Chapter 5

No less than an hour after Sesshoumaru had exited her room, the same handmaiden who had served her dinner, entered.

"Hello, Lady Kagome. I am Izumi. Lord Sesshoumaru has instructed me that you are only permitted to the bath house, dining room, library, and the dojo. You are not to wander around unless Lord Sesshoumaru has instructed to do so. Right now, we must get you bathed and dressed properly," the blonde haired dog demon informed Kagome.

"Please, just call me Kagome. I don't need any special titles," Kagome insisted. "If I'm to stay here, I'd like very much if we became friends."

"I'd be honored to be your friend la.... Kagome," Izumi smiled.

She noted how pretty the girl's eyes were, a gray-blue, an oddity of a colour amongst humans. In fact, Izumi noticed that Kagome was overall, quite fetching for a human, a prize to any who would claim her. She had heard that Kagome had traveled with Lord Sesshoumaru's younger half brother and had many demons and humans alike vying for her hand.

Izumi helped Kagome out of bed and down the hall to the bath house. Izumi insisted on carrying Kagome, but Kagome insisted she should walk instead of baby her ankle. Eventually they agreed that Kagome could walk, but Izumi would be her crutch, but if there were any problems, Izumi would not hesitate to pick Kagome up.

"How long have you served Lord Sesshoumaru?" Kagome inquired.

"One hundred thirty-four years," Izumi replied proudly.

"Wow! I forgot that demons live a long time," Kagome exclaimed.

Izumi laughed as she opened the doors to the bath house. The bath house compromised of several hot springs. It was designed similar to the Roman bath houses with marble pillars and stone statues.

"Oh my!" Kagome gasped, looking at the intricately painted ceiling depicting scenes of the white dog demons in history.

"Yes it is. Lord Sesshoumaru painted some of it himself," Izumi replied.

"I didn't think he was the artistic type. I've only known him to be the aristocratic assassin," Kagome commented.

"That is his outside facade. He keeps his own council, and many often have misconceptions of my lord. He has many facets and chooses to display them in his own stoic way. You will see," Izumi explained.

Kagome stripped and then slipped into the first pool, sighing as the steaming water encased her body. It was perfect. Not even the outside springs had the perfect temperature, always a tad too hot.

"Izumi, this is perfect! I hope I don't fall asleep," Kagome joked.

"Pish posh. If you wish to rest a bit, I will leave. A rest in the hot springs will do your ankle some justice," Izumi smiled and then turned to leave.

"Thanks, Izumi!" Kagome started opening her shampoo. "Why don't you join me for a bit? I could wash your back and you could help me with mine."

Izumi thought a moment and almost declined, but remembered that Kagome was her new mistress and the idea of having her back washed properly was very appealing. She never had the liberty of bathing with other mistresses she attended to in the past, and in fact, really there were no mistresses. Lord Sesshoumaru really did not court many ladies, and it was mostly because the ladies within his own court, as well as in the other lands, were deemed unworthy to be his mate. Izumi almost doubted that because of Lord Sesshoumaru's standards in selecting a mate, he would either bed one for an heir and kill the female after it gave birth, or just wait until a female that suited many of his standards came into existence. It was hard to imagine what he would actually do, and Izumi had once considered when she had started working for the Western Lord, that perhaps she could offer herself since she was andog demon. However, after getting to know Lord Sesshoumaru, she knew she would not fit his standards, and simply served him with pride, almost regarding him like a brother. Besides his retainer Jaken, he confided things with Izumi, that no other servant had learned of. Her own family was distantly related of the Lord's family. The thing that made others note the relation was the magenta stripes that she had. Instead of two, she carried three over her cheeks, waist, shoulders, wrists, and ankles.

The fact that Kagome was in Lord Sesshoumaru's home was a promising thing. The lord rarely brought in humans unless it was for servitude. Despite Kagome being asked to govern Rin, it kept her in close proximity to the great demon lord, and Izumi was pretty sure according to Jaken informing her, that Lord Sesshoumaru held some sort of respect for the little raven- haired priestess. Jaken was not fond of humans, but he did respect Kagome. When Izumi talked to him, it seemed even Jaken hoped that Kagome might be the one that his master might have taken fancy to. It was only a matter of time to see how this situation between the human and the demon lord would turn out.

Izumi slipped into the water next to Kagome, and Kagome immediately tended to her back. She listened to Kagome sing some foreign song in a language she did not recognize.

"What song is that?" Izumi asked, dunking under the water, after Kagome finished with her back.

"Oh, it is a song from America, a country that in the future is practically a super power. Right now, it is being discovered by explorers from Europe trying to find a faster path to China by water. The language is English," Kagome replied.

"I have heard of England, and we have had visiting youkai every so often from there, but I do not speak it. That is a lovely song. Strange, but lovely in its own way," Izumi said with a smile.

"Thanks," Kagome smiled. "It is required to learn other languages in school, especially English, since in my time it is considered an international language. I learned a few others, but I am not so good with them since I haven't had time to focus on studying them. I'd like to try in the future to learn them better," she said wistfully.

"I am sure you will learn them. You are a very intelligent young woman," Izumi complimented.

Little did the two bathers know that Kagome's singing had attracted a few guards. Sesshoumaru rounded the corner of the hallway, and saw five of his guards hovering near the peephole of his private bathroom. He paused as he heard them commenting among themselves quietly things like "beautiful human siren" and "I would like to fuck her".

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, and the guards stood ramrod, abruptly.

"Why are you spying on my guest and her handmaiden?" he asked, circling each of them, noting the scent of their arousal.

"We heard singing and it was enchanting," one guard replied.

"Lord Amaru, your father would be disappointed to hear you had received a demerit for being caught off your post for simply investigating some woman singing in my private bath. In fact, I recall each of you belong near the dining room posts," he said.

Each fell to the floor prostrate and said simultaneously, "It will never happen again."

"See that it does not. Lady Kagome is not to be ogled or considered for your mating pleasures, so do not let her scent tantalize your senses. You will treat her as you treat me. One strange look or action towards her and I will castrate you where you stand and note, my poison, if I wish it, does not allow room for regeneration," he threatened coolly.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!" they saluted and dispersed to their stations.

Sesshoumaru almost laughed, but he knew it was necessary to set them straight. He did not want Kagome mated so soon, and knew she was highly desired by most demons that she came across. He admitted that her scent was indeed tempting to him. It was part of the requirement that all dog demon based their instincts on for mating. Dog demons were especially sensitive in smell and Kagome's natural scent was one of the few scents that teased any type of demons.

Sesshoumaru groaned to himself.

'It will be very difficult keeping other demons away from her.'