A Lord's Miko by Tamasha Toko
Deadly Demands
Title: A Lord's Miko
By: TamashaToko
In Depth Summary: After an incident five years ago Kagome has become a skilled miko curing injuries in exchange for a village to stay in. After five years of service a demon lord invades the village one night demanding one of the village mikos. Kagome steps forward unaware that the youkai is her enemy Sesshoumaru. Now she must live in his castle and work for him. Even though she is no longer loyal to Inuyasha will she continue to despise Sesshoumaru, or will she let her guard down and call him master?
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Chapter 1
Deadly Demands
That day red had become her most hated color. Unfortunately that day she was forced to watch the crimson color appear again and again. Whether it appeared in the form of blood or in the iris of the one she once loved, that color had just been seen more then it needed to. Terror and fear was all that day brought her, and it didn't seem to be ending.
"Come back Kagome," a voice growled lightly as 15-year-old Kagome Higurashi ran as fast as she could through the dark and muddy forest trying to escape the color she hated so much.
"Please stop it!" Kagome screamed while her tears and the darkness of the night blinded her, "Please!"
If it wasn't for her fearful running she would have noticed this scene was all to familiar. The last time Kagome had ran and cried like this she was chased and threatened by a demon just like now. This was the same forest as well, but there was a key difference. The one chasing her, who seemed to be nothing more then a red blur, at one time never wished to hurt her, at least physically. And unlike last time nobody would save her.
"Kagome!" the voice called her name more angrily.
Kagome was unable to tell if it was raining or if her tears were just flying out of her eyes at a rapid pace, but there was water stinging her face. Her feet were aching and her eyes were swore, but she had to keep going. The well that would take her out of this nightmare and send her back home only had to be a few feet away now.
"Trying to run away Kagome?" the enemy in red's voice chuckled through the forest, "running home as usual? I am not going to let you this time. This time you are staying with me."
"Don't listen to him," Kagome kept telling herself mentally, "just get home!"
She then cringed when her shins collided with something hard and made of wood. Her mind was rejoicing at the fact that she had found the well despite how dark it was, but that was until she felt herself flying forward. She had tripped against the edge of the well and was now going to fall face forward. She would have rather taken the chance of breaking her nose against the well's inner stonewall rather then being stopped in mid-air by a clawed hand that grabbed her by the collar of her middle school uniform.
"I told you that you are never leaving me again," her captor growled softly in her ear as she was pulled out of the well, "you are mine."
Once she felt her feet touch the ground the two strong arms covered in red baggy sleeves wrapped themselves around her to prevent escape. Kagome was then pulled into her predator's chest, which at one time would have been a dream come true. At this moment though she was just terrified.
"Inuyasha," she cried her captor's name.
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Kagome Higurashi woke up and wiped away the sweat that formed on her brow. The nightmare she just had faded away from her mind as she took a whiff of the fresh dirt that she had been sleeping on. She didn't need nor want to think about her dream. After all she had the same one every night ever since she actually lived the nightmare. It had been five years since that night.
It was give years ago that she learned she had no more home, family, or friends to turn to. Now she lived here in a small hut that was still lacking a floor. When she first came to this village she slept in her old sleeping bag until she earned respect from the village by assisting the head miko. Her assistance to the elderly woman, who reminded Kagome a lot of Kaede, earned this small hut, which use to be an old chicken coop with rotting wood until the village men helped her fix it up after gaining more respect.
Kagome looked out her door when she sat up. It had to have been a little past midnight about now and returning to sleep seemed impossible no matter how hard she worked the day before. She stood up with a yawn and paced around her hut aimlessly for a bit since she was still in a bit of a daze. Even though she had become used to life in the feudal era there were a lot of times she wised for a few modern day necessities. Right now she would give anything for a steaming cup of coffee and a large wall mirror bordered with small light bulbs.
Instead Kagome had to stumble out in the night and walk to a nearby stream like she did a few minutes later. Kagome kneeled on the muddy ground and used her hands to cup up some fresh water that was brought to her mouth to quench her thirst. That was the advantage of living in this era rather then the new millennium, no one had to worry about the water being polluted.
Once Kagome's case of morning dry mouth was gone she studied her reflection thanks to the light from the full moon resting on the shallow stream. Kagome was no longer a child. She was now the age of twenty and her appearance had been through many changes.
She looked like a real miko in her new garb. Since she was still nothing more then a mere assistant her priestess outfit was white and blue rather then white in red. After five years of training she was now fully qualified to be more then an assistant, but she wasn't about to complain, why would she want a uniform with her least favorite color on it anyways?
Since her body had been maturing a lot over the last five years her curves were also more desirable. Somehow she had gone from being an outsider to the most beautiful woman in the village, but of course the men left her alone because they knew when she wasn't busy curing sickness and saving lives she was studying to become a stronger miko. Kagome never lost her look of kindness and innocence though along with her hairstyle. She would probably look better with long hair, but she didn't want to look too much like Kikyo.
"Then I will serve my duty to this village," Kagome heard the voice of the head miko.
