Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ From Wishes to Eternity ❯ Embraces ( Chapter 5 )

Enter a few more players. But I would really appreciate some more reviews. I want to finish this story, because the plot and the characters are a great challenge, especially the combinations, but if I get too few reviews, I might go back to updating my other story, the PotO one. I might scrap Ad Infinitum eventually, because I really don't know where to go with that one at the moment. This story is entirely planned out… what depends is when the chapters will be typed, finalized and posted. So, review? Please?

 

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Embraces

 

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Finding the opportune moment when his prey would venture out into the Makai alone had taken a bit of time, but Youko certainly didn't regret the wait. He himself had heard the rumors of a crazed demon roaming the lands with a powerful weapon and thus had purposely moved camp slightly closer to the location of the last attack. It was only a matter of time before Koenma would have to send someone to deal with the demon. And as several weaker agents had already failed - he had watched that from a safe distance, shaking his head slightly at the artless slaughter the demon excelled in - there were limited people the prince could send, especially if he wanted to secure the sword.

 

But to send the priestess alone… Youko hadn't hoped for that kind of luck, but, evidently, fortune was on his side, as always. He could sense her presence and that of the jewel for miles away, as she didn't bother conceal it and then, when she had began purposely leaking it for the demon to locate, he took up a safe spot atop a tree to watch the events unfold. At first, the woman appeared deceptively young, especially for one who wasn't a demon, but apart from the touch of a human, there was a strong amount of a reigen scent in her aura, which explained that first illusion.

 

Of course the demon came, likely wondering what the strange vibrations in the air were. And naturally, he attempted to destroy what he didn't understand. But when the barrier broke easily at the first strike of the sword, a frown crossed Youko´s face. Either the priestess was very weak or the sword's power to break holy barriers very strong. For now, he assumed the latter, but waited for the events to play out. After all, as the whole area was now filled with the youki of the assaulting demon and the purity of the priestess, with a little effort on his part, they were bound to ignore his presence for the time being.

 

He considered stepping into the situation when the priestess was pinned to the ground, as it would serve his purpose. After all, voyeurism was hardly his strong suit. And then what seemed to be the preparations for a final blow turned into something that resembled a crushing embrace with no intention to harm all-too-closely. That had not been part of the plan, for certain. But fear began to resonate from the priestess, who had her weapon broken and was held in a death grip by an enemy and a demon at that. Youko had trouble discerning what exactly the demon's intention was. He didn't seem cunning enough to attempt to fool the priestess into trusting him and after that display of waving a giant sword around, he sincerely doubted that the priestess would have been gullible enough to believe any such things.

 

In the end, it didn't matter what the youkai was trying to do. Actually, it served the kitsune´s purpose perfectly, this kind of situation.

 

Without as much as an unnecessary move, he silently ordered his first plant weapon to attack the demon. It was nothing extravagant enough to frighten the priestess too much but not anything ineffective against the assessed power of the demon she was struggling against. At first, vines slithered across the ground towards the tragic little scene and wrapped themselves around the offending demon's neck and limbs, only slightly touching the priestess, who quickly stumbled back. Youko gave a small wry smile when the craze returned into the demon's aura and he began to fruitlessly struggle against the iron grip of the plants. It was useless, as his strength didn't outmatch that of the plant, specially bred for such cases, and his weapons were out of reach - the sword had crashed against the ground with a thud, turning back into a rusty old katana.

 

Not too far away, Kagome watched all with awe and fear. A moment ago, she had actually briefly believed she was going to die… again. But then, the demon had spoken that word she hadn't understood at first. A bellflower? But then she added the embrace to the equation and got another idea. Perhaps he was mistaking her with someone. After all, her face was entirely average, in her own opinion. But she waited for the dreadful moment when his keen canine sense - for she had gathered that she was dealing with a dog demon - would pick up the differences in her scent and that of this Kikyo person, whoever she was.

