From an overlook of weathered stone, Sesshoumaru gazed out, backlit by the embers of a dying sun. Red light seared along his pale armored form, burnished the needles of the fir tree beside him in points of glowing flame. Against this sweeping backdrop of blazing evergreen, he turned and fixed his gaze upon her. The

Holed up in Koshirou’s study, Kagome dined early and light. Apart from the occasional servant, her only company was the shamisen player Natsuko. Over her slender shoulder, the sleek, dark fall of her pinned hair streamed, more ornamented even than Kagome’s. Natsuko was very beautiful, and very vain. Of her talents most of all. Smoking

The only thing that gave Kagome any true sense of satisfaction was seeing Yahiko. When the maids were finished with her, she went directly to him. In one of the courtyards that served as a training ground, she found him sparring with his peers. He was a robust, healthy boy. As her adopted son, he

The lady of the castle finished her meal alone. Outside the main hall there was a vague clamor. With a wave, she bid for the doors to be opened, and the petitioners came streaming in. Sitting upon the dais, she repressed a weary sigh. As servants hastened to clear the trays away and bring her

“No,” Kagome shot back. “Why should I expect to be intruded upon at all?” Hirokin smiled. Leaving the window, he paused beside a lacquered table. Servants had already laid out Kagome’s dinner there, in anticipation of her return. Picking up one of the delicately-prepared morsels, Hirokin eyed it for a moment, before dropping it back

From her vantage point on the opposite side of the street, Kagome looked on as she had for some days now, at the little boy who rushed between shops doing the dirty work that others considered beneath them. Though he toiled, emptying slop buckets and hauling around water or wood or bolts of cloth, his

The sprawl of the outlying township had grown. It seemed quite prosperous here, and Kagome was glad. She strolled through the markets and streets, unrecognized and unremarked upon. It was a bustling place, so the presence of strangers passing through wasn’t an uncommon thing, she supposed. A monk at the temple balked at Ikiryou. But

At the sound of his name, the great grizzled dog cocked his head to one side. The feral glint in his eyes receded. Trotting forward, he stood on his hind legs, pressed his forepaws to Kagome’s chest and licked her face. It was wet and smelly and unpleasant, but Kagome couldn’t stop laughing as she