InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Serendipity ❯ A New Home ( Chapter 5 )

Wow ... Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed. The amount of support I got for the previous chapter was amazing, I am so touched. I am glad people thought I kept the characters in character, and that my Kagome portrayal was so well liked. Thanks so much!

I'm so sorry for the late update. I have thought to write some before my trip, then finish when I come back. But then summer school started and I got totally buried in work and tests, and I also started volunteering at Nikkei Home (for elderly) and had to study for SAT and so I had no time at all to write this chapter >.< Please forgive me!! Not to mention the HUGE writer's block!! My mind goes blank when I think about Sesshoumaru~ I float off on Cloud #9 in the middle of writing the fic daydreaming about Sesshie so much T____T I'm so Sorrryyy!!!

I have also started a mailing list for updates to this fic, if you would like to join go here: http://kura-sama.notifylist.com and supply your email.

"Blahblah" - Dialogue
-------- Scene change
/Blahblah/ - thoughts
[Blahblah] - AN & translations / explanations

Serendipity
~ sometimes blessings are disguised in the most unexpected ways ...

Chapter 5
A New Home

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As they rode up to the castle, Kagome could not help but notice the speculative glances coming her way from the villagers they past. Kagome felt increasingly conspicuous, and just a tad nervous; maybe even a bit frightened, as most of the villagers she managed to see with her eyes downcast were not very human, and a lot of their expressions did not seem friendly.

When they drew up to the great rock foundation of the castle, Kagome noticed the soldiers leaving them, and the other slaves who came with them being led away by some servants. Vaguely, she wondered where they were taken to and if she would ever see them again. However, she did not have much time to ponder on that as she felt Inuyasha's arm around her middle tighten minutely just before he let go and slid off the horse. He turned to help Kagome off after he landed, but her legs were so numb they would not move.

"Come on, get off already. Do you plan to sit there all day?" Inuyasha growled under his breath impatiently. Sesshoumaru had told him to meet with him after he came back from the trip, and he did not want to keep the Great Lord waiting. Especially since he had to ask him a favour: to keep his claws from slicing apart Kagome. He really did not trust her to keep out of trouble.

"I'm trying! But my legs are totally numb and I cannot make them move." Kagome whispered back urgently. She could feel the soldiers and servants around them staring at her, and it was extremely uncomfortable to feel like an oddity on display.

"Lean forward and slide off, I'll make sure you don't fall." Inuyasha replied back, he was also growing aware of the stares the others were giving them. He stood in front of her beside the horse, facing her, ready to steady her when she get off. He would have just lifted her off the horse if it was not for all the people around them, it would be improper for a Lord with a position as high as himself to be too close to a slave. Not only would Sesshoumaru be displeased, it would also bring trouble to Kagome.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome used her hands to push against the horse, succeeding in pushing herself forward. Unable to control the lower half of her body, she landed numbly on feet that would not support her. With a startled cry, she pitched forward into Inuyasha's arms, landing with an "ompf" against his chest.

Inuyasha's arms automatically closed around Kagome's torso before he realised what he had done. /Chikushou! Now we're really in trouble./ He fervently hoped that no rumour would start because of this, but know that Kagome would probably be a target of the gossips and bullies in the the Taiyoukai's household now. Furthermore, he was troubled by his slightly increased heartbeat.

With a pretty blush on her face, Kagome pushed away from Inuyasha's chest, mumbling an apology. /Oh Kami, that was embarrassing! Useless legs!"/ she raved in her head, all the while getting redder and unable to look up at Inuyasha. As she was busy feeling awkward, she felt Inuyasha suddenly tense up. Puzzled, she opened her mouth to ask him but a smooth masculine voice caused her to freeze.

"My, my. I had never thought that you would stoop so low as to display such disgusting intimacy with a human slave, even for a hanyou." The voice flowed over them like poisonous nectar, sweet yet deadly; so alluring that one would be drawn to like like flies to a light, unable to stop themselves from being drawn into it even if they would die.

Suppressing a snarl, Inuyasha released Kagome and turned around to face his half brother with his hands fisted at his sides. Legs still entirely numb, Kagome snapped her mouth shut and leaned against the side of the horse to keep herself from falling over, her face downcast.

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha snapped at the owner of that silky voice.

