Her Destiny

Chapter 5

Kagome felt hot, very hot. She was sweating heavily as her body perspired to keep the fever at bay. Her body was trying to cool itself off her to let her live. Slowly the water in her body was leaving her, the fever was too great for her body to deal with.

Her entire body was in pain as she tried to move to get some help. She was having a hard time breathing as her breaths became labored. She didn’t know what was wrong or why she was feeling this way. She couldn’t move her body much less cry out for someone to help her.

The only thing that she could manage was a pathetic whimper that no one would hear and a whine of misery. Kagome’s mind was calling to the only person that seemed to keep her safe and the only one to offer her comfort in her time of need. “Mama,” she said softly as she drifted off into a restless sleep once more.

---oOo---

Ayashiko had been asleep in her room. She bolted awake as she sat up in her bed. She had thought that one of her pups needed her. She could have sworn that she had heard one of them call out to her. The urgent need to check on her pups was an overpowering one. She slowly slipped out of her mates embrace as she put on her robe and walked out of their room.

She first went to Sesshoumaru’s room. She opened the door and saw that he was soundly asleep in his bed. His angelic face was at peace with himself as she closed the door and went to the next room.

She opened the door to her youngest room. Inuyasha was asleep in his bed. He was lightly snoring as he moaned and rolled over in his sleep. She smiled at this as she closed the door and went to the next room. This room held her newest pup, Kagome.

She opened the door to her Musume’s room and stepped in. She walked up to her bed and noticed right away that something was wrong. Her pup was drenched in sweat. She had a high fever and was having a hard time breathing.

She quickly got a cold cloth and put it on her forehead. She heard her whimpers and whines of pain. She didn’t know what was wrong as she summoned the castle healer to come and take a look at her.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Ayashiko looked up from what she was doing and said, “Come in.” The door opened and in walked a Kotaka youkai. She had beautiful brown hair that looked like feathers that was tied in a low bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were yellow and when she looked at you they looked like the blazing sun. She wore a simple brown kimono with a white obi.

Kori walked inside the room and bowed deeply to her lady and said, “Milady, how may I be of service to you.”

Ayashiko looked at Kori and said, “This young one has a high fever. I want you to help her heal.”

Kori looked at the young girl that was unconscious on the bed as she went over to her and started to look for what was wrong. She found the wound on Kagome’s side and asked, “Milady, how did she get this wound?”

Ayashiko answered as best she could while Kori set about mixing some herbs to help the young girl with the fever. She took off the bandages and found that the wound was infected. She mixed some more herbs and put them on the wound to help her as she bandaged them back up.

They worked throughout the night trying to keep the fever at bay. At one point Kori had to reopen the wound and bleed it to get the poison out of it. Again they put the herbs on the wound and put a warm pack on it to draw out the poison.

Kori left the room early in the morning as she went to get some tea that she could give the girl to help her fight the fever.

Ayashiko was getting worried. They tried everything they could think of to reduce the fever but the fever would not go down. However Kagome got her wounds, it was evident that it must have had some poison in it. Her body was now a blazing inferno trying to fight against that, which is foreign in her body.

Ayashiko continued to sit by Kagome’s side as the sun was slowly rising over the horizon signaling the start of the day. She had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.

---oOo---

Inutaisho woke up from his slumber to an empty bed. He was reaching for his mate when he found that her normal place was empty. He slowly opened his eyes to see if he could find his mate but she was not in the room with him.

He sat up in bed as he sniffed the air. There was a slight hint of sickness in the air and his mate was with that person. He got up and got dressed as he walked out of his room. He followed his nose to Kagome’s room. He gently knocked on the door and then entered the room to find his mate worrying over the girl.

“Ayashiko what’s wrong?” He questioned when he saw the worried look in his mate’s eyes.

“The pup has a fever. The wound she received yesterday must have had some poison in it and now it’s in her body. We have been trying all night long to bring the fever down but it’s of no use. She is slowly weakening and I fear I might lose her.” Ayashiko said with anguish in her voice. It was a mother’s worst nightmare, to not be able to help her pup and that they can’t save their life.

Ayashiko was deep in thought when she got an idea that popped into her head. She turned to her mate and said, “Koi, you must release her miko powers. It’s the only way that she will be able to heal. Without it she will die.”

Inutaisho thought about her request as he said, “But Ayashiko, what if she attacks you with her powers? What then? I can’t take the chance of her hurting you.”

Ayashiko snarled at her mate as she was struggling for control. “Mate, you must release her powers. I know that she will not harm me. She didn’t do it yesterday and she won’t do it today. I am her mother and she knows this. I will help her recover but you must release the spell that negates her miko powers.”

