InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Bond of Thorns ❯ Reactions ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: ScarletRaven1001 
How does Kagome react to the news? And on that note... how does *Inuyasha*?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.22.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 550 | Status: Completed
How does Kagome react to the news? And on that note... how does *Inuyasha*?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.22.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 550 | Status: Completed
A BOND OF THORNS
Reactions
-----/---@
Sango nearly fell on her butt on the floor in shock at Kagome's furious outburst. Sango had initially thought that princesses were supposed to be sweet and calm, but oh... how wrong she was. But in all fairness, Sango thought that she may have reacted similarly if SHE had been in Kagome's shoes.
"What do you mean, he filed me in as a concubine?" Kagome asked in anger, before turning her gaze upwards and yelling, "BASTARD!!! COME IN HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!!"
She then turned back to the shell-shocked Sango. "He *filed* me in? Is that even legal? Why would he want me as a concubine? Aren't I supposed to be your enemy?!"
Sango stuttered. "Oh... well, I... He says he has his reasons... I honestly don't know, Kagome-sama..."
"It's KAGOME. No sama."
"Alright... gomen, Kagome-sa- I mean, Kagome. I... to be quite honest, his decision caused a bit of a stir in the senate," Sango said with a confused little smile.
"He leaves me here for three damn hours and now he has another *surprise* for me?"
"Rather. Inuyasha is known to make very sudden decisions," Sango said as she watched Kagome's eyes blank out as she slumped back to sit on the edge of her bed.
"This is why he gave me my own room? He wanted to make me his mistress?" Kagome angrily spat out.
Sango looked hesitant. "I'm not sure..."
"Well, *I* want to know. Tell that master of yours that his lowly *concubine* wishes to ask what the hell he was thinking!" Kagome said as calmly as she possibly could. But Sango shook her head.
"Gomen again Kagome. I don't think it is proper for the concubine to demand anything of her master," she slowly explained. Upon Kagome's dark look, she continued. "You see, he IS officially your master now... something short of a husband."
"Husbands and their wives are equal," Kagome complained.
Sango looked at her strangely, before something seemed to dawn on her. "Oh my, I guess we have a little culture difference, then! In this planet, females are dominated completely by their men. Women could only be above men, if the status is princess to pauper. Common women are equal, and concubines are higher than common women, since they are most likely the mistresses of high authorities. Thus, you are higher than me, but not higher than any man."
Kagome thought a bit. "I get it. So I can't demand anything of him?" Sango nodded. "Well then, Sango-chan, please tell him that I will not dress for the awarding unless he comes over and talks to me personally."
Sango was surprised at the way the princess had called her, and she blinked before bowing deeply. "Hai, Kagome." She turned and headed for the door, but the hime's call halted her.
"Nani o, Kagome?" Sango asked politely.
Kagome gave her a small, semi-genuine apologetic smile. "Arigatou... for the food. And gomen for acting so brashly... I'm not exactly myself right now."
Sango smiled back brightly. "It's ok, Kagome. I understand. I know it's been hard for you."
"I'm glad you understand."
Sango smiled again, before she finally backed out of the room, fully intending to find Inuyasha.
-----/---@
'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid' Inuyasha mentally berated himself, slamming his head against the hardest thing in his bedroom - his concrete wall - repeatedly.
'Baka, baka, baka, baka...' he reverted to smacking his face with a thick book that had conveniently placed itself on his bureau. "BAAAKAAAAAA!"
"Inuyasha?" a muffled voice called from the other side of his bedroom door.
"WHAT?!"
"Can I come in?"
"No."
"Arigatou!" said voice replied, before its owner merrily pushed the door open holding a pin between his thumb and forefinger. "No need to unlock the door, Inuyasha. I got it."
Miroku, a lower noble and friend of Inuyasha, came in and shut the door behind him. Having gone to the same preschool, the two had been close friends since forever, and when Inuyasha decided he wanted to be in the Soldarian army, Miroku had gone off as well.
It had been quite sudden, and everybody had been surprised when Miroku dropped out from the seminary to go join the army. He had always wanted to become a priest, and though it was common knowledge that he was now a soldier, and not a monk, everybody still referred to him as "the houshi". He was now the local "mystic soldier", as some call him.
"No fuck," Inuyasha replied edgily. "I said "no", as far as I can remember."
"Tough luck. I'm in."
"Fuck off."
Inuyasha moodily turned away from Miroku. He dropped the book he had been holding on the floor and sat on the edge of his bed. Miroku followed suit, picking the book up as he did.
"Inuyasha," the man started seriously, keeping his eyes on the book, not meeting Inuyasha's gaze.
"Nani?" Inuyasha replied, also not looking at his bestfriend. A pause followed, then, Miroku turned to Inuyasha with a serious expression.
