InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Kiss for A Prince ❯ Sesshoumaru’s Coronation! ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Twelve: Sesshoumaru's Coronation!


"Alright Kagome," Kilik said as he motioned for the flag in her hands and tossed her a longstaff. "The same thing, just make sure to adjust to the different weight." Kagome nodded and he stood by as she began, her hands shifting on the staff as it blurred in front of her. "You can also use your staff as a shield in this way. It would be more powerful with a ki of some sort, but I don't believe you're learning any sort of magic yet."

`Oh if you only knew,' Kagome smirked before reminding herself to ask InuTaishou about the shield Kilik was suggesting. Kilik however looked unaware of his pupil's devious countenance. He stared off into space for a moment, then quickly barked an order at her.

"Four count toss!"

Kagome responded immediately, her hands falling into position as she grasped the staff a little up the middle and tossed it a little over her head, where it spun in one complete circle before returning to her outstretched hand. She resumed the staffs twirling, a smug smile on her lips as she winked at him. "Not bad huh Kili-"

"Forward jab!"

Kagome's body moved instinctively, her hands completing a single rotation before firmly grasping the staff, stepping forward and quickly leading the jab with her right hand.

"Again."

Kagome pivoted on the ball of her right foot and thrust the staff forward again, this time giving a slight `Hmnh!" of exertion at his glance. He continued to drill her and clapped after each command.

"Forward jab!"

"Thrust!"

"Kick!"

"Jump!"

"Strike! Faster!"

Kagome performed the best she could as quickly as she could, but for some reason she felt like she still wasn't fast enough for her sudden taskmaster. She leaped up with his next command and quickly sliced her staff out in front of her, her left hand free to come up and fist underneath her chin as her staff's momentum flung her right arm behind her. She landed squarely on her feet, her eyes narrowed and her breaths ragged as she glared over her left forearm.

"Very good Kagome," Kilik applauded with a smile. "You're much faster than you were two weeks ago. I dare say that you've made some improvement."

"Thanks Kilik," Kagome breathed as she propped the staff up and leaned against it. She wiped the sweat away from the bridge of her nose and grimaced at the dark stain on the tips of her gloves. "I thought for a second you were mad at me."

"What for?" he asked before gesturing for the staff again. Kagome handed it over readily and watched with no small amount of relief as he returned it to its place on the dojo wall. "You haven't done anything..." He glanced over his shoulder at her and raised a brow, a mischievous gleam in his eyes before...

"Or have you?"

Kagome blushed and shook her head and he returned to the wall. "Kilik," she said after a comfortable silence between them. "When's Nassi coming back?"

"I...don't know," he admitted. His back was to her, so Kagome couldn't see the worry on his face or the frown that suddenly appeared on it. `She should have been back by now,' he said to himself as he searched for another weapon to drill Kagome on. `She normally doesn't take this long to come back from her scouting missions. I wonder if Inutaishou-sama is worried as well.'

Kagome studied him as he searched, her gaze thoughtful as she too wondered about the missing kencho. `I wonder where she went,' Kagome mused before yawning slightly and looking up toward the skylight. `She always gets to have all the fun.'


`I wouldn't call it fun...' a familiar voice whispered in her head. Kagome blinked in confusion, a slight frown tugging on her lips before a happy sparkle lit up in her blue-gray eyes. `Nassi?'

`No, the Easter bunny,' the kencho snorted, then giggled in embarrassment. `Sorry Kagome. Forgot that you didn't know what that was. Tadaima* by the way!"

"Okaeri*!" Kagome chirped and dashed from the room, leaving Kilik in a stunned silence as she raced down the hallway to the Southern entrance. Nassi laughed in her mind and a picture of a black falcon flying over the Outer Gate appeared in Kagome's.

`Now I'm home,' she sighed and Kagome couldn't help but grin at the relief in her voice. She ran past Inuyasha, who called her name before quickly catching up to her.

"What's the big deal?" he asked as he easily sprinted beside her. Kagome glared at him, inwardly envious of how easy he ran while she huffed and puffed beside him. "Nassi's back!"

"No way," he shook his head, the veered to the right when she ran though the castle doors to the courtyard. "She's not back yet. I would have smelled or heard somethin-"

A shrill bird's cry pierced the mid-morning air, and Inuyasha `feh'ed at the `I told you so' on Kagome's face. He picked her up instead and bolted into the courtyard just as a little black falcon changed into their missing friend. She was dressed in all black, with her hair bound away from her face. Nassi un-braided the onyx strands and combed it out with her claws, then grinned as Inuyasha put Kagome down.

"Hey you guys," she greeted as Kagome ran toward her. "How's it h-"

*GLOMP!!!*

"Nassi!!!!" Kagome cheered as she and the surprised kencho fell to the dust below. "Where've you been? We've missed you!"

"Wow," Nassi giggled as Inuyasha helped them both to their feet. "I didn't know you cared." She dusted herself off and took a moment to look at Kagome, a smirk forming on her lips as she took in her training attire. "Did you run out of your lessons?"

"Um..." Kagome blushed and Nassi laughed as Keni'Chi walked toward them from the Inner Gates. "How'd things go?" he asked when Nassi finally calmed. Her mood calmed almost instantly, the happy smile on her face melting into total seriousness.

"Yeah, um...let's wait until later ok?" she said before turning to Kagome. "And how've you been? Have you been practicing?"


"Yup," Kagome nodded. "I've worked on my staffwork with Kilik and Keni'Chi started me on nunchaku yesterday."

"So you haven't been practicing your hand to hand or your swordsmanship?" Nassi asked, her brow raised and waiting.

"Of course I have!" Kagome assured her. "Keni'Chi and Kilik have added hand to hand to my practices and I've been practicing my swordsmanship on my own."

"That's great! How about you show me when we get back? I've got something to tell InuTaishou-sama."

"OK then," Kagome nodded. "I've got something to ask Miroku-san anyway."

"Oh Kagome!"

Kagome stopped mid stride and turned back around. "Hai?"

"Could you tell Houshi-san to meet me in the second floor conference room? It's the one on the Southern hall."

Kagome nodded. "Sure, I'll tell him." She walked away as Crystal came out of the nearby stable. The two girls exchanged pleasantries before Kagome resumed her destination and Nassi waved Crystal over.

"Hai Nassi-san?" the kitsune hanyou said with a slight bow. "Okaeri*."

"Arigato Crystal-chan. Could you please do me a favor and ask the lords InuTaishou and Sesshoumaru to meet myself and the other generals in the second floor conference room?"

"I'd be happy to," Crystal answered with a bow, auburn hair cascading over her shoulder to dust the ground. "I'll tell them now."

"Domo arigato," she replied, then turned to Inuyasha and Keni'chi. "Shall we gentlemen?" she said, gesturing to the castle entrance.

"What's so important?" Inuyasha asked when they were finally inside and making their way up the stairs to the second floor of the southern wing. "I mean, you nearly ran Kagome off. We've been worried sick about you. What the fuck-"

"What about Kilik Nassi?" Keni'Chi asked as they entered the conference room and sat at their assigned seats around the rectangular table. "Shouldn't he be here?"

"I'm here already," Kilik said as he walked into the room. "I figured that, by the way Kagome practically disappeared from my instruction, that either you were back or she needed to relieve herself." He took his seat beside Keni'Chi while they chuckled at the unusual princess's behavior. "I also figured to check this room first before the others. It's just dumb luck that I found you."

They stood up as Sesshoumaru and InuTaishou entered the room, all but Inuyasha bowing in respect. InuTaishou sat at one end of the table, with Sesshoumaru at the other. InuTaishou motioned for everyone to sit down, then sat down himself before glancing at Nassi.

"Nassirudden, okaeri*," InuTaishou greeted with a warm smile. Nassi quickly returned it. "Arigato InuTaishou-sama. Forgive me for my tardiness. I had to make sure I wasn't followed."

"I take it your mission was less than a success," InuTaishou questioned while the others looked on. Nassi nodded dismally.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Then you did not find out why the Dark Army has gone for so long on Sinji-san's borders?" Sesshoumaru questioned. Nassi shook her head and Sesshoumaru frowned. "Then what did you find out?"

"That Sinji-sama's dead. Or, he was dying before I got there. He DIED in my arms."

"Please say your joking," Inuyasha gaped as the others stared at her in disbelief. "That's not funny if you are."

"Trust me, I don't think it's funny either," Nassi sighed before brushing a stray lock away from her face.

"Why don't you tell us what happened from the beginning," InuTaishou suggested. "Surely he wasn't killed just as you walked in the door."

"No, not exactly," Nassi shook her head. "Everything was fine on the way there. It was once I infiltrated the castle that things got a little...strange."

"What do you mean, strange?" Kilik asked.

"For one, there were no signs of Sinji-sama or Tesurayo-sama when I first arrived. I managed to get inside the main parts of the castle before nightfall and hid inside Sinji-sama's study. I overheard the guards talking about how no one had seen him for weeks and that he never left his room."

"So naturally, that's the first place you looked," Keni'Chi assumed. Nassi nodded. "When I got inside though, what I found was..." She shook her head and rested her forehead against her waiting hand, obviously traumatized by what she had to say next.

"Cease the dramatics Nassirudden," Sesshoumaru replied coldly. "We wish to hear of Sinji-san's death some time this century."

"He wasn't dead when I came in the room, like I said," Nassi told him. "But it wasn't like he was far from it either. He looked so tired, so old, that it honestly didn't look like him. I thought I was in the wrong room or something. I mean, he looked BAD."

"When was the last time you spoke with Sinji-sama?" Keni'Chi asked InuTaishou. The taiyoukai tapped the end of his nose in thought, then said "Not long before Sesshoumaru brought the rose princess to our castle. We discussed the plans for the Spring Festival and what his warriors were looking forward to."

"Too bad he's not going," Inuyasha muttered under his breath and winced when Nassi and Keni'Chi smacked him upside his head. "Ow! What the fuck?"

"What happened next Nassirudden dear?" InuTaishou asked, ignoring the meelee that threatened to break out around him.

"Well, I tried to talk to him but I don't think he knew I was there. He was drinking something that smelled like-" She paused at a knock on the door and smiled at Miroku as he entered the room. "Konnichi'wa Miroku-san," she greeted as he bowed to the room. "I'm glad to see you."

"Not nearly as much as I am to see you," Miroku greeted with a charming smile. "What may I do for you?"

"I would like for you to take a look at this," she said as she pulled a square piece of orange silk from her haori sleeve. "If you could, I'd like to know what's in it and what the antidote is."

"Alright then," he replied as he took the silk from her. "Is that all?"

