Masquerade

Chapter Three- Wild, Wild West… Only Not So Much



“The plan is to go the great lord and beg his assistance. No one but you can persuade him to work with a bunch of untrained demons and humans.”

“That’s it?”

“…Yes.”

“You just want me to walk up to the shiro, knock on the door, ask if I could please see the great Sesshoumaru-sama then get on my hands and knees and beg?”

“…Maybe not on your hands and knees, but if you think it would help-”

“No.”

“What?”

“I’m going to do this my way.” Kagome nodded determinedly, tugged on her clothes, ran a hand through her hair, and straightened her back confidently.

“But, Kagome-san-” Masao began, dubiously ignoring how the straightening of her usually baggy shirt had pulled the white material taunt over her-

“Just watch,” Kagome said suddenly, with so much self-assurance she almost believed herself.

She took a deep breath and approached the tall fortress, her eyes flitting about, and her tanto in hand. All right, she’d just have to knock on the door than demand he allow-

A strong wind blew and suddenly the lord was several meters in front of her, staring at her calmly.

-Or, she could just demand it now.

One of his eyebrows rose at her, a slight mocking gleam in his eyes. A ray of sunlight hit the sheath-less Tokijin, and Kagome’s eyes were drawn to the gleaming metal. The aura of him surrounded her, red and scary, Tokijin’s own aura mixing in, malevolent and full of blood lust.

Yeah. Demanding anything from him was out of the question.

Another deep breath and she bowed, her long raven hair spilling over her shoulders to pool on the ground in a lustrous cascade. “Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western lands, I am-”

“How did you get on my lands?”

-Extremely insulted.

Deciding she wasn’t having a conversation with the ground she straightened and looked him directly in the eyes. Behind her, though it went unnoticed by both parties, Masao winced and inched a little closer to his ward, hoping that - in the case he didn’t get close soon enough - she would die a nice, quick death.

“That is irrelevant.” Kagome said in the same tone, just a little less conceited.

The lord took one large step forward and his eyes narrowed.

Gulp.

“It is very relevant. Considering that you are obviously not a resident of the Western lands and I could kill you for trespassing.”

…

This wasn’t going how she’d planned.

Sucking up her dignity, not for the first time since she’d been traveling with Masao, she bowed her head.

“It was impervious I gain your-”

“Get off.”

“What?”

“Get. Off. Of. My. Lands.”

He sounds like a senior citizen. Oh, wait. He probably is.

Her eyebrow twitching, she straightened once more and met his piercing gaze. “As much as I would love to leave your less-than-pleasant presence, the lives of thousands are on my shoulders and I cannot-”

“I do not care.”

“Stop interrupting me!”

Kagome’s eyes widened and Sesshoumaru’s claws lengthened.

Well that was brilliant.

“Um, Sesshoumaru-sama! What a… pleasure it is to see you here!” Masao spoke from the background, jogging - gracefully - to stand in front of Kagome and bowing lowly.

“I live here.”

“Right. Very Sorry. What I meant to say was… well I don’t really know what I wanted to say, but-”

“Masao, obviously you have a reason for being here. Bring your… companion… inside, and we will discuss this further.” Sesshoumaru shot Kagome a completely un-amused look and turned on his heel, walking toward the towering fortress calmly.

He looks like a girl. Kagome thought spitefully, sticking her tongue out at his back.

Masao grabbed the appendage and glared at her, but his eyes were so dreamy and glassy-

“Hurry. Or I will remove the both of you. Permanently.” Sesshoumaru’s voice reached them clearly and Kagome jumped back, catching up to the lord with only a slightly red face.

Several explanations later, Sesshoumaru was amused, angered, and convinced. That both of them were idiots. Chiefly the demon.

“Offer my assistance? To a bunch of uncivilized cretins?”

“They are not completely uncivilized. Just… in need of extensive training.”

And that was how the first door-to-door salesman was born. Ding!

“How about I make you a deal? If the girl can convince the other two lords - alone - to help, I will provide not only my armies and extensive battlefield knowledge, but I will also personally train the peasants.”

Two things popped into Kagome’s mind:

Woo-hoo!

And,

Oh. Crap.

“But, surely you can’t expect the girl to travel alone!”

Kagome choked on her tea and shot up, her eyes blazing. “Hey! I was traveling alone until… I got, you know, kidnapped… but, it was completely unfair and-!”

Masao shot her a meaningful look but kept silent, turning his eyes back to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru leaned casually against the wall, watching their interaction with veiled interest.

From what he heard, Masao usually avoided dealings with other beings. At least, he had since Leiko.

The two had been in love, or at least, could’ve been, had Leiko not run away several days before their union ceremony. It had been an arranged marriage, but neither had seemed to mind it. Leiko’s family was the last living one, Masao’s having passed on many years before. Leiko’s family died, releasing the participants of the arrangement. For several years Masao courted Leiko, and Leiko refused the attentions from any other men.

Then, days before they were to become official, she ran. Straight to Sesshoumaru. Don’t get the wrong idea; though very few knew it, Leiko was a distant cousin of Sesshoumaru. He never bothered himself with asking, but Leiko had confided she was still very much in love with Masao.

But, judging by Masao’s inconspicuous glances at the human miko, he was beginning to move on.

His head turned to the side slightly Sesshoumaru regarded the slender human. “Of course, humans are such unreliable creatures.”

Kagome snarled under her breath.