"I didn't know that you owned any books."
Inuyasha promptly bonked his head.
"Fucking lech... I actually thought you were gonna be serious," Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance, rubbing his right fist, which he had used on Miroku's noggin, with his left palm.
"I WAS serious, Inuyasha."
"Well, screw it, I don't the damn book. I hate reading. That book belongs to Fluffy. He left it here somehow," he snapped, before turning to regard Miroku. "Now what did you want? I'm sure you didn't come here just to mock my indolence."
"Inuyasha!" Miroku suddenly exclaimed in mock surprise. "You actually used a word that has more than two syllables!"
"You sooo love pain, don't you, you masochistic ass?"
"There you go again with the long words... HEY! I resent that."
Silence.
Then...
"Seriously, Inuyasha. I'm here about the new uproar. Is it true?" Miroku asked.
"What uproar?" Inuyasha asked, already knowing the answer.
"That you have taken the Calderian princess as your concubine," Miroku answered, staring intently at his friend, who was desperately trying to conceal his eyes with his thick white bangs.
"..."
"Well?"
Inuyasha gave a defeated sigh, then nodded. He heard Miroku grunt from beside him.
"Amazing," Miroku remarked, making Inuyasha look up.
"Huh?"
Miroku looked back and met his friend's confused golden eyes with his own brown ones, his brows knitted together in thought. "Amazing indeed. I have never known you to be the type to just pick out girls. Heck, of all the nobles around, you're the only one without a concubine. Until now, that is."
Inuyasha rubbed his temples thoughtfully. "I know. But I have my reasons."
"You DO know that the Princess Kikyo is furious."
Inuyasha sighed again. "I know. And I don't give a fuck about that lovesick bitch. I told you, I have my reasons."
"Which are?"
"Personal."
"Too personal to tell good old Miroku?"
"Since when have you been good?" Inuyasha said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "And yes, they're THAT personal. And I'm still kinda beating myself over it. It had seemed such a great idea a couple of hours ago, but now... maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty."
"Inuyasha, the council is still puzzling over it. And I'm assuming that the Princess Kagono doesn't know yet?" Miroku said, earning him a raised brow from Inuyasha.
"It's KAGOME you moron," Inuyasha replied, turning away again.
"Whatever. Anyway... does she know?"
Both heads turned as they heard an outraged female shout resound from somewhere within the palace.
*"NANIII???!!!"*
Inuyasha groaned, covering his face with his hands.
"I guess she knows now?" Miroku said with a sweatdrop. He looked at the problematic hanyou as he continued to moan and groan his distress.
"I'll have to explain it to her sometime anyway. Gods... Poor Sango..." Inuyasha said to himself, but Miroku heard.
"What do you mean, "poor Sango"? What did you do to my butterfly?"
Inuyasha looked at him with a raised brow. "She's not *your* Sango. And it wasn't me... I sent her off as Kagome's assistant."
"Why Sango? Why didn't you send one of the other maids?" Miroku asked.
"I don't trust the other maids. They're all dumb. I trust Sango, and I think she'd get along with Kagome fine. And I needed someone with battle training because she also had to be the one to tell Kagome..."
Miroku went silent. "Kagome-sama isn't THAT violent, is she?"
"I dunno. First time I met her, she was trying to kill me, but she really sucked at it, so it's nothing Sango can't handle. She's from a family of taijiya, after all," Inuyasha said fondly, lying back and folding his arms beneath his head.
Miroku regarded him. "She'd better be alright, Inuyasha, or..."
"Or you'll have no one to grope?"
"Sorta. She's my favorite helper, and you know that."
Both men began to laugh at that.
"But seriously," Miroku suddenly said. "Princess Kikyo has been lusting over you since the day she can walk. And I heard that she had thrown a fit when she heard about your filing."
Inuyasha snorted. "I bet she did. Have you seen how she looked at me when I came to court with my brother last night to discuss the awarding? It was creepy, man. It was like she was gonna swallow me whole or something..."
"Man, I'm glad I'm not you... Princess Kikyo is creepy."
"And this is creepier monk... we're both nobles and you know what that means?" Inuyasha said, his eyes slits of disapproval.
"Oh, gods! I just realized... You two could be distantly related!" Miroku exclaimed, and both again broke into laughter.
But the laughter didn't last long...
"Inuyasha?" Sango's voice piped up from behind the door, and Inuyasha visibly stiffened.
'Chikuso,' he thought. "Come in..."
-----/---@
Inuyasha gulped loudly as he reached Kagome's door. Sango had told him that the princess wished to see him about his sudden decision, and now he was queasy as hell. He had no idea how he could possibly explain himself - the truth was a bit fuzzy even to him.
He took a deep breath as he reached for the knocker. She had officially been his concubine for the past hour. He didn't really need to knock, but... 'Hell, just knock, dammit!' he thought.
