senses. I doubt, however, that he is prepared to be tracked by
other kinds of youkai. I am asking for the assistance of this court.�
The woman stayed pensive for a moment, her eyes
dancing between her son and the black skinned one that called herself a
companion.
�Very well, son, I will see what I can do.�
She then rose and walked to the main building, his
guards following after her, and disappeared between the huge wooden doors.
Sesshomaru stayed in place tough, as he knew a servant would be sent to them
and it would be ill advised to wander his mother�s castle with a newcomer without
her consent.
Kitana, on the other hand, had no such
inhibitions and she went directly in front of Sesshomaru, eager to get her
answers. She had yet to say a word when the taiyoukai interrupted her in a tone
that allowed no commentary.
�Later.�
The sight of Kitana with her mouth still
opened, unpronounced words falling over each other on the tip of her tongue and
her annoyance reaching new heights pushed the taiyoukai to give her a little
more information, in a hushed tone.
�We are in the nest of a viper, Kitana. You
will receive information later; I need to take care of some matters urgently
and I will join you afterward.�
She managed not to lash at him in frustration
when she heard someone coming at them. Turning around, she saw a small white
haired girl, a little older than Rin, clad in a white and pink kimono and
standing mere feet from them. She was so caught in her anger that she had let
the approach of this youkai evade her senses.
The girl bowed low before them, before addressing
them with a tiny, shy voice.
�Sesshomaru-sama, if you want to follow me, I
have been instructed to lead you to the rooms that have been prepared for you
and your guest.�
The taiyoukai eyed the diminutive creature
warily; his mother was not one to be served by weaklings of any sort, including
children.
�Which rooms?�
�Your own room is ready for you, and a second
room has been prepared in the West wing for your ��
�Unacceptable.�
The girl stuttered, unprepared for his refusal.
�My Lord?�
Sesshomaru�s cold glare threatened to freeze
the servant on the spot, if she dared to refuse his request.
�You will give Lady Kitana This Sesshomaru�s room.
I will occupy my father�s room and office.�
That being said, he left both girls to their
astonishment and walked toward the western buildings, soon disappearing around
a corner.
�My Lady� If you would follow me��
Kitana was brought back to reality and she
trailed behind the little servant, wondering why she ever had the desire to be
a part of Sesshomaru�s group. The guy was nothing but an arrogant prick doubled
with an ego as large as a mountain and the combination of the two traits wasn�t
very nice. Sighing, she tried to engage her young guide in a conversation, but
soon found out that it wouldn�t be a very pleasant activity either.
�So, what�s your name?�
�My Lady� Forgive me, but I have been forbidden
to answer your questions.�
Surprised, Kitana tried to push the matter a
little further.
�By whom? Why?�
�Those are exactly the type of questions I
can�t answer. Now if you want to enter, this room is yours. There is a garden
accessible by the door at the opposite side of the room; you are allowed to
spend time there would you need entertainment.�
�Allowed? Entertainment? What kind of
entertainment is there in a garden, anyway?�
Instead of answering, the young girl bowed, not
as low as she did toward Sesshomaru, and left her to her musings.
�Well, I guess I�ll have to see for myself.
Thanks for the chatter, anyway!� she told the retreating servant, who didn�t
react to the bitter remark.
She turned toward the building that towered
over her. It was a small one, built in the same white marble and alabaster as the
rest of the place. She was still standing in the flagstone courtyard, the
balcony than ran around the building a little above waist-height. In a jump she
climbed upon it, before opening the sliding wooden door that led to her chamber
which was the last one of a series of three.
The room was large and well lit, with high pane
less windows with wooden shutters on the southern side of the room, which faced
the gardens. The furniture, namely a futon and a low table, were plain but of
very high quality, made of costly mahogany woods. The sheets of the double
futon were of white linen embroidered with deep red cherry flowers, and a teak
partition screen carved with beautiful flowering cherry trees hid the left
corner of the room from the view.
Bored and not recognizing anything from
Sesshomaru�s personality in his supposed room, Kitana opened the backdoor and
set foot in the garden. Enclosed in high walls was a small shrubbery forest
with cherry trees. The season being advanced they were not flowering anymore, but
it was obvious that they were not there for the purpose of food production as
they were unprotected from the birds that would enjoy ripping them from their
fruits in the coming months.
A small rocky path led to a water garden, where
a bamboo fountain was rhythmically moving up and down under a continuous stream
of water, loudly knocking on itself every time it moved backed up, freed of its
water. Kitana decided that if the beautiful but noisy device kept her from
falling asleep that night, she would rip it apart.
Deciding to go out and explore the courtyard,
she came back inside and opened up the front door only to be faced with two
guards crossing their spears before her.
�Sorry, My Lady, but you are not allowed to
come out of your room.�
Boiling with retained anger, she eyed the guard
with the most threatening glare she could summon.
�And why is that so, soldier?�
The two guards looked at each other, obviously
not used to this kind of situation.
�It�s an order. The courtyard is not safe for a
lady to wander around, too many dangers to count. Lord Sesshomaru would be
furious against us if something were to happen to his- to you, My Lady.�
Her eyes reduced to slits in her anger as she
sensed their disgust toward her, and she stormed back inside. So, Sesshomaru
left her alone to take care of personal matters without any kind of explanation
about her presence in this place and then, guards who despised her wanted to
keep her captive in a very boring room with an even more boring garden to
occupy herself? They would all learn it was not the best attitude to have
toward her.
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Angelus	By : TwilightAlien Category: InuYasha > General Views: 3232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Angelus