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The Path of Pins
By : girltype
Category: InuYasha > General
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Chapter List
- 8
- 9
It's been a really long time, I know. I'm sorry I have three jobs and if you can imagine what having two jobs is like that third one makes all the difference. le bleah. but so I actually have a real reason for my extended absence. But you should all feel special that I, for love of you, missed sleep and occassionally avoided work just so I could write on this story. Special I say. But so there ya go. Have at it and let me know what you think.
The Path of Pins
Chapter 9

~*~
A thinking woman sleeps with monsters.
�� -Adrienne
Rich
~*~

Women are possessions.� They are given value, not only by who owns them but also, by what
it is that they can bring to their owner.�
Are they a beautiful ornament? Will they bear strong sons?� Will they keep a clean home?� That is, for the most part, the extent of
it.� A keen and sharp mind means nothing
if housed in the body of a woman.
And therein lay my greatest
strength.
I am a possession and above all I
have no honor.� Sold to the highest
bidder my body became, for all intents and purposes, a defiled temple.� Having been taught differently this mattered
little to me, but those who employed my services believed me to be just what
they saw.
I had a spine of steel and wits as
sharp as the keen edge of a katana�s blade, all sheathed in soft flesh and
pretty clothes.� I was a weapon to be
cast with delicate precision and that is what Naraku did.
He knew the truth.� Men speak around women.� Even more around immoral ones. They think
women too stupid, too weak, and I used that.�
I could dissemble until I looked as though I had not one thought in my
head and they would believe it.� They
spilled their secrets and I stored them away in a memory trained for years
never to forget.
Even so, it had been months since I had heard
anything about the Shikon Shards. The months had not been empty.� I had spent time happily plying my trade and
visiting with Inu-yasha and his friends.�
I had enjoyed the time, found contentment in the everyday and the secrets
whispered at night.� When it finally
came to an end though I felt the delicious anticipation of adventure.
I was kneeling on all fours in
nothing but a leather collar and rubbing against Hojo�s legs like a cat when
the time of waiting came to an end. �That was when the Shikon Shards walked back into my life,
literally.
�Yo, Hojo!� The yell came from
behind the doors of Lord Hojo�s private rooms.�
Hearing it Hojo stilled in the act of running a hand along my naked
back.� �Your servants wouldn�t let me in!�
I made myself small beside Hojo�s
throne as the doors were thrown open.�
In came a wolf in human form.�
His hair was black and wild, his teeth sharp and canines pointed, and his
eyes were a color of blue I�d never seen before, dark as midnight in one moment
and the color of Ajisai petals in the next.� The color seemed off to me until I saw the look in his eyes, a
look that would have been more at home in a wolf�s head.�
A fur kilt wound about his hips and
left his long legs bare.� I watched
them, muscles bunching and releasing in a beautiful ripple beneath golden brown
skin.� There were boots, also made of
fur, that covered his calves and it took me a moment to realize that they were
glowing above his shins.�
�They tried to keep you out for a
reason,� Hojo told him nervously.� I had
expected him to be angry but he just seemed to twitch a little.
�What could have been more
important than�� He stopped, sniffed gently, and his eyes descended slowly to
where I was crouched, covering as much of my body as I could without being
obvious.� He smiled, flashing
fangs.� �Oh, I see.� I didn�t realize you had it in you,� the
wolf said crouching down in front of me.�
�I�m Kouga.�� No title, nothing
else, just a name.
�Of the Northern wolf tribe?� He
smiled, looking like a little boy just given a sweet cake.
�You�ve heard of me.�
�Hard not to, m�lord.� It is said that yours is the strongest wolf
tribe in our land.�
�True.�� He reached out a hand, the fingers long and bones delicate but
strong, and touched my cheek. �What�s your name, little human?�
�Her name is Kagome.� Hojo stood,
forcing Kouga back.� Hojo was still
fully clothed and his robes swished around him gently as he glared at the
wolf.� �Now is not the time to get to
know my companion.�
For a moment it looked like Kouga
might protest but he closed his mouth with a snap and grinned.� �I�d want her all to myself too.�� He stood.�
�When you�re done I�ve news of whispers you should hear about.��
�What kind of whispers?��
�The kind where I get to kill
things.� There�s talk of a band of
demons that need to be dealt with.�� He
sauntered from the room with one last glance over his shoulder. �I�ll see you
again, Kagome.�
I would have laughed except Hojo
was glaring after him, a sound gurgling in the back of his throat.� Anger or frustration or both I did not know.