"Hai houshi-san, that is all," InuTaishou assured him. "You are free to return to your duties."

"Arigato my lord," Miroku said with a bow and parted from the room. The others glanced back to Nassi, who waited until Miroku's footsteps finally faded to continue. "I said he was drinking something, correct?"

"Hai," Sesshoumaru nodded. "But you had suspicions about the contents."

"Oh. Right. To me, it smelled funny. It was something cinnamon flavored but the smell of cinnamon was so overpowering, like whoever made it was trying to cover up something." She thought about it a bit more, then shrugged. "In our country, we sometimes mask the bitter flavors of medicine for little pups. I don't think that's the case though. The underlying smell was like bitter almond."

"We have a poison in our land that smells like bitter almonds," Keni'Chi answered InuTaishou's questioning gaze. "It's highly dangerous, and Miroku has a sample of it. If that's what's in it, he'll be able to tell."


"How fast can this poison kill a youkai?" InuTaishou asked. Keni'Chi shrugged. "It never was tested on youkai," he answered thoughtfully. "But it is well known that enough can kill a ningen within hours."

"Sometimes days," Nassi replied. "But it takes several small doses for the days. It's been what...three months since Kagome joined us?"

"Four," Sesshoumaru corrected.

"Right. Gomen Sesshoumaru-sama. I think four months would be enough for this poison to take it's toll."

"If Sinji-san is dead, why hasn't word been sent out?" Inuyasha wondered aloud.

"Maybe they're waiting for the Great Taiyoukai's coronation to let everyone else know," Kilik guessed.

"Or maybe they're looking for me," Nassi muttered. "I was chased from the castle, under disguise of course. That's what took so long for me to come home."

"This is what I don't understand," Keni'Chi began as he scratched along his jawline. "If Sinji's been fed poison for some months, why hasn't anyone there said anything to the other providence?"

"This is gonna sound stupid-" Inuyasha began.

"And how is that different from any other day?" Sesshoumaru interrupted.. Inuyasha scowled and growled in Sesshoumaru's direction, in which the taiyoukai promptly ignored him.

"Like I was saying," he glared at Sesshoumaru and flipped him the bird. "I know this is gonna sound stupid, but what if the Dark army was allowed to settle on the borders? That way someone would come snooping around and-"

"And end up being set up for Sinji-sama," Kilik whispered in understanding. "Iie Inuaysha. That makes more sense than you realize."

"Now there's a change of plans," Keni'chi smirked.

"No seriously," Kilik said as he mulled over the idea. "Think on it a moment. If someone on the inside is actually responsible for Sinji-sama's demise, then he would want the suspicion placed away from him. The least obvious, but the best way would be to bring in someone else for the blame to be placed on."

"Oh, I see," Keni'chi said. "Someone allowed the Dark Army to settle on the border, that way one of the neighboring providence would send someone to investigate."

"And whoever came would be caught, or at least seen, and the blame would be on them!" Nassi concluded in surprise. Her eyes widened, then narrowed into silvery gray slits as thunder began to roll outside. "They USED me! Why those dirty rats!"

"You mean dirty cats, and it's more like they used InuTaishou-sama," Kilik surmised. "If you had been caught, they would have automatically connected you to the West. That would have started a war we don't need right now."

"That's true Kilik," InuTaishou agreed with a wise nod. "A war between taiyoukai would be just what the Dark Army needs to take over Japan."

"So what do we do?" Nassi asked. InuTaishou stood up and waited for the others to do the same before answering. "I say we do nothing," InuTaishou determined. "They do not know that you were there, so there is no need to act as if they do. We shall go about our normal activities. It is a good thing you arrived when you did Nassirudden. You have the rest of the day to prepare for our departure."

"Departure?" Nassi repeated as everyone was dismissed. "Departure to where?"

"Sesshoumaru's coronation," Inuyasha reminded her with a tortured groan. "We're starting for Central Castle tomorrow."

"Hai, and I would like for you to help Kagome prepare," InuTaishou said while the others filed out of the room. "Be sure she dresses in layers. She will need them."

"I will," Nassi bowed, and turned to leave when InuTaishou grasped her wrist and gently tugged her back into the room. "Nassi, before you leave..."

"Hai InuTaishou-sama?"

"How many times must I tell you not to call me that?" he smirked down at her, his golden eyes warm as she smiled up at him.

"Um...as many times as it takes for me to listen InuTaishou-sama?" she quipped and grinned when he chuckled. "What may I do for you my lord?'

"I wish to know if you and Kagome wear the same size clothes."

"Er...that's kinda personal," Nassi joked. "You never ask a lady her size InuTaishou-sama. It's considered rude."

"You know what I mean," he growled gently as she laughed at him. "Do the both of you wear the same size?"

"Hai, I believe so," Nassi finally answered. "Why?"

"I want you to pack her something...extra from your wardrobe. A few dresses would be of great help."

"Alright," Nassi agreed. She decided not to question him, knowing from the gleam in his eye that he had something planned. "If you'll excuse me," she said with a bow.

"Of course. You're dismissed," he replied with a wave of his hand. "Be sure to remember that we leave at sunrise Nassi!"

II

Kagome stifled a yawn and glanced at the forest around her, her cheek pressed against Nassi's back while the gentle movement of the dappled steed lulled her in a state of relaxation. She'd always loved the outdoors, but five days of doing nothing but traveling soon left her with an ache for the vanilla creme walls of her room.

`There's so little to do,' Kagome yawned and sniffed before glancing behind her. Inuyasha and Keni'Chi were arguing, their horses shoulder to shoulder as the two youkai bickered about something undoubtably petty. Kilik trailed along behind them, a thoughtful expression darkening his normally peaceful features. His staff was strapped to his back and his hair swayed gently with his horse's unhurried pace.

She tightened her arms around Nassi's waist, then waved the general's hand aside when she reached back to pat her head. `Don't be nervous Kagome,' Nassi whispered before turning her thoughts to Inuyasha. `Just what are you two arguing about now?'

`He called me `puppy-dog' again,' Inuyasha grumbled irritably. Keni'Chi's laughter rang out inside their minds. `But he is a puppy,' he countered, then winced and cried out when Inuyasha punched him in the arm. `That hurt puppy-sama!'

Kagome interrupted before Keni'Chi could lash out. `Sumimasen, but where are we going?'

`To Hell, pretty much,' Inuyasha retorted with a sigh. `At least it'll be Hell to us.'

`Inuyasha,' Nassi shook a mental finger at him when Kagome tensed. `Don't tease her. Don't worry Kagome. Nothing's going to happen to you there so long as you follow what we're going to tell you.'

`There are rules that you have to follow,' Keni'Chi said next. `And since I have a feeling that we'll be there before the afternoon begins, I suggest we get started. Did you gather an extra food?'

`Hai, I did,' Kagome nodded. Keni'Chi smiled up at her. `Good. You're going to need them-`

"Central Castle is just over this hill," InuTaishou called out from the front of the party. "Prepare yourselves." `And prepare Kagome as well.'

`Hai InuTaishou-sama,' Keni'Chi and Nassirudden replied with a nod of their heads.

`Ok Kagome, this is what's up,' Inuyasha began. `No matter what you do, don't say anything to anyone unless they say something to you first. Trust me, this place is nothing like home.'

`Stay with Kilik and Inuyasha at all times,' Keni'Chi told her. `Never stray far from them, and always stay behind Kilik. It's a rank thing. You'll understand as soon as we get th-`

"We're here."

The horses stopped at InuTaishou's signal, with Sesshoumaru and Alabaster a little farther down the opposite side of the hill as the others stared at the fortress in front of them. The castle itself was hidden behind high walls that encircled the grounds. There was no moat around the think stone barrier but Kagome could sense a strong magic deeply ingrained in the castle's defenses.

"Wow," Kagome breathed in awe. "Amazing."

Inuyasha frowned, and for once Kilik shared his expression as they stared at the fairy tale like castle. "I wish I stayed at home," Inuyasha grumbled before dismounting his steed. Kilik followed suit as Inuyasha helped Kagome down and held her as she steadied herself.

"Arigato Inuyasha-kun," Kagome smiled, unaware of the slight narrowing of Sesshoumaru's eyes as he glanced at them from over his shoulder. He turned without another thought and stared at the castle awaiting them. His sharp eyes caught sight of the two guards standing on either side of the castle entrance. They both were panda youkai, large bears dressed in blue uniforms with long spears in their hands. The golden circle of the Great Taiyoukai shone from the middle of their chests and their bone armor shimmered in the sunlight.

`Mine,' Sesshoumaru declared to himself before nudging Alabaster forward. `My word is law here. Finally...'

"Come," InuTaishou beaconed when Sesshoumaru was a few feet ahead of them. "We mustn't keep Sesshoumaru waiting."

`Why did he just say that?' Kagome asked, then noticed that Keni'Chi held Kilik's horses reigns and Nassi led Lasher along by his reigns. `And why are you two walking Inuyasha?'

`Inuyasha and Kilik have to walk,' Keni'Chi sighed sadly. `As do you. No ningen or hanyou has ever rode inside the Great Taiyoukai's castle.'

`Why?' Kagome asked.

`Because the old tai's were nothing but selfish bastards,' Inuyasha growled. `They think that hanyou and ningen aren't worthy enough to walk in their presence.'

`I'm so confused,' Kagome whimpered. `I don't understand what's going on. You guys don't like the place. Why?'

`It's because of they way they treat ningen blood,' Nassi answered with a frown. She nudged her horse forward, both her and Keni'Chi flanking InuTaishou's right and left side. Inuyasha fell in step a little behind and to the right of InuTaishou's steed, with Kilik behind him and Kagome behind Kilik.

`See, every ningen and hanyou that steps through those gates gives up their freedom in a sense,' Nassi said as they followed InuTaishou down the pathway to the castle gate. `Once you're here, you're seen as nothing more than-`

`Property,' Inuyasha snarled hatefully. `It's embarrassing! They don't care if you're a prince or not!'

`But I still don-`

"Kagome."

"Hai, InuTaishou-sama," Kagome called as she ran toward him. She held up the numerous folds of her pale pink kimono while carefully skipping over the rocks in the pathway. He pulled his horse to a stop and waited for her to catch up to him, her dark head barely up to his bootstrap as he gazed down at her.

"Have they explained things to you?" he asked. Kagome nodded. "Hai InuTaishou-sama."

"Good. I want you to keep behind Kilik and not say a word. Keep your head down at all times." He reached down and patted her head lovingly, his gesture so fatherly that it stunned the generals around them. `Go now,' he said as he started his horse forward. `And do not worry. I will be the one to protect you here.'

