A Tale of Souls & Swords
~I do not own Inuyasha. This story is purely fan made.
AN: Thank you everyone for the reviews. Sorry for the long wait, I was suppose to have had this chapter posted last Saturday but I am currently having problems with my laptop. For whatever reason, it doesn't want to connect to my wifi. So with that being said, I ask that you forgive me for any of the mistakes you may find. I had to retype this chapter on here with my phone, which took me so long to be able to do, so there may be more mistakes than normal. Initially this chapter was longer but I decided to put the rest of it in the next chapter because it would have taken me another couple of days in order to finish it. Which wouldn't have been a problem accept I really need to send my laptop in to get it fixed. I held off on doing so this pass week so I could retype this chapter. As far as the next chapter, I can't say when it will be up. I gotta figure out what's wrong with my laptop first. I will try to type by using my phone but it could take awhile. I may work on my other stories first since I keep those chapters short. Hopefully I can get this fixed soon so that way I can get the next chapter up soon as possible for you guys. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Feel free to review and let me know what you think. :D
Original Characters:
*Saisei- Guardian of Fire/ Trial of Courage (Phoenix)
*Misuto- Guardian of Water/ Trial of Patience (Sea Serpent)
*Nisshoku- Guardian of Shadows/ Trial of Loyalty (Wolf)
*Yuki- Guardian of Ice/ Trial of Humility (Snow Leopard)
*Hikari- Guardian of Light/ Trial of Justice (Dragon)
*Inari- Guardian of Life/ Trial of Selflessness (Fox)
*Kazenosasayaki- Guardian of Wind/ Trial of Truth (Eagle)
*Byggvir (Pronunciation: Big-veer)- Prince of Scandinavia/ General of Europe (Lightning Dragon)
*Lord Ragnvaldr (Pronunciation: Rag-val-dur)- Lord of Scandinavia/ Europe (Lightning Dragon)
*Lord Durai- Lord of India/ Middle East (Bengal Tiger)
*Lord Nazar- Lord of Russia (Wolf)
*Lord Omari- Lord of Africa (Lion)
*Lord Acahuana- Lord of South America (Snake)
*Lord Wanageeska- Lord of North America (Fox)
*Lord Neptis- Lord of the 7 Seas (Water Elemental)
*Lord Ryuunosuke- Japanese Lord of the North (Dragon)
*Lord Shin- Japanese Lord of the East (Bear)
*Lord Daichi- Japanese Lord of the South (Tiger)
*Lord Jin- Chinese Ambassador (Panda)
*General Slavik- General of Russia (Wolf)
*General Thiago- General of South America (Jaguar/ Shadow)
*General Kimoni- General of Africa (Rhino)
*General Zarok- General of the 7 Seas (Octopus)
*General Raj- General of Middle East (Tiger)
*General Kajika- General of North America (Fox)
*Umeko- Mate of General Slavik/ Kagome's handmaiden/ Member of the Western Court
Recap of Chapter 15:
Chapter 16: A Healing Soul and His Tightly Kept Secret
Saisei let out an irritated sigh as he looked down at the two sleeping bodies lying on the floor. 'Now what?' He thought as he narrowed his eyes at Kagome. This wasn't how this meeting was suppose to end and now no one was sure what to do. While he was happy to know that an agreement had been kind of made, he also knew that they needed to get Kagome out of this room and somewhere safe. He wasn't for sure if they should go back to the Northern Shiro or ask for a room here. After another moment of thought, Saisei finally made a decision. Leaning down, Saisei picked Kagome up bridal style before looking over at Lord Ryuunosuke. "Hey dragon Lord... You got somewhere she can sleep?"
