The Twelfth Concubine

By: AubreySimone

folder InuYasha › Het - Male/Female › Sesshōmaru/Kagome

Rating: Adult +

Chapters: 39

Views: 20,385

Reviews: 54

Recommended: 3

Currently Reading: 9

Category: InuYasha › Het - Male/Female › Sesshōmaru/Kagome

Rating: Adult +

Chapters: 39

Views: 20,385

Reviews: 54

Recommended: 3

Currently Reading: 9

Disclaimer: The anime/manga Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. The author, Aubrey Simone, makes no money from the writing or posting of this fic.

Circumstances Revealed: Part One

Chapter Twenty-Six—Circumstances Revealed [Part One]

She had somehow fallen asleep, and jolting awake at a sudden realization that they were no longer moving, Kagome shifted until she could sit up, the soft scales beneath her rumbling as Kotono greeted her. There was a massive swell of youki, and then Kagome was on her feet, staring into vibrant green eyes and watching as the scales on Kotono's face shifted back into their usual places, cresting her cheeks and playing along the line of her throat.

"Kotono…"

The dragoness smiled. "We are home, little one."

And Kagome looked around, surprised to find that they were, indeed, in the courtyard of the Western shiro. Night still reigned, but the moon was low in the sky, already partially through its descent to the horizon, and Kagome marveled at how quickly they had arrived. She turned back to Kotono, intending to ask what they were going to do now, but her question turned into one of concern—"Are you all right, Kotono?"—upon seeing the dragoness' eyes closed and her face pinched in what looked like pain.

A soft smile tilted her lips. "I have exhausted myself," she admitted, eyelids parting until only a sliver of green peeked through her deep violet lashes. "It has been far too long since I took my true form." She drew in a deep breath, and for the first time, Kagome realized that the beautiful demoness was naked; comfortable in her nudity, the youkai took a few quick steps to one wall, picking up and shaking out a length of cloth that revealed itself to be a deep green robe.

As the fabric settled around Kotono's ankles, the demoness slumped, just so, closing the distance between them in much slower steps than she had widened it. Worried, Kagome frowned. "Do you want to rest? We can—"

"No, Kagome," the youkai interrupted gently, straightening her back. "I wish to speak with you, and then I must take you to Lord Sesshomaru."

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked, wary of the sluggish twist of Kotono's warm youki.

The dragoness nodded, the movement sending a chunk of silver-dashed hair over one shoulder. Her eyes lost a little of the tired light that plagued them, and this time her smile was a little wider, and the clawed hand that fell softly against Kagome's shoulder urged her to walk.

Hesitantly, she did, and the feeling that had washed over her as she and Kotono had left the Southern shiro, the feeling that something was about to change, seized her heart once more. She swallowed thickly, twisting her fingers into the sleeves of her kimono as she and Kotono walked across the darkened grounds.

As they neared the building Kagome had admittedly missed, she drew in a deep breath. 'There's no reason for me to be afraid,' she thought, though the musing came across in a much more confident way than she truly felt.

'Then why was Kotono sent to retrieve you? Surely this must be urgent?'

Her heart thudded uncomfortably in her chest at the thought, and her instincts whined in fear. 'Did I…do something wrong?' She felt her lips twist, but couldn't bring herself to straighten them. 'Maybe she heard about what I told Lady Matsuo…? I only wanted to keep my privacy…but maybe I should have—'

"Kagome?"

With a start, Kagome jerked herself out of her thoughts, surprised to find that she had slipped free of her geta, walked into the building, and sat on a cushion in the receiving room—all without thought to her actions. A fierce blush stole over her cheeks, and she looked away from Kotono's questioning gaze, twining her fingers into the sleeves of her kimono. "I'm sorry, I was distracted."

"No matter," the dragoness murmured, settling across from her with a soft swish of green silk. "Would you like tea, or water?"

Fighting back the flush, Kagome shook her head, meeting the emerald gaze of her companion and willing her anxiety to the back of her mind, replacing it with determination and what little courage she could dredge. "You said that there was something important that we needed to talk about?"

"I did," Kotono responded after a moment's pause, settling more comfortably on her cushion. "However, I must warn you; you will not like it." Kagome nodded, and Kotono met her gaze. "I have been purposefully selfish with my knowledge of you and of your place here," she confided, folding her clawed hands atop the table. "There is more afoot than I have led you to believe."

For a brief, suspended instant, words failed. "Wh—you…you lied to me?" The notion was far more unappealing than Kagome thought it would have been, and her heart kept a quick pace in her chest even as Kotono shook her head.

"I have not lied—I am incapable of such, if you would recall."

"Then what…?"

"You did not ask the right questions, little one," Kotono divulged, eyes soft in the dim light of the singly lit sconce.

"Ask the right—! You lied!"

Slowly, Kotono shook her head. "I have never lied to you, nor to anyone else," she reiterated patiently, posture relaxed and expression open. "I did not tell you because you did not ask, and it was not time for you to know, besides." Her head canted to one side, mild curiosity softening her face. "Did you not wonder why I brought you here that first day? It was not because I was humoring you; it was because I knew you would be chosen."