“Therefore, you will be permitted to continue traveling with her.”

Masao smirked faintly.

“But, in order to ensure your reliability, I will be forced to accompany you, as much as it pains me to do so.”

Kagome paled. Masao’s hands, once held in front of him, buried in the sleeves of his haori, dropped listlessly to his side.

“B-but, my liege-”

“Are you questioning me, Masao?”

“N-no. Of course not.”

“I am.” The woman stepped forward and narrowed her eyes slightly. “Are you questioning the integrity of Masao-san? Do you not believe he, a royal for countless decades, is capable of providing a valid report?”

Sesshoumaru studied her thoughtfully, not at all surprised by her intelligent argument.

“Of course not.” Kagome’s tense shoulders loosened. “I’m questioning yours.” She lunged at Sesshoumaru, only to be pulled back by Masao.

Masao held her to his chest firmly, one hand around her waist, securing her arms, the other placed over her mouth. “We agree, and we thank-you for the chance to prove ourselves, Sesshoumaru-sama. When will we be departing?”

Sesshoumaru was still staring at Kagome, who had stopped moving and was now glaring at him, her eyes gone black in anger.

He answered, watching as Masao’s hand dropped to Kagome’s shoulder and stayed there. “Today. Be back here at noon. Do not be late.”

Kagome stomped along the road, ignoring Masao and everything else around her.

Masao followed leisurely, his even steps keeping up with her easily.

“You should’ve let me get him.” Kagome said over her shoulder, fists clenching sporadically.

“Kagome-san, I need a living priestess to assist me. Your bloody corpse would be of no use to me.” Imagine Masao lusting after a corpse, dear lord! That would just be pathetic! … Wait…

“At the most I could’ve purified his one arm off.”

“And, when we come out of this bargain victorious, he will need that arm to wield Tokijin, thereby helping to win us the war.”

“Whatever…” Kagome mumbled, defeated. She stopped walking and ran a hand through her hair, then looked at Masao. “Why are we going to the village again?”

“I have a few supplies I need to gather before we leave for the Eastern lands. And you need more arrows, do you not?”

“Yes, but I can make them myself.”

“Would it not simply be easier to purchase them now?”

Kagome sighed and opened her moneybag, wincing as dust floated from the folds of the leather pouch. “Well, no, it wouldn’t.”

Masao smiled and placed an undetermined amount of Toraisen in her hand, patting it closed softly. “Don’t worry about it, Kagome.”

Now, usually, Kagome would refuse money from everyone. But, it was the least Masao could do after recruiting her to save, well, the world. Or at least, Japan. And several outlaying islands.

So, with a distinctively brighter outlook Kagome smiled and walked into the bustling marketplace, glancing around for a blacksmith.

“Kagome-san!” She turned around and looked at Masao’s tall form. “I’ll meet you at the gates in an hour!”

“I’ll see you later, Masao-san!” She waved at him and turned back into the crowd, getting swept away into the bustling humans.

Masao watched her white and red figure, his sharp eyes distant and dreamy. “Until then, Kagome…”

What he was doing, it was unhealthy. This. She. It was all unhealthy. He was doing exactly what he promised he wouldn’t. He was getting attached. And worse yet, he was liking it.

Sesshoumaru winced. Then repeated the action. His cousin was screeching at him, her tirade only being interrupted when she’d let a cat-like hiss leave her every now and then.

“He was here! Why? Why?”

Sesshoumaru sighed.

“What! Was that good sigh or a bad sigh?!”

“Leiko! Enough!” Leiko deceased. “It is none of your business.”

“Was he alone?”

“No.”

Leiko gasped. “Was it that Satu woman?!”

Sesshoumaru blinked, he had forgotten about the alluring saber. “No, strangely, it was not.” A picture of the demoness came to mind, then a picture of the miko. There were similarities between the two, too many to be coincidental. His eyebrows drew together unnoticeably. Why, that little-

“Who was it?!”

He focused his attention once more on the demoness before him. “Quit yelling and I’ll tell you.”

She bushed lightly and her voice dropped to its usually tone. “Gomen ne, but who was it?”

“A human miko.”

Leiko gasped. Again. “That-that-!”

“Leiko.” Sesshoumaru started warningly.

Giving him a heartbroken look then turned and entered the closest room (which just happened to be a storage closet), slamming the shoji screen to the best of her ability.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and turned around in the hall, walking away from the embarrassed aura of his cousin. He reviewed the possibilities of the miko and Masao’s intended being one-in-the-same. It was possible. Unlikely, but possible. He stopped walking halfway down the hall and blinked rapidly. Why, he had been attracted to the saber-tooth youkai woman! That meant if the two did happen to be the same then he’d been attracted to a-a-

He glanced up at a wall, glaring at his father’s portrait.

It was all his fault. All of it. Even Sesshoumaru loosing his arm. He did it. Sesshoumaru turned his head forward once more and stocked off.

Behind him, the portrait spontaneously combusted. Lighting up like a campfire then falling away from the wall in small little flakes of charred parchment. From his grave, the Great Dog of Generals smirked.

Irony was a bitch.



Sesshoumaru: That last line had better not be a pun to my noble lineage.

Kagome: … No, no. I’m pretty sure it was a pun.

Sesshoumaru: *glares at author*

Masao: *trying not to laugh* Why, I wasn’t aware your mother had a part in this, Sesshoumaru-sama.

Uhm... the tags are annoying me.