Youkai Academy

Chapter 8

Sapphire eyes anxiously swept the expansive home(mansion), darkness crawling along the edges of every corridor. "Where is everyone?" It came out as a whisper, and yet it echoed out, reverberating through the emptiness. Her eyes darted back and forth anxiously, searching for anything that may seem unusual or out of place in the vacant traditional-style mansion. But all she saw was the empty darkness.

He didn't answer her, instead choosing silence while continuing down the hall. The farther they went the darker the house appeared, its decadent interior void of life, showing how little the home was used by anyone other than the daiyoukai.

Fear slowly crept into her heart.

A door slid open, and Kagome followed the daiyoukai into the room. Once in, the door slid closed behind them, and despite looking back, Kagome didn't see anyone, although she had felt a faint youkai presence. So he must have servants, yet she hadn't seen Jaken, which oddly saddened her. Sure the kappa could be irritating and beyond arrogant; she always pictured the small toad at Sesshomaru's side till the very end.

"You can stop looking for Jaken," Kagome found herself blushing, forgetting how easily the daiyoukai had always been at reading her. "He is away handling the France branch."

Kagome nodded idly, not fully understanding what he meant but having already gathered that Sesshomaru was now a businessman instead of a ruthless warlord, before looking around.

The room was lit by firelight, the flickering light casting an amber hue upon the European-styled study. Unlike the rest of the mansion that although extravagant in appearance, was devoid of life, this room was decorated in well-worn relics of the past, showcasing memories long-lost to any mortal being. Paintings and photographs line the walls, some items placed alongside the pictures. These told of a history the daiyoukai had lived, memories in which she was lacking.

In front of the fire were two brown leather wingback chairs, a small side table placed between the two with already prepared tea and cups. But it was the painting that hung above the fireplace that grabbed her attention. It was as if the whole room had been designed around the portrait, pulling attention to that one spot. Two swords laid across the mantle that Kagome instantly recognized to be Tensaiga and Bakusaiga, and above that rest her well-worn red longbow. Above them stood a vibrant vision of the past, and for a moment, she felt as if she were there again.

A bold gold and cherry wood frame surrounded the portrait of a time that felt as if it happened only yesterday, yet centuries had passed, and their battle was now a legend in the modern era. Although Kagome couldn't remember ever posing, she was impressed with its likeness.

Standing before the blossoming Sacred Tree: Goshinboku, stood the stoic statuesque figure of Sesshomaru. The white silks of his kimono billowed in a breeze that also rippled along his mokomoko while picking up strands of his long luminous silver hair. Light danced upon his armor, the spikes along his chest making him look absolutely deadly. His piercing eyes were practically glowing, searing hot amber that contrasted the coldness of his stare, and markings were made all the more striking with their vibrant colors on his pale skin. The daiyoukai was equal parts beautiful as he was frightening with his sword Bakusaiga drawn and at the ready, its blade gleaming dangerously.

Standing to the daiyoukai's left was Inuyasha; he looked just as she remembered, his skin a healthy dewy bronze, his honey gold eyes frozen in his signature glower. The red of his fire rat robes was almost blinding in contrast to his moon-white hair. Whoever had painted the hanyou had encapsulated him perfectly with his disinterested posture, bare feet, and hands set to pull out the Tessaiga; the sword mid-transformation with a tufted of fur at the guard and a glowing white gold light emitting from the sheath.