The Path of Forgiveness

Disclaimer: Not mine, but the OC's are.



Kagome sighed. This shopping trip was going to make for a long day. The large village would take most of the day to travel to, so they had decided to spend the night. Sesshomaru had agreed and left them more money to cover the lodging. The young miko was not used to traveling in such a small group. Even in Sesshomaru’s lands there had to be bandits, right? Or evil demons ready to eat them. She was missing her friends, that was the problem. This training she had agreed to was starting to feel like a mistake. The silence of the group was taking its toll. The incident the night before had been fun, though a little frightening. She had never expected the dangerous lord just to sit there while three crazy females wallowed on him. It was almost like Takara had tried to push Sesshomaru’s buttons. Maybe he had figured that was what she was trying to do and ignored it. Kagome chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Then there were her actions. Her stomach fluttered funny as she thought about how she felt pressed up against his toned frame. She remembered being able to feel the definition of his abs through the material that separated them from each other and how his hair had tickled the back of her legs…

Kagome was snapped rudely back to the present by her toe connecting painfully with a large rock in the middle of the path. She stumbled a bit, but was able to catch herself before she fell.

“Are you all right?” Takara asked.

“Fine, I think,” Kagome gingerly placed a bit of weight on her foot to make sure she hadn’t broken the toe. After determining that her shoe had done its job and protected her foot, she continued walking.

Takara looked at her, a slightly amused look on her face. “Since we don’t have much else to do, we might as well start with some of your training. First lesson. Always pay attention to your surroundings. That means no daydreaming. You never know when a stray hostile creature might be hiding in the bushes around the corner.”

“Or rock,” Rin added giggling.

Kagome looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at her young friend, playfully. Rin started giggling harder.

Silence fell on the group again. Rin started humming one of the many songs she had made up on her numerous journeys.

Kagome found herself watching for evil critters in every shadow. This paying attention thing was stressful. The silence was also weighing heavy on her. With her friends there had always been a steady stream of chatter about something. She snapped her wandering attention back to the present. It was just so hard when she had nothing to focus on.

“So, Takara, how long have you known Sesshomaru?”

The demoness was slightly surprised by Kagome’s direct question. “Since we were children. We grew up together. I was one of the few who could stand his arrogance and temper. Dare I say we were once friends?”

Kagome looked puzzled. “Once friends?”

“When one is the child heir to the Western Lands, it is easy to have friends. As a young adult, there are more boundaries that must be formed.” Takara caught the skeptical look on Kagome’s face. She sighed. “Right, not buying that one I take it.”

Kagome shook her head. “Nope.”

“As we got older, Lord Sesshomaru started forming odd ideas on what power meant. He started to believe that emotions were a weakness, that depending on any one for anything was a weakness. Worst of all, that caring about anyone was the ultimate weakness.” A brief shadow of sadness crossed her face. “His father insisted it was just a phase. Lord Sesshomaru and I drifted apart, bit by bit. The final blow was when his father died. It was almost like someone had sucked all ability to feel out of him. He became cold and cruel. He fired all of his father’s advisors, servants and generals, those that had stuck around anyway, and my clan. He left the castle and, from the looks of it, didn’t go back till now.”

“Poor Sesshomaru…” Kagome responded.

“I wouldn’t waste too much energy on pity for him. It was his path to take.”

“That’s a pretty unfeeling way to look at someone, especially if they were a friend. So if you think he’s a lost cause, then why did you stay and what was up with the tail thing last night?”

“It was never my intention to even see him in the first place. As the fates would have it, my ship crashed and he found me. As for staying, he tossed money at me, which I sorely needed, and no one every really says no to the great Lord Sesshomaru.” Takara smirked at the memory of the night before. “I used to do that to him as a kid. I guess I wanted to see if I could still get away with it.”

“Maybe next time we can tickle Lord Sesshomaru,” Rin suggested.

Kagome giggled at the mental image of the three of them ganging up on Sesshomaru.

Takara looked back at Rin and smiled. “You and Kagome could get away with that one. I on the other hand, would find out very quickly if I was faster than Lord Sesshomaru.”

Kagome looked at the other woman like she had lost her mind. “What makes you think he wouldn’t kill me too?”

Takara looked puzzled. “You are part of his pack, so to speak. His duty is to keep you safe.”

It was Kagome’s turn to look amused. “No, he just offered to have me trained. If I’m part of anyone’s pack, it’s Inuyasha’s.”

“Inuyasha… Lord Sesshomaru’s half brother?”

Kagome nodded affirmatively.

“He survived,” Takara mused.

“Just because he’s a hanyou doesn’t mean he’s weak!” Kagome snapped defensively.

“Of course not. Lord Sesshomaru told everyone his father died in the fight with Ryukotsusei. Knowing that, we all figured that Inuyasha and his mother had been killed without Lord Inutaisho to protect them during child birth. Is Inuyasha anything like his brother?”

Kagome smiled. “Complete opposites. Inuyasha is impulsive and emotional. He has a good heart, though.”