Kagome blinked. 'She knew I would be…But…How could she have known?' She licked her lips. "How could you have…" She didn't have to finish the question.

"Ever since my kind was created, there have been those of us chosen by the gods to bear the gift of foresight." She gave a wry little smile. "I am one of those few." Unfolding her hands, she spread her fingers on the wood of the low table, claws glinting dully in the light. "One moon cycle before you came here, I was gifted with a vision in which you were heralded as my lord's most favored concubine, loved by all and admired for your kindness and determination." She gave a small, reassuring smile. "And then you came, and I knew that it was time for what I had Seen to come to pass."

The edges of Kagome's pride began to fray. 'I didn't get here on my own,' she realized. 'None of this is because of what I've done.' She grasped frantically at the tattered threads, holding on to them—and her quickly deteriorating emotions—with an iron fist. "Is there…is there anything else you know about me that I don't?"

Kotono's eyes edged with sympathy. "That is all I am able to tell," she admitted at length. "The rest must be saved for a different occasion." Kagome frowned and looked away. "I am sorry, Kagome; lying may be out of reach for me, but I simply cannot tell you the truth now; it is not time."

Clenching her jaw, the human flexed one hand, wishing, suddenly, that she were back in the village and could pick a fight with one of the boys. Privileged life may have made her into a lady, but she still remembered the satisfaction that could come from a scuffle and the feel of knuckle against bone. A sudden hiss pulled her abruptly out of her thoughts, and she whirled just in time to see Kotono pulling a reddened hand into her lap, her lips twisted in a grimace.

Realizing that her reiki must have harmed the dragoness, Kagome thought to apologize, and then a vicious voice that she hadn't heard in months snidely informed her that the youkai had deserved it. And since a part of her agreed with that, she closed her mouth and fixed Kotono with a steady gaze. Straightening, Kotono inclined her head, almost in acknowledgement of the miko's decision, and then pulled her hand back onto the tabletop, the skin perfectly healed.

"Why did you bring me back here?" Kagome asked after a moment, fighting to keep her voice neutral.

"Two days ago," Kotono murmured after situating herself comfortably once more, "I was gifted a vision in which an unknown demoness bore my lord an heir; it is now my duty to find her." She paused. "And yours, if you would consent to giving your assistance."

Thoughts of her own predicament rotated to the back of her consciousness, this new bit of information depositing itself at the forefront of her mind. "Sesshomaru-sama is going to have a child?"

"A pup," Kotono corrected. "And if we are able to locate the correct female, yes."

"What do you mean, the 'correct female'?"

"Unlike in human courts," Kotono explained, "it is forbidden for my lord's first pup to be the progeny of a concubine, so he must find a breeding bitch and successfully impregnate her."

Though that explained the need for the fertility prevention herbs that she put in her tea each morning, Kagome was still confused. "Can't Sesshomaru-sama choose someone for himself?"

"In regular circumstances, he would," Kotono confirmed. "But the demoness I Saw is the one he must choose."

Kagome frowned. "You said she was 'unknown'."

"Yes; I did not See her face."

Skepticism bloomed. "How will you know it's her?"

"I heard her voice, and will know her when she speaks." Kagome remained silent, and Kotono reached into the sleeve of her robe, pulling out a roll of parchment. She slid it across the table. "Those are the names of acceptable breeding bitches; amongst them is the one who will bear my lord's heir." Kagome allowed her fingers to curl around the parchment, smoothing them along the rough, rounded edge.

"Kagome…" She looked up. "I know that you are upset with me," Kotono murmured lowly, "and I would never begrudge you that." She spread her hands so that the whiteness of her palms shown in the light, her voice soft and nearly inaudible. "But please, I ask just this one thing: help me find her, for Sesshomaru-sama's sake, and the sake of the West."

And Kagome nodded, because she found that despite her disgruntlement with the dragoness, they were still friends, and she would never turn away a friend in need.

It was a handful of minutes later that they left their shared building, the moon dipping further and further out of sight.

They walked in silence across the grounds and through the night-deserted halls of the main building, winding their way, Kagome realized, to Lord Sesshomaru's personal archives. Thoughts of seeing him once more—as well as what had happened the last time they were in that very room—brought a flush to her cheeks; a flush that quickly waned as apprehension skirted through pleasant memories.

Kotono stopped, and lost to her surroundings, Kagome collided with the lady's figure, flushing as emerald eyes slanted casually in her direction. Waving off her apology with a slender hand, Kotono then allowed the knuckles of that same hand to fall against the doorframe, the light knock granting them instant access to the room.

Pushing the shoji aside, Kotono gestured that Kagome should enter first, and, hesitantly, she did, clasping her hands before her in an effort not to fidget.

It took no longer than a few moments for her gaze to light on Lord Sesshomaru; standing before the window, he was an easily spotted pillar of long lines and beautiful silks, his kimono a pleasing shade of blue and his obi a darker companion of the same color, both adorned with whirling patterns in silver thread. He stood at an angle, his features awash in both moon and torch light, eyes flashing a captivating silvery-gold and hair glinting a riveting, gold-tinged silver.