Kagome nodded as she returned to her place, her head dropping immediately and her eyes watching her shoes as they followed InuTaishou to the gateway. Sesshoumaru had disappeared inside earlier and Kagome dreaded what would happen if she lifted her head to see after him.

"Halt!" one of the panda youkai barked as they moved forward. "State your name and territory!"

InuTaishou sat up a little straighter in his saddle and all emotion disappeared from his face before he answered. "I am Inu no Taishou, ruler of the Western territory."

"And the ones with you?" the second panda asked as he too stepped forward.

"They are my generals, servant and son."

The guards glanced over the others, their noses turning up rather rudely at Inuyasha, Kilik and Kagome before stepping aside and opening the gate. "You and your party may pass Inu no Taishou."

InuTaishou passed through the gate without another word, his head held high as he lightly grasped the bejeweled reins. Keni'Chi and Nassirudden followed, Nassi with Lasher first before Keni'Chi and Kilik's horse. Inuyasha passed through next, ignoring the pointed growl sent his way. Kilik did the same but Kagome gasped, unused to the menace radiating from any youkai, no less one she'd never met. The youkai sneered at her reaction and reached for her, but growled when Kilik quickly grabbed her arm and led her through the gate.

`You ok Kagome?' Inuyasha asked. Kagome quickly responded. `Hai, I'm fine.'

`You can't show your fear here,' Keni'Chi told her as they walked down the enclosed pathway to a bright light up ahead. `There are youkai that eat ningen here. They'd quickly think of you as food.'

`Those that don't eat ningen will try to harm you anyway,' Nassi growled. `Just to be jackasses about it.'

`Don't worry guys, I've got her,' Inuyasha assured them. `Don't worry Kagome, ok? Just ignore the other youkai and do whatever Kilik and I do.'

`Alright,' Kagome said. She winced when they finally reached the end of the pathway, the bright light blinding her momentarily as she followed Kilik's aura. Her senses flooded with the auras of hundreds of youkai, some nearly as powerful as InuTaishou himself. The crowd parted from InuTaishou's way, leaving a wide path to the very middle of the expansive courtyard. Kagome stifled a sneeze that threatened to overcome her when dust flew up her nose, it twitching every now and again as Kagome struggled against the urge to tap it.

InuTaishou and the others soon dismounted, handing over their reins to one of the nearby servants before glancing ahead of them. A golden throne sat on a platform in the center of the clearing. The throne held the golden symbol of the Great Tai on it's high back, with the four symbols of the other lands on the clawed feet of the throne itself.

InuTaishou stepped toward it his golden gaze fixed on nothing else. The guards, lower lords, and servants bowed reverently as three others stepped away from the crowd. The four youkai took their respective places beside the throne, with InuTaishou at the western crescent on the front right leg and Hiroshi (the southern hawk youkai) at the star on the back right leg. Kouga took his place at the triangle on the back left leg and a neko youkai with strawberry blonde hair stood at the teardrop on the left foot across from InuTaishou.

Inuyasha and Kilik kneeled, their hands in their laps and their heads lowered. Kagome quickly did the same, her palms upturned as she and the others sat and waited. A stray wind gently blew past, it passing over their faces like a mother's caress. Kagome closed her eyes and relaxed, her shoulders slumping only slightly as a wizened old owl youkai fluttered down to the clearing. Dull, slate gray eyes scanned the crowd throughly, a sense of approval appearing in his eyes before he turned to the other taiyoukai and the throne.

"Ohayo gozaimasu* my lords," he croaked out with a stiff bow. The taiyoukai bowed their heads in response before the old youkai turned back to the crowd.

"It is good to see you all here as well. I am not one for speeches, this you may already know-"

"Do get on with it Ryuji you old fart," Kouga growled impatiently. "I'd like to see Sesshoumaru-sama crowned before my next lifetime."

The old youkai, Ryuji, sighed to himself and shook his head. "Youth is certainly wasted on the young," he muttered to himself. "Especially the impatient ones."

`Kagome? Inuyasha?' Nassi whispered across their psyche when Ryuji continued. `Are you guys alright?'

`As good as can be expected when you're sittin' on your feet,' Inuyasha groaned. `And I think they're asleep. Oh great. Just what I need.'

`Who is this youkai?' Kagome asked, her attention momentarily sidetracked when Ryuji's wing fluttered inches from her side.

`That's Ryuji, the oldest of everyone here,' Keni'Chi answered. `I don't know a lot about it, but from what Kilik's said in the past, Ryuji is the one who first suggested that we have the Great Taiyoukai in the first place. It was his idea to bring peace to Japan.'

`He's also the Great Taiyoukai's advisor,' Nassi said. `And he stays here in the castle when the Great Tai goes back to his original homeland.'

`Oh, ok then.' Kagome said with a quick blink.

`No more talk,' InuTaishou told them as Ryuji's speech came to a close. `They will be introducing Sesshoumaru soon.' Trumpets blasted seconds later and Inuyasha winced, his ears flattening to his skull.

"Fellow lords and ladies," Ryuji said as he stepped back from the throne. "I give you your new tai, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha and Kilik leaned forward, their foreheads resting in the dust below. Kagome did likewise as Sesshoumaru's aura revealed itself on the outer skirts of the courtyard. Nassi and Keni'Chi watched and relayed the image to Kagome via their telepathic link.

Sesshoumaru walked in slowly, with a sense of purpose surrounding him like the blue cape on his shoulders. The crowd stepped to the side and away from him, the other taiyoukai that didn't bow earlier now on one knee. InuTaishou and the others stepped away from the throne as Sesshoumaru approached, the helm of his indigo cape brushing past Kagome's bowed head. He stopped in front of the throne's seat and turned to face the crowd as Ryuji moved closer to him.

"Sesshoumaru, Son of the Inu no Taishou and Crown Prince to the Western Providence, do you swear to use your power as Great Taiyoukai to uphold the laws of the Taiyoukai Alliance, to protect the land from all aggressors and to rule as fairly as your predecessor, if not more so?"

"I do," Sesshoumaru replied respectfully.

"Will you accept this responsibility?"

"I will."

"Then bow your head." Sesshoumaru had to do a little more than bow for the short youkai but soon his head was low enough for the owl's gnarled hands to set a golden circlet over Sesshoumaru's brow. Ryuji grinned at him, his smile missing more than a few teeth. "Pup," he whispered to Sesshoumaru as he passed him a ring. "I still think you are too young for this, but you won the Tournament fair and square. Good luck to you."

He stepped back without another work and bowed, ignoring his back's slight groans as he and the rest of the youkai watched Sesshoumaru try to place the ring on his right middle finger. He frowned and tried again on his index, then his ring finger before finally finding a fit on his pinky. He clenched his fist before returning his hand to his side.

"All hail Sesshoumaru!" a guard pronounced from somewhere deep within the crowd. "Great Taiyoukai over all of Japan!" The crowd cheered uproariously and trumpets blasted once again as Sesshoumaru took his seat at the throne. He gazed down at his otou-san and the other tai as they too bowed before him then glanced to Ryuji as he stood and gestured toward the guards.

"Tonight we will feast! Servants, please see our guests to their rooms. Guards, show their slaves to the holding quarters."

Kagome gasped when gruff hands jerked her to her feet and watched as Inuyasha and Kilik were manhandled by guards dressed in blue. Inuyasha growled slightly but stopped at a slight tugging on the edge of his consciousness. He calmed himself and sent that same sense of calm to Kagome. She relaxed in her guard's arms almost instantly, surprising the unsuspecting warrior as he followed the others to a nearby door to the inner workings of the castle.

The guards, ten in all and each with a ningen or hanyou in hand, descended a flight of stairs to the basement and the holding quarters. Kagome glanced up at each door as they walked past. Some were open and she could easily see the wares inside. Other doors were closed, but Kagome could hear voices coming from inside.

`Where are we going Inuyasha?' Kagome whimpered. Inuyasha frowned at the fear in her voice, his instinct and his otou-san's command to protect her roaring to her call.

`It's ok Kagome,' he answered as they finally left the warehouse rooms and approached the holding cells. `We're going into holding. Then we'll be able to talk ok?'

`Ok.'

He frowned, his brow deeply furrowed as the guards stopped in front of four rooms. Three of the four doors opened and before Kagome could gasp she, Inuyasha, and Kilik were thrown into the room. The door slammed shut behind them and the guards quickly made their way back to the upper levels of the castle. Kagome stood from where she was thrown and dusted herself off, assured Kilik and Inuyasha of her well-being and glanced around the room.

The room was small, with three simple cots lined up in a row at the back of the room. A small door left ajar on the left wall had what Kagome could see was a bathroom.

"So this is what you were talking about," Kagome mumbled as she sat down on the cot near the right wall. "No wonder you weren't looking forward to this trip."

"I promise you, it gets worse," Inuyasha quipped as Kilik yawned and scratched his left leg. "There's no hope of a bath here, and the food is crap. On top of that, we only get food once every three days. You did remember to grab some fruit or something from the kitchens before coming here, right?"

"Hai, I did," Kagome nodded.

"Good. Then I suggest you get rid of some of those layers. It's going to be hot in here, and you won't need all of that kimono on at the same time."

III

A week and a half inside the holding room, and still nothing had changed for the three locked inside. Kilik bid his time by writing, having brought a pen and paper with him. He explained the workings of them to Kagome and Inuyasha, pointing out the differences between the dried wood pulp and plastic encasing in comparison to the feather quills and parchment paper they were used to. Inuyasha spent it complaining about everything, from the minuscule crack in the wall to the guards' lack of punctuality when it came time for their meals.

Kagome however, spent it talking with the others on either side of their room. She discovered that the two males on the right were the personal hanyou servants to the southern tai, and the three ningen (two females and one male) were the servants of the eastern tai. The two hanyou servants had never experienced what Kilik and the eastern servants called the `gathering', so they were unprepared in terms of food. The food provided for the room's occupants was moldy bread and watery, barely palatable white gruel. Kagome thought to eat it without complaint when the woman next to their room screamed and the sound of a bowl connecting with the cold stone wall cracked through the air.

She remembered the screams and the frantic attempts to calm her. She could hear the terror in her voice and swore that somewhere between her screaming, the two hanyou's shouts for her to be quiet and Inuyasha's growling about the noise, she heard three words that made her shudder

`Slime'

`Worms'

`Food'

After that, she refused to touch the meals brought to them. She also managed to secretly share what she had with the others in the next rooms. In result, she quickly ran out of supplies for herself. Kagome didn't mind so long as the others didn't suffer. Soon, she started feeling weak. She fell asleep earlier and woke up later than what she normally would have due to her vigorous training back at the western castle.

