A Trick of Fate by PristineUngift

Guard

Sesshoumaru did not quite detest the Feast of Four Treaties, but it was a near thing. He didn’t like the herd of strange youkai tramping all over his lands, hunting his game, crowding his home, and pestering his humans.

Those humans were for Kagome to play her little tricks on. He couldn’t have them coming to fear youkai, sending for miko, and putting wards on their villages. Having to rescue his vixen from one such encounter was more than enough.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked down at yet another scroll from his scouts, detailing the latest troubles his guests had wrought.

At least the pups were enjoying themselves. He’d suspended their lessons for the duration of the feast, allowing them to attend all of the events. When Kagome brought the pups to Sesshoumaru’s room for sleep every night, she hardly laid them down before they both fell into slumber, out like the snuffing of a candle.

Their favorite event thus far was the daily display of skill. Each day, a crowd gathered in the stands Sesshoumaru had ordered erected in the shiro’s largest practice court, and watched as representatives of each land put on shows of the martial and magical arts. Just that morning, Kagome had woven pretty illusions, and thrown shuriken burning with foxfire at ever more difficult targets. While her marksmanship was not the best, her showmanship had more than made up for it. Following her performance she’d been set upon by an entire host of admirers.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were to finish out the event with an exhibition swordfight between the two of them upon the morrow. Sesshoumaru was looking forward to the opportunity to test his skills against his brother. It would be most cathartic. Especially after watching Myobu the Fox Lord conjure flowers from his sleeves to give to Kagome following her performance. The red fox had been making a fool of himself over the vixen since his arrival. It was... irritating.

And then there was the business with the burned out villages. Two more had been reported since he and Kagome discovered the first. Sesshoumaru was certain that whoever was responsible was at the feast, and would seek to sow dissent amongst the ruling royals.

He trusted no one present, save Inuyasha and Kagome.

Hearing a familiar giggle, Sesshoumaru rose, going to the window to look at the garden below.

The pups were not the only ones enjoying the feast. As Sesshoumaru watched, his vixen darted among the flowers, pursued by the wolf prince, Kouga, and Myobu the Fox Lord. Kagome’s face was painted. White rice powder was a stark contrast to her usually sun-warmed skin, rouge tinted her lips and cheeks, and the mask of a fox framed her eyes, making them appear bluer than ever. 

The wolf prince backed Kagome into a corner. Her tails twitched with playfulness, and then she darted away, as Sesshoumaru had known she would. She was kitsune, and more importantly, she was Kagome, and Kagome liked to play such games. She did it often with the pups, referring to it as ‘tag’ or ‘hide and seek’ depending on the rules they were employing.

When Sesshoumaru was a pup, he had called it ‘chase.’

But while it was all a harmless game to the vixen with her painted fox mask, it was most decidedly not innocent on the part of the wolf and the male kitsune. They were each testing the waters, to see what Kagome’s reaction would be to a proposed courtship.

Sesshoumaru growled bad-naturedly to himself.

He was displeased they hadn’t spoken to him first. That was all. Not that he would approve if they asked. After all, Rin was of an age at which she needed an older female. He would ask Kagome to stay with the pack until Rin was older, at least two hundred years or so.

Until then, she would be his to protect.

That decision made, he leapt from the window, landing in the garden. It took him only a moment to catch Kagome. She laughed her kitsune laugh and scolded him for spoiling the game, though the way she clung to him spoke of relief.

He glared at Myobu and Kouga.

-l-

“Sesshoumaru-sama, might this Myobu speak with you?”

Sesshoumaru was in his dojo, showing Rin the beginning forms of swordplay. She was too young, yet, to really begin learning, but had begged to help him prepare for his match with Inuyasha, proclaiming loudly her desire to be “just like Rin’s Honored Father, the greatest sword master to ever live!”

No father could resist a plea like that.

“Go to Kagome, Rin,” he told his daughter when Myobu interrupted them.

The kitsune lord waited until Rin was out of sight before addressing Sesshoumaru again.

“You guard your pack jealously,” Myobu began, smoothing back his dark red hair. He wore the top half pulled up in a top knot, but the rest spilled over his back and shoulders, as long as Sesshoumaru’s own.

“I guard my pack well,” Sesshoumaru replied, already knowing the course this conversation was going to take.

“My niece tells me that she is being courted by your brother, Inuyasha-sama.”

“This Sesshoumaru is grateful to Inari of the Nine Tails for her service,” Sesshoumaru said, mentioning the number of Inari’s tails just to antagonize Myobu. “The Lady of this one's pack has given her approval. As have I.”

“And I as well,” Myobu rejoined, a sort of ingratiating cheer flowing from him.

Sesshoumaru waited.

“I had hoped,” the kitsune began, “that we might join our packs twice over.”

“No.”

“What?” Myobu spat, his smile faltering. His tail tips twitched back and forth. Sesshoumaru wasn’t familiar enough with Myobu to know what the twitching conveyed, but he was certain it wasn’t respect.

“Rin is too young,” Sesshoumaru said, being purposefully dense.

“Ah, no. I meant the Fox Princess.” Myobu was all smiles again, an oily oozing charm that made Sesshoumaru wrinkle his nose. He would suggest that Myobu was actually an eel youkai, if it would not be so very insulting to the eels.

“Kagome is also too young,” Sesshoumaru said before taking one of the practice swords down from the weapon wall. “If you’ll excuse me, I must train with my warriors.”

And that was all he would hear on the matter.

-l-

“Oi, Sesshoumaru.”

“What do you want, Inuyasha, that couldn’t wait until this afternoon’s festivities?”

“Heard you put the word out that you’re not giving permission for anyone to court Rin or Kagome. Don’t get me wrong – I think you’re right – but I just wanted to warn you.”

“Warn me, brother?”

“Yeah, warn you. You’d better get Kagome in here and tell her what you did and why, cause if she finds out from someone else, she’ll be hella pissed.”

Sesshoumaru raised a brow.

“Burning down the dojo with foxfire pissed,” Inuyasha continued with a completely straight face.

Reasoning that Inuyasha had proven his intelligence in the past with the way he handled his duties as steward, Sesshoumaru elected to take his advice, and summoned Kagome to the study.

“You are wearing your hair black today,” he told her as she entered the room, hoping to put her in a good mood.

Inuyasha snickered.

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Thank you guys for all the lovely reviews on the last chapter! <3 <3 As of the last chapter, this story has gotten more reviews than anything else I've ever written, and that has just totally made my month! T_T I got all super excited and inspired, so have two chapters at once! *runs off to post the next one*