Chapter Twenty-One—To the South
Kagome was not the type of person to allow fear to control her, but as she sat staring into the courtyard and watched servants and guards alike ready the convoy to the South, her stomach churned as though she were going to lose what little breakfast she'd eaten just a few hours before. Refusing to make this journey was becoming an appealing option. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and tried not to fidget. "Higurashi." Chiyoko's bland voice startled her, and Kagome shot to her feet, turning to see the demoness standing a few feet away. She was resplendent in a silver kimono that matched her hair and a gold coat that matched her eyes, a large white mass of fur looped around her back and held in the crook of her elbows. Kagome idly wondered what it was—it exuded a minute aura—and then remembered to bow as a slender brow arched up into silver bangs. "Good morning, Chiyoko-sama." "Is it?" The question was idle, and Kagome blinked, unsure of whether to answer or remain silent. Chiyoko took the decision out of her hands, however, stepping to the side and motioning to a pair of youkai that stood behind her. Male, and just as beautiful as any demon Kagome had ever seen, they were twins, identical down to the strangely opaque claws that tipped their hands. They bowed, and Chiyoko spoke again. "This is Duan Jiao-Long, and his younger brother, Duan Yun-Qi," she introduced, indicating one and then the other. "They shall be your guard and your manservant, respectively, while we are in the South." Kagome frowned. "I don't need a servant or a guard…do I?" "It does not matter if you need them," Chiyoko drawled haughtily. "This one has assigned them to you, and she expects you to make use of them." Knowing the end of an argument when she heard it, Kagome swallowed her protests and bowed again. "Of course, my lady." When she rose, Chiyoko was gazing out over the courtyard, and after a moment, she hummed and moved away. "We depart momentarily," she said over her shoulder, snapping the fan shut and slipping it into her obi. "Prepare yourself." Kagome bowed again, and then turned to the two males standing nearby. Feeling somewhat awkward, she smiled and folded her hands into the sleeves of her coat, wanting to address them but unsure of which was Jiao-Long and which was Yun-Qi. She licked her lips, opened her mouth, and then closed it and flushed. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you apart," she confessed. Not even their clothes were different; both wore deep green hakama and a white haori, double katana strapped to their hips and wheat gold hair pulled into a high tail. The one on the left bowed. "I am called Jiao-Long, my lady." When he straightened, his pale yellow eyes were somewhat mischievous. "I am the elder brother." He paused, and slid a glance to his sibling, who looked to be studiously ignoring him. "…and the better." And as Yun-Qi flushed in embarrassment and Jiao-Long chuckled, Kagome knew that telling them apart would be the least of her problems.
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The journey to the South took two days, and in those two days, Kagome found that while on one hand she dearly loved the Duan brothers—who turned out to be a rare breed of mainland inuyoukai—on the other hand she disliked them with a bright, fiery passion that startled her. Jiao-Long, whom she felt had the capacity to be an incredible friend, had a wild, unfettered personality that she readily admired. He was never too shy to speak his mind and never too stifled by propriety to make his opinions known to any who would hear them. He was also incredibly honest—"Lying is a fool's job", he said—and though he was highly entertaining, he took his position as her guard very seriously. Too seriously for her tastes. She couldn't relieve herself without him having to first check the surrounding area, and only after a thorough inspection was she allowed to duck behind a bush, only to have him stand nearby, embarrassingly aware of everything she did. To her chagrin, he laughed off her protests, telling her that he could not let her silly human sensibilities compromise her safety. He drank from her cups first, tasted her food first, and when they stopped for the night, he made her close the shutters of her palanquin to hide her from whatever he felt would attempt to harm her. She wanted to shake him. And as bold as Jiao-Long was, the younger Yun-Qi was just as shy. He was very easily embarrassed and had a quiet personality, but his silence did nothing to detract from the intelligent air that surrounded him. She was able to enjoy many an intellectual conversation with him during the day, and though few and far between, his rare smiles were honest and true. But despite his quiet companionship, the intensity with which he served made her nervous. He never hesitated when she asked him for something, and by the time they neared the Southern shiro, he was bringing her tea before she requested it and serving her meals before she even realized that she wanted them—all while keeping an infuriatingly potent attitude of deference. It made her want to hit him. She pushed her thoughts away when her youkai drawn palanquin pulled up beside Lady Chiyoko's litter, a horde of butterflies leapt to life in her stomach. The demoness, who looked lavish and beautiful in the lush confines of her transport, regarded her with cool indifference. "I must remind you, Higurashi-san," she began quietly, "that you represent not only yourself but this one and this one's son as well. Mistakes will not be tolerated." Kagome couldn't find it in her to be upset at the blatant warning, and instead of scowling like she might have just two days earlier, she nodded and twisted her fingers in her lap. A deep breath only minutely settled her nerves, and as Lady Chiyoko's litter moved past her own, Yun-Qi stepped up to the window. She smiled softly, nervously. "I can't help but feel as though I'm going to do something wrong," she admitted. The palanquin began to move once more, and Yun-Qi shook his head. "You will do fine." His eyes darted to the window opposite him, and Jiao-Long stuck his head into the opening, a grin stretching his lips. "Surely my lady isn't afraid of a few twittering women?" Kagome scowled at him. "Of course not!" He chuckled, and she looked away, her momentary anger melting back into sparkling nervousness. "What if…they talk about me?" Jiao-Long snorted. "They are already talking about you, aren't they?" "What gēgē means," Yun-Qi said, briefly casting his brother a rebuking look, "is that my lady should not waste her time worrying over things that have already occurred." The intelligence that she was so fond of came to life in his mild eyes. "You should not spend energy trying to change that which cannot be changed." Kagome took a deep breath, nodding at Yun-Qi's wisdom. 'He's right…It does me no good to fret.' With a smile, Kagome squared her shoulders and prepared herself for the ordeal ahead. She could do this. She had to.
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As the Western convoy entered the courtyard, Onishi Kagura gazed contemplatively at her elder half-brother, who was doing a very bad job of pretending that he didn't care about the arriving party. Shifting from where she lounged amidst a pile of pillows, she held out her arms to the toddler tottering in her direction, who gurgled out a giggle. "I hope you aren't thinking of trying to persuade the human away from Lord Sesshomaru, brother." She pulled her daughter into her embrace, blowing a brief raspberry against her chubby cheek before releasing her toward Naraku's silent figure. "You know of the dragon's Sight just as well as I, Kagura," Naraku responded after a moment, a faint smile curving his mouth as his niece waddled into his lap. "I could not compete against that, could I?" Kagura hummed. "Then can you promise me that you will not start with your scheming?" Naraku gathered Miyu into his arms and tossed her lightly toward the ceiling, filling the air with her bubbly laughter. He never made that promise.
Author's Note: Yun-Qi and Jiao-Long are Chinese; therefore, they speak Mandarin from time to time—in this chapter, Yun-Qi says "gēgē", which translates to "older brother".
