I See You [Sesshomaru]

Chapter 55

        Akiko stood straight while looking towards the door in the study. She could sense the approaching auras of the lord and ladies, hands clasped in front of her to try and hide any nerves she might feel. The day had come for them to meet. And though the young woman had met these demons other times before, this was different from the rest. This could decide the fate of Japan for all she knew waiting as members of the pack escorted these individuals towards the estate from the boarder for extra protection among the other guards in their company. No longer was the reincarnation wearing the maid outfit that had once helped her blend in, now dressed in her dark blue armor with light blue designs over a grey ankle length dress, the silver headdress, with her blade secured to a side. Then there was the matter of altering her features slightly at the seriousness of it all, skin pale, tips of the ears coming to a rounded point and frost collecting in the hairline and a few strands.

        Tobi sat at her side silently at attention. He had refused to leave the estate, along with Aisu in order to be her constant protection in case something had happened, while the others had left. So far their spies had revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but none could be too careful.

        Most of the documents that had once been scattered across the dog demon's desk were now safely tucked out of sight, save for a large map of the island for them to pour over when the others arrived. Meanwhile, the lord stood beside it to try and keep busy at the moment in the silence when his head rose. "Lord Kira has arrived," he announced.

        "And the others are not far behind," Tobi noted.

        Akiko nodded, reaching out to stroke the half-demon's head to try and calm herself further. Glancing away, Sesshomaru wished that the beta had seen to the arrival of the lord and ladies instead of being here with them. He wished to speak to Akiko in private before the others joined them, as well as calm any nerves she was feeling at this moment. But asking the half-breed to leave or offer any words of comfort would either be questioned or highly scrutinized. And now was not the time to suddenly reveal what was going on between the both of them. The lord had been thinking almost non-stop about what they had discussed only days ago in this very room, fighting with himself to not be hasty in a decision as another part of him wished to do just that. Instead, he saw to the preparations of their guests should they need a place to stay for the evening if the discussions lasted longer than anticipated, even had the kitchens prepare for anything they might need, and made sure to have every door, besides the main entrance, and window in the household sealed so nothing had the chance to break in, and for Akiko to move freely about the estate.

        They had gone over things to discuss amongst their allies only the day before as the reincarnation repeated them in her head so nothing was forgotten. She just hoped that everything went according to plan and that the other households agreed with their proposition.

        A knock had all of their attention on the door as Sesshomaru beckoned them to enter. A maid made herself known, introducing the Tanukis demon before taking her leave. The boisterous lord was quick to greet them, his upbeat attitude causing Akiko to smile and bow. He made small talk with the reincarnation, the dog demon not one to engage in that sort of mingling, yet listening carefully, as Lord Kira asked about her condition and how she had been faring since his last visit. It was nice to see how much the allied cared, but his comment about how his son was still an eligible demon of an esteemed household made Sesshomaru's hand twitch in annoyance. Akiko merely smirked with the shake of her head, commenting,

        "You're a persistent one, Lord Kira, but you know my stance on the matter."

        Instead of being insulted, he chuckled in reply, "Worth a try." Even Tobi found amusement in the offer, as there was a knock on the door again.