Inutaisho relented and started to undo the spell that negated Kagome’s powers. Once the spell was released Ayashiko told him to leave and that she would not leave until her pup has fully recovered.

The youkai lord understood her request. He turned to leave the room, but before he did, he put another barrier around it that will hide the scent and the magic that is Kagome in this room. He didn’t want the castle to know that there was a powerful miko here, well at least not yet.

Once the door was closed Ayashiko turned her attentions to Kagome. She needed to wake her so she could use her miko powers to heal herself. She just hoped that it wasn’t too late to do that. “Aijou, you must wake up.”

She waited a few minutes and when nothing happened she called again, “My pup, please you must wake up.”

This time Kagome started to respond to her command as she slowly opened her eyes. You could see the pain in them as Ayashiko spoke, “Musume, you must use your Reiyouku to heal your body. You have poison in your wound and if you don’t heal yourself you will die.”

Kagome thought about her request. It seemed to be a reasonable request but dieing right now was more preferable. She couldn’t go back home and she didn’t have anyone that would love her like her mother. Her heart ached for her mother as tears of pain started to come down her cheeks.

Ayashiko still didn’t see that her pup was doing as she asked. She saw the tears coming from her eyes and the pain that was in them. She could feel her sorrow and despair. ‘No she can’t give up on me, not yet!’ Ayashiko thought as she said in a desperate voice, “Pup listen to me. I love you and you can’t give up on me. I want you to live for me. I will not let any harm come to you.”

Kagome felt her heart clinch as she heard her words, ‘She loves me? But how can she love me? I’m just a ningen in a youkai castle, but I feel her anguish for me, could she really be feeling this way about me?’

Then a voice came into Kagome’s mind as it said, “Musume, trust in her love for you. She will love and nourish you as her own child. She will protect you from any harm. Trust her my Musume!”

Kagome thought about it and gave in to their request. She nodded her head in understanding as she closed her eyes and started to concentrate. A light blue light engulfed her body as her healing aura started to get rid of the poison from her body. It took many hours of concentration before the blue aura stopped and Kagome was once again resting soundly.

Ayashiko sighed in relief when she saw the blue aura encircling her pup’s body. She had decided to live and was now trying to heal herself. She stayed by her side as she watched over her pup to make sure that she would recover from her injury.

---oOo---

Inutaisho walked down the stairs as he went into the dinning hall to await his sons. This will be the first time that they will eat without his mate and he didn’t know how his son’s would take the news.

The first one down was Sesshoumaru. He was amazed at how much his eldest looked so much like him. He had long silver hair just like his. His eyes were a honey gold, he had two magenta stripes on each side of his cheeks that were smooth and very well defined. He had the same color stripes on his wrist, hips and ankles. Though he had not seen them in many years he suspected that his markings were longer now. He had a line of red marking on top of his eyelid that made his eyes stand out even more.

He was tall and very muscular almost reaching his height. His tail was placed on his right shoulder and he carried himself with dignity. The only thing he wished was that his son show some emotion instead of hiding behind his stoic mask. He presented himself as a cold and uncaring individual. Not a good trait for the future lord of the west.

Sesshoumaru walked in as he sat down on his father’s right side. Next to come in to eat was his youngest. Inuyasha was very much like his brother but the only difference was that he had a wonderful personality. He was carefree and happy all the time. He had no markings yet but he will grow into them soon enough. When you looked at Inuyasha he had the body of a 10-year-old boy but in reality he was 70 years old as he sat down next to his brother.

The servants brought out the food as Inutaisho took the first bite that started the meal for all of them.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at his father as he asked, “Father, we are starting our meal without mother this morning?”

Inutaisho looked at his son as he said, “Yes, your mother will not be joining us this morning. She is taking care of a pup that needs her at this moment and she will not leave her side.”

“What pup is this? We are her only pups. There should be no other pup that would demand her attention.” Sesshoumaru said in an upset voice. His mother was everything to him and for her not to be here with them, eating, was very upsetting. He wanted to know who this pup was that took the attention of his mother away from them.

“That Sesshoumaru is not your concern. Know that your mother is taking care of a pup and she will not leave until she has fully recovered. It might take a few days.” Inutaisho said in a stern voice. He knew that Sesshoumaru was upset that his mother was not here but he had to learn to be without her. He was old enough to be on his own.

Sesshoumaru refused to eat as he excused himself from the table and left. Inuyasha seeing that his brother was upset asked his father, “Chichiue? Why is fluffy upset?”

Inutaisho couldn’t help but smile at the pet name Inuyasha had for his brother. He turned to him and said, “He is upset because your mother is with another pup and he doesn’t want to share her with anyone.”