Lord Ryuunosuke looked over at Saisei with a confused look, it was clear that the tall cloaked figure was talking to him but he glanced around just to make sure. Once he saw that everyone was looking at him, clearly waiting for an answer, he sighed. Looking over at the two sleeping figures, his eyes narrowed in thought. A minute or two slipped by before he felt a hand touch his right shoulder which caused him to look over. Lord Daichi gave him a worried glance and it caused him to grimace. They both knew that letting the Miko stay here was going to cause some trouble but what choice did they have. Details still needed to be discussed but in order for that to happen both Lord Sesshoumaru and the Miko needed to be awake. With a deep sigh, Lord Ryuunosuke realized that since Lord Sesshoumaru was currently unconscious, their was only one person that could fully make this decision. With that thought in mind, Lord Ryuunosuke turned around and headed towards the double doors. Everybody watched as he swung the right door open before he peeked outside.
Lord Ryuunosuke blinked a couple of times in surprise as he looked at the scene before him. Looking to the right, then glancing to the left, he took small noticed that the two bulky armored youkai seemed to be amused by the ruckus going on before them. Looking forward again, Lord Ryuunosuke had to speak up and ask. "What are you two doing?"
Inuyasha and Lady Inukimi stopped their bickering for a moment to look over at the Northern Lord. A moment passed before Inuyasha huffed, then spoke to answer Lord Ryuunosuke's question. "Keh... I'm trying to explain to her that my Tessaiga won't break the barrier!" Lord Ryuunosuke glanced down and took noticed that the Tessaiga was glowing a bright red before he remembered that it had the ability to break through barriers but he too was slightly curious as to why it couldn't break through this one.
"Inuyasha, how could you know if you don't try?" Inukimi asked as she shot Inuyasha a small glare.
"Because it's a holy barrier, Inukimi! My sword can break through a youkai barrier but not a holy one!" Inuyasha growled out as he pointed to the barrier that kept them apart from the others.
Lord Ryuunosuke watched as the two started their bickering again before he shook his head, they really didn't have time for this. Clearing his throat loudly to gain everyone's attention and once he had it, he spoke again. "General Inuyasha, please put away your sword, it is no longer needed. Lady Inukimi your presence is needed in the throne room, we need-"
"No." General Kimoni gruffly stated, cutting off the Lord's sentence without remorse. "We have strict orders to let no one in except the four Japanese Lords."
Lord Ryuunosuke lifted a brow as he glanced at the tall youkai that stood on his right. "This one understands but she is now needed. She is the only one that can make the upcoming decisions regarding our agreement."
Lady Inukimi gave Lord Ryuunosuke a sharp look before a worried frown crossed her delicate lips. The only reason her input would be needed was if her son couldn't make the decision and with this thought, her eyes widened. "Has something happened to my son?"
Lord Ryuunosuke grimaced as he thought about how he was to tell her before he finally decided to tell her in a simple way. "He has collapsed, but he will be ok." At least he hoped but he decided not to add that, he didn't need her in a frantic state.
Inside the throne room, Saisei began to get impatient. He wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible, Kagome needed to rest and the longer they were kept waiting, the angrier he got. "Just let them in General Kimoni!"
The General leaned in to take a look around at everyone in the room before glancing at his Lord for conformation. Lord Omari gave a small nod of his head telling Kimoni to do as he was told. Once he had the permission he was seeking, Kimoni turned around to face the barrier. Lifting his right hand, he gently placed it against the barrier and everyone watched as a hole slowly began to form, allowing Inuyasha and Inukimi to walk through.
Inukimi wasted no time, with quick stride, she entered her throne room. Pausing briefly to look around, it only took her a small moment to find her son. Seeing him lying on the floor, unmoving, made something in her chest tighten painfully. Quickly she stepped forward, although she made sure not to run, running would be unlady like. She was careful to keep her face blank, it would be unwise to allow the foreign lords to see her in a panic. The moment she reached her son's side, she elegantly knelt down beside him. Lifting a small dainty clawed hand, she laid it over her son's chest and was relieved to feel him breathing. Inukimi allowed a little bit of her yoki to rise before letting it run over her son. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt her son's yoki respond hers, he was stronger. Granted he wasn't cured, but he was stronger than he was yesterday. His pulse thumped strongly under her hand which caused a small smile to break across her plum colored lips and she let out a small sigh of relief.
