Wicked Plans

[Lord Sesshomaru]

The fact that Sesshoumaru had put a grown woman to bed instead of his normal child ward did not stop his steps from being just a little lighter. All he knew was that familiar was good. Something familiar was much better than the unknown. Things that he could not predict were things he had to be cautious of. He wanted to be able to relax, at least at those times. And Brigantia gave him an excuse just for that.

But there was no time to relax. The castle was in an uproar. The two lord's and their generals would be coming soon. Some had brought their own servants, and some had brought confidants to speak about this meeting he was holding on their behalf. The cleaning and arrangements had been done ahead of time but food had to be fresh, and sake had to flow freely if the western lord hoped to keep things peaceful.

Fumiko's job was just as important to distract. But today was a day of scheming. Jealousy and hatred had bloomed in the last month. So instead of going to Makoto like she would have to get herself ready. She went to Brigantia.

She had found the little hanyou keeping a distance from the dining hall in the main pavilion. Most if not all the servants had shooed her to keep her from being sniffed out by their visitors. "Brigantia!" she called with alarm, only two of her four layers of silk on. "Makoto is too busy to help me! Please, you must help me get dressed! If things don't go right a war is imminent!" If the hanyou remembered from the last dramatic moment, Fumiko had said the same thing. It was not unusual for her to think that without her performances the Lord's would rip each other to shreds and a war would destroy the whole world.

She lead the girl to her room and forced on the other layers, tossing her obi to Brigantia to tie around her waist. "We must hurry, dinner is about to start and my performance is very much needed!"

[Birdie]

Brigantia stood there, wide eyed as Fumiko spoke at her. Her flair for the dramatics and the bigness of her general aura often caused Brigantia to need to pause in order to calm everything down. She could not help but reply, "Yes ma'am." Dazedly She followed the woman to her room, remembering everything Makoto had taught her about dressing a Geisha.

So much responsibility! It was a little overwhelming but she managed to tie the obi without mishap. She most certainly did not want a war to start ever. Fumiko was right, she had to be perfectly dressed if this was the only way to avoid it. It did not entirely make sense to the butterfly, but she had no reason to think that Fumiko would by misleading her in anyway. Once the dress was fitted, Brigantia began the process with the hair. Her slim, nimble fingers worked quickly as she recalled every movement Makoto had made when she had last seen the tanuki do Fumiko's hair.

It was so very soft. Brigantia wanted to just run her fingers through it and could have done it for hours if there was not a matter so pressing at hand. She fluttered around the geisha, doing everything she could to make sure the panda demon looked a masterpiece.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

The entire time Fumiko acted impatient, critizing the smaller details while Brigantia worked. But time was running short and she quickly stood and hustled out the room. She forced the hanyou to follow, they were too much in a hurry for Fumiko to give an explanation on why. She pushed her way through the protests of the other servants on allowing Brigantia to enter the back room to the dining hall. They were close enough to hear the conversations between the lords in the other room as the only thing between the hall and the dining room was an intricate cloth that held some privacy, but allowing the servants to come and go without too much disturbance.

"Just stay here, I might need your help." The panda breathed deeply, adjusting her kimono before accepting the tray of sake from another servant. She served them elegantly, before she entertained them with a simple dance. At the head of the table, and longest away was Sesshoumaru, seeming disinterested in the dance he'd seen many times before. But the Lord's were watching with interest, and many with a wild toothy grin at the sight.

Satisfied and beaming, Fumiko excused herself from the room after her first dance. She hustled back into the other room where Brigantia was waiting. "Touch ups, I need touch ups!" She twirled, hoping to have Brigantia make sure that her hair was staying in place. "Now I need to get more sake." she rushed her way into the kitchen to grab the next tray. She was so fast that she left Brigantia in the other room.