Inuyasha grunted as he said, “Well that’s stupid because he already has to share her with someone else, ME!” He yelled the last part out as he pointed a finger to his chest.

Inutaisho chuckled as they continued to eat their breakfast.

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru left the dinning hall in a huff. ‘Who is this pup that commands so much attention from my mother? She is my mother and she has no other pup but me. Yes she does have that minor irritation of a brother of mine but she was mine first and I will not give her up so easily.’

He continued walking through the castle. His mind was preoccupied with his mother and why she had not showed up for the morning meal. He was worried that she would not eat while tending to this pup.

His subconscious mind had picked up on his mother’s scent and he was making his way over to her location. When he finally realized where he was, Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion on how he got there, then he caught the wonderful scent of his mother.

He had stopped just short of the room that had a barrier on it, a barrier that would not allow him to enter. He was debating on what he should do when the door opened and his mother stepped out of the room. He sneaked a quick look at the pup that was in the room but the only thing that he could discern was that it was a female with long blue/black hair.

He looked into his mother’s eyes and saw the concern in them for him. He had made his mother worry as he cast his eyes down in shame.

---oOo---

Ayashiko was sitting next to Kagome as she watched her sleep. She was still worried that Kagome might not have gotten all of the poison out of her system, although she did seem to be sleeping a little bit easier than she had the previous night.

As Ayashiko sat there, mindlessly stroking Kagome’s hair to relax and comfort her, she picked up the scent of her eldest son. She could smell his worry and depression for not being at breakfast this morning. She sensed that he was standing outside the door as she got up and made her way there.

She heard a slight whimper from Kagome and then heard her settle down to rest. She opened the door and there stood her son in a dark blue kimono and hakama. His favorite sash was tied around his waist as you could see the golden color of the sash very clearly against the dark material that he wore.

She looked into his honey golden eyes and what she saw shocked her. Her expressionless son had a look of hurt and worry in his eyes that were not visible on his features, in which he still wore his stoic mask, but his eyes betrayed him clearly.

She walked up to him and asked, “Sesshoumaru, why are you here? Are you feeling ill Sochi?”

She saw as he turned his eyes away from hers and this concerned her more than anything. “Sesshoumaru, answer me, what’s wrong?”

She saw him struggling to answer her question. Then he said in a small and dejected voice. “Mother, I was worried that you might not eat while you are tending to this new pup that is sick. I just wanted to make sure that you were all right.”

Ayashiko’s eyes opened wide in shock when he said this. ‘So he’s worried that someone else will take his place in my heart. I understand that he has issues with his brother; he doesn’t like it when I pay attention to Inuyasha and he seems to think that I ignore him. But I don’t ignore him he is just too stubborn to admit or to show his feelings. And now he is worried that someone else will take his place even more.’

She reached out with her hand and touched his cheek. Immediately she saw when he closed his eyes and enjoyed her touch. He leaned in more into her touch, just so that the contact would never break. She continued to stoke his cheek as she said, “Sochi, no one will ever take your place in my heart. You are my first-born and my love for you will never die. Though you have grown into a fine young youkai like your father, my love will never waver. I will always be here for you even in death.”

She took her hand and brought it around his neck as she pulled her eldest into a tight embrace. She kissed him on his forehead, a sign of her love for her pup. She felt his stiff body relax into her hold as he returned her affection ten fold.

Sesshoumaru brought his arms up as he held on to his mother. He buried his nose into her neck and licked her in affection. He enjoyed her sweet scent of sakara blossoms, which always made him feel calm.

They stayed like that for a few minutes when she pulled away from him and said, “I want you to come here every morning before you go down to eat. I want a hug and a kiss from you before you go on with your day. Just because you will be lord one day does not give you the right not to give your mother a hug and a kiss.”

Sesshoumaru turned red from embarrassment but he promised to be there every morning while she took care of this pup. He would bid his mother a good morning and give her the hug and kiss that she requested. But deep down inside he could not go about his day unless his mother gave him that hug and kiss. He would miss it and it would make his mood dark if she didn’t show him some kind of affection.

He released his mother and asked, “Is there anything that I can help you with? Do you want me to bring you anything to eat?”

Ayashiko smiled at her pup, and said, “No Sochi, I have already eaten and I’m fine. I’m hoping that it will not take too long for this pup to recover. When she does recover I will bring her downstairs and introduce you to her.”

“Mother what happened to make her so sick?” asked Sesshoumaru with curiosity.

Ayashiko smiled, oh her son was cleaver, “She was in a battle and poison got into her wound. We were unable to get the antidote to her on time and she almost died from it. She is slowly recovering but it will take a few more days.”