A deep growl brought her out of thought, causing her to look up at the tall cloaked figure that was standing before her. She took immediate notice that he was carrying a small body, holding it closely to his chest in a protective manner. There wasn't much that she could see of his feature, but a deep shiver ran down her spine as she noticed his onyx colored eyes, which was strange that he had no pupils and it gave him an almost out-worldly appearance... A dark appearance. Slowly she stood up to face him and that was when she noticed that he wasn't growling at her, he was growling at something behind her. Turning her head, Inukimi looked over her shoulder and saw Inuyasha standing slightly behind her before she turned to look back at the darkly cloaked figure.
The whole room was silent and Inukimi took a moment to look around the room, everyone was staring at her. Looking back in front of her, she took a long hard look at the small body that the cloaked figure was holding. The protective hold that he had on her gave Inukimi a pretty good idea on who exactly that was but she couldn't be a hundred percent sure. "Is that her?" Inukimi asked before she stared back up at the dark figure. "Is that the Shikon Miko?"
Saisei took his eyes off the hanyou for a brief moment to look at the inu demoness that stood in front of him. He was silent for a moment as he looked her over. "Yes, she is the High Priestess... As well as the God's chosen Champion."
Lord Ryuunosuke slowly approached and didn't stop until he stood by Inukimi's side. Lifting his hand, he gently rested it on her shoulder to grab her attention. "Lady Inukimi, since your son is currently indisposed, we need you to make the upcoming decisions. Our new allies, would like to rest until their High Priestess is awake-"
"Not just our High Priestess, she is your High Priestess as well. This comes with the new alliance and is non negotiable." Lord Wanageeska told them calmly and everyone turned to stare at him. A deep rumbling growl echoed out and caused Inukimi to look over at Lord Shin, she was surprised though that he remained silent even though it was clear that he was displeased by what the foreign lord had said.
Lord Ryuunosuke cleared his throat again but gave the fox Lord a nod of understanding before he corrected himself. "This one apologizes, our High Priestess and Lord Sesshoumaru need to rest until we can further discuss other details."
Inukimi looked back at the Miko as she lost herself in thought. She knew what they wanted, but she was hesitant. She had no idea what had been discussed before she walked in and quite frankly she wasn't even sure if the foreigners could be trusted. Yes, she was all for this alliance still but she hadn't been around any of them long enough to decide if she could take the chance on trusting them or not. Normally she would have asked her son for his input on things since he was the only one she fully trusted, but that was impossible at the moment.
Everyone was silent as they waited for the Western Lady to come to a decision. On the other side of the room, one figure thought that perhaps it was time for her to step in, she knew that she could be of help here. Umeko leaned over and whispered to her mate to drop the barrier before she began to walk forward. Clinking steps soon followed behind her and she knew that it was her mate following her closely. With her being pupped, this didn't surprise her... His instincts would demand this of him so she decided not to say anything against it. Umeko continued to walk forward until she was standing in the middle of the throne room and stopped. "Lady Inukimi..." Umeko paused as she waited for Inukimi to look over at her before she continued. "I assure you that these Lord's, as well as my lady, can be trusted. They are all here to help." It was at that moment when Umeko realized that she had to make a very important choice... And it only took her a moment to make her decision. Umeko straightened her back and took a deep breath before she gave Lady Inukimi a small brief bow, then straightened back up to look over at her former Lady. Typically one of her station would be expected to bow deeply before their ruling Lord and lady, then they were expected to wait until they were given permission to rise, but to another Lord and lady that was not your own, a small bow was acceptable, unless you were told by your Lord or lady to serve them for a time being... Which she currently wasn't.