 

The demon had only continued to whisper that name and hold her tightly before the sudden tug separated them and Kagome saw, with wonder, that the youkai had been lifted off the ground by the force of several very thick vines against which he was struggling. Again, he seemed to have forgotten everything, even Kikyo. Kagome tried to stand up and, against her common sense, help him, but couldn't just yet. This could only be the work of another demon, her tired mind reminded her, and her weapon was broken. But was she being… saved? Or was this just some coincidence?

 

The vines dragged the demon away and he vanished from sight before Kagome could find the strength to help him or find out why she had been freed from the situation.

 

She stood up carefully, feeling the wound on her shoulder more than ever. Her bow had been snapped neatly in two, so she left it where it was. And then, she spotted the sword the demon had had, rusty again, lying harmlessly in the ground. She picked it up with curiosity, silently willing it to transform. No luck. Again, she tried, inserting her own energy into it briefly, to no avail. The sword stubbornly decided to remain a rusty piece of junk in her hands.

 

“Demonic blades react only to youki.” A soft voice said, very close behind her. Kagome almost cringed, as she had not even sensed anyone approaching. But slowly, she sensed whirlpools of youki circling her, no small amount of them, and she put two and two together. She had been saved by a demon and now it was likely payback time. A slight snap was heard behind her, like two pieces of wood being parted sharply. “Your bow is repaired, but you are injured. I can heal your wounds, if you wish.”

 

She turned around to face the source of the voice… and almost fainted, as her nerves were put through a great trial.

 

The demons she had faced throughout the years, the dangers she had escaped, everything, seemed miniature and insignificant in comparison to this assault on her willpower. For, indeed, despite her age-long training as a priestess, she was also a girl still, at least at heart. And facing her was what to a girl might appear as the greatest surprise of them all - a pleasant one. It seemed that she had walked into the daydream of a thirteen year old girl, but something assured her that if that were true, the world of Makai would seem a lot brighter at the moment.

 

No - the light, as it were, was centered only in the creature before her. It was a man, a head or so taller than her, no more than five years older than her… in appearance. His very straight black hair reached his waist almost and his eyes shone, literally, with a pale golden light, the only indication that he was not human as he could appear. But even the demonic eyes were almond-shaped and appealing. His face clearly wasn't that of a human man, as it was too beautiful and yet masculine to be a random creation of nature. There was a soft smile playing on the corners of his smooth lips and his simple clothing made him appear the embodiment of elegance. In her mortal life, she would have immediately assumed she had come across a resident kami-sama without even trying.

 

With a gesture almost bordering on deference, he handed her the bow she had discarded, once more in one piece and more perfect than it had ever been, and he didn't miss the opportunity to touch her hand with an almost feathery contact when she took her weapon back. Aside from that, he seemed singularly unfazed by her barely concealed stare, as if he had expected no less but still was flattered. Yet there was something deeply strange about the demon, how utterly peaceful and in contrast to his surroundings he appeared and how differently she viewed him.

 

The priestess in Kagome was alarmed by this perfect illusion. Too perfect, too close, too… improbable? She couldn't understand her own mixed feelings: part of her wanted to believe in the apparition and part of her wished him gone. That he made no move to conceal his demonic eyes or his youki was perhaps a sign of honesty or that of a trick. And if he asked her not to fear him, she would likely shoot him just because she knew when such words were used.

 

“Halt your arrow, miko-sama; I mean you no harm.” Try as she might to find it, there was no lie in those words; and she had to force herself to try. The demon's voice possessed a beauty of its own, a velvet timbre and a calm intelligence that seemed unparalleled at the moment. Not even Miroku could rival it in soothing others. “You appeared to be lost and in danger. I thought I could be of assistance to you.”

 

Kagome´s hand gripped her bow nevertheless. So it really had been this demon that had saved her. And if he could fend off the demon she had struggled with so easily, it was not the time to lower her guard. This was too charming not to be a trap. “Youkai usually only wish to help themselves to the sacred jewel.” She said warily, though she was utterly conscious of the heat rising to her cheeks. Demon or not, thief or not, neither faith nor her own customs helped her deny that even she felt attracted to him; she, who sought beauty in wholly different things.