Seeing her chance as the hanyou came to catch up with her she threw the tray onto the ground and spilled the sake onto her clothes. It repulsed her to ruin such a fabulous kimono, but it was a small price to pay. Letting out a cry in dismay as Brigantia came around the corner into the kitchen, she turned to the hanyou. "Oh this is horrible!! I can't go out like this, I'm all soaked!" she covered her face with a sleeve as if to hide her misery. "Oh, the lord will be so angry if someone doesn't get out there and serve the sake and entertain his guests!"

The other kitchen servant, a taller fox male gave the panda an odd look but wisely stayed out of it. He didn't dare comment on the odd behavior he just witness as he arranged a new set of cups onto a tray and a new jar of sake. Fumiko was stubbornly proclaiming that she couldn't go on, the kitsune knew someone had to.

"Here!" he held the tray persistantly to Brigantia until she took it. "Just someone go! Get out of my kitchen!" Fumiko was horrified at his lack of sympathy to her dismay, but she couldn't complain since he was helping her cause.

"Of course! Brigantia, you could do it!" she pushed the girl into the back room with the entrance to the dining room. The closer they got to the conversing lords the more she began to whisper to not be heard. "Just serve them the sake, do a small dance, and that's it! It's easy." she whispered in the girl's ears, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Please, you've go to! You can do it!"

[Birdie]

Everything was so dizzying. She had never been in such a rush to do anything and it made her head spin to run back and forth and all around. She had to constantly be worrying about Fumiko. She did her best to satisfy the woman but it seemed it was never enough. It was to be expected, since she had never done anything like this before. With the patience of a saint she did everything Fumiko demanded of her.

---

Horrified she watched the sake spill onto the magnificent dress the panda wore. Brigantia's eyes grew wide and she let out a cry of dismay. She could hardly speak, simply making noises of sympathy as Fumiko ranted. She knew not what to do. Perhaps she should rush to get a new dress! But no, it seemed that everyone else had different plans. The tray was shoved into her hands and she stared at it for what seemed like forever. Eyes growing wider she began to protest. She did not look well enough to dance in front of an audience. Especially one made up of lords. She could not stop herself from being pushed out of the kitchens in toward the room. All the way she protested. "No, no I can't! My hair is not correct and my clothing is unfit. I have not danced in front of anyone before. I simply can not." The words fell on deaf ears.

Stomach churning, Brigantia found herself before the lords. A dark blush covered her cheeks as she moved forward. Shyly and gracefully she poured out more sake for them. She was so very careful of her movements and absolutely selfconscious. She knew that Sesshomaru would have quite the look. His aura was making her even more uncomfortable. After she had poured out the sake properly, she moved toward the front of the room. No one else seemed to understand what was going on, the musician did not know what to play.

Brigantia did not need to hear his sounds. All around her the music of the world flowed and with it her body moved. Closing her eyes, she let the melody of the trees and sky and clouds and sun all wash through her. Their songs guided her movement. Her consciousness drifted. No longer was she aware of the room. As when she danced for the joy of morning, now she was apart of the universe she constantly heard. Her loose silvery hair floated all about her as she moved.

While their songs never ended, it came time, she thought, to stop dancing. Her movements slowed until finally she became immobile. She opened her eyes to find the lords all looking at her. She blushed darkly again, bowed deeply, and collected the tray before heading off toward the kitchens again. Embarrassment burned deeply in her stomach and on her face.

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she brought the tray back to the kitchen. She breathed heavily as she set it down on a nearby surface. "Please... I do not want to go back out there. It was simply too much." She was shaking and ready to collapse.

[Naraku]

The northern lord softly tap his claw upon the table before him. He watches the others as this so called gathering was starting off a bit slow. The lord reaches down grabbing the saki to take a sip when the half breed made her way into the room. His brow lightly rose as he watches the female start to dance. The dragon demon could clearly see this was the half breed's first time at such not even dressed properly for such.

He sat his glass down as his eye twitches feeling insulted by Sesshomaru sending out an inexperienced half breed to entertain them. Her outfit or nothing flowed correctly but he just watched the female get lost in the dance.

Once the female finished he seen her break into tears and run off. He could then see it was something she was forced into and not really a true dancer. The dragon lord growls when seeing this as his fist slams into the table when lifting up to his feet.