"Umeko?" Inukimi's eyes widened, for multiple reasons. The first being that her dear friend's daughter was alive. The second being the very noticeable round bulge of Umeko's stomach, indicating that her friend's daughter was pupped. Using her yoki, Inukimi reached out and inspected Umeko. To her amazement, she couldn't find any trace of the curse in her. This told Inukimi that her thought about the curse being the cause of her subjects not being able to procreate were true. Inukimi tore her eyes off Umeko to look over at the Miko again as the rumor she had heard began to run through her head again. Hope ran through her once more as it became clear that these rumors were not rumors after all, her friend's daughter was proof of that. Umeko's brief bow didn't escape her notice either, nor was her reference to the Miko as being her lady. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't for sure how she felt about that but decided to pushed that to the back of her mind for now, other things needed her attention but there was something she had to ask. "How? Everyone thought you had died, Umeko. Your parents suffered in their grief at the Loss of you"
Umeko looked down in guilt, she had known that her disappearance would hurt her family but she knew that it would be worth all the hurt if she could find the Miko who could cure them all and convince her to come here. She just didn't think it would take them this long but she understood that these things took time. What was it that her Lady like to always say... Rome wasn't built in a day. Lady Kagome had explained to her what Rome was, as well as told her that all great accomplishments took time and patience. Now she was here, she was home and she was doing just what she had set out to do... And she will not fail. If there was anything that Umeko learned from her Lady was that no matter what, she needed to be strong and fight for what was right, as well as what she believed in... And she had faith in her Lady's vision. The Vision of peace and unity, and she will do everything she can to help Lady Kagome reach that goal. Umeko looked back over at Lady Inukimi, searching her eyes briefly. She could see pain there, and if Lady Inukimi was in pain then she knew her parents were as well. "How are they? Are my mother and father doing alright?"
Inukimi grimaced slightly but gave a slow nod. "They are alive... But they are hurting. Everyone is hurting."
Umeko gave a nod of understanding, she remembered how much the curse hurt but she assumed that it was probably worse for them, they have endured it far longer than she had. Taking a deep breath, Umeko slowly let it out before she spoke again. "Well, Lady Inukimi, we are here now and my lady will not allow any of you to suffer any longer... As long as you all agree to the alliance."
Inukimi gave a slow nod before glancing at the Miko again. If anything, she was even more curious about this High Priestess that so many were fond of. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy as well. They will finally be strong again, she will make the hurt disappear. Looking back over at Umeko's stomach, another thought struck her... Her son could finally get his Heir. Of course that will take a little bit of convincing on her part but she believed he was finally ready. Both he and Lady Hanami had plenty of time to heal from their last attempt but now, they will not have to worry about another failure. Although, she knew that Lady Hanami will not agree unless her son mated her this time. 40 years ago, she had managed to convince her son into producing an heir, since he vehemently refused to take a mate, and so he had agreed to breed with her dear friend's daughter, Lady Hanami. The golden inu demoness was one of the strongest females in the land, as well as a beauty in her own right. So she groomed her, teaching her everything about being the Lady of the West. Inukimi had hoped that once Hanami was pupped, then her stubborn son would finally understand what it would be like to have a family of his own and how good it felt, thus tempting him to take Hanami as his mate... But unfortunately, that wasn't to be. Lady Hanami ended up miscarrying during her second moon cycle and Sesshoumaru refused to try again. She knew the lost had hit him hard, so she had decided not to push. He had just started to get warmed up to the thought of being a father only to have it taken from him. She had hoped that perhaps he would have warmed up to Hanami during this time as well but he only treated her as he did everyone else... With cool indifference. Inukimi gave a small shake of her head as she brought herself out of thought, first she needed to focus on this alliance before she began to work on her son's future mating.
The first step to this would be to see to their new allies comfort. Looking around, Inukimi counted everyone that was here and realized that the West wing wasn't big enough to hold everyone comfortably. Inukimi didn't think it would be wise to put any of them in the Eastern wing since Lord Shin didn't seem to pleased with this right now but she was sure the others wouldn't mind it... The only question would be if the Miko would mind all her allies being spread apart from her. Honestly, she highly doubted it. It was only a moment later when another thought struck her and Inukimi turned around to face Inuyasha.