I mewled softly, the barest whisper
of sound and watched as the tension flowed out of his shoulder.�� He turned to me smiling at the way I
watched him through my lashes.� �Where
were we again?�

Two days later found me back at
home and waiting for Naraku to let me see him in his study so I could report
anything new I had learned.� I was
waiting in my rooms, Kanna putting my hair into intricate braids that looped
about my head in swirls of liquid black.�
Her slow repetitive movements were slowly lulling me to sleep.� Kohaku was idly tossing a ball and catching
it, now and then letting it hit the ceiling jarring me from my almost
trance.� It was the kind of calm that I
longed for even as I yearned for my next assignation.�
Kagura entered the room without a
knock and smiled at the way we all started.�
It was always a surprise to see her when you weren�t expecting her.� Her beauty would capture your eyes and
breath for a heartbeat; such was the way with most upper level demons.� She smiled at me and I got the rare treat of
her smile reaching her eyes.� It was
like the first touch of spring on the frozen ground left after winter.
�Hello, little sister,� she said to
me and gently tapped the top of Kanna�s head with her fan to get her
attention.� She motioned to the door and
shooed a protesting Kohaku out.
�Good morning.� I said to her.
�I wanted to see you before Lord
Naraku,� she told me, drifting gracefully to her knees beside me.� She idly touched a braid approvingly.� �It suits you,� she murmured.
�Why?�
�It has been some time since we
last had the chance for a talk,� she answered.
�I have missed you,� I ventured
tentatively glancing at her out the corner of my eye.� She nodded with a smile.
�Did you get anything pretty this
time?�
�Jade earrings that droop like
tears,� I reached into a drawer kept near the table and pulled out a cloth
wrapped package.� After unfolding the
earrings I held them out for her to see.�
They were pale green almost translucent and shaped delicately.�
�These are beautiful.� Worthy of you.�� She sat
back and looked at me, searching my face for a long moment before nodding,
almost to herself.� �How are you liking
your new role in life?�
�I find it both entertaining and
fun.� I lowered my head to hide my smile.�
Her chuckle was warm and soft.
�I thought you might find it
so.�� She lifted my chin, her face
smooth and serious once again.� �I hear
you have found friends in the Inu-taisho�s household.�� I would have smiled except for the look on
her face like the mountains in the distance, proud and strong and immovable.
�I have.�
�That is both good and bad.�� Something around the edges of her face
softened, eyes the color of poppy flowers drifted to her hands.� �You should have joy.� Also you fulfill one of Naraku�s
wishes.� These are good things.�� I wanted to touch her shoulder, find her
sadness with my fingertips and sooth it away but she sighed instead and changed
my world.� �Do not get attached.�
�Lady�.�
�You belong to Naraku.� His word is law, always.�� She wasn�t looking at me any more; she was
looking out my window.� Her eyes moving
as though she was searching for some distant thing on the horizon.� Searching.�
�Someday they might be cruel and harsh.�
Someday they might ask of you something that will be painful to give,
and you will still have to give it.�
�Naraku would never�.�
�Make it easier on yourself.� She
hurried on rushing to lay her words over mind, make them not real.� �You can not afford love or true
friendship.� We have nothing that is
truly ours.� How can we afford such
expensive things?�� Her eyes never
stopped searching and I tried to speak but my words were a sharp thing in my
throat.� To speak would be to bleed.
�You�ve been spending time with
Inu-yasha, known him some months now��
Of course she would see Inu-yasha
as a threat, and in so many ways he was.�
He was loud and rough and kind.�
When I was with him I smiled and laughed and enjoyed the easy way I
could make him blush.� Kikyo was still
just a name, a face I had never seen, and had no real claim on reality.� It would be so easy to grasp Inu-yasha in my
hands and make him mine.� Of course
Inu-yasha was a threat.�
There were other dangers too.�
One followed me like a shadow.� He paced in my footsteps and his eyes grew darker
and sadder with each bed I filled.� He
had been with me since I had first come to this place and I would cling to him
with all the strength in my small pale hands.�
Though not even he was the biggest threat.�
Though, of course, we did not know
it yet.
Kagura took a deep breath and
turned to me.� �There is an offer from
the Inu-taisho�s household for your services.�
�Inu-yasha would not�.�
�It is not from Inu-yasha.�
�Miroku would but he does not have
the funds.�
�Not Miroku.�
�Sango?� Kagura glared at me and I
did my best to look serious.