He drew another deep breath before knocking once. "Hey... you in there?"
Inside the room, Kagome tensed. Here he was, the man who had claimed her as his mistress, the man who killed her father, the one who had turned her world upside down. "Yeah."
Inuyasha slowly opened the door, bracing himself, his eyes on his shoes. He looked up just in time to see a bedside lamp flying through the air towards his face.
He barely dodged it, and he completely closed the door as he fixed Kagome, who was sitting calmly by the edge of her bed, with a furious look. "What did you do that for, wench?"
"Duh! I was trying to kill you!" she yelled. "What the hell possessed you to... to... ugh!!! Why do you want ME as your mistress!"
"I..."
"Listen, I don't care if I'm a prisoner of war or whatever. I will NOT be your WHORE!"
"Will you just let me explain for a sec?!" Inuyasha bellowed, effectively shutting her up.
Kagome gulped. Sure, she hated him, but she had to obey him before she finally managed to outsmart and kill him. He WAS stronger than her. "Ok."
"Good," Inuyasha said. "I dunno if you'll believe me, but I'm telling you... this is for your own good."
"How could your plan to make me your whore possibly be good for me?"
"I thought I told you to fucking listen to me?"
Kagome took a deep breath. "Ok. What?"
"Face it bitch. You're arrogant, testy, nosy much too feisty... this planet has a few certain rules about the place of women in this society," Inuyasha began to explain, much to Kagome's indignation. "You say a harsh word to the wrong person and they could have you executed in the town plaza for treason in the blink of an eye. No masks."
Kagome gasped. Was their society really THAT cruel?
"By making you my... my written concubine," Inuyasha gulped. "I'd be making you my legal possession. That way... if you talk inappropriately or anything, they wouldn't be able to have you executed without my command. They couldn't touch something of my property unless I agree. I was..."
Inuyasha trailed off. He couldn't say it. He didn't even understand why he had done it... 'I was trying to protect you...' he finished mentally. But why DID he feel so strangely about this girl?
He should definitely ask Kaede about this. Maybe the princess had put him under some sort of spell?
Kagome still looked doubtful. "LOOK!" Inuyasha yelled in exasperation. "I'm not doing this to get into your pants, ok? I don't care about your pussy. I just wanted to keep you alive! SO just dress up for the damn awarding! I'm doing this for you!"
Now THAT surprised her. It was insulting - in a way - but still. He wanted to keep her alive.
It was almost as if he wanted to *protect* her.
She snickered. 'Now that's a laugh. Considering that he had just obliterated my entire planet and family.' She straightened from her position on her bed, sitting properly to look him in the eye. "Why would you want me to stay alive then, huh? You killed my father, destroyed my people! Ravaged my land oh-so-joyfully, and..."
"You're WRONG!"
Kagome shut up at the sharp shout. Inuyasha looked about ready to kill, and she sure didn't want to be at the receiving end of that hideous sword of his.
Inuyasha slumped. "You're wrong... I didn't enjoy killing your people. I *hated* it! I became a soldier not so I could kill innocent people. I only wanted to avenge my parents and rid the world of scum... that's why I enjoyed gutting your father, but not the others."
Kagome rose in fury. "You ASSHOLE! How dare you call my father that! He was an honorable man! He loved his people and did everything for us! He..."
"He killed hundreds of innocent Soldarians out of a whim!" At Kagome's shocked silence, he continued. "I guess daddy never told you, huh? Do you remember that our planets used to be at peace? When the Galaxia gave their tenth decree, Higurashi decided that Soldarians in Calderia were a threat, and he gathered them all and..."
Kagome looked shocked at what he had said. "That's not true," she replied. "He executed them because they had broken our laws. He told me so... I was at the execution... There wasn't hundreds of them..."
"Because those who he publicly executed were only a tiny bit of those that he had already tortured to death - many of which were kids and women," he shouted. "I hate to break it to you, princess, but your father was not a good man."
"You're LYING!"
"Try me," Inuyasha glared at her. Kagome looked horrified, and something inside him twisted in emotion. He... did not want to see her like that...
"Believe me, I'm only doing this because I want to keep you safe," Inuyasha said calmly, closing his eyes with the effort to stay focused on his words. When he opened them, Kagome's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Please believe me princess. And I'm sorry. Don't cry!" he said in panic as he slowly walked over to her. He really hated seeing women cry! He raised a clawed hand and carefully brushed the few fallen tears away. "I hated your father... and your government. But I never hated all Calderians. I never wanted to kill any innocent person. And saving you..."
Kagome sniffled. "Why? Why did you want to save me?"