“What is this nonsense! I accepted this invitation in good faith. I did not come here to watch what you force slave girls into doing! I expected this place would have true dancers not someone being forced in doing such only to burst into tears at the end.”

He growls as he did not care about his tone or his voice as he called out in the middle of the establishment. He demanded an explanation to such an insult to invite the dragon of the north to watch such.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Lord Sesshoumaru knew something was wrong immediately. Fumiko would always linger after a dance for praise from their guests. Her bow had seemed even humble for once as she left the room. Fumiko's dance never failed to lighten the mood and the suspicions between the two lords dwindled. Only their confidants still had their defenses up and that was not good sign.

Sesshoumaru expected Fumiko's return to break the rest of those defenses. He was stunned to find his hanyou shuffling her way around the table. Eyes widened as they bore into her with shock and confusion. He forced himself to look down at his cup as she poured for him. Now that everyone was looking in his direction, he could not show his surprise at finding her here. He had to act normal.

Even still his aura poked and prodded at her in silent questioning and disapproval. There was nothing else he could do. The room had gone deathly silent as all their curious eyes were on their new entertainer. A halfbreed, of all things. What a strange switch.

Why was she here?! Fumiko wasn't one to share the stage, she had driven off any other geisha's he had considered for these events! The low murmers had started up as Brigantia made her way to the front, and as the demon hesitated in the corner with the Shamisen, he fumbled his way to match Brigantia's movements.

Without the Shamisen, her dance would still have been spectacular. In her normal attire all the attention was on her movements themselves and as his shock turned to awe he became aware of the change in his guests.

After Brigantia left, the awe of her performance hovered in the room for a moment before the loud slam of Lord Ryuu's fists broke whatever spell the hanyou had cast. Sesshoumaru blinked back into reality slowly, eyeing the other Lord who was up on his feet. He would not explain himself to the northern Lord, for he had no explanation to give.

"Tears? I didn't notice any! I thought she was rather pleasant." The Eastern Lord commented, seeming a little bothered by the Ryuu's outburst. The burly wolf youkai forced down the last of his sake and with a feral grin he eyed Sesshoumaru. "But it was rather unexpected of you, Lord Sesshoumaru." Although he hadn't seemed to mind.

Unexpected, and pathetic. What were you thinking having a half breed entertain us?" The general snarled, crossing his arms across his chest in his seat.

A single brow rose at the change in conversation, but Sesshoumaru casually shrugged his shoulders. "Unexpected indeed. Fumiko was our main entertainer for tonight." The confusion in the room seemed to double, but was more spent on arguing among themselves whether the entertainment was worth the entertainer. Battle lines had been set, but it was a playful banter with each gulp of sake. It was much better to argue over trivial things than territory boundaries.

---

It left Fumiko furious. As soon as the panda had seen that their guests weren't immediately throwing out insults at the hanyou, she had left to change clothes. Now that they had seen the worst maybe they would appreciate her a bit more. By the time Fumiko returned in a new kimono, she was greeted by the sight of Brigantia in tears and with an awkward fox demon trying to console her. Maybe it had just taken a few seconds for the Lords' to kick her out of the dining room.

Satisfied at the crumpled looking hanyou, Fumiko smiled with glee. "Luckily you don't have to! Look, you were able to stall enough to give me time to change." The fox demon gave her a sour look but she ignored the chef and picked up the tray with a new jug of sake. "I'm sure they missed me, after your performance."

Fumiko glided her way past Brigantia with pride as she entered the dining room again. She was shocked to see the look of confusion on the guests and the sudden disappointment at the sight of her.

"Where's that half breed girl?" The Eastern lord Ainu asked, and Fumiko immediately recoiled.

"Oh, her. There was an incident and I needed her to take my place for a moment." She responded slyly, hiding her mouth with her kimono sleeve. She was confused at the reaction. They seemed to accept the excuse, and their confusion died. Even the general was placated to know that Sesshoumaru had not assigned the half breed in the first place.

