InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Not A Simple Thief ❯ magical pendant and straw mat ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four

 

“Yusuke, I would love to stay and chat, but it is almost sunset and milady would wonder about where I am.” Keiko gave a light smile that showed how she really wants to stay with her old friend.

Yusuke nodded in understanding and smiled sheepishly. “Don't worry about it Keiko. You can come by tomorrow, but if you miss me too much, you can drop by tonight.”

“Yusuke, you sick pervert!” blushing fervently, Keiko gave Yusuke a good knock in the head and left him on the floor.

She hurried into the west wing where Sesshoumaru's private chamber is located. Time is running out. Just as the last ray of the sun disappeared over the horizon, she arrived at her destination. First she made sure that there's no one inside. Then she slid the note Kagome wrote in between the shoji screen. With the job easily completed, she made her escape.

Kagome took off her formal kimono and put on a black custom with little difficulty. Then she tied her hair back. At last, she put on a white clay with slits shaped out for her eyes. She had these made when she first stared doing this. The mask would hide her identity, and the custom would allow her to move freely unlike the restrictions that came with all of her kimonos.

Silently the screen slid open and Shizuru came in. “It's done, I hide the bottle in the front entrance. Now do you mind telling me why you are stealing information instead of just asking for it? You are their ally now, surely they will tell you all you need to know.” From the frown on her face, it's easy to tell that she's not happy with any of this. “I don't want you to put yourself in unnecessary danger, Kagome.”

“Don't worry Shizuru, I will be careful. You know I need people to think that I'm just a common thief. With me stealing from both sides, no one would suspect that I'm actually collecting information for one side. By controlling the knowledge that they did not think we possess, the element of surprise will be on our side. Plus, to ensure victory, we need to know not only the strength of our enemy, but our own strength as well. I know Sesshoumaru won't tell me everything. We entered this alliance too suddenly, he still don't trust us.” Kagome appeared to be confident and reassuring when she said this, but inside she was a nervous wreck. She knew for a fact that if she gets caught, the whole alliance would go down the drain.

Just as she was beginning to have second thoughts, Keiko came in. “It's all set.”

“Good.” Kagome gave her a small potion bottle. “Drink this, the effect should last all night.”

Keiko did as she was told, and after a few seconds, her body began to change. When the change was complete, she looked like a splitting image of Kagome.

“That should wear off any suspicions. Now act natural. I will be back as soon as possible.” With that said, Kagome left through the window.

 

Sneaking into Sesshoumaru's study had been a piece of cake. Getting the information she was looking for wasn't that hard either. After all, all the scrolls had been lying on the table. Finding the pendent she was supposed to steal, however, was another matter altogether.

According to legend, the pendent belonged to a moon goddess. The gem embedded on it was made of was a silver moonstone. Supposedly, it contains magical properties.

Kagome looked through every cranny of the room, but still she could find no trace of it. Just as she was about to leave, her feet hit a shallow part of the floor. Carefully, she removed the straw mat. There, right in front of her, laid the object of her search. Next to it was a beautiful comb in the shape of the crescent. Underneath both items was an elegant kimono. The moonlight shined on these treasures, and made them glow. For a moment, Kagome was in awe. Never had she seen anything so enticing.

“They belonged to my mother.”

Kagome was scared out of her mind when she heard the cool voice. It was not fear she felt, but a great surprise. Never had she been caught before. Quickly, she checked her mask and the spell that hide her scent and aura. When she was sure everything was in place, she stood up from her position on the ground.

“I see that you have taken the notice I sent previously, although you are a bit late.”

Sesshoumaru came out of the shadows; his claws glowed green. “I had other matters to attend to.” Without waiting for another second, he slashed with his poisonous claws.

Kagome easily evaded the first attack, and just as she was about to back up to evade the second, her feet tripped over the straw mat she removed but a minute ago. An instant later she felt a soaring pain in her abdomen.

The demon lord pulled his hand out and pinned the thief who had invaded his home to the wall. His blood stained hand tightly griped the neck of his enemy. Just as he was about to let his poison seep through his skin and kill his weakened opponent, the sound of an explosion was heard throughout the castle.

Taking advantage of the well-timed distraction, Kagome kicked him in the chest and escaped through the window.

Sesshoumaru followed her to the window, but as he was about to jump through the window, he stopped. The glittering pendent had caught his eye. It had remained unmoved in its formal hiding place. He walked away from the window and placed the straw mat in its rightful place.

 

“Stupid lord, stupid mat, stupid poison.” Kagome murmured as she cleaned her wounds by the stream in the woods near the castle. No doubt the guard would search for the cause of the explosion first before coming to look for her. So she was safe here for now.

“I can't believe I failed to get the pendent.” Kagome said to herself with a heavy sigh. “At least I got a glimpse of their true strength and future battle plans.” She ripped out a little piece of fabric from her clothing and used it to bandage her wounds. With great efforts, she settled down beneath a tree, waiting for her strength to come back a bit.

Thinking back, the extra precaution she took really saved her live. Before going on the mission, she asked Shizuru to put a little potion bottle near the front entrance of the castle. Inside the bottle contained two potions separated by a thin layer of ice. When the ice melted, the two reactive liquids mixed and created an explosion. It was timed to explode when she need to make an escape. Everything went as planed, and Kagome would have escaped unscathed if not for the misplaced mat. Stupid mat.