Inuyasha for his part wasn't paying attention. His golden eyes were glued to Kagome's still form and for the life of him, he couldn't stop staring. Guilt shook through him, why did he feel guilty you might ask... Well, because for the first time he fully realized that he had been so terribly wrong and not only had he been wrong, he also should have known better. How many times had Kagome thrown herself in danger to save him or one of his pack mates? Too many to count he realized solemnly. Looking around the room, he finally took in all the support she had gathered, all the youkai support none the less. It had taken him centuries to finally gain recognition from the youkai society and yet she accomplished it 75 years. He shouldn't have been all that surprised though, she always had the ability to attract so many to her, human and youkai... And here he was, just now realizing how big of a fool he truly was. She had always put herself in danger to save those she cared about, hell... She did the same for strangers too, her saving his brother proved that, she truly hadn't changed. She was still filled with light and pure intentions, nothing about her was dark as he first had thought. Granted he still didn't think his mate had anything to do with the curse but he also knew that Kagome didn't either. Kagome's heart would never have been dark enough to cause this curse and deep down, a small part of him had always known that. The clearing of someone's throat snapped Inuyasha out of thought and caused him to look up. He noticed that Inukimi was looking at in with a contemplating look and brought his full attention to her.
"Inuyasha... Would you be apposed to our new guest taking resident in your mother's small Shiro?" Inukimi asked in a worried tone. The Shiro had been given to Inuyasha when he had earned the title of being the Western General but he had never used it, preferring to stay in the main Shiro, but since it was officially his, only he could give them the permission to use it.
Inuyasha gave the request a moment of thought as he looked over at Kagome again. His mother's Shiro had been built right next door to the main Shiro. It was smaller than the main Shiro but still big enough to hold all their guest comfortably. His father had built it years ago for his mother's own comfort since she had been uneasy around the youkai subjects and had been left abandoned ever since she had fled to return back to her home. Contemplating for another minute, Inuyasha looked back over at Inukimi before giving a nod and everyone watched as a bright smile crossed her purple lips.
"Excellent! This one will send servants over there right away to clean up the Shiro and prepare it for your stay. We have some rooms that all of you can rest in for a couple of days until then. Hopefully the High Priestess and my son will be up so we can all discuss things further." Inukimi said as she looked over at the foreign Lords. She watched as everyone nodded in agreement before she looked back over at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, will you please grab your brother and take him to my room so he may rest." Inukimi then looked over at the darkly cloaked figure that was still holding the miko and addressed him next. "If you will follow me, this one already has a room prepared that she can stay in."
Saisei cocked an eyebrow but none the less, he nodded. Looking over at the other Guardians, he nodded to them and watched as they all approached before all seven of them began to follow Inukimi out the door.
Sunlight filtered through the room, casting it's comforting light upon the sleeping figure. Kagome's eyes scrunched up briefly before they slowly began to open. Blurry blue eyes looked around the room as she slowly sat up and it wasn't long before she spotted Yuki sitting on a plush cushion in the right corner of the room. Looking down again, Kagome pulled back the thick fur that covered her slender figure, only to notice that someone had changed her. Instead of her normal black battle suit that she came here in, she was now wearing a white silky sleeping yukata. Hesitantly, Kagome's right hand came up to touch her right temple only to discover that she wasn't wearing her enchanted blindfold. Looking around, Kagome searched the room to look for it before Yuki's voice grabbed her attention.
"Check your wrist High Priestess." Yuki hummed softly, her voice filled with light amusement.
Looking down, Kagome sighed with relief as she spotted the long piece of cloth. Whispering softly, Kagome repeated a chant that would activate the spell before waiting patiently for the cloth to wrap itself around her eyes. Once secure, she looked over at Yuki and gave her a sleepy smile. "Thank you Yuki, I'm not quite awake yet." Kagome watched as Yuki gave her a nod before she pulled her eyes away from the icy Guardian and looked around the room she was in. "Where am I?"
"We are still in the Western Shiro. Lady Inukimi was kind enough to give all of us a room to stay in." Yuki told her with a slight purr as she leaned back and began to run her clawed hand through the end of her long braided hair. The sunlight made her silky white strands sparkle, giving it an almost ethereal glow. She still wore her dark cloak which hid most of her features. Her Chinese glaive sat propped up behind her, leaning against the corner of the room.