Inuyasha awoke early one morning, his instincts on alert as he struggled to figure out what woke him so early. He glanced to his companions and found them both to be sleeping. He sat up and watched the sun rise through the tiny crack they dared call a window and wished he were home for the umpteenth time. Still he couldn't figure out what it was that had him so on alert. He sniffed the morning air eagerly, his nose slightly above the sickness in the air.

Wait...

`Who's sick?' Inuyasha wondered as he scented the air again. He turned to the left first, thinking that it was one of the hanyou in the other rom before turning right. He followed his nose as he deciphered the scent itself before the sounds of a faint heartbeat thumped in his ears. His nose and his ears led him to Kagome, who still lay sleeping on the cot nearest the eastern servants. He quickly sniffed her and beneath the layers of dirt and sweat he found the unmistakable scent of a coming sickness.

"Kagome?" he whispered as he shook her shoulder. "Kagome wake up. Its Inuyasha. Kagome can you hear me?"

"What's going on?" Kilik growled, his voice slightly thick as he struggled to awareness.

"It's Kagome. I think she's getting sick."

"Let me see." Kilik stood from his bed to kneel at hers, his calloused hand gently cupping her forehead as Inuyasha shook her again. "Inuyasha, she doesn't feel right."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked as Kilik checked the pockets of his haori and jacket sleeves. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Shh...you'll wake the house," Kilik reprimanded before tossing his jacket aside. "How long has it been since she last ate?"

"Um...I don't know," Inuyasha confessed with a shrug. "Why?"

"Because her energies are weak. She will get sick unless we can wake her and get her something to eat."

"Today isn't the day they bring the food," Inuyasha told him as he sat at Kagome's bedside.

"I don't believe it would do her much good anyways," Kilik responded with a sigh. "If she would not eat the food she brought, what makes you think she would eat the slop they give us?"

"I'm calling Nassi," Inuyasha growled. He closed his eyes and concentrated, delving deep within his consciousness for the beautiful purple thread that led him to the general's mind. He frowned and ignored Kilik's questions as he tried again before trying Keni'Chi and giving up. "I can't reach them," Inuyasha snarled, his eyes slightly glazed from the effort.

"What are you talking about?" Kilik asked as Inuyasha began pounding on the door. "How can you reach them without calling for them?"

"It must be Kagome," Inuyasha realized, talking more to himself than Kilik before pounding on the door again. "She's our link. That's why I can't reach the others! GUARD!!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!!! MY FRIEND IS SICK!!!"

IV

Sesshoumaru leaned against the left side of his throne, his elbow propped on the throne's armrest and his index and middle fingers lightly settled on his cheekbone. He stifled a yawn, figuring such open expressions undignified of the high lord he now was. `Besides,' he said to himself as another of the lesser lords pledged his alliances to him. `Such displays may lead them to think that I'm weak.'

Nassirudden and Keni'Chi stood guard at the door, their expressions of boredom matching Sesshoumaru's.

`I'm so fucking bored,' Nassi said to herself as she shifted the oversized staff from one hand to the other. She glared at the offending weapon, wondering to herself in what lifetime would this be useful in battle. `Besides, this weapon would be more useful as a javelin right Ken?' She glanced at him and scowled when she found him facing forward, steel gray eyes set on the happenings inside the throne room.

`Ken, did you hear what I said?' Nassi called, then knocked the end of her spear against his boots. He glanced at her and Nassi repeated herself. `Ken, didn't you hear me?'

Nothing.

`Ken?'

He stared at her curiously, then shrugged and returned to the throne room ahead. Nassi tried again, then frowned. "Something's wrong," she whispered, then turned as shouting came from somewhere deep within the castle.

"What is it Nas?" Keni'Chi asked. The noise was too far away for him to hear but Nassi could see the other bird youkai with her sense of hearing turn toward the door as well. She motioned for him to be quiet as the shouting stopped and the sound of approaching footsteps began. She quickly stepped out of the doorframe, pushing Keni'Chi as well before a young hamster youkai dressed in the happi and hakamas of the servants ran into the room.

"Your majesty!" the little creature squeaked without thinking. The poor creature shrieked when hundreds of predatory eyes fixed on him, the other lords' hard angry gazes stealing the breath from the creature. Nassi sensed the youkai's distress and attempted to calm him. She gently placed her arm around the little creature's shoulders, the youkai no taller than Jaken with beautiful black and white fur.

"Is there something wrong minna-san?" Nassi asked. The servant relaxed slightly, the angry auras surrounding them stifling the air from him. He looked up and into gentle gray eyes and forgot about the others as Nassi pressed the creature for information. "You called for Sesshoumaru-sama correct? What is the trouble minna-san?"

"I-it is n-not S-Sesshoumaru-sama I c-called for," the youkai stuttered. "It is inu-inu-"

"InuTaishou-sama?" Nassi offered. The hamster nodded quickly. "Hai."

"He is right over there," she replied before moving a pointed claw in InuTaishou's direction. The hamster thanked Nassi and prostrated himself at InuTaishou's feet, his hands splayed out in front of him. "Forgive me my lord," he began, his voice muffled against the cold gray tile. "But there is an emergency in the holding area."

"What type of emergency?" InuTaishou asked as the meeting went on without him. The other lords resumed declaring their loyalty as the little youkai explained, InuTaishou's face paling considerably as he instructed the youkai to return to Nassi's side. He moved through the crowd to Sesshoumaru and kneeled in front of him, his head down and his right hand crossed over his chest to his right shoulder.

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

"There is no need for you to bow," Sesshoumaru told him as he motioned for InuTaishou to stand. "I know where your loyalties lie."

"It is not that," InuTaishou told him. "It is...one of my servants."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed only slightly. "Go on."

"One of my servants has been depraved of food. As of now she-"

`She? Kagome...I knew it...'

"Is sick and my son; your half-brother; and another are attempting to revive her." He turned when another hamster, this one a brilliant auburn with golden strands mixed in. He watched as the new hamster whispered to the first before coming to him. InuTaishou leaned down and allowed the youkai to whisper in his ear, nodding every so often until the little youkai finished. "Arigato," he said as he dismissed him and turned to Sesshoumaru.

"Apparently my servant has awakened, but she is weak. The others with her feel that she will get sick in this state." `Come on Sesshoumaru,' InuTaishou silently pleaded as Sesshoumaru remained silent. `I know you care for the girl. Just a little something is better than nothing.'

"And what would you suggest I do about it?" Sesshoumaru quipped drily. He watched as InuTaishou contemplated an answer, fully aware of the whispering that began the moment he spoke. `I do not wish her harmed,' he thought as the whispering grew louder. `However, to show her any favor is to reveal a weakness. If I know Otou-san, he will come up with something that will allow me to help her.'

"I believe that a small amount of broth would do her good," InuTaishou replied next. "If it pleases you, then allow her this small token as a favor to me. I do not wish to see her ill.'

Sesshoumaru silently commended him as he gestured to one of the passing servants. "You, see to it that InuTaishou-san's request is fulfilled. And do be quick about it," Sesshoumaru added as an afterthought. InuTaishou bowed in thanks and stepped back as the strawberry-haired neko youkai moved forward.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," he purred as he bowed before the throne. "I stand here in my otou-san's stead."

"Where is your otou-san Tetsuyaro-san?" Sesshoumaru asked the eastern prince. "Why is Shinji-san not here?"

"It saddens me to say that Shinji-sama is dead, my lord," Tetsuyaro said with another bow. Waist length hair draped over his shoulder in front of him, and lilac eyes shone with unshed tears. "But I am here in his stead and I pledge my loyalty to the Central Crown."

"So noted. We will speak of your coronation later Tetsuyaro-san."

"Arigato Sesshoumaru-sama," Tetsuyaro said with another bow as he stepped away from the throne. Kouga made to take his place when the black and white hamster servant came back, this time nearly as frantic as when he first came in. The hamster gestured for InuTaishou to lean forward once again and whispered something new to the taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru's ears twitched toward them as the other lords looked on. What he heard next infuriated him and he slammed his fist against the armrest before he could stop himself.

"What do you mean she will not eat?" he growled at the youkai. The hamster shivered in terror, it's beady black eyes wide as it flung himself before Sesshoumaru's feet.

"Please forgive me Sesshoumaru-sama," the youkai pleaded insistently. "I tried to give it to her but she wouldn't have it. Her companions tried to help but she still refused to take it."

"Did you tell her that it was an order from me?" InuTaishou asked. The hamster nodded. "But she still refused to take it."

"You don't think she's too tired to do you?" Nassi whispered to Keni'Chi, who shrugged in response. "I mean, wouldn't that be the only reason she'd-"

"Bring her to me," Sesshoumaru's growl interrupted them. "I wish to know the little ningen's reason for disobeying her better."

"Onegai Sesshoumaru-sama," InuTaishou began as the hamster scurried past him, one of the blue robed guards in tow. "That is unnecessary. I can handle her myself."

"She has shown disrespect to this court," Sesshoumaru decreed with finality. "I will have a reason for this, or she will be punished."

InuTaishou moved to speak again but stopped when Kagome's scent wafted toward him. He could sense her fatigue in her aura but nothing prepared him for the state she was now in as the guard marched into the room. Kagome was haphazardly slung over his shoulders, something that must have infuriated Inuyasha, before stopping in front of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru inwardly winced at the smell coming off of her, reminding himself that the room she shared with Inuyasha and Kilik had no water in order to wash off. It wasn't the smell of dirt or sweat that bothered him, but the scent of the other males clinging so closely to her own unique bouquet that sent his inner youki reeling.

The guard unceremoniously dropped her onto her rear and walked away, leaving Kagome to herself in the center of the room. She slowly moved to a kneeling position with obvious effort until her feet were underneath her and her head lowered. Her hair, once done up in an intricate bun, now lay tangled over her shoulder in a dull black mass.

"Ningen," Sesshoumaru began, his ears twitching slightly at her startled gasp. "State the name of your lord."

"My lord is-"

`Is me,' InuTAishou whispered from deep within her mind. `Tell him that your lord is me.'

"My lord is InuTaishou-sama, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Then why did you disobey his order?" Sesshoumaru inquired as he looked down at her from his seat on the platform above her. "Surely you know better than this."

"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome whispered softly. She bowed respectfully, her forehead briefly touching the floor in front of her before sitting up once again.

"Then give your reason for disobeying," Sesshoumaru demanded. He could sense her unease and though he felt somewhat sorry for her, he refused to allow her behavior to go unexplained. `She must learn that, though she is allowed to do some things at home, she is not allowed to do them here.' He waited patiently for her to explain herself, her unease growing by leaps and bounds until InuTaishou's voice whispered in her head.