Sesshoumaru nodded his head in understanding as he said, “I must go mother, I can not keep father waiting in the dojo.”

He kissed his mother on the cheek, turned, and left heading down to the dojo.

Ayashiko watched as her son left the floor. She noticed that he had a spring to his step as he walked away from her. She smiled as she went back inside the room and stayed with Kagome.

The days passed and Kagome was slowly making progress. Ayashiko would not leave her side and whenever Kagome had a nightmare Ayashiko was there to comfort and hold her in her arms.

Ayashiko had not gone down to breakfast in all this time. But she did see her eldest son before he would go downstairs and she would receive her hug and kiss from him. She had noticed a few times that her son would try to catch a peek of the girl laying in bed but she would never let him get a good look at her.

Her mate had already talked to her about the possibility of wanting Sesshoumaru to mate with the girl. She was powerful and his inner inu will lead him to Kagome just for that simple fact.

Ayashiko for her part would be thrilled if he did mate with Kagome. She has spent so much time with her that she has grown to love the girl.

---oOo---

Kagome had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the last few days. She remembered that ever since she woke up, from the pain she had felt in her head, she remembered that a female youkai was there with her. That presence has been there the whole time that she was trying to heal herself.

She could not open her eyes but she could hear what this person was saying to her. ‘Don’t worry Aijou I will not let anyone hurt you. I will protect you from everyone that wants to do you harm. You are my pup now and I will protect you if you will let me. I want you to tell me if it is all right if I’m your mother. I know that I didn’t birth you but if I ever had a daughter she will be just like you.’

When Kagome would whimper she would feel a gentle hand being placed on her face and forehead as the fingers of this person would gently moved against her cheek in a comforting way. She would hear from time to time a gentle purr that was very soothing to her soul. She would calm down and then go back to sleep.

Her consciousness would awaken again to allow her to listen to things around her. She felt the demonesses touching her hair as she was giving her some comfort from the constant pain she was in.

Kagome knew that it has been only one day since her battle with those youkais that wanted to attack the castle, and she had defended it. Her body was still weak even though she has partially healed herself. Then she detected another aura near by and it was strong. She felt when the hand that was offering her some comfort, moved away from her hair and left her side.

Kagome whimpered to try to get her attention again but realized that the person outside the door might be someone important to her as she stilled and allowed her to leave her side. She knew that this person was not her mother but she had come to accept her as such. She had cared for her when she was sick and held her in her arms to keep her safe. Something that she has never had in her life, yes her mother would comfort her in her time of need, but not like this demoness was doing to her. She felt special and she loved the feeling.

She had heard the conversation going on outside the door as she heard the deep rich voice of a male that she called her son. She remembered this demoness just vaguely and imagined that any baby born from her would have to be beautiful as well. She can only hope that someday she would look as good when she got older.

She had heard the conversation between mother and son as her heart sank, ‘I’m keeping her away from her family because she is by my side. I can’t allow this to go on. She has done so much for me already. She has accepted me as one of her own and I must repay her for her kindness by healing quickly, that way she can go back to her family.’

Kagome concentrated hard on her healing powers, she was still weak from battling the poison, and engulfed her body, once more, in a blue light. When she was done this time she had healed a little more and had gotten rid of some more of the poison. At this rate it would take her at least a couple of days to fully heal. She was tired from doing this and drifted off to sleep once more.

-oOo-oOo -- Dream -- oOo-oOo -

Kagome opened her eyes and saw that she was in a field full of flowers. There were flowers everywhere and the scent in the area was absolutely heavenly. She closed her eyes to enjoy the smell that these beautiful flowers gave.

She then turned her attention to the lake and walked towards it. It was beautiful and you could see the fish jumping out of the water as they chased the bugs that were just barely skimming across the surface. This place was like heaven in her opinion but she had no idea where she was.

She sat down on the ground as she pondered her situation. There had to be a reason why she was brought here. She just had to figure out why.

She continued to think about everything that has happened to her as a new figure approached her. Kagome was oblivious to all of this as she was deep in thought. She jumped when she heard someone speak to her.

“Musume, I finally have the chance to talk to you.” Said the strange woman that sat down next to Kagome.

Kagome had no idea who this person was as she asked, “Umm, who are you? And why do you call me Musume?”

Kagome was curious about the person sitting next to her. She was very beautiful. She had long raven black hair and piercing blue/grey eyes. She wore what looked like ancient armor and she had on a dark blue kimono with a black hakama. On her forehead she had a blue teardrop. She knew that she should not be talking to this strange woman but somehow felt safe in her presence.

Midoriko couldn’t help but chuckle at what her Musume had said. She looked into Kagome’s eyes as she explained. “Musume, I call you that because you are the child that I never had. I have seen you in my dreams and knew that you were destined to be my Musume. But fate would not allow us to be together.”