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Hmm..." Yuki's silver eyes glanced over at Kagome before she tilted her head slightly to the side. "She is quite enthusiastic with your presence here. She is preparing the Shiro next door for us to stay in, it should be ready for us by tomorrow."
Kagome's brows furrowed as she took a moment to think. "How long was I asleep for?"
Yuki went back to playing with her hair before she gave a small shrug. "Two days... You really taxed yourself with healing that dog."
Kagome shifted uncomfortably before she looked away. "What about the Lords of the World Council?"
"They're around..." Yuki said nonchalantly as she stopped her movement and looked over at Kagome, giving her a hard stare. "Was saving the Inu Lord really worth pushing yourself so far."
Kagome shrugged. "Have they been checked on? Ashanti is still running around and I don't want them being left alone. She will target them."
"Their Generals are making sure they are kept safe. Have faith in them Kagome, we trained them well." Yuki huffed before she got up and made her way over to Kagome and sat down in front of her. She was tired of Kagome avoiding her questions. "Kagome..." Yuki waited until Kagome looked over at her before she continued. "Why is the Inu Lord so important?"
Kagome tilted her head down and pursed her lips as she thought about Yuki's question. Subconsciously her fingers began to twist the end of her yukata.
The leopard glared at Kagome as she waited, it only took a moment before another thought struck her. "Does this have something to do with your connection to him in the past?"
Kagome sighed as she shook her head. "No, well maybe..." Kagome huffed before thinking for a minute longer before she spoke again. "I am not fully confident in Elizaveta or Reagan's ability in being able to take over after I am gone." Yuki gave her a confused look, not quite sure what the two Children of Light had to do with this but she waited patiently for Kagome to continue.
"No matter who I choose to take my place, once I'm gone there will be disorder. I know that the other Lords will do everything they can in order to help them but..." Kagome paused as she tried to explain her worries before she sighed in frustration. "Sesshoumaru is the strongest of his kind, and when I'm gone he will try to take control of things. I need him to understand my vision. I need him on my side."
Yuki scoffed. "He's arrogant-"
"Yes he is..." Kagome nodded in agreement.
"He's selfish-" Yuki continued.
"Sometimes... but who isn't?" Kagome said with another nod.
"...You-" Yuki cocked an eyebrow.
"I don't count, you can't compare me and others, that's not fair." Kagome huffed as she looked back at the leopard.
"Oh?" Yuki countered.
Kagome glared at the cat. "I was made specifically this way and you know it. Your being unfair..."
Yuki shrugged but didn't deny it. "He can be cruel..."
"Only to his enemies..." Kagome said with a sigh. "He's a good Lord. Everyone under his care would prosper."
Yuki gave Kagome a good long hard stare before she nodded. "Very well."
Kagome sighed and relaxed her figure. Yuki had a tendency of going into what Kagome called 'mother mode' and every time she did it Kagome couldn't help but fidget. She was really good at making Kagome feel like a small child that got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She knew that Yuki only did this due to being concerned but still, Kagome couldn't help but either sigh in relief or pout like a child after every conversation she had with her. Taking a deep breathe before slowly letting it out, Kagome looked around. "Where are the other Guardians?"
"In the amulet." Yuki hummed as she inspected her claws. "We were taking turns on watching over you, it was too crowded for all of us to be in this room."
Kagome nodded, she could understand that. Saisei and Nisshoku wouldn't have lasted long before breaking out into a fight. Misuto wouldn't have helped the matter by getting on everyone's nerves. Inari would have become an instigator due to her playful nature, and Yuki, Sasayaki, and Hikari would have gotten easily annoyed by all the chaos. So it was definitely for the better doing it this way. After a moment or two passed, Kagome's thoughts turned back to Sesshoumaru. She had been shocked to say the least, out of all the youkai that she had saved, he was by far the weakest one that she had come across. She had no idea how he lasted as long as he did, and he was lucky that she had noticed it when she did or else she might have accidentally killed him. It was going to take her days to heal him fully, maybe even a week. She knew that she couldn't push herself as far as she did a couple of days ago, so she will have to heal him slowly. She couldn't help but wonder why he was effected more than any others... Was it possibly because he was more of a threat than the others? Kagome's brows furrowed as she lightly bit her bottom lip, losing herself deep in thought. It was the only thing that made any sort of sense. Shifting slightly, Kagome finally stopped playing with her yukata before she slowly got to her feet. Her curiosity was getting the better of her and she felt the overwhelming need to check up on the Western Lord, plus she was curious about Inukimi as well.