`Just calm yourself Kagome,' he advised soothingly. `Tell him the truth. Things will be alright.'

Kagome took a deep breath to steady herself, then said, "My lord, I received InuTaishou-sama's request, but I did not believe it honorable to have what those around me deserved just as much."

"You would not eat because the others inside the holding cells could not?" Sesshoumaru clarified. Kagome nodded and bowed again.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"That is not a good excuse," Sesshoumaru determined. "You were given an order and you are expected to obey it."

"I cannot my lord," Kagome countered with yet another bow. "It would be a dishonor to do so when my companions cannot."

"You dare to disobey me?" Sesshoumaru growled, the whites of his eyes slowly becoming pink as he relaxed against the back of the throne. "Onna, do you know what wrath you set against you?"


"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome answered, her voice not only soft but shaky as well. She struggled not to faint underneath Sesshoumaru's youki as it swirled around her, the anger deep inside it twisting frightfully against her skin.

"Then you have decided to disobey me as well? Very well then." He snapped his fingers and a guard appeared at her side, his spear poised toward her throat as Sesshoumaru looked on. Kagome's eyes widened slightly but she held still lest the blade's sharp edge of the spear nick the fragile skin of her neck.

"As the law states, you shall be beheaded," Sesshoumaru told her, pointedly ignoring InuTaishou's disapproving stare.

"Unless there is another taiyoukai of equal or slightly lesser standing than myself that would wish to spare your life..." He glanced around and found that none of the other lords had moved, including his otou-san. `Do not fear Kagome,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as the guard raised his spear in preparation. `Otou-san will call for you. If he does not, I will revive you with the Tenseiga.' He swept his right hand forward and the guard lowered his spear.
Metal rang out against metal suddenly, and Sesshoumaru opened his eyes to find not InuTaishou but Kouga standing behind Kagome. His sword was mere inches from Kagome's nose, with the spear resting against the metal's sharp blade.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Kouga announced as the guard backed away. "I ask that this onna be spared, both for myself and for the Western lord."

"For what purpose?" Sesshoumaru asked. Inwardly, he fumed at his otou-san for not reaching Kagome first before decided that anyone was fine so long as she remained unharmed.

"She is right. It would have been a dishonor for her to eat something in front of those that suffer just as much as she does. She is an honorable ningen, something that is rare in these. I ask that you spare her life and return her to the West."

Sesshoumaru made as if to think the request over before nodding his permission. "So be it. Take her back to her room. Be sure to feed the onna and those she's so willing to give her life for."

"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama," the hamster youkai agreed while the guard from earlier picked Kagome up and slung her over his shoulder once again. He bowed to Sesshoumaru and turned to leave, Kagome's dark hair brushing against the backs of his knees before Kouga shouted for him to halt.

"InuTaishou-sama, you say that onna is yours?" Kouga asked. InuTaishou nodded. "Yes, she is a servant and ward of my providence. Why?"

"I wish to borrow her from you," Kouga requested. Sesshoumaru inwardly froze at the request, his blood roaring in his veins as InuTaishou inquired as to why.

"She is but a kitchen maid," InuTaishou told Kouga as Kouga lifted Kagome's face from the guard's back and examined it. "She is not fit for anything more...strenuous."

"Iie, you misunderstood me," Kouga said before giving Kagome a gentle smile. "I wish to be allowed to speak to her and visit with her for the rest of your stay here."

"Well..." InuTaishou thought to say no before catching a glance at Sesshoumaru over Kouga's shoulder. Though Sesshoumaru may have looked calm and uncaring, InuTaishou could see the tiny hints of tension in his eldest son. His shoulders were a little straighter than normal and his jaw was tensed slightly. It was then that an idea came to him, and he was glad he made the proper preparation for just such an occurrence.

"Do you give your word not to hurt her?" InuTaishou asked. "And not to force her to do anything that would take away from her purity?"

"Of course," Kouga grinned while Kagome blushed a deep crimson. "Anything else?"

"That is all," InuTaishou replied. "You may borrow her for tomorrow evening's dinner, then we will see about the rest."

"Alright then," Kouga replied before returning to the front. InuTaishou watched him go and smiled at the look of cold fury shining in Sesshoumaru's eyes. `Well pup,' InuTaishou said to himself. `Looks like you may have some competition on your hand. Maybe it shall remove the stick from your behind.'

V

Kagome yawned as Inuyasha stepped away from the door and watched the guard come in, deposit a tray with three bowls on the floor and leave without so much as a word of greeting. Kagome and the others were used to this by now, and she shrugged it off as the other doors opened.


"Hey, at least one thing came out of you being sick," Inuyasha said as he handed her a bowl. "The food's a little better."

"And it's more frequent too," Kilik commented before taking a sip of the broth. "I'd rather have beef broth than that poison they tried giving us earlier.

"You shouldn't eat too much by the way," he reminded her as Kagome drank from her bowl. "You're having dinner with Kouga-sama tonight."

"Yeah, the bastard," Inuyasha growled. "I swear, when I get out of here I'm gonna pound him AND Sesshoumaru!!! What was that asshole thinking?!"

"There wasn't a lot he could do Inuyasha," Kagome told him. "You two said that ningen are looked down on here. I'm sure that if he did try to show me mercy, they would lose respect for him."

"Lose respect?" Inuyasha growled angrily. "FUCK respect Kagome! He nearly got you killed!"

"Iie, I nearly got me killed," Kagome disagreed. "I knew that saying no would get me in trouble but I couldn't sit by while you guys suffered. It's not right."

`Kagome...'

`Nassi?' Kagome replied, then winced when the general practically screamed into her conscious.

`Where have you been?' she demanded. `Ken and I have been worried sick about you!'

`Gomen nasai,' Kagome apologized as Inuyasha and Kilik looked on. Kilik shot Inuyasha a confused look, which Inuyasha in turn looked at Kagome. She nodded and Inuyasha gestured for a pen and paper as Nassi continued to rant.

`How could you let yourself get sick like that?' she asked Kagome. `I mean, first you get sick then Sesshoumaru nearly demands your head! Girl, don't you know how to stay out of trouble?'

`Gomen Nassi,' Kagome apologized as Inuyasha passed Kilik a sheet of paper. Kilik's eyes bulged in his head, then he shook his head in disbelief before writing down a response. `I didn't mean to make you worry.'

`It's ok Kagome,' Keni'Chi told her. `We were really worried about you, but now you're alright now so everything's ok. Stop bothering her Nas and tell her what you want.'

"Hey Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted after poking her in the side. "Kilik here wants to see your trick."

"My...trick?" Kagome repeated, obviously confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You know..." Inuyasha tapped the side of his head and grinned when Kagome `Ohhhh'ed in understanding. "That trick."

`You mean this trick,' Kagome whispered into Kilik's mind. Kilik jumped and looked around, then glanced at Kagome while she and Nassi giggled. `W-what's going on?' he asked. `Are you really doing this?'

`Yup, this is all Kagome's doing,' Keni'Chi said. `We're all linked together through her. Nassi panicked yesterday because the link was severed. You should have seen her face when she realized that the link was back.'

`The only person that can talk to her without the link is Otou-san,' Inuyasha explained next. `The rest of us have a little purple thread that leads to the others. Right Kagome?'

`As wonderful as this little initiation is,' Nassi interrupted with a mental sigh. `I actually tapped Kagome because I wanted to tell her something.'

`Go ahead Nassi,' Kilik said with a little awe still coloring his mind. `I'm just so amazed, but I'm sure that what you have to tell Kagome is important.'

`It is. Kagome, there are some servants coming for you in...about four minutes.'

`What for?' Inuyasha growled. `Haven't they done enough already?'

`They're not going to harm her Inuyasha,' Keni'Chi told him. `They're coming to prepare Kagome for dinner with the northern tai.'

`I still say it's a bad idea,' Inuyasha disagreed. `I just want to know what Otou-san was thinking.'

`I was thinking,' InuTaishou said as he joined the link. `That since Kouga spared Kagome, that a simple thing as a dinner and conversation could be allowed to thank him. Surely you don't question my judgement Inuyasha.'

`No Otou-san, but I don't want-`

`Know that when I asked you to protect her I had faith in your ability to. I still do. However, for the time we're here I have to serve as her guardian and act in accordance with what I believe is best for her.'

`You know, I'm sitting right here,' Kagome grumbled. `And I don't need protecting all the time...do I?"

`Until your training is finished...yeah, you do,' Keni'Chi told her. Kagome scowled as the others laughed at her expense. `We're not intentionally teasing you,' Keni'Chi soothed as Kagome continued to pout. `Its just that, until you finish your training and gather control of your inner ki-`

`Which she'll never do,' Inuyasha interrupted. `Or better yet, she'll mess around and purify us first.'

`Just what do you know anywa-`

`Kagome is a miko?' Kilik interrupted.

`Yeah,' Inuyasha nodded. `How do you think we're able to do this? Some kind of spell? No way. Sesshoumaru would be able to smell it.'

`ANYWAY!' Nassi suddenly shouted across the conscious link. `Jeez, this is worse than three way calling. I wanted to tell you, Kagome, that a guard is on their way NOW.'

`Now? Why now?' Kagome squeaked before the door opened and a guard stepped inside.

"You, onna," he growled as he grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet. "Come with me."

`You guys,' Kagome whimpered as the guard dragged her out of the room and closed the door. `Where is he taking me?'

"Awfully quiet aren't you onna?" The guard, one Kagome recognized as one of the panda youkai from the gate, smirked. "I heard that you ningen normally kick and scream when youkai are around."

`Don't worry Kagome,' Nassi told her. `He's taking you to the bathhouses. There are a couple of servants there waiting for you.'

`Nassi, you're going to be there right?' Kagome pleaded while she and the guard made their way down a long corridor.

`Hai Kagome. I'm on my way.'

"Here go you," the guard said as he shoved a shoji door aside and pushed Kagome into the room. "Now I've got better things to do. Make sure she doesn't escape." He slammed the door shut and left with a growl of warning in Kagome's direction. Kagome stared ahead of her at the bathing room and found a deep pool in the center of the room. The room smelled of bathing salts and other herbs and Kagome gasped as three neko youkai appeared between her and the bathing pool.

"Gomen little ningen," the one with lime green hair apologized. "We didn't mean to scare you. We're in charge of the bathhouses."

"We've already prepared a bath for you," the one with the short black bob said. "See? We've used only the best oils for you."