The Eastern Lord noticed the change in Lord Ryuu and a grin came across his face. "I'm sure that the half breed would not have insulted you so if she had been ready to entertain us. Maybe she's just shy?" Lord Ainu liked that idea and ignored the scoff of distaste from his general. "What do you think? Think she'd be more willing if she was more prepared?" He was almost begging with Ryuu to accept another dance from the girl. "It would not hurt to ask, we are not forcing at all!"

Fumiko and General Baku looked outraged. Sesshoumaru could be nothing more than confused. He would accept to satiate both Lords' fancies by allowing Ryuu to decide.

[Naraku]

Clutches his fist as he listens to the comments as the others. He turns himself and figured quite quickly this wolf actually enjoyed the thought of making a half breed into doing such more then anything else. Though he does not comment back as his attention turn listening to the female panda who came into the room and admitted openly that she was behind the half breed to come out.

His attention turn to the true dancer as he spoke a bite more softly though still seem agitated. ”I see, so it was you who sent out the half breed.” He crosses his arms and stared at the dancer as if reading her before softly speaking. “Then fine... If the Hanyo wishes to dance, then let her have the time to ready herself this time and come more well headed. But I not interested in watching someone who does not wish to be out here.”

He returns back and took his seat as he crosses his arms as he slightly added in the end. “I will admit for the brief moment the hanyo got into the dance, she proved to be the most entertaining one here.” His eyes close as he rested there letting what happens happen. He did not care about his opinions but he was far from being bashful from giving them.

The dragon demon just waited to let whatever just play out as he still thought this peace would not last anyways. Half those invited to such never believed in peace and would only attend to find another weakness while pretending to play peace. The demon's eyes open as he scan the room watching all including the wolves in a bit of mistrust.

His eyes finally left the others to fall back at the panda who he could tell have been struck by his words about the previous dancer.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Fumiko was flushing red with anger and emberassment, and stiffly stood before her peers. Shocked and stunned speechless, she could only bow and rush out of the room. The further she walked the calmer she became until she could breath normally as she came into the kitchen again. By this time the anger had turned into disbelief.

She stood there for a moment, glancing at the hanyou and the fox that had given her a small task to do while she waited. "They..." she began, brows furrowing in confusion. "They enjoyed your dancing. And if...if you're willing, they want me to allow you to tend for them properly." The anger would come back, sooner or later. But she was having a hard time accepting the fact that they chose a little half breed girl, with no makeup or proper dress...to entertain and serve them.

"I will help you get dressed...."

[Birdie]

She hoped Fumiko could fix it, fix everything. She was so relieved to see the panda in clean clothing. As the woman left, leaving here with the kind fox, Brigantia tried to dry her tears. "I am so very sorry. Thank you very much. Please, is there anything I might help you with while I wait? I do not wish to abandon Fumiko simply because I am a little shaken up." The look the fox gave her confused Brigantia, but she happily accepted her task and went at it with vigor. She did not want to remember her performance, or Sesshomaru's aura, or the stares of all those very important people.

It did not seem to take long for Fumiko to come back. She smiled brightly at the woman's return, expecting to hear tales of how she had managed to turn a wreck into a masterpiece. Instead the woman look forlorn. Brigantia's smile fell and then turned to shock as the panda spoke. "They want me?" She could hardly speak the words. "I... Of course. I would do anything required of me. If it will make them happy and help out our lord, I shall do it." She stood, wondering if she should dress much as the geisha did or was she expected to go out as she had before?

Happily she accepted Fumiko's offer of help and followed the Panda quietly to change. All the work that went into her appearance was more than she had ever done before. She went from a veil to hide her face, to seeing the whole world through fresh eyes, and now her skin was smeared with white, her upper lip painted a bright shade of red, leaving the bottom one to be painted in white as well. Her dark eyes appeared even larger when contrasting with the colorlessness of her face. The hint of red around her eyes made the effect less dramatic. Her hair was placed up and the dress she now wore was much finer than anything she had ever dared to wear. Soft white, with pussy willows growing from a frozen lake were embroidered into her kimono.