Kagome blinked. /Sesshoumaru? Isn't that Inuyasha's brother, Lord of the Western Lands?/ She sorely wanted to see what the feared Taiyoukai looked like, but did not dare raise her eyes. Showing any disrespect to Inuyasha was one thing, being disrespectful to his brother was an entirely different story. She rather preferred her head to stay on her shoulders, thank you very much.

"How rude, though expected from a disgrace like you. Is your memory that bad? Have you forgotten that I had requested your presence immediately when you get back? How impolite of you to blow me off while dallying with filth, you would have hurt my feelings, if I had any." Sesshoumaru reprimanded Inuyasha smoothly, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kagome mentally winced at the biting words. She was angry at being insulted, but had had enough training to control her temper. /This is Sesshoumaru! Not Hojo or Inuyasha! You will really die this time if you so much as make a sound. Remember, no matter how nicely Hojo and Inuyasha treated you, you're still a slave and have no place to speak./ She kept reminding herself of her place, chanting it like a mantra over and over again in her head, trying to stomp her pride rearing it's arrogant head back into its confinement.

Inuyasha had no such restrictions. He growled menacingly at Sesshoumaru, bearing his fangs in threat. He was seething inside, and usually would have jumped at the bastard and try to ripe his throat out. And like usual, would get beaten to a pulp, but not before doing his share of damage. It was a wonder he was still alive, with the number of fights they get into. However, this time he forced himself to control the urge to punch that condescending smirk off his face, for Kagome's sake. He still needed that favour.

"Of course I remember. I was just going to find you, after I had shown my new personal servant to my chamber, before you showed up. What, did you miss me so much, dear brother, that you couldn't wait a few more moments to see me?" Inuyasha matched his sarcasm word for word.

Kagome wondered briefly if one could possibly drown in sarcasm, then had to bite her lips hard to keep from giggling at that absurd thought out of nowhere.

Ignoring the question, Sesshoumaru glanced briefly at the slave girl behind the hanyou. Her black hair covered her face, head turned down demurely as expected of a slave, and stood rather shakily, leaning against Inuyasha's horse.

"And pray tell, where did you pick the wench up?" Sesshoumaru inquired, with a slight sneer in his voice. He had a notion what a female "personal servant's" services would include.

"She's from that northern lord who came to ask our help. Since Jaken had been complaining about a shortage of slaves I decided to take a few back with me; count it as payment for helping them get their castle back. Since you're in such a hurry to see me, why won't you let me take care of her and then get down to business? It's not like you to be so interested in my affairs." Inuyasha sneered back.

"You better not keep me waiting." With a glare full of daggers, Sesshoumaru turned on his heels and stalked back to his study.

With a sigh, Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "Follow me." He said curtly. Arguing with Sesshoumaru always took a toll on him, leaving him drained. However, he savoured the fights they had, for it is extremely rare for Sesshoumaru to say much. He took pride in the fact that he was the only one Sesshoumaru deemed worthy of verbal sparring, anyone else would be dead before he wasted any breath or time on them.

After walking a few steps, Inuyasha noticed Kagome was not following him. Turning around, he impatiently said, "Now what?" When Sesshoumaru said not to keep him waiting, he meant it.

"I can't walk! My legs are all tingly right now, and I can't control them!" Kagome whispered urgently, feeling her face heat up with a blush of embarrassment.

With a exasperated sigh, Inuyasha stalked briskly to her side and glared down at her. Slightly taken aback, Kagome tried to move back away from him and ended up pressing herself into the side of the horse. For a long moment Inuyasha just stared at her while looming over her, seeming to be in deep thoughts. Kagome felt increasingly uncomfortable with Inuyasha's strange behaviour and close proximity. Just as she was about to ask him to move away, Inuyasha gave a slight nod as if to himself and in one swoop, picked Kagome up bridal style.

Taken entirely by surprise, Kagome stared at him dumbly for a second before she gave a startled 'eep', and opened her mouth to demand him put her down. However, before she could utter a word, Inuyasha growled sofly under his breath, warning her to be silent. Getting the hint, Kagome snapped her mouth shut and focused on ignoring the strange looks being sent her way, and concentrated on trying to force a major blush down.

Holding Kagome tightly against him, Inuyasha walked briskly to his room in the West wing of the 5th floor where his room was. He kicked the door open and deposited Kagome swiftly on the futon, then rushed out of the room. With a "I'll be back later." Inuyasha quickly left, shutting the door behind him.