Kagome was confused as she asked, “Fate wouldn’t allow us to be together??? I don’t understand what are you trying to say?”

Midoriko laughed at her comment and said, “For someone who was born with many gifts, you can not tell who I am? Well let me explain. My name is Midoriko. I lived my life in what you now call the Heian period of Japan. I have been having dreams of you for as long as I can remember. You were to be my firstborn child once I found the love I was looking for.

But alas, I did not find the love I was looking for. I walked this earth looking for it and never realized how hard it was to find someone that would accept me for who I was. Then I was caught in a battle that I had to win. I could not let all of those youkai go and kill the ningens in the villages that I protected.

The battle was fierce but in the end the only way to protect the ningens was for me to trap the souls of the youkais I was fighting against, along with mine, in a jewel until such time as I got enough strength to defeat him.

You my sweet Musume were lost to me the day I created the Shikon No Tama. But your soul survived and you came to be in the future. I’m sure that while you were growing up you must have felt like you never really belonged where you were, like you belonged in the past where you could be of some use.”

Kagome’s eyes opened wide as she heard Midoriko’s words. ‘I have heard and read her story before. But I didn’t really know what happen to her. But everything she is saying is true! Everything she said about my feelings, when I was home in my era, was true. I did feel out of place back home like I didn’t belong there.’ “How do you know all of this? I have never met you before today.”

Midoriko smiled as she continued, “I know of all of this because I have been keeping watch over you. You are my Musume. There is nothing that can change that fact. I know that you were born in the future and that there was another person who gave life to you, but you are my Musume.

I have something to tell you for my time here grows short. I’m afraid that the well will never open again for you. You will never be able to travel back to the future. The fates have corrected their error and have brought you back home to this era. Even though I’m not alive anymore I’m still with you. The demoness, who is with you, was my best friend in life. She will protect you until you find a mate.

Stay with them Kagome, because this is your new family now, you will never be able to return to your old one. You will be protected and loved by them. In this they have given me their word. I know that they will not pick a weak mate for you. Trust in their judgment and listen to their lessons. They will help you cope in this new era and if you will allow them they will love you just as much as one of their own children.”

Tears started to form in Kagome’s eyes as she said, “I won’t be able to go back home? I will never be able to see my mother again?”

Midoriko eyes were almost overflowing with tears as she saw the pained look in her daughter’s eyes. “No, you will not be allowed to go back to your era. But you may see your mother again some day.”

“But how can I live long enough to see her again? That’s over 1000 years into the future,” said Kagome in anguish. She had no idea how she was going to live long enough to see her mother again.

“First you must stay here in this castle. Lord Inutaisho will help you develop your powers even more. Learn what they have to teach you. Learn their customs and rituals. Once this is done and your true powers are released, you will find your mate. He is the one that is destined to be with you. He will protect you. Follow your heart and in due time you will find out how you will survive to see your mother again. But for now I must leave, I can’t stay anymore.” Midoriko said, as she stood on her feet ready to leave.

Kagome had a hundred questions for the miko and wanted some answers. “But why must I stay here? You know that if I stay here they will attack his castle again.”

Midoriko looked at her daughter as she faded away from her sight, unable to answer her last question.

Kagome sighed she was stuck staying here in this castle and she didn’t have a way home. But deep in her heart she knew that this was the place that she needed to be in. There was something that she needed to do here and if she didn’t stay it will change everything in the future. These feeling were new and confusing to her. She only wished that she could figure it out and find a place that she could belong to and live happily.

She was never really happy back there in the future. She didn’t have anyone to love and all the other girls that lived around her area had boyfriends to be with. There were no boys that were interested in her because of her special gifts. The only men she ever attracted were old and they wanted her for her mind and abilities so they could study her.

Kagome continued to think as she sat by the lake and tried to come to a decision about what she should do. She knew it would be hard for her but if she stayed here with this demoness that was very caring, maybe, she might be happy. But she had no idea what this mate thing was all about.

She pondered on this word for a few minutes and then her eyes grew big. ‘To copulate! Oh man I have only read about stuff like that, I have never even… Oh Kami, what have I gotten myself into this time.’

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Maybe it’s not as bad as she was thinking. She could get more information about all this later, once she has settled into this new life. ‘If I can’t go home to my era anymore then I might as well make the best out of this situation. Midoriko said that they would take care of me.

The youkai lord did not seem like he wanted to hurt me but there will be more who will come to the castle looking for me. I have no idea why they are after me, but something deep down inside of me, is telling me that they are, and they will stop at nothing to get to me. If I learn how to get stronger then I will be able to protect them when they do attack the castle again. Plus I need to learn how to use my powers so that I don’t deplete my energy.’