Brigantia was so very nervous. She accepted a tray of more sake and some light delicacies for the lords to enjoy. Entering the room she was struck by the weight of her job. Less fearful now, she did her best to pour out the sake properly and set the plates of food on the table with in easy reach of everyone. She took her place in front of the room and bowed before going to confer with the musician so as to determine what sort of music he would play. Once that was decided, she took her place and listened for the music. It stared and a fraction of a second later she moved to join it. She liked the sounds, they were similar to the way the winter winds blew across the lands and through the sleeping trees. Gracefully the butterfly danced her dance.

It seemed the music ended much too soon, but with the end of the song it would be silly to continue. Once again she bowed, ready to leave the room to retrieve anymore nourishment if necessary or to dance another dance.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Fumiko went through the job numbly and was even numb when she watched the stunning half breed exit through the curtain. But once the girl was out of sight she was a bomb ready to explode. The fox youkai had left his kitchen to watch the girl go and saw the startling change in the panda's aura. Before she could dare start screaming and throwing a rampage to destroy the meeting taking place, the fox took drastic measures in confining the panda. Fumiko had much more power in status than he, but when it came to their Lord nothing was out of bounds.

It had stopped him from reacting before, but nothing stopped him now as he sealed her inside the pantry, the only thing keeping her in place was a small leaf with power only a five tail could possess. Now the only thing that could disturb the meeting was the explosive aura he could not hide. Not that anyone was paying attention to it.

No, the attention was definitely on the little half breed that refilled their drinks and and settled trays of food onto the table. The change of her attire was drastic and if Sesshoumaru wasn't one to trust his nose so much, he might not have believed she was the same person.

The dance had started off awkward before, but now that Brigantia was prepared it was stunning and even the general couldn't find anything wrong in her performance. Lord Ainu, however, did have a protest. "Come now, come sit with us! We don't need anything more for now." He padded the empty seat beside him but paused with the overwhelming aura that suddenly loomed over him. Sesshoumaru sent him a glare in warning before looking at Brigantia.

"You may join us if you wish, but you will sit at my side." The statement only made the wolf demon scowl, but he didn't let it get to him too much.

"So what's your name? Why would a halfbreed be working for someone like Lord Sesshoumaru?" The Eastern Lord asked with much audacity as the general still grumbled with having their get together spoiled with a half breed in their midst.

[Naraku]

Ryuu shakes his head slightly but holds his gaze before him, taking a bite of the food provided to him. ”Leave the child alone, you filthy wolf... We did not come here to pretend you even hold any real power. Before you continue to undermined our host any more then you have-” He never turns his head, though his red eyes gaze over towards the wolf.

”-keep in mind that its under his good graces you still live. It was under your foolish leadership that you would dare invade my lands and brought harm under those I protect. Now I advise you to sit there, enjoy yourself and pray that you do not say anything else stupid, for as soon as I am not bound by my honor. I will see to it that you draw your last breath.”

With that he took another bite of the food given to him showing no real concern of the wolf he clearly would of upset. Seemingly completely ignoreing the wolf at this point he held up the portion of meat he had been eating as he looks to Brigantia. ”Forgive me miss, if I have spoken out of turn. Could you by chance tell me what this is. I must give my compliments to the cook.”

[Birdie]

She blushed, her mood improved as their seemed to. Brigantia loved to see that she had not failed miserably. The invitation to sit stunned her and only caused her to blush more. Glancing at Sesshomaru, she did not move. She wanted to see his reation, gauge what she should be doing. He spoke. He spoke to her while there was so many important people. Oh it was too much for her poor heart to bear! She, as a hanyou, was being invited to take a place by her lord's side. Meekly she made her way over and sat down. She folded her legs beneath her and placed her hands in her lap. Brigantia averted her eyes, staring at her clasped fingers.