Kagome sat up on the bed and massaged her painfully tingling legs, trying to get rid of the annoying tingles and regain control of the limbs. Gradually the tingling receded, and she could move them at her will. Knowing she could not leave the room, but needing to do something, she decided to explore Inuyasha's chamber. /Afterall, this is my new home now./ she thought with slight melancholy and trepidation. She had no idea what to expect.

She moved to sit at the side of the futon, and looked around. The room was spacious, but not overly large. The floor was covered with straw tatami mats, as well as most of the walls; the ceiling was tiled of dark green cubical ornate patterns. The windows were on the wall opposite the door, with beautiful drawings of a peaceful village of the countryside covering most of the wall, people going about their daily business with slight smiles on their faces. The futon is placed in the left corner against that wall, under a window. In the right corner is a low table with kneeling mats and soft cushions around it.

The wall on the left was filled with different drawers and cabinets, while the one on the right had half with a big sliding door of a closet while the rest is covered with shelves of scrolls and books; between the two halves was another door. All over the walls were beautiful pictures of greenery and village life. In the corner beside the main door was a foldable shoji screen for changing, decorated with a painting of a gigantic dog youkai in true demon form during battle, covered with blood and surrounded by corpses of demons and humans alike.

Kagome took a sharp intake of breath when she noticed the picture covering the whole of the wall beside the door, it was a exquisite painting of a beautiful lady. She walked closer to inspect the painting, and decided it was of a human lady. Sleeping peacefully on her lap was a small boy with white furry dog ears.

/That's Inuyasha as a child! Which means ... is this his mother?/ Kagome wondered, /She is beautiful, and seems so kind. I wonder what kind of person she is./

Kagome observed the painting for a while longer, deep in thought, before a huge yawn almost split her face in half. She was enervated from the long ride, and so she lied down on the futon for a rest. Within moments, she was soundly asleep.

[AN: As for the description of Inuyasha's room, it is how a typical room would look like in a castle of feudal Japan, with a few changes and additions by me. This might help you understand it more:http://kura.buruma.net/Misc/Castle-room.jpg and http://kura.buruma.net/Misc/castle-room2.jpg]

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Inuyasha rushed to the West wing of the 6th floor, which was the master's wing. Reaching Sesshomaru's study, he burst in without announcing himself, as usual; he knew Sesshoumaru could sense him coming miles away. Besides, annoying Sesshoumaru was one of his goals in life.

"Absolutely no manners as always, Inuyasha? Though I should expect it from trash like you, hanyou." Sesshoumaru growled, looking up from viewing some scrolls on his table, his gold eyes a hard metallic gold.

Inuyasha blinked in surprise, while closing the door behind him. Usually Sesshoumaru was not so harsh, he must be cranky today. "What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked, he had learnt to read Sesshoumaru's moods accurately most of the time after the centuries he had spent living with him.

Sesshoumaru seem to sigh, as he let a deep breath out through his nose. Looking down at the scroll again, he stated simply.

"War is imminent."

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Aah! Forgive me for the rather short chapter, which was not even well written >.< It's all that huge writers' block's fault T___T I wrote this chapter after almost a week of hard thinking and attempting to write. Not too much happening, but at least Sesshoumaru appeared ... And remember that this is AU, so Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru actually have a relationship of sorts, so hope no one seems OOC. The swords' part in the story will come about later, please bear with me ^^;;

A BIG thank you again to all the reviews, they really encouraged me and motivated me to forcefully overcome the writers' block and write a chapter, even though I'm too busy to sleep. Hope the chapter is satisfactory, and hope I will find time and inspiration to get the next chapter out soon.

This is how I look like right now after working my ass off and too little sleep ---> =_____=|||

I need to ask for ideas on a dilemma I have right now, and it has also come up on a few reviews: Should Kagome's first time be with Sesshoumaru [which means she'll somehow remain a virgin until waaay later in the story], or should something happen before then with someone [probably forced on Kagome].

Then: If first time is with Sesshoumaru, should it be entirely mutual, or semi-forced. [only Semi-forced, since I will not make Sesshoumaru actually rape Kagome in this story.]

~Kura

PS: Random thought of the day I had tried to puzzle out with a friend: If you are walking upside down on the ceiling, which way would that be? o.O

PPS: More Sesshoumaru/Kagome interaction to come~ Kagome is finally in the castle, and they shall run into each other .. right? Stay tuned ^___^