 

“Ah, so you are the renowned miko-sama who guards the fabled jewel? And what good would your jewel be to me?” The demon gave a chuckle of amusement that unwillingly gave Kagome the shivers. “I have my fields, my plants; those are enough for me, miko-sama. I strive for little more.”

 

Judging by the general nature of demons, the priestess was slightly skeptical. But the truth was that she wanted to believe that there was yet good. That even among demons, there could be those that, while enjoying bloodshed or whatever it was that demons liked about slaughter, could be cultivated if not peaceful. She caught another whiff of that flowery scent that seemed to engulf them and realized that she could believe that.

 

“Who are you?” she asked delicately, her will to fire at the man vanishing slowly. In a way, she wanted to hear more.

 

The youkai came closer and outstretched his hand towards her, palm wide open. At first, the priestess believed that he was beckoning her, to which she would not consent now, but a moment later, a plant sprouted from unseen seeds and began to blossom in his very palm. It seemed very foreign at first and then, after staring at it for seconds, Kagome realized that it was one of the flowers from Ningenkai which she had liked prior to her initial death. How it had come to find itself in Makai she had no idea, but she instinctively drew closer to it, to a memento of her previous existence.

 

The question forgotten, she approached, and seemed not to have a care in the world any longer. The flowers, for all their beauty, had another purpose, which was also starting to take effect. While another kind of these blossoms had served to take consciousness from the taijiya, the flowers surrounding them had an effect akin to that of a drug, only less harmful to the body. The priestess didn't yet realize it, but her subconscious self was fighting the aphrodisiac. She was stronger than she appeared.

 

At first glance, she had appeared a frail mortal woman that might have been crushed by a single precise strike. He had been given little time to pursue her, but right now, he was being given a very precise look at her from up close, as she was on the verge of surrendering to the flowers. Her eyes, unnaturally colored for those of a human, gave her an almost demonic look, but never had demonic meant peaceful before. The color of her haori almost matched that of her pale skin and her long black hair had an almost metallic blue glint to it in the direct sunlight. She had a face that matched her delicate physique, which, though not spectacularly beautiful, was entirely appealing in its simple girlish prettiness, especially now that her inner innocence was surfacing, partially due to the aphrodisiac that he himself was immune to. Certainly had never a creature looked upon him with such utter trust and likely never would for much longer.

 

“A friend, miko-sama…”

 

The sword she had retrieved fell from her hand, along with the repaired bow as she landed in his arms. It seemed that the battle had been won; dirtily, but still won. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and prepared to carry her off - that is, before a harsh blow of what seemed to be claws collided with his back.

 

Letting go of Kagome, Youko whirled around somewhat angrily to see the demon he had taken care of moments previously with the vines attack him with his claws again. The kitsune avoided the hit easily, but surveyed the cut on his back with annoyance. Those plants should have been enough to deal with the demon. But then, he saw that his opponent's eyes seemed to be clearing up from their frenzy upon spotting the priestess. He made a quick move towards her to which Youko reacted at once with a lash of the whip that appeared in his hand almost out of nowhere. The demon was struck on the torso, but didn't seem to care the slightest as he caught the priestess, who stumbled attack, the effect of the flowers broken by the scent of blood.

 

“Kikyo, are you all right?” So, the demon was not as crazed as was rumored, Youko mused, but he didn't understand why he called the priestess Kikyo. The slayer had said that her name was Kagome and there had been no reason for her to lie that time.

 

The priestess herself reacted to the name with a twinge of fear and withdrew, but not with haste. Inwardly, Youko sighed with a bit of frustration. Three more seconds and he would have succeeded. She had been on the verge of infatuation a minute ago. Now, she was raising her bow against him. Typical female, but the problem was that now, he couldn't carry her off with relative ease, which had been the plan.

