InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Flower Girl ❯ Rejection ( Chapter 96 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

---oOo---

The room froze, as everyone stared at the female youkai, and the flowers that she'd cast at the new Lady's feet...

And all those not privy to the meanings behind the flowers that the Lady so loved frowned, unsure of why you'd throw flowers in someones path like that.

Kagome was fully aware of what the now growling woman was saying with the yellow carnations that lay before her.

Rejection. I don't want you here.

The rest of those within the room abruptly became aware of the negative connotations of the confrontation when the woman spoke, her voice low, venomous.

"I refuse to bow to this human filth as the lady of these lands - she must have put a spell on our Lord, because for him to even look at a human is absolutely ludicrous - it would never have happened otherwise!"

Everyone was so stunned, and had eyes pinned on the two so firmly, that none had noticed the two children that had run from the room as soon as the flowers had hit the floor.

That's why, before Kagome could even respond to the stunning verbal attack, Sesshoumaru swept into the room, followed by a frightened Rin and Shippo. Fury was radiating from him, and his youki pressed down hard on everyone in the area, leaving no doubt that the Lord was about to cause someone a great deal of hurt.

He stopped, just inside the doors, and stared at the suddenly uncertain woman, and then looked down at the flowers that were still laying where they'd been thrown. Moving forward slowly, he paced towards them, and bending down, he picked them up. He stared at them for long moments, face blank.

"So. You think this one is weak, Mayu?" he asked softly.

"N-no, my Lord," she stammered, bowing low.

"Then why is it that you say I am enspelled? As if I were so weak as to fall for a mere spell placed upon my person?"

"I... I can see no other way that you would ever consort with a dirty-blooded human, my Lord," she burst out.

His hand clenched around the flowers, crushing them, and his eyes narrowed as his fingertips began to glow green. The woman began to whimper and shrank back, as did the rest of those privy to the confrontation, until Kagome stepped forwards and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

He turned to look down at her, and his eyes softened, though his expression did not, and he bent forward obediently as she tugged on him so that she could speak into his ear.

"Please... don't, Sesshoumaru. You can't make people like me through fear, you know," she whispered.

He pulled away and looked at her for a few moments, then turned his head and pinned Mayu with an icy gaze, noting the sneer on her face when she looked at his wife.

"Perhaps not, my wife, but they will respect you - or they will be exiled from the west." He stopped, then addressed the servant directly. "You will pack your bags and be gone from our home within the hour - and be sure the only reason that you still live is because you did not lay a hand upon this ones wife. If I ever find you on lands controlled by me, your life will be forfeit. Go."

Mayu stared at him in horror, but knew better than to speak out again, and trembling, teary-eyed, she obeyed, almost running from the room.

Kagome dropped her gaze and sighed, knowing that she would get no more from him in the way of mercy. As much as she loved him, she was fully aware that he had a darker side - and the servant was indeed lucky that she still drew breath.

"Jaken."

"Yes, my Lord?" the little toad shuffled forward, eager to serve his master.

"I will hold an audience in the formal reception rooms in a quarter of an hour. Make sure that every servant in the shiro attends - and then when I am done with that, I will address all the soldiers on the training grounds. This is the last time that someone will disrespect or assault my wife in any form."

With that, he took Kagome's arm, and took her with him from the room. "I wish you to stay in our rooms, Kagome, with the children until I have finished 'cleaning house', so to speak."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but he would have none of it, pinning her with an autocratic gaze. "Now is not the time, and this is not the subject to fight me on, wife. Obey me in this."

She snapped her mouth shut at that, and just nodded. One thing her mother had told her was to pick her fights. If she fought with him over everything, they'd never get anything done, and he would inevitably win, anyway. But if she only fought him when she was sure she was right, she would have a better chance of convincing him.

And on this, he was right. He was being a good husband, making sure his wife was safe. She really had no reason to argue with his orders.

She found that her submittal on this issue pleased her husband greatly, as well, and when they arrived in their rooms, he bent slightly and spoke into her ear in a low, husky tone.

"This one appreciates the lack of argument on this subject, and will make sure to reward you for it."

She shivered, her eyes half closing with pleasure at the promise in his tone, and she smiled up at him when he straightened and met her gaze.

"Stay here until I return, koi, promise me," he said, and she nodded, mesmerized by his bright eyes and pleased expression.

"H-hai, my Lord. We'll stay here, I promise."

He glanced at the children, who'd been strangely subdued. "Keep your mother occupied."

They both nodded, and then watched as he cast one last glance at his wife, then turned on his heel and left the room, closing the doors behind him.

Sesshoumaru stalked through the hallways of his home, wrapping his youki tightly around himself as he headed for the reception rooms. It was time - he'd let this particular duty slide - but he would no more.

He entered the room to find it already full to bursting with nearly every servant in the shiro, and he moved to the front, a path opening for him as everyone present could feel his inflammed youki, and had no desire to be too close.

With a disdainful glance at the youkai already there, he waited the last three minutes for the quarter hour deadline he'd given, the silence obviously making everyone there extremely nervous.

When the last minute finished, he spoke.

"If there is any servant in this room who thinks to take issue with my choice of wife, they will remove themselves from the shiro permanently, and find somewhere else to live and work."

There were several gasps and much rustling, but no one spoke.

"This one will not tolerate disrespect, in voice or in deed, against her, and for any that thinks to lay a hand on her, know this - there will not even be bones left to return to your families by the time I finish with you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Of course, that is if you even survive the encounter with my wife, she is no powerless human. She is miko, and very powerful in her own right, make no mistake."

More gasps, and raised brows... Kagome had kept her aura subdued since she'd come to live here, not wanting to make waves, so most hadn't realized just what she was.

He looked around the room, pinning several of the more vocal human-haters with an icy, deadly gaze.

"Take heed to my words - there will be no further warnings." With that, he waved a hand in dismissal, and as soon as the room was emptied, he moved outside to the training grounds, and laid out the same rules for the soldiers.

By the time he was done, surprisingly few had chosen to leave, most willing to at least give the new Lady a chance to prove herself as worthy.

Sesshoumaru was content with that; he knew his wife - and he was completely confident that she would win them all over, if given the slightest opportunity.

And she did.

She was, after all, Kagome.

---oOo---

A/N: And methinks, tomorrows chapter is the final one... a sort of Epilogue to tie off any last loose ends and finish off the story.

Then I will be able to concentrate on 'In Death' again - that one is getting ready to hit some major action stuff, and I'll need every available plot bunny working on it twenty-four-seven just to get it out.

Even though I've gone just about as far as I can with this story, I'm actually sad to see it finished... it's been, for the most part, wildly popular, and fun to write. To all those who have stuck with this tale, I just want to extend my most sincere gratitude - I've enjoyed reading the reviews, and I'm truly honored that you all enjoyed it so much!

Amber