"Wow," Kagome breathed, already taking a liking to the three females with her as she approached the pool and peered into it's crystal blue depths. "It's so beautifu-ee!"

The three youkai laughed as Kagome fell headfirst and splashed into the pool. "What the-?" Kagome sputtered as she rose back to the surface. "What's the meaning of thi-" The three neko youkai pounced immediately and shoved Kagome back underwater, their hands holding her under as they cackled like witches around the cauldron.

"Did you really think we'd let you near our Great Taiyoukai?" the black haired one sneered as the others held Kagome down. "Filthy ningen, how dare you think to sully him with your presence!"

"HEY!"

The three looked up, Kagome's head still underneath the water as Nassi glared at them from inside the door's threshold. "What are you doing?!"

"You can't question us!" one with an orange braid that fell a little past her shoulders shouted back. "You're lord's rule doesn't reign here!"

"But that's his servant your assaulting!" Nassi countered before thunder rumbled throughout the room. "You bitches leave before I stop feeling generous."

"You won't do anything to us," the green haired one challenged then pushed Kagome's head back underwater when the princess shook the youkai free. "You'll kill her."

"Better she die by my hand than yours," Nassi growled. Her eyes reflected the sunlight streaming into the room, her claws lengthened and electricity surged from one fingertip to the other. "Now let her go and GET THE FUCK OUT!"

The neko youkai screamed when lightening flashed and ran from the room, all three swearing to repay the general as Nassi calmed herself down and fished Kagome out of the water. "Kagome!" she called as Kagome coughed up water. "Are you ok?"

"Um...iie," Kagome retorted with a strangled groan. "I was almost DROWNED."

"I know it," Nassi said and gave her a relieved hug. "Gomen nasai. I should have been here sooner."

"The important thing is that you came," Kagome said as she hugged her back. She flashed Nassi a bright smile when they separated then looked at her clothes and groaned. "Oh no," she moaned as she shook the waterlogged garment. "What am I going to wear now?"

"Don't even worry about it," Nassi told her before dropping a canvas sack to the floor and digging inside. "That's why I brought this."

"What's in it?" Kagome asked before Nassi passed her a bottle. "What's this?"

"It's something that'll help you make the best impression possible," Nassi grinned. "Don't worry Kagome, trust me." She lit the coals around the pool, grasped the bottle of oil from Kagome and poured half the contents into the water.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked while Nassi continued to flutter about the room. Nassi merely smiled back as the scent of roses and vanilla began to perfume the air. She soon began to hum something bright and cheery, something Kagome was unfamiliar with as she reached inside the sack for three more bottles.

"Alright Kagome," she finally said when Kagome felt the scent of the bath would float down the hallways to the castle. "Strip and jump in."

"But what are you doing?" Kagome asked as she did as Nassi told her and stepped into the pool. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," Nassi smiled. "I'm just going to help you be all that you can be. Trust me."

VI

InuTaishou sat at the banquet table with the other tai and Sesshoumaru in the center of the room, both Tetsuyaro and Sesshoumaru involved in a engaging conversation with Hiroshi over a land matter that neither concerned or fascinated InuTaishou enough to join. The lesser lords sat at identical tables around them, each at a table assigned by the providence they lived in. Tables belonging to the west were to the left of the room, while tables to the east were on the right. Southern and northen tables were in corresponding areas of the room. All in all there were sixteen tables in all, with the majority with the west and the east. Guards of all four territories except InuTaishou's surrounded the outside of the room.

InuTaishou searched the room for them and met the narrowed cerulean eyes of the northern tai. "Where is she?" Kouga growled impatiently. "You promised she'd be here."

"And she will be," InuTaishou growled back, his annoyance at having been asked such a question heated in his voice. "Do you doubt my word Kouga-san?"

"No, of course," Kouga said with a shake of his head. "I...my apologies InuTaishou-sama. I sometimes let my mouth get the best of me."

"Never mind it," InuTaishou waved his apology aside and quirked a brow at him. "I see you're ...dressed rather differently for this dinner. Any particular reason why?"

Kouga `heh'ed in embarrassment and scratched his head, his furry brown attire traded for a gray formal gi with a brown and white sash tied at his waist. His headband was gone, leaving his forehead free and the silver triangle to shine in the middle. His tail twitched idly behind him, the ends of it curling around the sitting mat. Another mat was placed a little behind him and to his left between himself and InuTaishou, and an extra set of o-hashi* waited on a little holder next to his own.

"No reason," Kouga finally said. "I just got tired of walking around in that stuff." He yawned as the servants began to serve the evening meal, the trays for the starter quickly picked up and carried away beforehand. Kouga opened his mouth to ask about Kagome again when the most enticing scent captured his attention. He sniffed eagerly and quickly gained the attention of the others at the table. He held his nose in the air and took a deep breath, the muscles in his shoulder relaxing little by little as the scent became stronger.

"What is that smell?" another ookami youkai asked. The entire northern table was alert by then, the noses of the entire ookami tribe thrust into the air, their nostrils flaring slightly as they caught what attracted their leader.

Tetsuyaro grimaced and shook his head. "Now that's what I want to see before I eat," he grumbled as the wolves continued. "The inside of an ookami's nose right before dinner always whets the appetite."

InuTaishou inwardly snickered, but wondered what attracted the wolves' when he too caught the scent that attracted them. He smiled to himself at the familiar fragrance and mentally commended Nassi for a job well done. Soon every youkai in the room knew of the scent that approached them, each eagerly anticipating the owner's arrival.

"Maybe its's another tai," one of the lesser lords from the south whispered. "Someone else that hasn't been mentioned yet."

"No, the scent belongs to a female," another whispered. "Whoever she is, she must be a great beauty."

InuTaishou smirked at this and glanced to Sesshoumaru, exchanging the ice cold stare he gave him with a smile of his own before turning to the open double doors of the dining room. The winter mint scent with Kagome's he knew to be Keni'Chi and was thankful a familiar guard was with her. The scent of nervousness within the roses and vanilla was slight, but enough to show proper respect for the court as Keni'Chi appeared in the doorway. InuTaishou's smile grew when the other youkai gasped, apparently surprised that the heavenly scent coming toward them belonged to a female that a day ago was too sick to move.

Keni'Chi held Kagome in his arms, her arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders. Kagome blushed slightly and looked away, unused to so many eyes staring at her as Keni'Chi bowed to the room. "InuTaishou-sama, I've brought the onna as you commanded."

"Bring her to me," InuTaishou requested as he motioned him forward. Keni'Chi strolled into the room confidently, mentally easing Kagome's nerves as he walked to the center of the room. The other youkai watched them as they passed, the slight hissing of Kagome's skirts as they brushed against the cold stone floor the only sound in the room. Keni'Chi bowed again once he reached InuTaishou's table, this time falling to one knee with Kagome sitting on the other.

"Sit her here," InuTaishou instructed as he pointed to the mat between himself and Kouga. Kouga stared in wide eyed admiration as Keni'Chi lowered her to the assigned mat, his hold on Kagome's waist unwavering.

`How do I sit you guys?' Kagome asked across the link. `I mean, isn't there an order to this thing?'

`Kneel,' was Kilik's quick answer. `And keep your head lowered at all times.'

Kagome quickly did as he suggested, her legs folding underneath her and her hands resting in her lap as she held her head down. `Now what?'

`Wait for Keni'Chi to step back, then prostrate yourself to Sesshoumaru-sama, InuTaishou-sama and the rest of the table in that order.'

Keni'Chi walked away and took his place at the door when Nassi entered the room. The both began their guard of the door and watched as Kagome did as Kilik suggesting, her forehead brushing the floor with each bow. `Bow again to InuTaishou-sama,' Kilik told her and again she did as he instructed, her forehead resting against the floor with her hands clasped out in front of her after she gave her proper respect to the table.

"Very good," InuTaishou approved, then mentally thanked Kilik for his help. `You must instruct her on how to behave during this dinner,' he advised while the rest of the room watched and waited. `I did not expect this to happen, so she is unprepared.'

`I will InuTaishou-sama,' Kilik replied. `What now?'

InuTaishou mentally smirked, a devious twinkle in his eye as he looked from Kagome to Sesshoumaru and back again. `Now it is time to `show off' as you would say.' "Stand onna," InuTaishou commanded. "Stand and allow Kouga-san to see you." Kagome stood gracefully, moving first to her hands and knees before straightening her legs and pushing herself up. She kept her head bowed and her eyes at half mass before turning to Kouga, who drank in every inch of her as the other youkai looked on.

Obsidian strands were held up in an intricate updo, all her hair pulled away from her face with a single lock at the nape of her neck free to curl against the middle of her back. Ruby crescents sparkled brightly from within the dark curls and a tiny ruby beauty mark was pasted a little below her right eye. A little rouge was stained on her lips and her long dark lashes lightly curled and fanned against her cheek.

Her dress was an off the shoulder masterpiece in blood red silk, with sleeves that were attached to her ring finger by a red string. Golden thread shone from the fabric of the bodice and the skirt flowed from her hips and pooled at her feet. She turned to reveal a train and two golden ribbons that streamed from the back of her dress and past the helm of her skirt.

"Kouga-san is to be your lord for this dinner," InuTaishou instructed as he motioned for her to be seated. "You are to obey him, within reason of course."

"Hai InuTaishou-sama," Kagome whispered. She bowed to him again and turned from him to Kouga, finding strength not only in Kilik's instruction but in the nearness of InuTaishou, Sesshoumaru and the other generals. `They won't let anything happen to me,' she told herself as Kouga continued to stare at her. `They will protect me should anything happen.'

`That's right Kagome,' Kilik told her. `Nothing is going to happen to you. InuTaishou-sama will not permit it. Now...bow to Kouga-dono but don't say a word unless spoken to.'

Kagome bowed and straightened herself, her mouth closed and her eyes still slightly open as she awaited his instruction. "Where did you find her?" Kouga asked InuTaishou after Sesshoumaru started dinner.

"She is a tribute from her kingdom," InuTaishou answered after taking a sip from a cup of sake. "She is well behaved and has a lovely countenance."

"I can see that," Kouga nodded, unaware of the hard gaze of the Great Taiyoukai behind him or the curious stares of the other youkai. "What's her name?"

"Why don't you ask her?" InuTaishou chuckled kindly. "The onna has a voice. I am sure she could tell you."

Kouga nodded and, like an excited child on Christmas morning, turned to Kagome with a grin. "Onna, look at me."

`Go ahead,' Kilik said at Kagome's confusion. `It's an order from him, so you can do it. Look at him but don't look in his eyes. Youkai take that as a challenge.'