 

“Who are you?” the priestess demanded, the bow shaking ever so slightly in her grip. Her face was resolute, her eyes narrowed, and clearly, she didn't appreciate his magic as much as she should have for having her weapon repaired free of charge. Mostly. “Answer me, youkai!”

 

The demon gave a wry smile that bordered on a smirk and allowed his mask to drop. In front of Kagome, black hair changed into silvery white in a smooth metamorphosis and the human-like ears vanished, reappearing as ears similar to the dog demon, but larger and, the priestess inwardly realized, twice as adorable despite the fact that their… well, owner was a clear enemy now. For a moment, she wondered where she had seen such ears aside from the dog demon that had saved her from something very wicked before remembering what Sango had said about flowers during her capture. Flowers…

 

“Youko Kurama, right?” Kagome asked, her grip on the bow tightening. It was a clear fox demon, that much was certain when she spotted the tail and the strange organic-like whip he held in his hands.

 

Youko raised an eyebrow briefly, but a very fox-like smile revealed sharp teeth in a flash of white, which seemed to be his signature color. “I see your taijiya friend has mentioned me, Kagome-sama. How delightful for us to meet face to face, wouldn't you agree?”

 

It was one last shot at the power of the flowers, but the priestess was resisting adamantly now, to the kitsune´s slight annoyance. Well, it was worth a try. The priestess didn't answer. Instead, she fired her arrow, which, to her utter astonishment, was knocked aside by a whip with thorns like those of a rose, and Kagome could have sworn she had seen one of those in the hands of the kitsune seconds previously. A few of its thorns were burned away of the light, which, in turn, surprised Youko, but plants could regenerate - unless she destroyed the whole whip, he could restore it through his power. He gave it another lash, aiming to knock the weapon out of Kagome´s hands or break it again.

 

What was unexpected was that the dog demon stepped in front of the priestess, shocking both others. His eyes were still red, but even Kagome could now make out gleaming golden irises, a wholly different color than that of the kitsune, surprisingly, and the sword in his hands transformed into the great fang-like sword. He was moving to defend the priestess, Youko realized with a bit of amusement.

 

“Kikyo, get to safety.” His voice was low and guttural, like a growl, but entirely coherent and protective. “I'll deal with this guy.”

 

Kagome stared, unsure whether she was dreaming or if this was a trap or… she wasn't certain what was really going on. But she was injured and had trouble aiming the bow well. Besides, the kitsune´s power began to grow more obvious to her by the minute. If she stayed and the dog demon lost, she was finished. And so, to her own surprise, she nodded and thanked the dog demon before running as fast as possible in the opposite direction, already snapping her communicator open and calling Botan to pick her up.

 

Youko´s vines sent to catch her were cut in half by the dog demon, who turned his attention fully to the kitsune, with a rather fierce expression. “Don't you dare hurt Kikyo, you bastard. I'm your opponent.”

 

The fox demon was slightly surprised with this turn of events. His opponent, as the inu youkai had dubbed himself, was clearly suffering from some delusions or hallucinations. Youko had gathered that whoever Kikyo was, she was dead and the youkai was mad with grief. It was likely that the woman had been his mate and the priestess merely resembled her. As his senses were out of his control, it was easy to see why he couldn't spot the differences between them.

 

Youko gave an almost indulgent smile after the growl he received.

 

“Sir, the first move is yours.” He noted softly, with only a hint of mockery dancing in his eyes.

 

X X X X X

 

“WHAT?!”

 

The answer Kagome received from Koenma when she retold her story to the Reikai prince was expected, but still not entirely pleasing. Botan was with her, still tending to her injuries and hiding behind her when the toddler lord floated up to the priestess in anger.

 

“I want you to investigate this dog demon you encountered and that Kikyo he mentioned! There's gotta be some report on that in the archives, we have every transfer of a demon to Makai listed and whoever that Kikyo is she has to be human if he mistook you for her!” Botan was wondering just when the pacifier would shoot out of the prince's mouth - she had never seen him this angry.