Kagome laid back and watched as the clouds drifted by. She closed her eyes and relaxed. Having come to a decision about her future and the things she couldn’t change. Midoriko stated that the fates have corrected their error and sent her back to this era. Maybe, just maybe, she was meant to be here all along. ‘Well I have no choice anymore. I will have to stay here and see what my destiny is.’

She fell asleep thinking about what the future will hold for her.

- - - End of Dream- - -

Two days later Kagome was slowly waking up. She took deep breaths as her heart rate increased. She was not hurting any more so she had completely healed. When she opened her eyes they were blurred at first as she tried to get them into focus. She felt that same hand touch her cheek as she closed her eyes and enjoyed their touch.

She opened her eyes again and smiled at the person that was next to her. It was the demoness that she had seen before. She saw the crescent moon on her forehead and knew that she was the wife of the youkai lord.

Kagome slowly started to remember bits and pieces of what had happened as she tried to sit up. She was helped into a sitting position as she closed her eyes to make the room stop spinning around. Once she had her balance again she opened her eyes and looked around.

She was no longer in the dungeons, like she was put in, when she first arrived. The room she was in was beautiful and it had all of her favorite colors in it. She looked back to the demoness that was sitting by her side as she waited for her to get comfortable.

Kagome was nervous, she remembered that she had taken her away from her family and she was truly sorry to be a burden to her. She lowered her eyes as she said, “Thank you milady for taking care of me. I’m sorry to be a burden to you and I know that you have a family that you must take care of. I’m ready to go back to the dungeon now.”

---oOo---

Ayashiko had been sitting by the little ones side for three days now. She heard as her heart beat was increasing in rate and her breathing became more labored. She was starting to wake up from her ordeal as she waited patiently for her to open her eyes.

When her pup finally woke up she saw her beautiful blue eyes with a hint of gold in them. She looked disoriented and when she went to sit up she helped her. She watched with fascination as she looked around the room she was in. She could see the surprise in her eyes and could tell that she liked the room.

When their eyes finally met for the first time she looked deep into her soul. She found a child that was lonely and needed to be kept safe. When she heard her words, Ayashiko’s heart dropped. ‘How can I send her back to the dungeons?’

Ayashiko smiled at her new pup and said, “Why would I send you to the dungeons? I would think that you would prefer to stay in this room.”

Kagome heard her words and was surprised by her answer. She didn’t expect that they would give her such a nice room. “But am I not your prisoner?”

Ayashiko chuckled at Kagome as she gently stroked her hair away from her face and said, “No, you were never a prisoner here in this castle. You were just kept down there until I could get this room ready for you. This room will protect you while you sleep. You have the same protection as my other pups.”

Kagome took this information in her mind and rolled it around. ‘All right so it wasn’t really a dream. She was the one that took care of me while I was sick. She was the one that offered me comfort and made me feel wanted when I was lonely and missing my mother.’

“Milady, please accept my gratitude for taking care of me. I know that your other children must need you more and are more deserving of your attention than I am. I am grateful nonetheless for you taking care of me.” Kagome said as she bowed her head to the demoness.

Ayashiko didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want her pup to be so formal with her but she had to remember that Kagome was unconscious the majority of the time and probably would not remember anything that she said to her.

She reached out and brought Kagome into her arms and held her close to her chest. The girl stiffened at the contact but when she purred, she completely relaxed in her arms. She nuzzled her nose into her hair as she said, “Aijou, you never need to speak to me as such. I will take care of you for the rest of my life and keep you safe. You are my pup and I accept you as one of my own. I want you to feel like this is your home.”

Kagome listened to what the demoness was telling her as she finally relaxed in her embrace. She raised her arms up and hugged her back as she cried. She was accepted and she was loved here and that’s all she needed at this moment.

When she finally calmed down Ayashiko asked, “Kagome lets take you to get cleaned up. Once you have a bath you will feel much better.”

Kagome agreed with her as Ayashiko helped Kagome to stand for the first time in days. She only lost her balance once and Ayashiko had caught her before she fell. She then got her balance back and stood steady on her feet as they walked to a door on the opposite side of the bed. When they opened the door there was a hot spring in it.

Kagome’s eyes grew wide. She had never seen an indoor hot spring before. The room was beautiful, it was cream in color and it had white benches all along the wall. There was a wash area that was off to the right and in the middle of the room was the spring itself. There were large windows that allowed the morning sun to come into the room and to give it a special glow during the day. She figured that at night the room would be more beautiful, you would be able to see the stars up above as you bathed.