"Because it's the least I can do, to compensate for killing so many people. It's a selfish compensation, I know! But... I helped with those bombs, you know?! I know they will never forgive me, but I want to do all I can... because I seriously didn't want the whole race to be destroyed. So I decided to at least keep one alive."
Kagome stepped away from him. "All my people are dead. I have nothing to live for..."
Inuyasha bristled. "Don't think like that! I made you my concubine so that you can have more rights than the common women. You can start again in here."
He took a deep breath, still facing her, but his eyes refused to meet hers. "I know I ruined your life when I killed your father, but I'll tell you this... I'll keep you alive no matter what. As my concubine, you're supposed to be mine. I won't take your freedom from you... I don't intend to use you. You can live in comfort. They can't do anything to you if I don't agree to it. And if push comes to shove..."
Kagome looked puzzled as Inuyasha turned and began to head for her door. "Nani?"
"I'll fight for you."
Kagome froze. 'Did he just say...'
Inuyasha faced the door, his hand on the unlocking mechanism. His mind was swirling... did he really mean it that way? "So please, don't make this too hard. Just dress up for later. You don't even have to be in the hall as I am being awarded. You probably wouldn't want to hear the reason why I am getting a reward." He refused to meet her eyes.
Kagome cringed. "I think I already know why."
"Yeah. But still... just show up," Inuyasha said, before opening the door and stepping out. "I'll send Sango back in here," he told her, still not looking at her, before completely heading out of the room.
-----/---@
Kagome stood shocked, staring at the door.
*I'll fight for you.*
The words refused to leave her mind. She couldn't figure it out... why was her heart thumping so fast? They were just a few words! Probably meaningless, even, since they came from her father's murderer. Heck, he had never even called her by her proper name yet!
But still, the words echoed repeatedly in her head. She could feel her cheeks heating up as she sat back down on the edge of the bed, staring at the green dress that still lay on her bed. She shook her head furiously. She HATED him! Why did those words seem to mean so much?
Her musings were cut off when a knock came on her door.
-----/---@
Inuyasha slapped himself - hard. What the hell had come out of his mouth when he was talking to Kagome? He hadn't planned on saying any of that! Heck, he didn't know that his reasons for making her his concubine were THAT deep!
He had left the guards by her door with explicit orders to let only Sango come in to help Kagome dress.
Were those his real reasons? Or did those just come out of his mouth as he spoke to her? He didn't really have a concrete reason. All he knew was that he didn't want her dead. At least THAT was true...
Inuyasha racked his brain for the truth as he took the familiar steps up to the old miko's shrine. Kaede, one of Soldari's most powerful mikos, used to be his short term baby sitter, and he and the old hag were rather close. He usually went to her in times of distress, and now was DEFINITELY one of those times!
The princess gave him a strange feeling - he had actually gotten it since he first laid eyes upon her. Something was different. He couldn't quite place it, but something was strange. He had felt inexplicably drawn to her, and she seemed to radiate an unfamiliar aura.
'Kaede would know,' he thought, pulling a small piece of cloth from his robes. It was a tiny part of the princess' nightdress. He had nicked it off with his claws as he was pouring the red disinfectant on her leg. He knew that he would need it if he wanted to figure out what seemed off about her. Kaede could help him.
-----/---@
"Father! Reject the amendment!" Princess Kikyo cried in fury, slamming her fists on her father's desk as fake tears fell down her cheeks. "I don't want Inu to have a concubine!"
King Onigumo scratched his head in turmoil, his graying hair revealing a small bald patch on his head. "But Kikyo-chan! It has already been approved and passed!"
"You're the KING!!! Overrule it or something!" she yelled angrily, her cold gray eyes flashing in annoyance.
"The motion has made no violations! I cannot overrule it! Kikyo dear, why are you so upset about this?! It is just a concubine!"
"She's an alien!"
"SO WHAT? He filed her in, and Inuyasha is more than able to handle a concubine."
"You KNOW why!!!"
Onigumo sighed heavily. "Kikyo, your infatuation with Inuyasha will lead you nowhere! I cannot overrule this order, and that is final!"
Kikyo screamed angrily before stomping out of her father's room. She pulled loose strands of her long dark hair behind her ears, adjusting the bodice of her short gray dress. Her smooth pale skin contrasted with the dark color of her clothing, making her look even paler.
She stomped angrily through the brightly lit palace, glaring at the pure white walls and the furnishings that lined it. She snarled at her reflection as she passed a mirror.
'What can he NOT see in me?' Kikyo angrily asked herself. 'I'm beautiful! And I'm powerful. If he takes me, he will be the king!' she raged, before stomping off in the direction of the palace's main doors.
"Get out of my way!" she yelled as a few guards stood at attention and saluted as she stepped outside the palace, wincing against the bright light. She headed determinedly towards Inuyasha's palace, ignoring the guards as they told her to take the royal carriage.