 

How could Kagome only nod and walk away resolutely?

 

“Kagome-san, how will we find anything about this Kikyo?” Botan raced after Kagome, who was heading straight to the archives. Sango and Miroku would be fine on their own, but this was a matter that needed investigation at once. There was no telling what might happen.

 

“We'll have to search the computer databases and than look up the name manually.” Kagome said, still not turning to her new assistant. “The first thing I want to see if Kikyo wasn't some sort of priestess like me.” It was too much of an oddity that the dog demon would have overlooked her holy powers… she wondered if there wasn't some sort of connection. After all, it was clear upon first glance that she herself wasn't a youkai.

 

The archives were massive, containing information from all corners of the three worlds and likely more knowledge than a person could absorb in ten lifetimes. There never had been a person who had managed to do that, as information was added almost daily, though its significance was questionable. There were only limited amounts of people who had access to this or that part of the archives, but Kagome and her friends had special permission to look up whatever they needed.

 

The first two hours of the search were filled with anticipation, but then Botan lost a bit of her interest and left the investigation to Kagome. The priestess appeared to almost consider this a personal matter, with the almost successful attack on her and her abduction, about which she had to tell the ferry girl over and over again until Botan got the full picture. They found very little to nothing. There were plenty of reports about demon transfers, dog demons included, but as they knew no name save for that of someone associated with the demon, they had little luck.

 

Finally, Botan suggested they have a pause for lunch. Kagome told her to go off alone, which the ferry girl did, promising to bring her a bit of everything once she got back. The priestess continued her research, still to no avail. After half an hour of looking up everything that came to her mind, she spotted Ayame nearby in conversation with a man she didn't recognize. Without hesitation, she approached the pair - surprisingly, the man spotted her before Ayame did, though they clearly haven't met before.

 

There was something very eerie in him before Kagome realized that it felt that way because he had a demonic aura that was only concealed enough to stop a full scale alarm from breaking out. However, she sensed no malicious intent coming from him, so she refrained from not meeting his strange burgundy eyes. Ayame spotted her then, giving her a polite smile and a greeting that was returned by the priestess.

 

“I'm having some tough times with a research, perhaps you could help me?” Kagome asked pleadingly, knowing that if anyone had a way with the archives, it was the chief investigator. “I'm looking for the record of a transfer of an inu youkai to the Makai, but all I have to go with is the name of some likely human woman that had been close to him - Kikyo.”

 

“Of course I'll give it a try.” Ayame said. “But first, Kagome-san, allow me to introduce you to Kagewaki Hitomi-san, who has recently been a great help to us in the case of the four beasts your friends are now pursuing. Kagewaki-san, this is Kagome-san, one of our most important agents, the protector of the Shikon no Tama.”

 

Finally, Kagome took in the full appearance of the man standing next to Ayame, who towered even the tall ferry girl. There was truly something demonic in him, excluding his aura, but also the touch of a human, carefully concealed, and likely overlooked by anyone if they didn't know where to search. The discovery earned Kagome an indulgent half-smile from the man, whose clothing she recognized as a sign of nobility from about the time when she had been alive, perhaps some centuries afterwards. And it seemed that aside form the part-human self, they had another thing in common, this being a physical trait - the long, black and unruly hair.

 

“A pleasure to meet you, Kagome-san.” Even his voice had a slightly demonic tinge to it, or perhaps Kagome was just imagining things. She had simply been put through too many demonic games for one day. But the youkai with the appearance of a daimyo brushed her unease aside with another strange smile. “Always on guard against possible threats, I see.” He noted when Ayame left to search.

 

And Kagome recognized it as light chiding. After all, what could any demon do in the midst of Reikai? Aside from that, it seemed that he was amusing himself at her expense, though not malevolently, which was a surprising change. There was no suppression of power of intention around this man, as if he wanted her to know who and what he was. “Forgive me the habit, Kagewaki-san.” She apologized, “And allow me to express my thanks in place of my companions. You must be highly trusted to be allowed into these archives, thus my doubts are misplaced. I am simply wondering…”

 

Something glittered in his eyes. “Ah, yes. The answer is yes, your senses are not impaired. You feel what remains of a human within me. I was forced to trade my soul for a weak demon's powers; a demon which I overcame through my will and gained more power through enslaving similar weak-willed and mindless creatures. Life was very precious to me once, Kagome-sama.”