Kagome felt herself getting dragged to the wash area as the cord that held the nemaki together was undone by the demoness in front of her. She felt awkward for not knowing this demonesses name since they were never introduced. She cleared her throat as she asked, “Milady, may I please know your name.”

Ayashiko eyes grew wide when she heard her pup’s request. ‘That’s right, we were never introduced.’ She smiled as she said, “My name is Ayashiko.”

Kagome liked this name it fit this demoness to perfection. She looked like she could be a mysterious child for she was beautiful. “Thank you Ayashiko-sama. You have been very kind to me. You have treated me like one of your own.”

“Aijou, you are my pup. No one will dispute my claim on you. I would prefer if you would call me Okaa-san.” Ayashiko said with hope in her voice. She really wanted Kagome to accept her as her mother.

Kagome pondered this for a few minute and then asked, “May I call you Hahaue instead of Okaa-san.”

Ayashiko was happy, she finally got through to Kagome and she was beginning to accept her as her mother. She purred as she said, “Yes my pup you may call me Hahaue.”

Ayashiko got her pup undressed as she went and got some soap to clean her up. She bathed her like she did any of her other pups and when she was done she took her into the hot springs and held her in her arms as they relaxed.

Ayashiko was stroking Kagome’s hair as she leaned into her shoulder and rested. She needed to get her to agree to stay here with her and be protected. “Aijou, I want you to stay here with me. I don’t want you to leave and get attacked again. My mate and I will protect you as long as you stay with us here in Gengetsujou. I will train you in what you need to know and my mate will bring out your true powers. But if you leave we won’t be able to protect you.”

Kagome listened to what her new mother was saying. She really did want her to stay here in the castle. “Hahaue you know that if I stay here there will be more attacks. I don’t understand the feelings that I have, all I know is that if I stay here there will be more youkais that will attack the castle because of me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because I’m here.”

“Aijou you know that they will never get close to the castle. There are barriers and enchantments that will stop them long before they get here. No one can enter the castle unless they are meant to be here. It takes an incantation to allow someone to enter and not everyone knows about it. You will be safe here and I promise you that no one will get hurt,” said Ayashiko in a soothing voice.

Kagome sighed as she said, “Very well, I will stay here with you. I will learn your ways and I will learn whatever you want to teach me.”

Ayashiko was happy she got her pup to say that she will stay of her own free will. They got out of the hot springs as they both went to get dressed.

Ayashiko chose to wear a green fighting kimono. She often wore this kimono whenever she trained. She wanted to see how much work she would have to do with her pup so she wanted to take her down to the dojo.

She gave Kagome a blue fighting Kimono. It matched her beautiful blue eyes to perfection. She showed her how to wear it and then fixed her hair up into a high ponytail just like hers. She smiled when she was done. Her daughter looked absolutely gorgeous. At that moment a servant came to the door with food for the both of them. They sat down and ate breakfast before they headed down to the dojo.

When they were done eating Ayashiko turned to her pup and said, “Musume, I want you to hide your aura and scent while we go down to the dojo. I don’t want the castle to know that we have a miko here. We will tell everyone here shortly, but until we do, I want you to hide yourself.”

Kagome understood as she hid her aura and scent from the rest of the youkais that were in the castle. They left the room where she had stayed for the last three days and headed down into the castle proper. Kagome was staying close to her Hahaue as they made their way down to the dojo. They went down a few stairs and then went outside. They walked a short distance to this building and when they entered Kagome was shocked.

The dojo was big. It had a big open floor and all along the wall of the dojo there were suits of armor from previous centuries. Kagome was fascinated with them and wanted to go explore but she knew she was brought down here for a reason and kept her curiosity to herself.

Ayashiko stopped in the middle of the dojo and looked around. She was wondering where her mate was because she didn’t want to interfere with his training their son’s. She turned to Kagome and said, “Musume, I want you to stay here and meditate. I will return shortly.”

Kagome nodded her understanding of her request as she took a seat on the floor and crossed her legs in front of her. It had been a long time since she has meditated and she could really use it. She closed her eyes as she concentrated on her powers. She felt like she had gotten stronger as she concentrated on her body.

Kagome had been in deep meditation for over an hour when she heard a loud noise coming from behind her. She quickly got to her feet as she turned around to face the intruders.

She was not expecting the ball of red and white fuzz that zipped by and was now hiding behind her at the moment. This child could not have been no more than 10 years old, he reminded her of her brother, he would hide behind her when the bullies were after him.

Her eyes turned soft as she asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you hiding behind me?”

The child turned his golden eyes toward her as he said, “You have to protect me. He is going to kill me!”