She marched ahead rapidly. 'Time to pay a slutty little alien princess a visit.'
-----/---@
Reactions
-----/---@
Sango nearly fell on her butt on the floor in shock at Kagome's furious outburst. Sango had initially thought that princesses were supposed to be sweet and calm, but oh... how wrong she was. But in all fairness, Sango thought that she may have reacted similarly if SHE had been in Kagome's shoes.
"What do you mean, he filed me in as a concubine?" Kagome asked in anger, before turning her gaze upwards and yelling, "BASTARD!!! COME IN HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!!"
She then turned back to the shell-shocked Sango. "He *filed* me in? Is that even legal? Why would he want me as a concubine? Aren't I supposed to be your enemy?!"
Sango stuttered. "Oh... well, I... He says he has his reasons... I honestly don't know, Kagome-sama..."
"It's KAGOME. No sama."
"Alright... gomen, Kagome-sa- I mean, Kagome. I... to be quite honest, his decision caused a bit of a stir in the senate," Sango said with a confused little smile.
"He leaves me here for three damn hours and now he has another *surprise* for me?"
"Rather. Inuyasha is known to make very sudden decisions," Sango said as she watched Kagome's eyes blank out as she slumped back to sit on the edge of her bed.
"This is why he gave me my own room? He wanted to make me his mistress?" Kagome angrily spat out.
Sango looked hesitant. "I'm not sure..."
"Well, *I* want to know. Tell that master of yours that his lowly *concubine* wishes to ask what the hell he was thinking!" Kagome said as calmly as she possibly could. But Sango shook her head.
"Gomen again Kagome. I don't think it is proper for the concubine to demand anything of her master," she slowly explained. Upon Kagome's dark look, she continued. "You see, he IS officially your master now... something short of a husband."
"Husbands and their wives are equal," Kagome complained.
Sango looked at her strangely, before something seemed to dawn on her. "Oh my, I guess we have a little culture difference, then! In this planet, females are dominated completely by their men. Women could only be above men, if the status is princess to pauper. Common women are equal, and concubines are higher than common women, since they are most likely the mistresses of high authorities. Thus, you are higher than me, but not higher than any man."
Kagome thought a bit. "I get it. So I can't demand anything of him?" Sango nodded. "Well then, Sango-chan, please tell him that I will not dress for the awarding unless he comes over and talks to me personally."
Sango was surprised at the way the princess had called her, and she blinked before bowing deeply. "Hai, Kagome." She turned and headed for the door, but the hime's call halted her.
"Nani o, Kagome?" Sango asked politely.
Kagome gave her a small, semi-genuine apologetic smile. "Arigatou... for the food. And gomen for acting so brashly... I'm not exactly myself right now."
Sango smiled back brightly. "It's ok, Kagome. I understand. I know it's been hard for you."
"I'm glad you understand."
Sango smiled again, before she finally backed out of the room, fully intending to find Inuyasha.
-----/---@
'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid' Inuyasha mentally berated himself, slamming his head against the hardest thing in his bedroom - his concrete wall - repeatedly.
'Baka, baka, baka, baka...' he reverted to smacking his face with a thick book that had conveniently placed itself on his bureau. "BAAAKAAAAAA!"
"Inuyasha?" a muffled voice called from the other side of his bedroom door.
"WHAT?!"
"Can I come in?"
"No."
"Arigatou!" said voice replied, before its owner merrily pushed the door open holding a pin between his thumb and forefinger. "No need to unlock the door, Inuyasha. I got it."
Miroku, a lower noble and friend of Inuyasha, came in and shut the door behind him. Having gone to the same preschool, the two had been close friends since forever, and when Inuyasha decided he wanted to be in the Soldarian army, Miroku had gone off as well.
It had been quite sudden, and everybody had been surprised when Miroku dropped out from the seminary to go join the army. He had always wanted to become a priest, and though it was common knowledge that he was now a soldier, and not a monk, everybody still referred to him as "the houshi". He was now the local "mystic soldier", as some call him.
"No fuck," Inuyasha replied edgily. "I said "no", as far as I can remember."
"Tough luck. I'm in."
"Fuck off."
Inuyasha moodily turned away from Miroku. He dropped the book he had been holding on the floor and sat on the edge of his bed. Miroku followed suit, picking the book up as he did.
"Inuyasha," the man started seriously, keeping his eyes on the book, not meeting Inuyasha's gaze.
"Nani?" Inuyasha replied, also not looking at his bestfriend. A pause followed, then, Miroku turned to Inuyasha with a serious expression.
"I didn't know that you owned any books."
Inuyasha promptly bonked his head.
"Fucking lech... I actually thought you were gonna be serious," Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance, rubbing his right fist, which he had used on Miroku's noggin, with his left palm.
"I WAS serious, Inuyasha."
