Shift by Yamagomori

Old and New

This is my first ever attempt at fanfiction, yaay! I'll probably be sporadic with posting, I'm a busy momma. I will try and keep it short so I can finish with this idea that's been plaguing my mind.  I love to write a more powerful Kagome, I feel like she could totally kick butt if she'd had training like humans with reiki in other anime. Sometimes I'll draw from those characters and their abilities like Kuwabara and Krillin, who were quite capable amongst their inhuman teammates. I will try and keep to the storyline but this is creative writing so I'll be diverging quite a bit. Please be kind with your criticism

I do not own Inuyasha

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Things were changing, a shift in the powers held by those who ruled. Humans were becoming more powerful, their greed and fear fueling them. Once little more than vermin, their towns now stretched out like the sea.

Begrudging respect aside, the sight of servants scattering about the courtyard was welcome. His large presence and stoic facade always served to unnerve them. It had been many decades since he wandered the countryside, battling great and terrible demons but his armor and swords remained. A testament to his very name.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Welcome to my home!" A large burly human belted out. Lord Shichinada, the largest and most prosperous of his human vassals, occupied and managed a large portion of the coastal lands of the west. Trade with the foreigners brought the wealth and with it, problems. His spies had sent word that there were rumors of child trafficking to the foreign countries, with hanyou and weaker demonic species being cream of the crop.

"Shichinada, it's been a good year." Though taller and wider than most, the large man seemed to flinch under his full gaze. He was still a full head over theman and humans, with their insecurities, never failed to notice.

"Yes, yes we've had a great year. Please, join me inside for tea, we can catch up." With a grand sweeping gesture the man, donning the robes of his own house, ushered him inside. Likely the man suspected he was there to ensure the lands were in good order, there was no stink of anxiety other than that of the help that scuttled about.

As was the case of most aristocracy, youkai and human, the man made a show of traveling through the vast estate. Embroidered tapestries, priceless vases and even a few foreign luxuries were displayed throughout the hall as they traveled through a set of doors muraled with countryside scenes.

The hospitality shown was typical of every stuffy noble house, though it lacked the magic and ambiguity of a youkai clan. They were seated at the grand table, Sesshoumaru taking the head seat, as the Higher Lord. Servants ushered in drink and food, and the conversation meandered around him, pointlessly. Two of Shicinada's vassals ate with them, nondescript human men, puffed with their own self importance. A third mortal sat to the left of the Lord, his clothing signifying his position of that of an advisor or the like.

After the dishes were cleared, servants, dressed in finer garb, filed into the room carrying trays of sake and rice cakes. "I hope you will join me for a drink Lord Sesshoumaru. We have some entertainment planned for this evening that I'm sure even a Lord of your stature will enjoy!"

Shichinada gave a wave of his hand, signaling the servants at the door to proceed. Amber eyes surveyed the other men of the room, having no time for mortals and their frivolities.

The perfumed scent was the first to reach him, billowing into the room on a wave after the shoji slid open abruptly. Two geisha entered the room, taking a position to the left of the open floor with instruments. Their faces were caked with paint and powder, their bodies spindly and poor as was the human standard of beauty. Sesshoumaru merely spared them a glance, though his eyes lingered on the Shakuhachi held in one of the women's fingers.

At the first penetrating note of the flute, the shoji slid open again to reveal an impossible face. His eyes widened imperceivably as he took in the features of this new geisha.

Her kimono was ornate, the first layer a warm cream with playful koi fish and cresting waves embroidered in gold, salmon and cerulean. Eyes of the latter color focused on a fixed point beyond them all, aloof and mysterious. The under layers crossed in white, oranges, and pale blues, with a vermillion obi patterned with golden lotus flowers. Her hair, heavy and thick with soft waves, flowed down her back to her rear, half pinned up with kanzashi whose chains tinkled with jeweled cherry blossoms.

Delicate tabi moved soundlessly, only the whispers of silk over the tatami flooring. Feminine, alluring, the miko of the shikon no Tama, Inuyasha's miko, moved into the room with grace despite the many layers of her garment. She was undeniably the same but different, matured into a woman. Absently he noted that the gentle strumming of the koto had entered the melody. He sampled the air again, reassuring himself of the fact before him, this was no illusion or sorcery.

Gilded eyes held the girl's, no, woman's gaze for a second before she locked eyes with the Lord of the castle, Shichinada. For a beat, Sesshoumaru felt his beastly self rise in irritation at having lost her fleeting attention, what was she doing here? How was she here at all?

He heard the man's quick intake of breath, no doubt bespelled by her gaze and pale, supple flesh. Her kimono parted slightly, more than normal for a geisha, though compared to her former attire, this was far more modest. She had matured, though with all things in account, she should look much older. Older like a pile of dusty bones, seeing as how he'd last seen the girl over 100 years ago.

Only her honeysuckle scent, the same as it had always been gave her away, that and the undulating reiki about her. The humans were unaware of her power, focused on her fair visage instead. As she began to move, swaying and dipping to the ethereal melody, waves of that iridescent power buffered over him, putting the room at ease.

She carried a fan in each hand, and her movement with them, coupled with the flowing sleeves of her kimono were like a swan, delicate and fluid. The ornaments hanging from her softly styled hair tinkled and chimed with the music.

A strong pulse of her aura pulled him from his thoughts. Looking up he noticed the girls eyes still locked on Shicinada, though they seemed beguiling and timid, he noticed there was a sharp edge to them. Her cherry lips parted in a tempting smile, and for a second Sesshoumaru had to squash the envy rising again within him. The man to his left leaned forward slightly, eyes wide and zeroed in on her gaze. Sweat beaded at the edges of his hairline and his hands were balled tight over his knees under the table. Another pulse of power and he relaxed, breathing out a deep sigh with a lazy smile over his face.

Sesshoumaru frowned and cut his eyes back to the miko, her back was now turned, the nape of her neck exposed with the dipping collar of her kimono. Her dance continued, with all the poise of a true Geisha, though her movements had a certain agility to them that was common amongst seasoned warriors. The music increased in tempo, her movements taking on a more urgent tone, though executed flawlessly. The twin fans spun through the air, his eyes picking up the glow of reiki along her fingers as she caught them, her eyes alighting on him from over the embroidered rim.

There was something beseeching in the look she gave him, the decorative fans covering the rest of her face from them. She broke from him to entertain the other men breifly, casting them coy glances and then dropping her eyes as if she were truly a meek entertainer.

The melody reached its crescendo, and she fell smoothly to her knees. The music paused dramatically, and then there was a long, haunting waft from the flute. She finished her performance as if she rode that drifting note, her body bowing backwards in a graceful arch, the curving edge of the two ornate Sensu barely touching the ground.

The men in the room began to clap as the music ended, amazed at the poise of this new unheard of geisha. And then she was up and kneeling in a bow, the two musicians beginning a much more upbeat melody as she accepted their praise. More geisha filled the room, serving drinks and entertainment for the men. Sesshoumaru's eyes however, remained on Kagome as she then retreated from the room.

The rest of the night passed by in a blink, the lull of conversation extinguished at a late hour, Sesshoumaru declined a night's stay, preferring not to be too familiar with the humans.

A distracting face had been on his mind all night, and he hadn't found out much concerning the child trafficking. When questioned, Shichinada had denied any knowledge, and the cloying scent of the courtesans perfume and overly sweet scent of sake prevented him from sniffing out the truth.

The truth would come to light, already his men combed the town for hearsay of the illicit activity. For now he would sate his curiosity.

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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