�It is a large sum,� she seemed to
make a decision to ignore me even as she spoke to me.� �Though it is almost an insult compared to how much Hojo offered
for you, but��
�Turn it down.�
�Kagome, you can not let your own
affection get in the way of what you need to do.�
I stared at her, making my face
into a mountainside.� �I am not.� Tell him my schedule for the foreseeable
future is already spoken for.� Arrange a
visit with Inu-yasha; I assume that Kohaku will be busy as he always is when I
go to Inu-taisho�s.� Also,� I
straightened my shoulders and smiled.�
�A request for me should be coming from a wolf demon.� He seemed interested.� Accept it.�
�Sesshomaru will not ask again,�
she tried.
�He will and he will offer more.�
�And the wolf?�
�I was told to find the shards
before I was told to befriend the dog demons.�
�You know what you are doing?�
I swallowed holding my hands very
still because in truth I wasn�t sure.�
�You trained me,� was my only answer.
�But you are so young,� she
whispered before standing and bowing.�
�Naraku will see you now.�
I left to tell Naraku of shards and
whispers that I knew next to nothing about but the memory of Kagura�s searching
eyes stayed with me.
I had almost forgotten them a week
later as I was leaving for an afternoon with Inu-yasha when Naraku entered the
courtyard.� I occurred to me that he
flowed when he was not paying attention, like his feet did not really touch the
ground though I could see clearly they did.�
It made me shiver, but I smiled and bowed.� �My lord, what brings you here?�
�Kouga has been captivated by
you.�� He laughed and held up a piece of
paper thick and coarse but bright in the glare of sunlight.� �You�ll make me the richest man in the world
soon.�
�I can only hope you such good
fortune.�� Though it was coarse I
grinned wide enough to show teeth unblackened and perfect. He reached up and
fixed a pin more securely in my hair.
There were moments I believed
myself in love with my master.� With the
sun touching the edges of his black hair so that it was gilded and glowing and
with the look of pride in his eyes this was one of them.� I would do anything for him, I thought.� What need had Kagura to fear Inu-yasha when
Naraku stood before me?� �You wish to
accept this proposal, I hear.��
I shook myself and nodded.� �You hear correctly.�� They were the merest fancy of a teenage
girl, but at times I was taken with a fine trembling in the pit of my stomach
knowing that danger lurked around the corner.
�Then I hope you the best of luck
charming jewels from him.�
�I can only do my best.�
�Then the jewels are as good as
yours in a few days.�� With that he
bowed his head and left.�
I watched him go then turned to the
carriage.� Kohaku was suddenly there
offering me a hand up. �I let my hand
linger on his before drawing it away slowly.�
He watched it before whispering so no one else could hear.� �He does not have me do anything.� He simply will not let me go with you.�
My mouth fell open.� I had not asked what was so important that
Kohaku could not come whenever I went to Inu-taisho�s, too afraid of the threat
of loosing him.� This was something I
had not come close to expecting though.�
Kohaku cupped my head and drew me
forward gently; his breath was a soft heat against my ear that made me
shiver.� �Except today.� Promise me you�ll forgive me.�
He was suddenly gone from the
carriage, leaving me cold and afraid. My brow furrowed as the carriage started
forward.� I turned to watch Kohaku
disappear into the palace, his head bent and shoulders rounded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the months since I had come and
gone from the Inu-taisho�s palace Sesshomaru was suddenly everywhere.� Reprimanding a servant.� Resolving minor disputes.� Stepping on Jaken.� As I learned the many twists and turns of the hallways I felt
eyes on me but if I looked directly at him he was always engrossed in his
work.� I could even have believed I was
imaging the sensation if not for the tenseness in his shoulder and the way he
clenched his fists.� When I entered the
palace that day the air was so heavy it took me a moment to learn how to
breathe it.
The air crackled faintly, I
expected any stray hair not tucked away to stand on end.� The youki was so angry I almost turned around
and went back to my carriage.� I wanted
to demand Kohaku come with me, though what even he could do against such power
was hard to say.� I would have felt
safer nonetheless.
Especially knowing I was the cause.
Then he was there in a cloud of
youki so thick I could see it.� He was
as devastating as ever, gold and ice and gossamer.� I was sure if I touched him it would be cold enough to burn.� He did not look angry; not with the
controlled mask firmly locked in place. As he looked me over with a critical eye,
my gray yukata with the distant peeks of mountains painted on it suddenly felt
stained and ugly.
I bowed then raised my head with my
chin up and shoulders straight.� �It is
as much a pleasure as always to see you, my lord.�
�I am amazed you have so much time
to play with my half-brother.�
I smiled, sharp as thorns, �One
must always make time for those we deem important.�
His eyes narrowed and he let out
the deep rumble of a �hm.�
�Stop talking to Kagome!�
Sesshomaru and I both turned to see
Inu-yasha storming down the hallway, it was becoming a familiar sight and I
smiled.� Sesshomaru looked as though he
had found something disagreeable in the air.�
�Inu-yasha,� I said softly, biting
back a bigger smile when his ears twitched.�
�He has the right to speak to anyone he wishes in his own home.�
�I don�t like it.�� Inu-yasha growled at his half-brother,
looking even more frustrated when the only response was a raised eyebrow.