Kagome was going to ask who was going to kill him when she felt a tremendous amount of youki heading her way. It was a powerful aura but Kagome wouldn’t back down from it. She pushed the child behind her some more as she protected him from the coming threat. She was diffidently not ready for what came through that door.

---oOo---

Inuyasha was in the dining hall waiting for his brother to come down. He knew that Sesshoumaru would stop off and see their mother before he came down to eat. He was jealous because his mother would show more concern for his brother than she would for him.

He knew that his father would be running late this morning because there was a noble that came to see him about something that was happening on his lands.

Being bored with nothing to do and waiting for his brother so he could eat, he came up with a plan to torment his sibling.

He was a troublemaker but that is what made his life worth wild. He loved to play practical jokes on his brother and he would usually get away with it because he would always run to his mother or father who would protect him.

But this morning he had forgotten that neither of those people were available for him to go or hide behind, as he set his master plan into motion. All of the servants in the castle were aware of what the young master was up to. They didn’t want to get caught in the sibling rivalry and if the elder brother got mad enough it could mean the death of the young master.

They had watched from a distance as the young one laid his trap. He had put a bucket of cold water over the main door to the dinning hall and left it open just a little bit. It balanced itself perfectly as long as no one touched the door. The plan was that once the door was opened the bucket would fall and soaks whoever was at the door.

In the past Sesshoumaru had always detected his brother’s deed and was never a part of his jokes. But this morning it found the elder son of the youkai lord deep in thought as he was heading into the dinning hall to eat. His senses never picked up the danger and when he approached the door he opened it and stepped in.

There was a crash and a loud snarl as laughter was heard all around the room. The bucket had landed on Sesshoumaru’s head and he was now soaked from head to toe with cold water. He ripped the bucket off his head as his eyes turned blood red. He was going to get that whelp once and for all. He was flexing his claws and his poison started to seep out of his fingertips while he thought, ‘This is going to be enjoyable.’

Inuyasha was rolling around on the floor laughing his head off as he finally got his brother in one of his practical jokes. When he heard the vicious snarls he stopped laughing and looked up at his brother.

Sesshoumaru was not amused as he went after Inuyasha with a deadly gleam in his eyes. Inuyasha had never seen his brother in this state before. He thought that he had overstepped his boundaries with Sesshoumaru as he started to back away from him.

Sesshoumaru was pissed. This little whelp had just soaked him from head to toe with cold water and he was not in a good mood this morning. His mother had not come out of the room as he waited for her to give her the hug and kiss, that he would always bestow upon her every morning. He was in a foul mood when he finally came downstairs and to have his little brother do this to him just pushed him to his limits.

His eyes had turned blood red and he was seeking satisfaction from what was done to his person. He went after his little brother with all intentions of killing him, but the whelp proved to be fast.

Inuyasha had seen his brother coming towards him, he had blood red eyes and he looked very pissed. He thought it best to leave the dinning hall and go find one of his parents so he would live to see tomorrow. When he saw that his brother was seeping green gas from his fingertips he knew that he was in trouble. He bolted for the door as he raced through the castle looking for one of his parents.

To his horror neither of his parents could be found as he dodged another attack from his brother. Sesshoumaru was getting close to him and he would not last much longer. A terrified shriek left Inuyasha’s throat as he raced even faster out of the castle trying to find a place to hide.

His nose picked up on his mother’s scent as he raced into the dojo. He was sure that his mother was in there. To his horror his mother was not in the dojo but there was someone else in there that might be able to help him in his plight.

He raced toward this stranger as he hid behind her. He saw her turn towards him as she asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you hiding behind me?”

The only thing that came out of his mouth was “You have to protect me. He is going to kill me!”

Then he saw his brother enter the dojo as he was going straight for him. To his surprise the female in there pushed him behind her as she protected him from his brother wrath.

Kagome stood her ground as she saw a youkai with blood red eyes come into the dojo. He was soaked from head to toe with water and she figured that the little one behind her had done something to this youkai.

The youkai stopped as he snarled, “I WANT THAT LITTLE BASTARD NOW!”

---oOo---

Musume – My daughter, daughter.
Aijou – Beloved daughter
Kotaka youkai – falcon demon
Sochi – my son

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. But some times life gets in the way of you doing thing you like to do.

This is the end to another chapter. Sesshoumaru and Kagome have finally met. It was not under the most agreeable of circumstances. Now what will Sesshoumaru think about Kagome? What would Kagome think about Sesshoumaru? Will they end up in a fight or will they be stopped before they start anything?

Well you are going to have to join me in the next chapter so you can find out. I promise you will not be disappointed when you read it.

Please review and let me know what you think. The next chapter will be posted soon.

Until the next time!

Ja ne!