"Well, screw it, I don't the damn book. I hate reading. That book belongs to Fluffy. He left it here somehow," he snapped, before turning to regard Miroku. "Now what did you want? I'm sure you didn't come here just to mock my indolence."
"Inuyasha!" Miroku suddenly exclaimed in mock surprise. "You actually used a word that has more than two syllables!"
"You sooo love pain, don't you, you masochistic ass?"
"There you go again with the long words... HEY! I resent that."
Silence.
Then...
"Seriously, Inuyasha. I'm here about the new uproar. Is it true?" Miroku asked.
"What uproar?" Inuyasha asked, already knowing the answer.
"That you have taken the Calderian princess as your concubine," Miroku answered, staring intently at his friend, who was desperately trying to conceal his eyes with his thick white bangs.
"..."
"Well?"
Inuyasha gave a defeated sigh, then nodded. He heard Miroku grunt from beside him.
"Amazing," Miroku remarked, making Inuyasha look up.
"Huh?"
Miroku looked back and met his friend's confused golden eyes with his own brown ones, his brows knitted together in thought. "Amazing indeed. I have never known you to be the type to just pick out girls. Heck, of all the nobles around, you're the only one without a concubine. Until now, that is."
Inuyasha rubbed his temples thoughtfully. "I know. But I have my reasons."
"You DO know that the Princess Kikyo is furious."
Inuyasha sighed again. "I know. And I don't give a fuck about that lovesick bitch. I told you, I have my reasons."
"Which are?"
"Personal."
"Too personal to tell good old Miroku?"
"Since when have you been good?" Inuyasha said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "And yes, they're THAT personal. And I'm still kinda beating myself over it. It had seemed such a great idea a couple of hours ago, but now... maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty."
"Inuyasha, the council is still puzzling over it. And I'm assuming that the Princess Kagono doesn't know yet?" Miroku said, earning him a raised brow from Inuyasha.
"It's KAGOME you moron," Inuyasha replied, turning away again.
"Whatever. Anyway... does she know?"
Both heads turned as they heard an outraged female shout resound from somewhere within the palace.
*"NANIII???!!!"*
Inuyasha groaned, covering his face with his hands.
"I guess she knows now?" Miroku said with a sweatdrop. He looked at the problematic hanyou as he continued to moan and groan his distress.
"I'll have to explain it to her sometime anyway. Gods... Poor Sango..." Inuyasha said to himself, but Miroku heard.
"What do you mean, "poor Sango"? What did you do to my butterfly?"
Inuyasha looked at him with a raised brow. "She's not *your* Sango. And it wasn't me... I sent her off as Kagome's assistant."
"Why Sango? Why didn't you send one of the other maids?" Miroku asked.
"I don't trust the other maids. They're all dumb. I trust Sango, and I think she'd get along with Kagome fine. And I needed someone with battle training because she also had to be the one to tell Kagome..."
Miroku went silent. "Kagome-sama isn't THAT violent, is she?"
"I dunno. First time I met her, she was trying to kill me, but she really sucked at it, so it's nothing Sango can't handle. She's from a family of taijiya, after all," Inuyasha said fondly, lying back and folding his arms beneath his head.
Miroku regarded him. "She'd better be alright, Inuyasha, or..."
"Or you'll have no one to grope?"
"Sorta. She's my favorite helper, and you know that."
Both men began to laugh at that.
"But seriously," Miroku suddenly said. "Princess Kikyo has been lusting over you since the day she can walk. And I heard that she had thrown a fit when she heard about your filing."
Inuyasha snorted. "I bet she did. Have you seen how she looked at me when I came to court with my brother last night to discuss the awarding? It was creepy, man. It was like she was gonna swallow me whole or something..."
"Man, I'm glad I'm not you... Princess Kikyo is creepy."
"And this is creepier monk... we're both nobles and you know what that means?" Inuyasha said, his eyes slits of disapproval.
"Oh, gods! I just realized... You two could be distantly related!" Miroku exclaimed, and both again broke into laughter.
But the laughter didn't last long...
"Inuyasha?" Sango's voice piped up from behind the door, and Inuyasha visibly stiffened.
'Chikuso,' he thought. "Come in..."
-----/---@
Inuyasha gulped loudly as he reached Kagome's door. Sango had told him that the princess wished to see him about his sudden decision, and now he was queasy as hell. He had no idea how he could possibly explain himself - the truth was a bit fuzzy even to him.
He took a deep breath as he reached for the knocker. She had officially been his concubine for the past hour. He didn't really need to knock, but... 'Hell, just knock, dammit!' he thought.
He drew another deep breath before knocking once. "Hey... you in there?"
Inside the room, Kagome tensed. Here he was, the man who had claimed her as his mistress, the man who killed her father, the one who had turned her world upside down. "Yeah."