�Your possessiveness of this female
seems particularly absurd.� Came the deep rumble of Sesshomaru�s voice making
something deep in my bones shiver.
�What is that supposed to
mean?�� Inu-yasha looked ready to launch
himself at the taller youkai until I threaded my arm through his, effectively
holding him in place.� He had to either
stop or drag me forward.� He chose to
stop.� �Let go!�
�Inu-yasha, stop it.�
�He started it!�
�How old are you again?�
�I�.� His teeth snapped shut
audibly and I swallowed.
�It is no matter.� I said running a
comforting hand over his arm.� I looked
over to Sesshomaru, who looked almost amused.�
�We should spend our time on things that are less trivial, yes?�
Sesshomaru�s eyes snapped up to my
face but his expression stayed the same.�
Exactly the same; like a carved block of ice.�
�Kagome.�
�Time to go.� You were planning on showing me more of the
gardens, were you not?� I believe you
also promised me lunch.�
�Yeah, I was.�� Inu-yasha puffed out his chest and with one
last glare at his half-brother turned, my arm still in his, and marched off.
We sat together in the
gardens.� They were the traditional 'Tsukiyama'
gardens, mountains and streams made in miniature.� �I loved these moments listening as Miroku and Inu-yasha
bickered, sitting back and feeling flower scented breezes stir my hair.� My home was a beautiful place, it�s gardens
filled with exotic plants that bloomed like the sunrise and drooped with the
weight of their blossoms, but it was quiet.�
A hush was settled over Naraku�s palace, which was wholly unlike the Inu-taisho�s.
There was always noise there,
servants bustling about and chatting, Rin�s tutors running wild through the
halls to find her, the distant rumble of the Inu-taisho�s laugh.� It was comforting, these sounds that
pervaded the air.�
�Can you just try not to be a
letch?� Inu-yasha huffed, folding his arm over his chest and dropping next to
me cross-legged.
�Maybe you should try to be more of
a letch?� Miroku�s descent was more graceful as he folded his legs beneath
himself.
�You are arguing about what this
time?� It was an effort to lift my head to look at them.
�Miroku was bothering the kitchen
staff.�
�I was merely offering my services
to relieve any stress.� It is hard work,
for them, feeding us gluttons.�
�How considerate of you.�
�I believe it is my duty as a monk
to help others.�� Inu-yasha wasn�t
talking anymore; he was just making inarticulate noises of barely suppressed
rage.�
Every once in a while I wondered if he had perhaps
chosen the wrong companions with which to spend his time.� A lecherous monk and a courtesan were odd
friends to such a one who seemed to be, for lack of a better word, a
prude.� I was continuously looking for
signs that it was a clever act.� That he
occasionally stole a glance at a servant�s backside or the bare skin of a neck,
but it never seemed to happen.� Each
time I found myself even more endeared.��
This didn�t stop me, however, from
occasionally stirring up trouble.
�How is the fair Sango?�
�As curvaceous and beautiful as
ever,� Miroku sighed, managing to convey a longing that could break a
soul.� �Sadly she has left for a few
hours to take care of a bear demon.�
�Did she go alone?� I asked, my
brows pulling together.� �Is that not
dangerous?�
�She�s fine.� Inu-Yasha
huffed.� �Said she could handle it on
her own when I offered to help.�
�When she comes home I should offer
her a massage.�� I said barely
suppressing a smile at the way Miroku�s eyes gleamed.
�Why would you do that, Kagome?�
�Demon fighting is hard work.� I
nodded my head solemnly and bit the inside of a lip.
�Do I get one if I fight demons?�� There was a gurgling noise.
�Inu-Yasha does not count.�� There was a low deep rumble of growling.
�I think you should give Sango a
massage.� You should also let me
watch.�� Inu-Yasha jumped him,
snarling, and Miroku let out a surprised yelp.�
What part of it still surprised him escaped me but for some reason it
always seemed to.
They rolled across pebbles made
into a beach for the pond and I stood.�
�I am going to see when she�ll be back.�� I told them not sure if they heard or not but not very concerned
either way.