“Lord Sesshomaru has a good heart too, it just happens to be encased in ice at the moment.” Takara regarded Kagome curiously. “You are fond of the hanyou then?”

The miko nodded. “He’s my best friend.”

**********

The small group arrived in the town late that afternoon. Kagome looked around. She had never spent much time on Sesshomaru’s lands. This was the largest town she had been to on her journey to the past. Food vendors lined the paths and several stalls had humans and demons alike haggling on the prices of food and cloth. Her stomach growled as the smell of fresh dumplings wafted by on the breeze.

Rin’s stomach soon followed suit.

Takara snickered at the two humans. “Time to eat?”

Both girls nodded enthusiastically.

“Let’s find a tea house. We can sit down for a bit,” Takara suggested.

They found a stable for Ah-Un and after assuring the owner he wouldn’t eat the horses already stabled there, they found a quaint little tea house near by.

Katakai had felt the group’s arrival in the town. Simply being in close proximity to the Shikon guardian sent shivers down his spine. Innocence simply rolled off her in waves. His brother had informed him that the others knew that Naraku was dead. He had to get himself into position quickly, before the information reached the others here. The Miko’s appearance here had made his job that much easier. He sensed her approaching the tea house he was currently occupying. It was well past the midday rush and still in the quiet time before the evening rush. At the moment he was the only customer and there was only one worker.

Silently, he slipped into the curtained off storage area. As the old woman walked by, Katakai reached out, his strong hand covering the startled worker’s mouth and pulled her into the storage area. With a quick motion he snapped the human’s neck easily.

Katakai held his black hands out in front of him and watched as the blood dripped from the nails. His guests would be expecting a more human looking server. Focusing his will, he formed the picture of a human male in his mind, a very handsome one. He watched as his night black skin changed to that of a human male who spent plenty of time working outside. His hair turned from dark purple to dark brown, as did his eyes. With the shape change complete, he went into the kitchen to start some water to boiling.

Dusty and tired, the trio stumbled into the empty tea house.

“Is it open?” Kagome asked looking around at the vacant sitting areas.

“Yes! Come in, we are just between rushes,” a male voice called out from behind a screen, separating the dining area from the kitchen. “Please, make yourselves comfortable, I will be out with tea momentarily.”

They picked one of the low black lacquered tables near the center of the room.

Katakai found three black tea cups hidden in the back portion of a shelf. The white ones normally used at here would not serve his purpose at all. He elongated his thumb nail and used it to pierce the skin of his first finger. Two drops of his blood dripped into one of the cups. The slight wound healed in seconds, and he finished whisking the powdered tea into the hot water. Teapot and cups in hand, he headed out into the dinning area.

“The gods have blessed me this afternoon.” He set the cups down, making sure the one with his blood in it was in front of the miko. “We are seldom visited by such rare beauty in this humble establishment.” Katakai’s eyes never left Kagome’s.

Kagome felt the blush spread over her features. Normally when someone complimented her she could brush it off, but the man in front of her was very handsome and she could almost feel the sincerity in his voice. It wasn’t like when Miroku or even Hojo flirted with her, this struck a place much deeper inside her.

“Kagome!” Rin said, concern in her voice. “Are you alright? You are turning all red!”

The young woman felt the blush deepen. “I…I’m alright Rin. It’s nothing”

Takara would have found the entire situation highly amusing if the guy wasn’t so busy ogling Kagome that he hadn’t poured the tea yet. She cleared her throat to get his attention and pointed at the empty tea cups.

“My humble apologies,” he said contritely as he poured the tea.

“We will have what ever you have left over from the mid day meal as well,” Takara added once she had his attention.

The server bowed and headed back to the kitchen to get their food.

Takara noticed Kagome’s interest in the human server and frowned. There was something off about the man and the quicker they could finish their meal, the better.

******************

Sesshomaru had started the arduous task of restoring his childhood home once the girls were on their way. Jaken had cleaned out the library the day they arrived. As luck would have it, the solid construction of the building had withstood the rigors of time. It needed only minor repairs and furnishings to make it habitable again, and a good cleaning. He had sent for his servants from the manor to attend to all of that as well as bringing the treasures that had once graced the castle back out of storage. That had been yesterday. So far enough rooms had been suitably restored for the girls to be comfortable. Repairs on the bathing house were almost complete as well.

The painting of his father was back in its original spot above the fireplace in the library. The great dog general seemed to be staring down at him.

“Well, father, I have returned,” the Taiyoukai commented, looking up at the painting.

“Sesshomaru…” a female voice called softly to him.

His golden eyes narrowed. That was odd, he couldn’t smell any one else in the room yet he had heard his name. Perhaps it was the acoustics of an empty stone castle making voices echo. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a bit of movement passing by the open shoji door.

Angered that one of his servants would be speaking of him behind his back, Sesshomaru stepped out into the empty hallway to reprimand them.

Finding the corridor vacant, he inhaled to check and see if anyone had been here recently. All he could smell was dust.

“Sesshomaru…” came the same soft voice, this time from his left.

His head snapped in that direction in time to see the tail end of a kimono disappear around the corner.