Inuyasha slowly opened the door, bracing himself, his eyes on his shoes. He looked up just in time to see a bedside lamp flying through the air towards his face.
He barely dodged it, and he completely closed the door as he fixed Kagome, who was sitting calmly by the edge of her bed, with a furious look. "What did you do that for, wench?"
"Duh! I was trying to kill you!" she yelled. "What the hell possessed you to... to... ugh!!! Why do you want ME as your mistress!"
"I..."
"Listen, I don't care if I'm a prisoner of war or whatever. I will NOT be your WHORE!"
"Will you just let me explain for a sec?!" Inuyasha bellowed, effectively shutting her up.
Kagome gulped. Sure, she hated him, but she had to obey him before she finally managed to outsmart and kill him. He WAS stronger than her. "Ok."
"Good," Inuyasha said. "I dunno if you'll believe me, but I'm telling you... this is for your own good."
"How could your plan to make me your whore possibly be good for me?"
"I thought I told you to fucking listen to me?"
Kagome took a deep breath. "Ok. What?"
"Face it bitch. You're arrogant, testy, nosy much too feisty... this planet has a few certain rules about the place of women in this society," Inuyasha began to explain, much to Kagome's indignation. "You say a harsh word to the wrong person and they could have you executed in the town plaza for treason in the blink of an eye. No masks."
Kagome gasped. Was their society really THAT cruel?
"By making you my... my written concubine," Inuyasha gulped. "I'd be making you my legal possession. That way... if you talk inappropriately or anything, they wouldn't be able to have you executed without my command. They couldn't touch something of my property unless I agree. I was..."
Inuyasha trailed off. He couldn't say it. He didn't even understand why he had done it... 'I was trying to protect you...' he finished mentally. But why DID he feel so strangely about this girl?
He should definitely ask Kaede about this. Maybe the princess had put him under some sort of spell?
Kagome still looked doubtful. "LOOK!" Inuyasha yelled in exasperation. "I'm not doing this to get into your pants, ok? I don't care about your pussy. I just wanted to keep you alive! SO just dress up for the damn awarding! I'm doing this for you!"
Now THAT surprised her. It was insulting - in a way - but still. He wanted to keep her alive.
It was almost as if he wanted to *protect* her.
She snickered. 'Now that's a laugh. Considering that he had just obliterated my entire planet and family.' She straightened from her position on her bed, sitting properly to look him in the eye. "Why would you want me to stay alive then, huh? You killed my father, destroyed my people! Ravaged my land oh-so-joyfully, and..."
"You're WRONG!"
Kagome shut up at the sharp shout. Inuyasha looked about ready to kill, and she sure didn't want to be at the receiving end of that hideous sword of his.
Inuyasha slumped. "You're wrong... I didn't enjoy killing your people. I *hated* it! I became a soldier not so I could kill innocent people. I only wanted to avenge my parents and rid the world of scum... that's why I enjoyed gutting your father, but not the others."
Kagome rose in fury. "You ASSHOLE! How dare you call my father that! He was an honorable man! He loved his people and did everything for us! He..."
"He killed hundreds of innocent Soldarians out of a whim!" At Kagome's shocked silence, he continued. "I guess daddy never told you, huh? Do you remember that our planets used to be at peace? When the Galaxia gave their tenth decree, Higurashi decided that Soldarians in Calderia were a threat, and he gathered them all and..."
Kagome looked shocked at what he had said. "That's not true," she replied. "He executed them because they had broken our laws. He told me so... I was at the execution... There wasn't hundreds of them..."
"Because those who he publicly executed were only a tiny bit of those that he had already tortured to death - many of which were kids and women," he shouted. "I hate to break it to you, princess, but your father was not a good man."
"You're LYING!"
"Try me," Inuyasha glared at her. Kagome looked horrified, and something inside him twisted in emotion. He... did not want to see her like that...
"Believe me, I'm only doing this because I want to keep you safe," Inuyasha said calmly, closing his eyes with the effort to stay focused on his words. When he opened them, Kagome's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Please believe me princess. And I'm sorry. Don't cry!" he said in panic as he slowly walked over to her. He really hated seeing women cry! He raised a clawed hand and carefully brushed the few fallen tears away. "I hated your father... and your government. But I never hated all Calderians. I never wanted to kill any innocent person. And saving you..."
Kagome sniffled. "Why? Why did you want to save me?"
"Because it's the least I can do, to compensate for killing so many people. It's a selfish compensation, I know! But... I helped with those bombs, you know?! I know they will never forgive me, but I want to do all I can... because I seriously didn't want the whole race to be destroyed. So I decided to at least keep one alive."
Kagome stepped away from him. "All my people are dead. I have nothing to live for..."