I walked back into the cool shade
of the palace not sure who was the best to ask for information regarding the
time it took to kill a bear demon.� I
did not think it was information that most servants would be privy to, so I
went looking for one of the head servants.�
I had been coming to this palace for months and there were still halls I
had not explored, rooms I had never seen.�
I had turned down one such a hallway when a shy servant had indicated
that one of the head servants was down that way.�
A woman was standing in the middle
of the hallway wearing the robes of a priestess, white shirts and red pants
billowing about her like a war flag.�
She stood tall and regal, dark hair falling down her back in shining
waves, and her ivory face was impassive as she looked down at me.� �What are you doing?� Her voice was deep and
in the depths there was anger.
It was hard to breathe looking at
her face.� I knew that bone structure
and pale skin.� In two years this is
what I would look like.� �Forgive me,� I
bowed low.� �I had not known anyone was
down this way.�
�Now you know.� She strode forward,
head high and face proud.� �This hall
leads to my chambers.� Stay out of it in
the future.�
�My lady��
�I would not want it tainted.�� I swallowed and a horrible thought struck
me.
�My lady Kikyo?�
�Yes?�
�Lord Inu-Yasha speaks fondly of
you.�� And the reason for his
fascination with me was suddenly clear.
�I�ll inform him in the future that
he should refrain.�
�Of course.�� I bowed and backed away.� This was to be Inu-yasha�s future wife?� She brushed past me, calling for a
servant.�
I caught �I want these floors
washed,� before she was out of earshot.
Hostility was something I was still
unfamiliar with, though each encounter with Lord Sesshomaru was making its
better acquaintance.� Kikyo�s malice had
no grounds that I could see and left me bewildered and slightly hurt.
I left the way I had come not
wishing another encounter and went back to the gardens, my plans to find
Sango�s return forgotten.� After what
felt like miles of hallway I found Inu-Yasha holding a sword and cursing Miroku
for a pervert.� A strangely familiar
sight.
�Did he touch you again?� I asked
with a smile.� Both men jumped and
turned to me.� Inu-Yasha growling and
Miroku with a sheepish smile.
�No!� Inu-Yasha bellowed.� �He wants to�.� His mouth snapped
closed.� I raised an eyebrow and looked
at the monk.
�I want to bask in your beauty.�
Miroku finished for him cheerfully.
�That�s not what you said!�
�But it is what I meant.� Inu-yasha
raised his sword again and I was seeing visions of a wounded monk.� I stepped in between the two.� �I just met Kikyo.�
Inu-Yasha�s arm dropped, his sword
carving a gash in the dirt of the pathway.�
�You met Kikyo?� I nodded.� �Are
you all right?�
I could not stop the laugh, it
sounded bitter even in my own ears.�
�This does not bode well.� I
speak of meeting your future bride and you ask if I survived intact.� Your future looks bleak.�
�I-I just meant�she�s�� He was red
from chin to forehead, which looked surprisingly good against the white of his
hair though it clashed horribly with his hakami. �Well, she�s hard to handle at
first.�
�Do not worry, I survived the encounter.�
�But you will need a rest, I am
sure.�� Miroku came forward to guide me
to a seat on a convenient rock.�
�Probably a refreshing drink as well.�
�How delicate do you think I am?�
�You�re human, you snap like a
twig.� Inu-yasha grumbled.
�You are an orchid growing on a
mountainside,� Miroku said with a glare at his friend.
�Hmm, don�t they require a lot of
care not to die?�
�I have met Kikyo, I am a monk
trained in meditation and exorcism.� I
still need a drink after an encounter.� I laughed and shook my head.
�A drink would be greatly appreciated.�� Thus did I meet Inu-yasha�s betrothed.
By the time I had drunk my fill and rested I decided
that the garden was not quite as relaxing as it had been an hour before.� And it hurt somewhat to look on Inu-yasha as
he slunk around me as though he had done something wrong.� A dog with his tail tucked between his legs
while he waited to be hit.�� Most days I
would find this amusing but not that day, not after meeting Kikyo, not after
the disturbing message Kohaku had sent me away with.�
I was sick for home and quickly begged my
leave.� Inu-yasha looked troubles and
Miroku simply knowing.� He told me he
would tell Sango I was sorry to have missed her and they both saw me to the
carriage.
The ride seemed an eternity and I longed for
Kohaku.� When I finally arrived, heart
sore and tired, I stepped from the carriage and staggered. A guard caught me
calling out in surprise.� I was too busy
with the wild question �Where had he found it?��
The doubled power of the Shikon beat at me for a
heartbeat then faded becoming a soft hum as a flash of color caught my
eye.� I turned slowly to see Kohaku
standing wide eyed and still across the courtyard staring at me.� A line of red ran the length of his sleeve
and his belt pouch glowed.
- 8
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The Path of Pins	By : girltype Category: InuYasha > General Views: 7418 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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The Path of Pins

Chapter 9