Accidental Time Traveler-InutaishoxOC

14. Reunion

Layla padded into Toga's private bathing chamber, her bare feet slapping against the damp tiles. She looked around the bright airy room amazed by the sheer scale of the space. Tall decorative screens provided privacy by blocking the open windows from view.

Murals of Toga's dog form decorated the plaster walls. The true focal point was the large sunken tub full of steaming water in the center of the room. Decadence and restraint intertwined everywhere like the roots of a tree. Toga had blended the best parts of a Roman bath with the elegant simplicity of Japanese traditional architecture.

Placing her hands on her hips, she inhaled the jasmine scented air, the steam loosening the tightness in her chest. "This is what I'm talking about."

Hot springs were fun but there was nothing like soaking in a real bath to make a girl feel whole again.

Now, to get rid of her shadows and enjoy some much needed alone time.

Two attendants waited behind Layla, the sleeves of their kimono pinned out of the way. Toga had ordered them to assist her with whatever she needed for her bath.

After wresting a promise from her not to leave the castle's private wing, the demon lord had wandered off to handle some business. He had unnecessarily emphasized the danger of a human being surrounded by demons.

Layla wasn't an idiot. After her encounter with Naraku and his monster she was intimately familiar with the danger demons presented to someone like her.

Layla wore a short robe, her hair loose around her shoulders. She folded her arms across her chest and pinned the demonness' with a cold stare. "Ladies, I can take care of things here, myself. Would you kindly wait outside until I'm finished?"

They could hardly argue she needed an audience for this task. Without speaking the attendants bowed stiffly and shuffled out of the bath, sliding the door closed.

Alone at last. Layla sighed contentedly, raising her arms above her head in a luxurious stretch. A wave of dizziness struck her. Bracing a hand against the wall, she stood still until the world stopped doing the tango.

Lady Chiyo's powerful potions weren't an instant cure. She still needed plenty of rest in order to recover from falling into an icy river.

Paint flaked away from the wall when she lifted her hand. The murals were in good repair for being subjected to the heat and humidity of countless years of bathing. Layla brushed off her palms the best she could, a few colorful flecks sticking to her skin.

Dropping her robe on the floor, she descended the steps into the bath and sank into the water up to her shoulders, the silence a soothing balm to her irritation over Toga's overprotectiveness. White jasmine petals floated on the surface of the water, bobbing against her skin.

She understood why the demon lord fretted over her safety but she drew the line at having demons watch her bathe or pee. The overenthusiastic attendants had also tried to follow her into the toilet earlier until she slammed the door in their faces.

Boundaries people. Layla picked through a basket of bathing things. Soap pressed into the shape of flowers, fragrant bath oils, a variety of sponges. Selecting a cake of jasmine soap she brought it up to her nose to inhale the luxurious fragrance. So this is what it's like to live like a princess. I can get used to this.

Closing her eyes, she lathered the soap through her hair, her scalp tingling lightly. A frown tugged at her mouth. If the castle had a library she could scour the records for any events which might pertain to her tumble through time.

Research is what she knew best. Its time she utilized her talents and did something useful instead of being dead weight.

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