Yuki glanced up at Kagome before she lifted a curious brow. "Kagome... What is the matter?"
Kagome looked down at the leopard before she gave a hesitant smile. "I would like to check on Lord Sesshoumaru."
Yuki gave Kagome a suspicious glare, she couldn't help but worry about this new fascination that Kagome was developing towards the dog. "Oh?"
Kagome saw the question that danced around in Yuki's silver orbs before she let out a small sigh. "Don't worry Yuki, I'm just curious. For some reason the curse effected him more than anyone else and I want to know why."
Yuki stared Kagome down for a few more moments before giving her a small nod, then got up herself. Kagome watched as Yuki stretched out her body before she turned to fully face her. Before Kagome could say another word, Yuki began to glow a bright white and Kagome watched as she turned into her leopard form, but like most of the other Guardians, the form was smaller than her true size. Kagome saw the snow leopard look up before giving her a nod, then slowly made her way to the chamber door. She didn't bother with changing her clothes, she had know idea where her clothes were anyway. So the silky pure white sleeping yukata will just have to do for now and honestly, she didn't mind walking around bare foot, she preferred it actually. Slowly she opened the door to peeked out into the hall and she was slightly surprised that there was a servant knelt down outside the door.
Bright brown eyes looked up and once they registered who was in front of her, the female youkai immediately turned and bowed low to Kagome. "My Lady, we are glad to see you up and well. My name is Uzume, and I am your servant during your stay here. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Kagome lifted a brow as she stared down at the still bowing youkai. Gently she let her reiki reach out and inspect the small female in front of her, she almost reminded Kagome of a mouse. She had dark brown hair and light brown eyes, she was simply dressed which indicated her low status. She wasn't very powerful and that only made Kagome even most curious. How was this lower level youkai surviving better than the Lord of the Shiro? There had to be more to this than what she had originally thought and she was determined to figure it out. Slowly Kagome reached out and light touched the servant's shoulder before she spoke. "You may rise."
Uzume slowly stood up but she made sure to keep her eyes lowered as she waited for the Lady Miko to give her some instructions. After a moment of silence passed, she decided that perhaps the lady was waiting for her to say something. "Was there anything I can do for you, my lady?"
Kagome snapped herself out of thought once she heard the servant's question. She looked around the hall for a moment as she redirected her reiki to expand around her and it wasn't long before she faintly felt Sesshoumaru's aura coming from a room further down the hall. Turning her attention back to the servant, Kagome answered her question as politely as she could. "That will not be necessary Uzume, this one should be fine. You may go back to your normal duties."
Uzume suddenly became nervous, her aura screamed with unease which puzzled Kagome and she waited patiently to see if she would express herself, and it wasn't long before Uzume answered. "My lady, Lady Inukimi will be displeased with me if you need something and I am not there to take care of it."
Kagome sighed as she looked the mouse youkai over, genuine fear radiated off her and the last thing Kagome wanted was to get the poor woman in trouble but at the same time she didn't want Lady Inukimi's servant following her around all day either, she had her own maid after all. With that thought, she couldn't help but wonder what Umeko was doing. Scratching the back of her head, Kagome looked back over at the mouse. "You have no need to worry, Uzume. This one will explain this to Lady Inukimi. Once this one finds Umeko, she can help this one with whatever I may need."