“Takara,” he growled under his breath. He knew she could hide her scent from him. The girls had probably just arrived back and she was up to another one of her games. Determined to catch her at the game, he quickened his pace.

The corridor was also empty. At the end of the hall was a set of stairs leading up to the second level. The wooden stairs were all but gone and repairs on them had not started. Determined not to let the trouble making female get the better of him, he easily jumped to the second floor landing. A bit of movement around another corner captured his attention again. Quickly the demon lord followed.

Around that corner he noticed an open shoji door. It was the door to his mother’s personal chambers.

“Sesshomaru…” the voice whispered again, this time from the open room.

He growled audibly this time. Takara had no right to violate the sanctity of that room. This time she would pay dearly.

Sesshomaru stepped across the threshold of the room and for a split second thought he saw a woman with long silver hair sitting at the vanity combing it out. He blinked, finding the room empty except for the furnishings and his mother’s kimono collection. Walking over to the kimonos, he couldn’t smell anything but dust.

He reached out and touched the fine embroidered silk clothing. Made from the silk of demon silk worms, it was virtually indestructible. Reverently, he brought the silk to his nose and inhaled. Beneath the dust was the distinctive scent of his mother that he remembered from his first hours. The guilt he harbored over her death started to bubble up.

The sound of a metal object clattering to the floor caused Sesshomaru to whirl around. The silver tray with his mothers jade combs on it had fallen to the floor, several paces away from the vanity, as if it had been thrown.

After picking the tray and combs back up, he went to go find Jaken.

“Where is she?” he demanded of the small imp.

“Where is who, my lord?” he could tell his master was not in a good mood by his tone.

“Takara,” he clarified.

“They are not back yet, Lord Sesshomaru,” Jaken explained, puzzled.

Sesshomaru could smell no lie around his retainer. “Summon all the female servants.”

“Right away, my Lord.” Jaken scurried off to round up all the females. It was not his place to question orders, but Lord Sesshomaru was acting strangely.


***********
Sesshomaru rubbed slow circles on his temples. All of the servant women had been accounted for during the strange encounter. He refused to believe there was no logical explanation for what had happened earlier.

The Western Lord was in the library ensuring that the scrolls and rare books were handled carefully when the girls arrived back. They were later than expected. Ah-Un was loaded down so much that Rin had to walk most of the way, slowing them a bit. He doubted very much if any of the money was left from the little trip.

Rin rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around him as she did when greeting him. It was one behavior he had never bothered to correct. He patted her head almost affectionately.

Rin looked up at him, innocently. “Is it true your heart is encased in ice?”

Takara suddenly found a spot on the ceiling really, really interesting and Kagome had slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out in a fit of laughter.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at the two guilty looking women. “Rin, go play. Dinner should be ready shortly.”

“Yes, Lord Sesshomaru.” Rin scurried off in search of Jaken.

Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the females. “You will refrain from discussing your opinion of this Sesshomaru in front of Rin.”

“We were actually a little to her left…” Takara caught the slight frown of Sesshomaru’s face and the ‘I can’t believe you just said that’ look on Kagome’s. She sighed. “Yes, Lord Sesshomaru.”

“Takara, you are dismissed. Go see to the unpacking of Ah-Un.”

The demoness bowed briefly and left the room leaving Kagome fidgeting under Sesshomaru’s gaze.

“This place is looking better, not as dusty any way and…” Sesshomaru gave her a look that cut off her rambling. “Sorry.”

“A message arrived today for you today.” He held out the rolled paper.

“Really?” Kagome smiled happily and reached for the paper.

Sesshomaru snatched it back, with what only could be described as a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It smells of Inuyasha. Perhaps I should read it before you do to be certain he did not say anything that will upset your training?”

Kagome glared at him. “That’s an invasion of my privacy!”

Sesshomaru’s lips twitch briefly in an amused smile. “This would not happen to be one of those love letters humans are so fond of?

Kagome felt herself blush at his comment. “Give me that!” She tried to snatch the letter out of his hands, but he was too quick.

He held it up just out of her reach. “And just what, little Miko, are you going to do if I don’t?”

Frustrated, she started to jump up and down to try and retrieve it. “Gimme!”

Sesshomaru watched the short skirt she wore inch dangerously high. ‘Interesting tactic,’ he mused silently.

She was too short or his arm too long. Either way, she wasn’t getting any where. Deciding to change her tactic, she stopped bouncing. “Please?” she asked, giving him her best puppy- dog eyes.

‘What is it with human females and that look?’ he wondered silently, feeling his resolve to get her back for last night fading. “You must do better than that.”

She batted her eyelashes at him cutely.

Sesshomaru sighed inwardly. He had never been able to say no to Rin when she did that and apparently the same thing went for Kagome. He handed her the letter.

Kagome squealed in excitement making Sesshomaru wish he had left the letter in another room and had a servant tell her where it was.

Quickly she opened the seal on it and read. The color slowly drained from her face.

“Is something wrong?” Sesshomaru asked, watching her.

“Naraku is dead…”

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