The questioning began and she had not prepared herself for that bit. She lifted her eyes momentarily, long enough to see the Eastern Lord's face. "My name is Brigantia, my lord." She took a second to decide how she should reply to the second question. Somehow she thought Sesshomaru might loose face for having rescued her or something but she could not lie to these men either.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily she did not have to reply as the North Lord wanted very much to be extremely rude to the Eastern Lord. The words shocked her. She could feel the darkness of their mutual dislike fill the air. It made her feel sick to her stomach but she dared not move. The Northern Lord scared her horribly. Suddenly he was speaking to her and she could only stare up at him with wide eyes. "Ah, meat my lord?" She replied confusedly. "Please forgive me. I mean, I do not know exactly what it is. I would be more than happy to find out from the chef if that would please you." She hoped that answer would satisfy him.

[Lord Sesshomaru]

Lord Ainu quickly bristled at the dragon's words, and fangs were flashed with his tremendous scowl. The snarl was quick in coming and Baku was of the same mind. Although their opinions usually differed so greatly, when it came to their land they were ready for a fight. And being ignored was worst of all. The snarl was loud and seemed to vibrate through the whole room as Sesshoumaru casually took a portion of meat into his mouth. He had hoped to avoid this, but circumstances had made things unavoidable.

"Those ants you protect are supposed to be beneath us! They have their own lords, it's not like they listen to you anyway! Besides that, that land was originally my grandfather's in the first place! Just because he had let it slide so easily doesn't mean I will!" He glared harshly. "And don't you make threats at me that you can't keep!" Although he knew that Ryuu was powerful, and on their own he'd be no match. But a wolf was nothing without his pack. And his pack was something to fear in it's numbers.

[Naraku]

He softly chuckles and shook his head still ignoring the so called wolf leader as the dragon lord spoke up after taking another bite of his meal. “That is quiet alright dear, there is no need to trouble yourself to find out much. Just give my compliments to the cook when you have the time.”

He then glances over as he gives a slight smile. “General Baku, correct. I have a few questions directed for you. Your leader here knows he has no chance of defeating me, though he thinks if he sacrifice enough of you against me that I might tire myself so he could finally stand a chance. So my first set of questions are... if you leader would fall does that not make you the pack's new leader, and secondly would you be a better leader by enjoying the lands of the east, or would you too, try and challenge me and other lords for more land?”

[Birdie]

When the dragon spoke to her his words were kind and soothing. They made the air around him swirl with something like fatherly patience almost. It made her feel slightly more at home in her spot in such a grand meeting. She smiled and replied, "Of course my lord. It would be my pleasure to pass on the message." But that calm serenity he possessed when speaking with her did not last. He seemed to need to assert his dominance over the Wolf.

The air had grown thick with the sickening friction between the two men. She did not understand what was going on, but she understood now why it was Fumiko believed that if she did not dance, a war as imminent. In her desperation to find some way to calm the men, she noticed the drink was running dry. Slowly, Brigantia stood. "Please forgive me, I have neglected your glasses. Allow me to get something to refill them." She bowed to the men deeply before excusing herself from the room.

She entered the kitchens to find the fox ready with more sake. "The Northern Lord has bid me to compliment you on the excellent meats you have prepared for them. But I think the sake is getting to them and the air is so very tense. I think a soothing tea would be more appropriate maybe?" Perhaps what she wished to do with a little unorthodox, even unnecessary or unwanted. But she could not stand to hear those harsh words spoken between two kin of the earth. She set to work with the fox in preparing tea for the men before she left the kitchen with the steaming liquid.

Brigantia reentered the room and placed the cups in front of them. "I know perhaps you wished to drink more, but I believe that tea will go best with my next performance." She smiled as sweetly as she could before making her way up to the front of the room. Once there she knelt down and breathed deeply before a song left her lips. It required no instrument to accompany it. The words were ancient, a language long forgotten by all. Even she knew not what the words meant. But the melody of it was calming, peaceful. It made her think of the cool air of an early spring. The snow's first thaw, when the trilling of birds could be heard again after the stark white of winter. She felt it was a song of new beginnings and of love.

When she song had finished she stood and awaited their reactions.