Kagome looked up slowly, shyly, blue eyes twinkling with gray flecks as she did as he commanded. Kouga gave her a warm smile that widened when she blushed and looked to his shoulder. "Don't be afraid of me," he whispered softly. "O-namae wa nan desu ka*?"

`Say mud!' Inuyasha shouted suddenly. Kagome smiled, one that Kouga mistook to be for him as she answered.

"Watashi no namae* Kagome, my lord," she replied with a respectful bow. InuTaishou watched this approvingly, then quirked a brow at Sesshoumaru before continuing with his meal.

"Watashi no namae* Kouga, and I'm the taiyoukai of the north," Kouga told her proudly. "And I've never met an onna that smelled the way you do."

`I agree,' Keni'Chi growled at Nassi. `Did you HAVE to make her scent so strong? I though I was going to faint on the way here.'

`The great Keni'Chi, fainting because of a ningen onna,' Nassi teased. `You're such a wuss.'

"I can tell that some of it is what you bathed in, but your true scent isn't far from it," Kouga said next, unaware of the chaos happening in Kagome's mind. Kagome quickly shut out all but Kilik and InuTaishou, getting a collective `Hey!' from the others. "Why do you smell so different?"

"I do not know," Kagome replied truthfully. "Gomen nasai if it offends you."

"Iie, it's not that," Kouga said quickly. "It's..(sigh). Never mind. Mo tabemasho ka*?"

"Iie Kouga-sama," Kagome responded. Kouga's smile widened. "Then I get to feed you."

`Feed me?' Kagome said as Kouga picked up the extra pair of o-hashi* and began to pick through his meal. `What does he mean? Why can I not feed myself?'

`The rules for ningen are different here,' Kilik told her before she could ask another question. `Here, ningen are seen more as property than as individuals, which is why Nassi dressed you in the colors of the west. That way other youkai know whom you belong to without having to ask you. That is also why you don't get to walk. Regular ningen and hanyou like myself and Inuyasha are merely slung over the shoulder. Ningen in the favor of a lord are held in the arms, `bridal style' I think. Miko and ningen who have gained some respect on a certain level are carried on the guard's backs.'

Kagome thanked him and obediently opened her mouth when Kouga turned to her with a bit of fish. InuTaishou left them to their own devices and struck up a conversation with Hiroshi while Sesshoumaru and Tetsuyaro continued theirs.

"Just look at him," Tetsuyaro whispered as Kouga reached up to touch Kagome's hair. "He acts as if she's some sort of tennyo or something. Disgraceful."

Sesshoumaru said nothing and resumed eating.

"But I will admit," the neko youkai grinned suddenly. "She is a pleasant one to look at, and she smells more than adequate. Your otou-san certainly knows how to pick `em."

"I suppose," Sesshoumaru replied and glanced at Kagome and Kouga in veiled ...jealousy? `Ridiculous,' Sesshoumaru growled at himself as he dismissed the idea. `The little onna is only a ningen. There is no reason for me to be jealous...nor will there ever be. Let Kouga play with her. It will make no difference.' He looked up to find InuTaishou smiling at him. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly, but InuTaishou only grinned and raised his sake cup in salute.

`Just look at him,' InuTaishou mused as Sesshoumaru returned to his conversation with Tetsuyaro. `He is not happy. But this is what he asked for. Who am I to deny him when he clearly wants to suffer?'

"Nani ka nomitiai desu ka*?" Kouga asked as he returned Kagome's o-hashi* to their resting place.

"Hai," Kagome responded with a respectful nod. But sake o nomimasen*."

`It's not sake," Kouga assured her with a laugh as he held the cup under her nose. "It's tea."

"Alright then," Kagome said with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. "Nomimasu.*" Kouga complied and held the cup to her lips, tipping it slightly and allowing her to drink to her heart's content. "Now," he said as he returned the cup to the tabletop. "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen, my lord."

"That's quite young in ningen years, isn't it?"

"Hai," Kagome answered with a slight nod. "I suppose it is."

Kouga inhaled deeply, once again drinking in her scent and allowing it to imprint itself to memory. "Tell me," he said with a wry smirk. "Are you mated?"

The blush returned to Kagome's cheek as she shook her head. "Iie Kouga-sama."

"And why not?" he wondered aloud. "A pretty onna like you with no mate? I find it hard to believe. Any suitors?"

"Iie," Kagome whispered and her flush darkened.

"What would you say if I told you that I would like to court you?"

Kagome froze, unsure of what to say as Inuyasha ranted from somewhere in the back of her mind. The air around her tensed as the other youkai awaited her answer, all eyes on the two of them as Kagome asked Kilik what to do.

`I don't know,' Kilik admitted. `I've never been in this situation before-`

`Tell him to FUCK OFF!' Inuyasha ranted as he shoved his way into her attention. `Who does that wimpy ookami think he is anyway?!' Inuyasha growled as he was shoved out again and this time InuTaishou was the one to speak to her.

`Do not answer. Your blush is enough.'

Soon afterward Kouga laughed, breaking the silence around him and returning the atmosphere to the peace it was previously. "Did I surprise you Kagome?" he asked as he picked up a shrimp and brought it to her. "I'll give you some time to think on the idea. Then you can tell me what you think ok?"

"As you wish Kouga-sama," Kagome replied without Kilik's help, stunning the general with her sensible response. `I believe you're getting the hang of things,' Kilik praised before Tetsuyaro huffed.

"Utter foolishness," he retorted loudly. "She is only an onna Kouga-san. Surely your not so impressed as to not see that?"

"I know it!" Kouga snapped. "I don't need you reminding me kitten."

"Suimasen, but only a baka would consider mating a ningen." InuTaishou cleared his throat and glared at the neko, who quickly paled and corrected himself. "InuTaishou-sama not included of course."

"Though that is somewhat better, it is still a statement of ignorance," InuTaishou responded. "Kouga-san respects your views. Onegai, respect his and keep your narrow-mindedness to yourself."

Tetsuyaro stammered in indignation, then flustered and fell silent. Kagome blushed, once again unaccustomed to the attention as Kouga held her tea cup up again. Dinner ended soon after, with Kouga promising to see Kagome again before Keni'Chi carried her out of the room. The five tai waited until the other youkai dismissed themselves before disbanding. Soon only Kouga, InuTaishou and Sesshoumaru were left in the room as the servants began blearing the tables and cleaning the room.

"So," InuTaishou said to Kouga as Sesshoumaru looked on. "What did you think of her?"

"She's a treasure!" Kouga said with enthusiasm. "Gomen if I was out of line though."

"It's alright," InuTaishou told him. "It's not my place to stop you should you decide to court her. She has no other suitors."

"Then I may speak with her again?" Kouga asked. InuTaishou nodded. "Hai, but the decision to court is hers to make. You will respect her wishes."

"Hai InuTaishou! Domo arigato!" Kouga dismissed himself with a bow to the inu youkai and quit the room, his tail twitching happily behind him. InuTaishou turned to speak with Sesshoumaru and found himself in an empty room. He shrugged and decided to return to his bedchambers...

Where Sesshoumaru sat waiting.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Sesshoumaru?" InuTaishou asked as he removed his armor and placed it inside a nearby chest.

"Why are you allowing the ookami youkai to entertain these ideas?"

"I don't see why not. Kagome is a lovely girl, and she deserves to know that she'll have someplace to go to when she leaves us."

"Did you forget that she's to be the next Empress?" Sesshoumaru asked, his annoyance growing at InuTaishou's attempts to run around the subject.

"I did forget that didn't I?" InuTaishou said, then shrugged. "Oh well." He unstrapped his sword from his side and propped it against a nearby wall. "Ah, but Kagome would have to decide to court him, just as I said."

"I could overturn it," Sesshoumaru told him as he twisted the ring around his finger. "I could forbid the ookami from speaking to her."

"You could, but you will not," InuTaishou sighed sadly. "Your pride will prevent it. You are so concerned about what the other tai think-"

"I care not for the dithering of those mindless idiots," Sesshoumaru interrupted with a growl. "So do not tell me about my concerns regarding them."

"Fine," InuTaishou replied with a weary frown. "We will not discuss it. What of Tetsuyaro? When is his coronation?"

"Five weeks after this is over," Sesshoumaru told him. "Until then, he rules the east under my authority."

"Are you sure that is wise?" InuTaishou asked as he sat down beside Sesshoumaru. "The pup gives me pause."

"For what reason?" Sesshoumaru inquired, then smirked knowingly. "Was it the ningen statement?"

"Of course not," InuTaishou responded before reaching up and pulling the blue hair tie from his hair. He shook his hair free and sighed, his hair forming a sort of cobra's hood. "The pup seems different somehow. He is not as affected as he should be by Shinji's death."

"He is taiyoukai now," Sesshoumaru replied with a thoughtful frown. "He cannot afford to show such weakness now."

"If that is what you believe, then I will not change your mind," InuTaishou said as he held back a yawn. "It is time for me to seek my bed Sesshoumaru. We will speak tomorrow."

"Hai, of course." Sesshoumaru stood and quit the room, leaving InuTaishou to his thoughts as he changed into his night attire.

`Sesshoumaru trusts him, and I'm sure its because of their friendship,' InuTaishou thought as he removed his boots and set them beside the shoji door to be shined. `I shall have to be wary of the pup for him.'

VII

Kagome sighed to herself, happy to have a moment's peace without the other's bickering across her mind as she fully absorbed the gardens around her. She deeply inhaled the aroma of the flowers around her and relaxed in Kouga's arms as he carried her around the grounds. He'd spent much of the week with her and was always asking questions about herself and her life at the western castle. She answered as respectfully as she could while InuTaishou looked on, the western lord unwilling to leave the two alone should Kouga disobey his earlier instruction.

She could feel their auras, InuTaishou's and Sesshoumaru's, hidden somewhere close by. She had no doubt that they were watching her and was grateful for it, the nervousness she normally would have felt dissipating as she reveled in the sense of safety from the two powerful inu youkai. She continued her observations of the garden and reached out for a nearby tulip as Kouga walked past it. He stopped and waited for her to retrieve the beautiful yellow blossom and balanced the young princess in the crook of one arm as he used his free hand to free the bud from the ground.

"Arigato Kouga-sama," Kagome said with a bow of his head as he resumed their trek through the flora. Kouga frowned. "Just Kouga Kagome," He reprimanded with a shake of his head. "There's no need to be so respectful when it's just us."

Kagome nodded in acceptance as he stopped in the middle of a clearing. The grass below them was short and inviting, with clusters of wisteria and lady's slippers surrounding them. Weeping willow trees were scattered along them, giving the garden a wild, naturally touched feeling that Kagome admired with appreciation. Kouga sat her down gently, the folds of her garments falling about her as she dutifully kneeled, her hands in her lap as she drank in the life around her. Kouga watched her, completely enraptured as the wind blew past them.