Inuyasha bristled. "Don't think like that! I made you my concubine so that you can have more rights than the common women. You can start again in here."
He took a deep breath, still facing her, but his eyes refused to meet hers. "I know I ruined your life when I killed your father, but I'll tell you this... I'll keep you alive no matter what. As my concubine, you're supposed to be mine. I won't take your freedom from you... I don't intend to use you. You can live in comfort. They can't do anything to you if I don't agree to it. And if push comes to shove..."
Kagome looked puzzled as Inuyasha turned and began to head for her door. "Nani?"
"I'll fight for you."
Kagome froze. 'Did he just say...'
Inuyasha faced the door, his hand on the unlocking mechanism. His mind was swirling... did he really mean it that way? "So please, don't make this too hard. Just dress up for later. You don't even have to be in the hall as I am being awarded. You probably wouldn't want to hear the reason why I am getting a reward." He refused to meet her eyes.
Kagome cringed. "I think I already know why."
"Yeah. But still... just show up," Inuyasha said, before opening the door and stepping out. "I'll send Sango back in here," he told her, still not looking at her, before completely heading out of the room.
-----/---@
Kagome stood shocked, staring at the door.
*I'll fight for you.*
The words refused to leave her mind. She couldn't figure it out... why was her heart thumping so fast? They were just a few words! Probably meaningless, even, since they came from her father's murderer. Heck, he had never even called her by her proper name yet!
But still, the words echoed repeatedly in her head. She could feel her cheeks heating up as she sat back down on the edge of the bed, staring at the green dress that still lay on her bed. She shook her head furiously. She HATED him! Why did those words seem to mean so much?
Her musings were cut off when a knock came on her door.
-----/---@
Inuyasha slapped himself - hard. What the hell had come out of his mouth when he was talking to Kagome? He hadn't planned on saying any of that! Heck, he didn't know that his reasons for making her his concubine were THAT deep!
He had left the guards by her door with explicit orders to let only Sango come in to help Kagome dress.
Were those his real reasons? Or did those just come out of his mouth as he spoke to her? He didn't really have a concrete reason. All he knew was that he didn't want her dead. At least THAT was true...
Inuyasha racked his brain for the truth as he took the familiar steps up to the old miko's shrine. Kaede, one of Soldari's most powerful mikos, used to be his short term baby sitter, and he and the old hag were rather close. He usually went to her in times of distress, and now was DEFINITELY one of those times!
The princess gave him a strange feeling - he had actually gotten it since he first laid eyes upon her. Something was different. He couldn't quite place it, but something was strange. He had felt inexplicably drawn to her, and she seemed to radiate an unfamiliar aura.
'Kaede would know,' he thought, pulling a small piece of cloth from his robes. It was a tiny part of the princess' nightdress. He had nicked it off with his claws as he was pouring the red disinfectant on her leg. He knew that he would need it if he wanted to figure out what seemed off about her. Kaede could help him.
-----/---@
"Father! Reject the amendment!" Princess Kikyo cried in fury, slamming her fists on her father's desk as fake tears fell down her cheeks. "I don't want Inu to have a concubine!"
King Onigumo scratched his head in turmoil, his graying hair revealing a small bald patch on his head. "But Kikyo-chan! It has already been approved and passed!"
"You're the KING!!! Overrule it or something!" she yelled angrily, her cold gray eyes flashing in annoyance.
"The motion has made no violations! I cannot overrule it! Kikyo dear, why are you so upset about this?! It is just a concubine!"
"She's an alien!"
"SO WHAT? He filed her in, and Inuyasha is more than able to handle a concubine."
"You KNOW why!!!"
Onigumo sighed heavily. "Kikyo, your infatuation with Inuyasha will lead you nowhere! I cannot overrule this order, and that is final!"
Kikyo screamed angrily before stomping out of her father's room. She pulled loose strands of her long dark hair behind her ears, adjusting the bodice of her short gray dress. Her smooth pale skin contrasted with the dark color of her clothing, making her look even paler.
She stomped angrily through the brightly lit palace, glaring at the pure white walls and the furnishings that lined it. She snarled at her reflection as she passed a mirror.
'What can he NOT see in me?' Kikyo angrily asked herself. 'I'm beautiful! And I'm powerful. If he takes me, he will be the king!' she raged, before stomping off in the direction of the palace's main doors.
"Get out of my way!" she yelled as a few guards stood at attention and saluted as she stepped outside the palace, wincing against the bright light. She headed determinedly towards Inuyasha's palace, ignoring the guards as they told her to take the royal carriage.
She marched ahead rapidly. 'Time to pay a slutty little alien princess a visit.'
-----/---@
A/N: To answer some questions, yes, I have already done this fic. I'm just reposting it.
That's it for the chap! I hope you all liked it. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review!
SR1001
SR1001