The day love found me.

Author's Note:  My apologies for not uploading the next chapter as I had recently got a new job and it had taken over any and all free time that I have. Here is the long awaited chapter to The Day Love Found me.

Chapter Fourteen.

 

It was a few minutes after the healers got into the guest rooms with the injured guests. Natsuko had hurried off to change from her practice kimono to a different one that was cleaner. She first went to the man’s room to see how he was faring.

The healers turned to see her approaching. “He is doing as well as you can tell, Lady Natsuko, though his wounds are deep, we are able to stitch them so his body can heal them.”

The man looked at Natsuko, bowed as far as he could without pulling the bandages and reopening his wounds as he smiled. “I am Shojiro Asuka, Lord of Clan Asuka, I am in your Lord’s and your debt for saving my daughter,”

Natsuko smiled. “We were in the area and heard the scream. We would have done it for anyone else, Lord Asuka,”

Lord Asuka looked at her. “What about my daughter? Is she okay?”

Natsuko glanced over to the healers to see them nod. “Yes, she’s in one of the rooms sleeping right now,”

“May I see her?” he asked. “Please?”

Natsuko looked back to him. “Let me see if she’s awake and I’ll bring her over to your room if she is awake.”

“Thank you,” Shojiro said, as he watched her walk out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Natsuko knew the child was sleeping since she was when they got to the castle. She went to the room that Inu no Taisho was standing at. “My Lord, how is the child?”

He glanced at her. “Doing well, sleeping at the moment.”

“Her father Lord Shojiro Asuka is asking how she is,” Natsuko stated.

Inu no Taisho turned to look at her. “Tell him that she is sleeping and in the morn, we will bring her to his side,”