 

The priestess noted the change of title, but tried not to react to it with a frown or a blush. It was not her place and heaven forbid that she was becoming a blushing schoolgirl when it came to handsome demons. It couldn't happen again, especially since now, she clearly wasn't influenced by anything but words. “I see. It's good to see someone who can offer help to Reikai. I'm certain Koenma-sama appreciates it.”

”If you like, I believe I can help you as well.” Kagewaki said with a slightly softer expression, though Kagome wasn't certain why she found it unnerving. “I believe you sought information about a woman named Kikyo with an association with an inu hanyou.”

”Hanyou?” Kagome repeated, surprised. But there had to be a mistake. She would have sensed the human in the dog demon - there was none when he had attacked her or when he had defended her and held her… but she couldn't say that. “I thought he was a full youkai.”

A soft chuckle that almost gave her the shivers was her first answer. There was something about this man she couldn't quite put her finger on. “Yes, he was likely in a state of frenzy. Unsurprising, considering that Kikyo has been dead for a few centuries now.”

 

“You know him? Or knew her?” Kagome caught up with that quickly. That could be of tremendous help to her!

 

“Kikyo was a miko-sama, just like you, Kagome-sama. I daresay that you resemble her uncannily, or that she resembled you, at least in the physical sense of the word.” So that was why the youkai - or hanyou - had mistaken her for the other priestess! Bone structures of humans were hardly unique, she had learned from history, but to find such a resemblance was uncanny. “Several centuries ago, when I was the daimyo ruling near Edo, today's Tokyo, I believe, Kikyo was summoned to heal me and stayed under my protection in my castle for a time. She had been asked to slay the same demon you have, who had been causing serious problems in a nearby prefecture at the time. Hanyou blood is instable, you see, and the more they give into it, the less reason they have.”

 

It was a very likely explanation, but Kagome thought there was more to the story. It didn't explain why the hanyou had reacted so… tenderly to the image of Kikyo through her. “What is the hanyou´s name?” she asked instead.

 

It seemed that a slight grimace crossed Kagewaki´s handsome face before he answered. “InuYasha is his name. If you need to know, he is the bastard son of the great Inu no Taisho that ruled what was known as the Western Lands when demons freely walked in Ningenkai. In those times, it was hardly rare for demons to find… amusement in human women of fair appearance. To Kikyo´s misfortune, she had somehow fallen in love with this hanyou, be it through his trickery or whatever other wickedness. As you can see, it did not end well for her.”

”If you are saying that this InuYasha slew her, I don't believe that.” the priestess said, shaking her head. “He didn't radiate hatred or anger when he believed I was her.”

 

“N, InuYasha did not slay the priestess. She was slain by the involvement of a second demon that had targeted her because of his enmity towards me and because her involvement with the hanyou weakened her powers. I believe she was killed in front of the hanyou´s eyes and the half-demon was defeated in the following battle, because, to my misfortune, I could never locate Kikyo´s corpse to give her a proper burial fit for her.” Kagewaki explained, his expression darkening for a moment. Kagome momentarily had the wish to ask if he himself had harbored feelings for the dead priestess, but realized that it was too personal a question for a man she barely knew.

 

“Who was this demon?” she asked, forgetting Ayame and her search, even her initial distrust towards the man. If he was trusted in Reikai, that was enough for her, and the information he had given her was invaluable.

 

“He goes by the name of Naraku. Once, he was an aid and servant in my employ, but after I discovered some of his more drastic doings, I dismissed him with Kikyo´s help. It was she who took his place, in a way, despite being a woman. You can guess that she was no ordinary woman. Another similarity between you and her, Kagome-sama.” The demon-human said with an almost but not quite seductive smile. “Her life ended in the struggle and, eventually, I myself was wounded fatally through the machinations of Naraku. The rest, I have already told you.”