Her dress was a beautiful creamy vanilla satin with rich velvet banded along the neckline of the bandeau to bodice. The dress flowed from her waist to her slippers seamlessly, where tiny pears were sewn into the helm line. The slippers on her small feet were golden with white inu youkai imprinted in the fabric. A crocheted shawl was loosely draped around her shoulders and her hair was loose just as he had asked the day before. The scent of rose and vanilla seemed to drift directly from the brush straightened tresses and he lifted a lock to his nose before he could fully stop himself.

"You'd make a perfect mate Kagome," he whispered to her as he turned to look ahead of them, unaware that Kagome's interest was more into a butterfly and not with him. She watched it as it circled around them, blue gray eyes wide with wonder as it hovered over Kouga's head.

"You're loyal, beautiful, and you smell like heaven," Kouga said with a sigh. He stretched out his legs, bent his right leg to his chest and rested his arm on his knee. "I know you don't have any feelings for me yet, but that's ok. I'm sure that as the years pass you'd come to see me as your protector and provider. You might even come to love me someday."

The butterfly ceased it flight around Kouga and approached Kagome, finding her a much more pleasurable target as it circled her head. "Yeah, any pups from you would be hanyou, so they couldn't rule but I'd make sure they were well taken care of. I'd never let anyone hurt you. You could settle down on any part of my land. " He stopped when Kagome gasped and turned to her, his brow quirked in amusement at the butterfly that had settled on her nose. She turned to him, her brow creased in concern and the butterfly chose that moment to open it's wings. The black and amber appendages made a mask that spread across Kagome's cheeks. Kouga barked out a laugh and the butterfly quit it's perch and fluttered away.

Kagome frowned and watched it leave in disappointment, her bottom lip protruded slightly as Kouga laughed harder. "Gomen Kagome," he breathed once he calmed. "But it was funny!"

"I'm glad I could have pleased you," Kagome said with a stiff bow and ignoring her growing temper.

"Don't be mad Kagome," Kouga grinned as she continued to pout. "It's just a butterfly." She still looked a bit affronted, and Kouga laughed again at the cute picture she made. Kagome `hnmh!'ed and turned away from him, her hands giving up their position in her lap as her arms folded below her bosom.

"Alright, ok," Kouga said as he calmed down once again. "I won't laugh. I promise. Gomen nasai Kagome. Kagome?"

"Hai Kouga-san?" Kagome replied, the bit of agitation in her voice unnoticed.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Wh-what?" Kagome gasped as she turned back to him, a blush quickly rising to her cheeks as she fumbled the tulip in her hands.

Kouga laughed again, this time a short, deep chuckle as he leaned closer to her. "I asked if I could kiss you. This is our last day here and I may not get to see you for a while. I'd like to have something to remember you by."

"But why would you want to?" Kagome asked while desperately trying to think of a way to decline without angering him. "I'm just a ningen onna. Surely there are prettier youkai that you could bestow such an honor upon."

"There are, but..." Pale blue eyes twinkled mischievously while a clawed hand ran through her hair. "I would rather kiss you."

Kagome's face reddened, but this time in indignation as he eyes narrowed. `How dare he?' she growled as he continued to play in her hair. `If I didn't want to kiss him then, I definitely don't want to kiss him no-` She jumped when his lips pressed shyly against hers, at first too shocked to move. She finally leaned away but he followed her, his weight balanced on one arm as it held him up and the other gently grasped her neck to hold her still.

Kagome gasped when Sesshoumaru's aura flared, the fury embedded within almost painful in its intensity before it and Sesshoumaru disappeared completely.

Kouga backed away at the scent of salt moments before the first tear slipped down Kagome's cheek. She soon buried her face in her hands and sobbed brokenly. He sat back confused and was even more so when Keni'Chi, Nassi and InuTaishou appeared from opposite sides of the garden. Keni'Chi glanced at InuTaishou, who nodded, before picking Kagome up and carrying her out of the garden. Nassi trailed along behind them, the end of her spear making slight holes in the fertile earth. Kouga stood and watched them leave, his confusion only growing as the last of Kagome's whimpers faded from his ears.

"I didn't mean to make her cry," Kouga apologized. "I just...I don't know what happened but I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Don't worry Kouga-san," InuTaishou said, his hand resting on Kouga's shoulder as he glanced at a nearby tree where the scent of his eldest was fading in the breeze.

"You're not the one at fault...this time."

VIII

Kagome climbed the stairs to her room wearily, her head hung and her eyes weary as she struggled not to cry. Since leaving Central Castle five days prior, Sesshoumaru said nothing to her. He looked over her, his silences first confusing then upsetting her into near tears with every hard glance in her direction. Nassi, Kilik, even InuTaishou attempted in vain to cheer her up, but th distraught onna only sighed and rested her head against Nassi's back, once again on the back saddle of her horse. The welcoming ceremonies had begun the instant they walked past the Outer Gates, with servants and soldiers alike heralding InuTaishou's return and celebrating the crowing of the new Great Tai. InuTaishou gave her leave to return to her room, not only sensing but seeing her weariness after the past few weeks and their travels.

Kagome slid the shoji door leading to her room open, stepped inside and closed the door before turning to look to the room behind her. A sigh of relief escaped her, her shoulders slumped in relaxation as the thought of a nice warm bath attracted her to her bathroom. She quickly filled the tub, lit the coals underneath it and drizzled a little of the lavender oil on a shelf nearby into the water. She disrobed as the water warmed and discarded the traveling yukata into a basket for the next day's wash collection.

She sank into the water, her eyes closed as the warmth surrounded her and the scent of lavender soothed her worn nerves and hurt feelings. She washed slowly, taking her time to rub the soapy herbs between her palms before rubbing them against her skin. She washed her face and hair before stepping out, then pushed a pushed a lever on the wall nearby. She dried off and watched as the tub was raised on one side, the opposite tipping over and the water draining into a basin in the floor that opened when she pushed the button.

Kagome yawned, wrapped the fluffy blue towel around her torso and walked into her room, only to run into a silk clad wall standing in her way. Kagome stumbled backward but managed to prevent herself from toppling over. She shoved her wet hair away from her eyes and glared up angrily, then blanched as Sesshoumaru towered over her. She stepped back again, her hands tightly clutching the towel to her as her eyes widened. She squeaked when her back connected with the cold wooden post of her bed but stopped and fought the urge to cower as he closed the distance between them.

"Se-Sesshoumaru-sama?" she stammered frightfully. He stopped and looked down his nose at her, his golden eyes shining with an unholy luminescence. "Sesshoumaru-sama, is everything al-"

His index finger pushed her chin upward, her mouth closing with an audible click. He turned her head left first, then right as if looking for something, then returned her to face him before leaning toward her. Kagome's eyes widened still more, her pupils dilated as his nose lightly brushed against hers. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" she tried again and once again was meant with silence. "Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama, for anything I may have-"

His tail wrapped around her waist and picked her up, the ends entwined firmly around her torso as he fisted his hand in the hair at the base of her skull and smashed his lips against hers. Kagome gasped from shock and he used the opportunity to pass her lips and sweep through her mouth, his tongue nearly as commanding as his presence. Kagome weakened almost immediately, the hands that had grasped his biceps by instinct loosening their grip as an unfamiliar heat paralyzed her. She whimpered as he delved deeper into her mouth, her legs becoming jelly and her mind spinning from the assault.

Kagome remained unaware as he pushed her back onto her bed and straddled her waist, but quickly realized when the aggression against her eased to the gentle embraces she was used to. Soon it slowed completely to wet, open mouthed kisses. Her eyes drifted shut with her limbs spread akimbo, his hands braced by either side of her head while he hovered over her like a pagan god to claim his sacrifice.

"It would seem that I am not myself when it comes to you," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers teasingly as he inhaled the scent of her arousal. He smirked knowingly and traced her lips with the tip of his tongue, and was not completely surprised when her lips parted slightly and her excitement strengthened. Sesshoumaru secretly reveled in the fact that she had not responded so for the ookami youkai, and he rewarded her with a lingering kiss to her collarbone before slowly climbing off the bed and stepping away from her.

Kagome's eyes opened when his warmth left her and she sat up, her confusion blatant on her beautiful face as he watched her.

"You would do well not to incite my passion pretty onna," he growled from his place in the door's threshold. "One may not be able to tell what I will do and my control seems to be...lacking as of late." He disappeared without another word, leaving Kagome to stare at the empty space and the dark hallway beyond.


SF: Woah! (Ducks projectile) WTF? What's wrong now?

Kagome: What's with the kissing scene SF? First Kouga, then Sesshoumaru? Can't a girl keep her lips to herself?

Silver: Don't you mean can't a GUY keep his lips to himself. *pillow smacks him upside the head* Ow! WTF?!

SF: I said that!

Inu-chan: Yeah SF! What's the deal with the lovey dovey stuff? No one wants to read that!

SF: To be perfectly honest...I felt like it. You don't hear Sesshou disagreeing.

Kagome: Yeah. He wasn't PINNED TO THE BED!!!!

SF: I can always arrange that.

Miroku: *wide grin* You know, I like the mood you're in this week SF. What's causing it?

Sesshou: I do not care and neither do you pervert. Step away from the author and allow her to finish what she has to say.

SF: Thanks Sesshou. See people, THAT'S why he gets the cool scenes. Anyway, the preview to the next chapter is below.

The Spring Festival begins...
Inuyasha's Exhibition...
Nassi takes Kagome on a field trip that nearly ends in disaster...
And the kitsune, kencho and miko play a trick on the other tai...

Next on A Kiss for A Prince: Chapter Thirteen: Blessing of the Water God!


Dictionary:

Tadaima-(tah-dai-mah) I'm home!
Okaeri- (oh-kai-eh-ree) Welcome home/ Welcome back!
Ohayo gozaimasu- (oh-hai-yoe go-zai-mahss) Good morning
o-hashi-(oh-hah-she) chopsticks
Watashi no namae-(wah-tah-she no) My name is-
Mo tabemasho ka?(moe tah-bay-mahssh-tah kah) Have you already eaten?
Nani ka nomitiai desu ka?- (nah-nee kah no-me-tai dess kah) Would you like something to eat?
sake o nomimasen-(sah-kay oh no-me-mah-sen) I do not drink sake.
Nomimasu.-(no-me-mahss) I shall drink.
O-namae wa nan desu ka?- (oh nah-my-wah nahn dess kah?) What is your name?