Natsuko nodded before she left the room, she walked over to the child and took a good look at her. Like most young children, the young girl had long black hair and a light tanned appearance. She was an adorable child. “I will tell him,” and she walked out of the room back to Lord Asuka’s room.

~~~~~~

Natsuko watched as the healers were busily working on stitching up the cuts that the demon bear had did to him before she entered the room. She bowed respectively to him before she spoke, “Lord Asuka, your daughter is fine. She’s sleeping at the moment in a room nearby.”

He looked relieved as he leaned into the pillow beneath his head. “I’m glad.”

Natsuko looked at him as she stood up and walked over to his side. “Do you have any other children?”

“No, I don’t,” He replied. “Are you married?”

Natsuko looked down at her hands and replied. “I am unmarried,”

“I am sorry, I didn’t know,” Shojiro stated.

“I’m not one to have a mate for the time being, I’m just too busy with being a bodyguard to my Lord’s wife and mate,” Natsuko replied.

“Well, I am sure who ever you find as a mate will have a good woman by his side,” Shojiro said.

Natsuko smiled. “In time. But now, you must rest. When morning comes, I’ll bring your child to your side.”

Shojiro watched as she stood up and started to walk towards the door. “Lady Natsuko, wait a moment, please, before you leave. I have a request to ask of you?”

Natsuko stopped and glanced behind her. “What is your request?”

“Would you stay with my daughter tonight to keep an eye on her, she may not know we, both are safe?” He asked.

Natsuko smiled. “Yes, I’ll stay with her tonight.” She headed out of the chambers to go into the chambers of the young Izayoi, where the healers were sitting by her side. “I will stay by her side tonight, her father wishes.”

They bowed to her and left the room, leaving Natsuko alone with the young child. Natsuko sat down by the bed and looked at the child. ‘<i>So, you will be the one who will be the mother of InuYasha, Touga’s younger son?</i>’

A knock on the door shook her from her thoughts as she went to the door to find three warriors with a black fur in their arms. “Yes?”

“Lord Inu no Taisho told us to go skin and butcher the demon bear. We were to give you the fur of the bear since you were the one who slew it,” The warrior stated, handing her the fur of the bear.

“Thank you,” Natsuko took the skin from them and entered the room once again. She unraveled it to find that she would have to do some work on the skin itself to make it useful for winter. She did not like the cold and had gone out of her way to collect a lot of blankets for her bed. A bear skin blanket would really help her in the winter. She knew that she would have to use a knife to get most of the fat off and then maybe boil water and pour it over the fat side to get what remained off and then cure the hide. Now if she could remember what else is needed to remove the fat from the hide faster than boiling hot water to melt the fat away and hopefully, she can get enough salt to draw out all the moisture from the hide before she started to scrape it clean.

She folded it to keep the fat away from the fur itself before she had a chance to deal with it. She placed it by the door and resumed her place by the young child, all the while glancing over at the fur.

A few minutes later, her servant arrived with a pitcher and a goblet and looked at the child. “Why did you two do what you did for them?”

Natsuko glanced at her. “I never did like anyone who hurt a child, even if it was a human child . . . I guess it is the woman within who acted and Lord Inu no Taisho, he was a head of me before I even nailed the bear. I went right in instead of seeing how many bears there were,”

“But there’s only one skin?” Takami asked, pointing to the skin.

“There was only one bear. I scented the air as I lunged at the bear, Takami,”

“You were foolish, Natsuko, there could have been another and attacked you in mid-lunge.”

“That is true, I didn’t consider it as I was more angry with what the bear did to really be cautious like our Lord was,”

“But you did manage to slay the beast and save them,” Natsuko smiled as she nodded. “I will come back and get your plates. Would you like me to stay with you tonight to help assist the child?”

Natsuko shook her head. “Thank you but no, I can handle her,”

Takami nodded and started to leave the room, she glanced at the fur. “Natsuko, shall I tend to your fur? I do know something about handling fur to make it into a cover?”

Natsuko looked up with a smile on her face. “I would love that. Can I come tomorrow to watch?”

“Sure, I’ll even explain how to do everything so you can do it yourself,” Takami stated, as she picked up the fur and leaving it silent but for the soft breathing of the child. Once, out of the room, Lady Kannon looked at her. “I’m sorry, my lady, she will be within the room per the child’s sire’s orders,”

“Did you tell her that I wish to speak with her?” She asked.

Takami freed her hand and slapped her forehead. “I’m sorry, my lady, I didn’t.”

Lady Kannon smiled. “Do not worry, I will go and speak with her.” She opened the child’s door and saw Natsuko eating her meal. “Natsuko-san, I wish to speak with you when you have a moment, please?”

Natsuko looked up to see Lady Kannon standing there at the door. “Please come in, my lady,”

She entered the room and took a spot by the bed of the child. “She is the one who was revived?”

Natsuko nodded her head. “Her name is Izayoi. Her father is in the next room - his name is Asuka Shojiro of clan Asuka.” Lady Kannon nodded silently. “Do you know of that Clan, my lady?”

“No, it is not a Yokai clan, a human one,” She stated. “But we were to have visitors from a clan, but the words on the scroll were marred by the river that got into the pouch and made the words hard to read.”

Natsuko turned to look at the child and made sure that she was tucked in better. “Maybe these were the visitors we were waiting for?”

“Maybe,” Lady Kannon replied.

Just the tone of her voice made Natsuko look at her carefully. “What bothers you so, Lady Kannon?”

Lady Kannon turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“You look bothered by something? If you could, please tell me about it?”

Lady Kannon got up and started to pace like a dog. “It is all these requests for protection that he’s getting,”

“He is a very powerful and legendary warrior Lord, Lady Kannon.” Natsuko stood up and went to her side. “It is not uncommon for the weaker Lords to implore help from a powerful Lord like Inu no Taisho,”

“But they are taking him away from me!” She snapped.

Natsuko turned to the bed to see if Lady Kannon’s outburst had awakened the child but the child slumbered still. She turned back to her. “Lady Kannon, tell him your feelings. Let him know.”

“I have and he cannot stop the requests without being inconsiderate to those who are petitioning him,” Kannon sat down in the chair before she looked up at Natsuko. “I feel like I am losing him, Natsuko.”

Natsuko was shocked about the admission coming from her. She had always seen them very loving to each other. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve even spoken with him about it but he said he always love me and that Sesshomaru and me are always tops on his mind . . . but now, I’m torn between believing him and not,” Lady Kannon replied.

Natsuko knew she needed to reassure her that Inu no Taisho loved her and spent the next several minutes telling her so. Just as she was about to finish what she was saying there was a knock on the door. Natsuko quickly stood up and walked over to the door and opened to it to see her servant standing there with a tray of food. “I forgot about dinner?”

Takami nodded. “You did, my lady, I brought more since I saw the Lady Kannon enter this room. I’ve tasted them both and they’re good.”

“Thank you, you can place it on the small table,” Natsuko stated, as she watched as her servant walked into the room and knelt before the small table and placed the food onto the table before bowing to Lady Kannon and walked out of the room, leaving them alone to eat in peace.

It was dusk when Takami returned for the plates and to give them fruit to eat along with a jug of water to drink from. Natsuko got Lady Kannon to continue with her talk about losing Inu no Taisho’s heart. “Please go to him and tell him your worries, Kannon, if you wish to have him know of your worries, you need to tell him,”

Lady Kannon stood up from the chair. “I am afraid it may be too late for that, Natsuko.” And with that stated, she walked out of the chambers.

“It is if you don’t make an attempt, Kannon,” whispered Natsuko. “You will lose him,”

Will Kannon make the attempt or will she lose him to another? You'll just have to wait and see to find out.