Uzume gave a stiff nod but still she was extremely tense. Kagome noticed this and slowly she reached out and lightly laid her hand on Uzume's shoulder to offer comfort, being careful not to touch any of her skin. Kagome noticed that the curse pulsed strongly under her palm which cause Kagome to grimace. It only took her a small moment to make her next decision, she truly hated to see the youkai here struggle. Slowly Kagome allowed her reiki to rise up and gently enter into Uzume. She watched as the mouse stiffened and her fear doubled but that didn't last too long. It only took Kagome a couple of minutes to cure her from the curse since Uzume's soul wasn't as big as a Daiyoukai. Her wide brown eyes looked up at Kagome for the first time since Kagome walked out of her room. Uzume's eyes began to water once she realized what Kagome had just done before she dropped to her knees again to give a deep bow. It was only a moment later when Kagome heard her soft voice ring out. "Thank you, my lady."
Kagome gave her a small smile. "Your welcome Uzume. You have no need to worry. This one will explain your absence to Lady Inukimi. Now off with you, this one is sure that there are more important things that require your attention."
Uzume gave another bow before she finally relaxed and did what she was told. Kagome watched as she turned and made her way down the hall. It wasn't until she was completely out of sight before Kagome turned and headed towards the room that Sesshoumaru was currently staying in with Yuki following closely behind her. She couldn't help but wonder if he was up yet but she supposed that she will find out soon enough. It wasn't long before Kagome stood before the door that hid the Inu lord but there was something else that grabbed her attention. Her brows furrowed as she fluxed her reiki to search for the strange aura that seemed to be reaching out to her. Taking a small step back, Kagome looked further down the hall before her eyes landed on the double doors at the end of the hall. Slowly she made her way towards it as she gently probed further. One thing she knew for sure was that she felt Sesshoumaru's power placed over the door, which told Kagome that this was more than likely his room. But if that was the case, than why was resting in the room down the hall? Kagome glanced down at the door that the Inu Lord was currently behind for a moment before she glanced back at the door in front of her. Why, indeed? Now she was curious... What was the dog hiding? Something was calling her and whatever it was, it was locked inside with no way to get out. Pushing her power further, Kagome realized that the aura inside was dark and clouded, which made her eyes widened in surprise and it was only a moment later when she realize that she recognized this aura. Her eyes darkened with rage, it was Kikyo's aura inside but why would Sesshoumaru be hiding her?
At first Kagome had every intention of being respectful to Sesshoumaru's privacy but now that she realized that the dark power she was feeling was from Kikyo, it changed everything. Taking a deep breath, Kagome began to build her power. Once she was sure that she had enough power built up to over power Sesshoumaru's barrier, Kagome began to use it to take his barrier down. It wasn't long before it began to crumble under the pressure of her own. After a few moments, the barrier flickered twice before completely falling and as soon as it did Kagome forcefully yanked the door open with one hand as she summoned a sword with the other. She told herself that she was fully prepared for whatever was on the other side of those doors but she had no idea just how wrong she had been when she finally entered the dark and richly decorated room.
At first it looked empty, but as she looked around further, she realized that she wasn't alone. Slowly she walked towards the bed as she noticed that someone was lying asleep on top of it and the closer she got, the further she realized that the woman sleeping wasn't Kikyo as she originally thought, but it seems that Kikyo's aura was suppressing the young woman's own aura. Walking around the right side, Kagome studied the young woman's face and oddly enough, she realized that she knew this female. Further expanding her reiki, Kagome pushed her reiki passed Kikyo's to reach the aura that laid underneath. Her eyes widened as another warm and bright tendril of reiki reached out to meet her own. The woman was a miko... Not only just a miko but this aura was from someone she hadn't seen in years. Someone that shouldn't even be alive. This girl, no, this woman was... "Rin?"
Down the hall, behind the elegantly carved doors that lead to Lady Inukimi's room, a demon that had previously been sleeping so peacefully, so deeply, jolted awake. His eyes burned a bright murderous red and a deep rumbling growl vibrated through his chest as he felt his barrier go down. Someone broke into his room, a stranger was near the one thing that was so important and that stranger had found his one and only weakness. His daughter was in danger! At that moment in time, it didn't matter that he still felt weak, it didn't matter that he could barely stand, the only thing that matter was saving his Rin.
END OF CHAPTER 16
-Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! :D
Until next time!
-Peach