For a moment, Kagome could do nothing but stare and marvel at his otherworldly beauty, but as the shoji slid into place behind her—the soft click of its securing no doubt done purposefully—the miko snapped back to herself and dropped into a deep bow.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she murmured in greeting, only slightly dismayed that her voice quivered with nerves and embarrassment.

"Miko."

His voice slid like cool water over her senses, and around the thought that she should not be thinking of such things, she remembered the way it sounded when he had taken her—deep and sensuous and personal. She cleared her throat, straightened, and kept her eyes averted as Kotono murmured something in a voice too low for her to hear; Sesshomaru's rumbling baritone responded, and then the dragoness slipped from the room, closing the shoji behind her with a light click.

Left alone with Sesshomaru, Kagome found her eyes roving back to him again, and her cheeks flushed once more as she found his gaze locked steadily on her person. "Come, miko." A long-fingered hand extended slightly in her direction, and almost of their own accord, Kagome's muscles clenched and released, and she rose and closed the space between them.

She suppressed a shudder as she slipped her much smaller hand into his own, and then shivered outright when he tugged her close to his body, circling their linked hands behind her back and holding her to him. "S-Sesshomaru-sama?"

He reached up with his free hand, running the back of one claw against her reddened cheek. His lips brushed across hers, and then the contact—all contact, she realized dazedly—was broken just as quickly as it had been granted. She swallowed thickly, opened her mouth.

"You are aware of the circumstances."

Her lips snapped shut, and she blinked, grasping the fingers of the hand he'd held as though to rid her skin of the lingering sensation. "Y-yes, my lord."

Golden eyes slanted in her direction. "You require more information."

"I—" But lying to him would do no good, and so she nodded. "Yes, my lord."

He shifted, and then swept a hand toward the cushion she had vacated; taking the cue, she turned and forced her trembling legs back to the spot, nearly collapsing onto the silk-covered pillow. Her stomach still fluttered with butterflies, and her lips still tingled with the brief kiss he had bestowed them; she clenched her hands in her lap, and then realized that the inu had settled across from her and was waiting to gain her attention; meeting his gaze, she gave it, and he inclined his head.

"The chosen female," he began, voice calm and steady, "will be comfortably housed within these walls, and when she is pupped, she will be moved to an inner set of rooms, where she will remain until she whelps. During this time, she may be attended by a select few, and as she nears the time of birth, those same few will assist.

"When the pup is born, the female and this Sesshomaru shall be secluded with it for imprinting, and then it shall be presented to the Court when it is weaned and capable of handling crowds. After the pup is named heir, the female shall be sent back to her family." For a moment, he was silent, and then his gaze sharpened and Kagome realized that she'd begun to scowl. Hurriedly, she cleared her face, but the expression had already been noted. "Speak, miko."

She needed no further goading.

:..:..:..:..:

"That seems very impersonal, Sesshomaru-sama," the human confessed, lips twisted in distaste.

"It is not meant to be a sentimental undertaking."

Her brow furrowed. "But she's going to have your pup!"

"She is," Sesshomaru conceded, "and she shall be honored to do so."

His words deepened the 'v' between her delicate brows. "Honored?" She nearly spat the word, eyes flashing incredulous fire. "That's all she has to look forward to? Being honored?"

"Should there be something more than that?" he asked, feeling one brow rise in inquiry. "She will give birth to a powerful pup; is that not enough?"

"Enough—!" She spluttered, and then waved her hands, her fingers and sleeves fluttering like birds. "You told me once that youkai females are treated better than human females—this is better treatment? How could you expect her to give you an heir and get nothing in return?"

"She will require nothing in return, miko," Sesshomaru drawled, enjoying her lively reaction to what she assumed was an injustice.

"That—"

"Is the way of youkai," Sesshomaru interrupted. He regarded her for a moment. "You do not understand the reasons, and so you foolishly seek to justify them." She looked away. "The female will not be this one's mate, she will simply be the mother of his heir. No more, miko, and no less."

She sat quietly for quite some time, reiki snapping with irritation. 'She is ruled by her human sensibilities,' he reminded himself, watching her profile as she worked through her ire. 'She may never understand, but she undoubtedly knows that she must concede to the process.' A moment later, her eyes swiveled back to him, and she bowed lowly.

"Forgive me, my lord. It is not my place to dispute your customs."

He inclined his head. "No matter, miko. This one will be lenient." She rose, thanking him with a small, tense smile before heaving in a slow breath and releasing it just as deliberately. For a time, there was silence.

"Sesshomaru-sama," the miko ventured, "how do you feel about this?" He stared; she flushed. "I mean, are you…ready for an heir?"

He hummed, and for the first time since she had come into the room, looked away from her. "No," he responded truthfully, "but it is a responsibility that I must shoulder whether I am prepared or not."

When he met her gaze again, there was soft admiration in the azure depths, and she reached across the space between them with a small, reassuring smile. "I think everything will be fine," she chirped, her previous ire either forgotten or pushed aside. "After all, Kotono knows what she's talking about…right?"

Sesshomaru hummed. "We shall see, miko. We shall see."

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