"Maybe if he sees you he will chose one of the other villages," one of the village chiefs assured the woman, "you are too old for castle work Lady Tabatha."
Kagome quickly got off of the ground and walked into the woods where the two were talking and bowed in respect, "Lady Tabatha and Chief Banto, is something wrong?"
Kagome could see fear in the elder miko's wrinkled face, "I was just about to wake you up Kagome. From this point forward you will be known as Lady Kagome."
"What?" Kagome gasped, "What do you mean Lady Kagome? Aren't you going to remain a miko?"
"Not here," the woman answered, "The Lord is putting me on his staff."
"The Lord? Staff? I am confused."
The man who was also old in age glanced at the miko's assistant, "you still have much to learn about this village. This might be our village but it is not our land. All of this is owned by a powerful Lord."
"So this village is owned by someone else?"
He shook his head, "I wouldn't say owned. We have the freedom to do whatever we want, but we have to pay tribute whenever the Lord requests it or he will make sure our village is destroyed."
Lady Tabatha nodded and this alarmed Kagome, "our village has nothing that interest him so this is the first time he has ever wanted something. Right now the Lord is in a battle and his soldiers and vassals need medical help. He needs a miko to run is infirmary so I must leave with the Lord when he comes tonight or he will crush our village. So this village is now in your hands."
"Wait!" Kagome yelled, "you can't just drop all of this on me all at once and expect me to accept. I have become more powerful, but I can't replace you."
The Chief sighed, "yes Kagome has improved much, but she doesn't have the power to heal like you do and at your age I don't think you could survive long away the home you have lived in your whole life. Right now I am hoping the Lord will see you and understand he must chose another."
"There aren't that many mikos here," the head miko replied, "It has to be me."
"What about me?" Kagome questioned, "I think I could be qualified to work at a castle. I am a lot younger to."
The two exchanged looks of doubt before Tabatha spoke again, "you would be sacrificing yourself, and you can't call it quits or leave like you could when performing any other duty. If you become a servant at a castle you belong to the Lord and loose all your freedom."
"Which is why you shouldn't do it," Kagome told her mentor, "you have lived in this village your whole life and have been its miko where as I am use to change and can adjust to it easily."
The two exchanged looks again before the man spoke up, "I am all for this Tabatha as long as Kagome is. This way you can teach another young miko your arts rather then Kagome having all your duties loaded on her. Actually I am ordering it."
The head miko saw that she was defeated, "Kagome you are just too kind. Please don't let your kindness and innocence be the end of you."
"Don't worry it won't," Kagome said, "I can handle myself."
"Everyone's mind is made up now," the Chief finished the conversation, "Tabatha get some rest before choosing a new assistant and Kagome you will follow me to the edge of the Shadow Forest. Your new Lord will pick you up there."
Kagome had no idea what she had just done. She had pretty much signed away her soul and rights. She was now going to belong to someone just like a slave. What kind of person was this Lord? Obviously he would not be very kind if he were threaten to eliminate villages unless he was given a new servant.
"On behalf of all my village I would like to give you my thanks," the Chief told the woman as they walked to the forest, "you have done us all a good deed."
"You have given me a place to call home," Kagome told him, "even if it was for a little while, its nice to have a place to turn too."
"If the Lord ever releases you then you can return here to open arms. We will always remember this."
"Thank you for everything."
"Where is the damn witch at?" a croaky voice demanded to know.
Kagome stopped in her tracks upon hearing that voice. There was something familiar about it. Then again ever since coming here she had been around many different enemies and allies meaning there were many different voices in her memory.
After a few more steps the Chief got on his knees and bowed, "I have brought you the village miko Kagome. Her training should be great assistance to your lord."
Kagome just looked forward to try and figure out whom the Chief was talking about, but she saw no one. After a few seconds of awkward silence something struck her head. Once she recoiled she saw that a staff had hit her with two heads carved into it. She knew that staff, and she knew it's owner.
The one who had been speaking about her in such a rude manor was a short green toad demon with yellow eyes. She couldn't forget that youkai. After all this hadn't been the first time she was hit with his staff.
"Jaken?" Kagome said out loud as she remembered his name.
"What?" the toad questioned, "don't you dare talk without being spoken too!"
The staff then struck her again before she took a bit to remember exactly why she was afraid of the short toad. It was never Jaken she was afraid of; she had actually beaten that horrible excuse for a youkai up before. It was who Jaken worked for that made fear fill her body.
"Jaken have you collected the woman yet?" Kagome then felt the pool of fear consume her.
Jaken then quickly bowed in front of his master who had now made his appearance, "I was just collecting her now Lord Sesshoumaru."
It really was Sesshoumaru. This couldn't be true. Sesshoumaru was the Lord she was giving herself up to? Sesshoumaru the youkai who had hated humans and attempting to kill her many different times.
Kagome looked up at him. He hadn't changed a bit. His long clean white hair went all the way down to his waist. His clothes were white as usual, and his bright golden eyes still held to the coldest gaze she had ever seen.
Would he recognize her? If he did what would he do? Since she once had close ties with Inuyasha would he kill her? What had Kagome gotten herself into this time?