 

Kagome noted it all, hoping she wouldn't miss a detail, and thanked him tremendously. “You have been more of a help than you can imagine, Kagewaki-san. I have been very fortunate to encounter you.” She relaxed visibly. “I'm sorry only that I have no means of repaying you.”

 

“No payment is necessary, unless you would like to ease your conscience by gracing me with a visit when you are in Makai. I reside both there and here in Reikai, depending on my fancy. You are always welcome in either estate, Kagome-sama.” He offered with a gracious smile, giving the impression that this truly was an audition with royalty or at least nobility. The priestess had encountered daimyo in her lifetime, but never had one been so candid.

 

Just as the priestess was about to accompany her own smile with a polite response - something along the lines of being grateful and certainly willing to pay a visit when possible, that is to say, likely rarely - Ayame returned with a file in her hands, looking slightly grim and breaking the eye contact the priestess and the daimyo had been maintaining, which had begun to border on hypnotic.

 

“No record on the woman, I'm afraid. But I found you this, Kagome-san.” She presented the file to the priestess. “It should be the next best information I can provide you with. This is the file on Sesshomaru, an inugami taiyoukai that has been leader of both the dog demons and several other factions of youkai before the Great Split, known also as the Lord of the West. He still maintains a high position in Makai, though he stays out of the way of the Lords for now, and he has considerable influence. If anyone can help you with your demon, it's him.”

 

“Kagewaki-san has provided me with invaluable information already.” Kagome noted, offering him a brief flash of a smile which the demonic daimyo took note of. Then, she remembered something. “Wait, this Sesshomaru is Lord of the West? Does that mean that he is the son of the Inu no Taisho?”

Ayame checked the file and nodded. “Yes. The only legal heir to the title and the inheritance, it seems.”

”The only legal heir doesn't mean the only heir.” Kagome said swiftly, turning to Kagewaki for confirmation. “Don't you by chance know if InuYasha had a…?”

 

“Brother?” Kagewaki concluded. “Possible. Naraku was once the person dealing with such transactions. Perhaps he and Sesshomaru have had dealings in the past. In any case, I would turn to the taiyoukai for further questioning. I have known Kikyo, not InuYasha.”

 

Kagome nodded. “Thank you very much, Kagewaki-san. I will have to visit you a hundred times to repay my debt to you.” She turned to the chief investigator, already thrilled to have a heading. “Thank you too, Ayame-san. When Sango-chan and Miroku-sama return, please send them to me. I want to find out what I can and might need their help. Thank you again!” she cried, literally running through the archives to make some more research on all four of them - InuYasha, Kikyo, Sesshomaru and Naraku.

 

Ayame hid a smile as she watched her dark-haired companion's eyes remain fixed on the form of the priestess even after she vanished behind the corner. “Has Kagome-san caught your interest, Kagewaki-san?”

 

There was some sort of glitter passing through the burgundy eyes, but Ayame couldn't fully identify its purpose. She knew the background of the man but little of his intentions or mindset. Was he interested in Kagome only because he had found someone resembling his advisor and healer, as he had told her upon first seeing the priestess at work, minutes before she herself had approached them? But that would have made a different look surface, Ayame believed.

 

Finally, the demon-man turned to her, but it was clear that he still saw the priestess in a mind's eye. Kikyo and yet her exact opposite. Ice replaced by fire. Once he had withstood the initial shock, it was easy to see just what a multitude of possibilities had opened up for him in one instant. A look that could be defined as cunning and musing mixed together passing through his handsome features. And, with simplicity and honesty, he answered the question.

 

“Yes, Ayame-san. I believe she has.”

 

X X X

 

AN: Dun dun dun! The plot is beginning to unfold here! As for the disguise, think something like manga Kurama with straight hair.