InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Better Things than You ❯ The Unworthy ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; that belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions. The End.

 

A/N: Thanks to my anonymous mm.org reviewer who caught this: the crew seems to know Kagome is a girl and on board the ship, so there doesn't seem to be a reason for her go in drag. I wasn't as clear as I should have been. Only the two sailors who pull her out of the cargo hold know Kagome is a girl. Everyone else sees her from a distance, and from that angle, she appears male. Miroku is being very cautious with his sister trapped on a ship filled with sexually frustrated men. This is set in Georgian/Victorian England for fuck's sake. Women were sequestered and protected. I'll add something to this chapter to make things a bit more clear. Thanks for the save reviewer guy.

 

Chapter 5

 

Inuyasha's hands shook as he raised the doorknocker, letting it down to clang heavily. He had not been this nervous knocking on this door since the first time he proposed to Kagome Higurashi. In spite of his jitters, he couldn't help but smile lopsidedly at the memory.

 

It was several moments before a worried-eyed maid opened the door. “Mr. Tak-Takahashi?” She spoke in a tiny voice.

 

“I was wondering if I could see Miss Higurashi?” Inuyasha spoke carefully. The maid's behavior was not what he was expecting, and it made him nervous.

 

“She-she's not,” the girl stopped herself abruptly, recovering the indifferent façade expected of her. “Please allow me to direct you to the morning room. Mrs. Higurashi will see you momentarily.”

 

She turned to lead him into the house but Inuyasha's hand lashed out, pulling the girl back to face him. “I didn't say I wanted to see Kagome's mother, I want to see Kagome…” He was going to continue his rant, but a look in the maid's eyes stopped him. She looked and smelled afraid. “What's wrong? Did something happen to Kagome?”

 

“Inuyasha!” Mrs. Higurashi's voice trilled from the stairs inside the house. She had just been coming down from the second floor after writing several letters. The woman was doing everything she could to both find her daughter and to make sure no one noticed the girl's absence, but it was taking the toll on her health: she had not slept well since finding Kagome's letter more than two weeks ago. Mrs. Higurashi was tired and worried and could not help but to skip the formalities when it came to the reason why her little girl was missing.

 

“What are you doing here?” She demanded, nodding kindly at the same time to the maid to dismiss her.

 

Inuyasha's ears sunk into his head. Something was not right. He had seen Mrs. Higurashi several times in public after his dismissal of Kagome and always she had greeted him with cold indifference—never the barely concealed anger the woman was showing now.

 

“I—I came to see K—Kagome.” It seemed to be his turn to stutter.

 

“I'm afraid she has left for some time, Mr. Takahashi. Even if she were here, I doubt she would see you.” As she spoke, Mrs. Higurashi stood up to her full height, looking rigid and proud. Her fingers were gently interlaced before her, but Inuyasha noted they trembled from time to time. “I do not believe we have anything more we could possibly say to one another, Mr. Takahashi. I bid you a good day.” With a speed he would not have credited her for, Mama Higurashi stepped back into her house and would have slammed the door in Inuyasha's face if he had not been fast enough to catch it.

 

“I'm sorry, but I need to speak to Kagome!” He breathed out, pushing against the door in an effort to keep it open as Mrs. Higurashi continued to try to close it. “Could you at least give me an address to which I could write to her?”

 

“What could you possible have to say to my daughter?”

 

Inuyasha faltered and the door almost closed before he could catch it again. “Please, could I explain it to you in private?”

 

Mrs. Higurashi relaxed her hold on the door when she saw Inuyasha was no longer forcefully trying to gain access to her home. She wanted to turn him down, but on lookers were already slowing down, some stopping to openly gape at the scene he was creating.

 

“Very well,” she said softly. As if their family didn't have enough problems with gossip. It was a shame everyone else's lives were running smoothly—another scandal would have been a blessing for the Higurashi family at the moment. It was unfortunate Kagome was providing the next batch of kindle for the rumor mill with her disappearance.

 

Mrs. Higurashi stepped back from the doorway, allowing Inuyasha to pass though. He waited for her to shut and latch the door then followed Kagome's mother into the morning room. The smaller one they used for receiving guests they preferred to remove from their home as quickly as possible. The message was not lost of the hanyou.

 

After offering Inuyasha a seat that he accepted, Mrs. Higurashi remained standing. When he did not immediately begin to explain himself, she prompted him.

 

“I'm afraid Mr. Takahashi I do not have all day for you.”

 

Inuyasha gulped. The woman had always been so kind and welcoming. He had never believed it to be an act to keep him comfortable so he would marry Kagome, and he still did not believe she had faked any affection. Her anger towards him only showed how badly he had screwed things up. Well, he was here to try and set things right as best he could.

 

“I wanted to talk to Kagome…” he tried again, but her mother was not listening.

 

“Do you think you have any right to speak to my daughter?” Mrs. Higurashi asked curtly.

 

Inuyasha paused to take a deep breath. He was getting frustrated. He knew Kagome was in the house—probably up in her room. He knew there had to have been orders given to brush him off, to send him away.

 

Still, reason for once calmed him. He had to get on her mother's good side if he wanted to see Kagome.

 

“No, but I'm asking to see her. I want…” he tried to think of the right thing to say. He couldn't lose this chance. “I know I screwed up, but I want fix things.”

 

“And how can you do that?”

 

“I—I want her to ask her to marry me—again.”

 

Mrs. Higurashi had been running a single finger along the edge of her mantle, checking for dust. The moment she heard Inuyasha's words, she froze, her back going extremely taunt as her breath caught in her throat.

 

“What did you say?” She hissed.

 

Inuyasha was feeling as though the room was becoming extremely hot. He didn't want to have this conversation with the woman before him. It was going to be bad enough talking to Kagome.

 

“I came to ask for you daughter's hand in marriage.”

 

Whirling on him, Mama Higurashi glared at Inuyasha. “Do you have any idea what you have done to that girl?” Inuyasha was shocked by the normally mild-tempered woman's outward rage. The closest he could get to speech was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. “Cat got your tongue? Well I'll tell you. You destroyed her. You ruined her and I'm not talking about her reputation! Kagome couldn't stand to be in London anymore and now she's gone and—”

 

She froze. She feared she had already said too much. All the fury whooshed out of her, and Mrs. Higurashi's hung her head.

 

“Kagome's gone and what?” It was Inuyasha's turn to be irate. Not at Kagome's mother, but at the growing fear in his gut. He stood, pushing his jacket back so he could fist his hands into pockets of his pants. He walked cautiously around the room, then to the door, sucking in discreet sniffs all the while. He couldn't smell a fresh whiff of Kagome anywhere. Not even from the draughts around the door. Sliding the entrance panel open, he shoved his head outside the room and took in a deep breath. Still only a stale wave of Kagome's scent.

 

“Where the fuck is Kagome?”

 

“Inuyasha! Your language!” Mrs. Higurashi reprimanded, but didn't answer.

 

Inuyasha turned back into the room.

 

“Where is she?”

 

“Inuyasha…” Mrs. Higurashi sighed, finally giving in to taking a seat. “It's a long story…”

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Kouga sighed. He was sitting on a rowboat with Miroku and Miss Higurashi.

 

He was excited to get Kagome off the ship. He was tired of paying off the men who knew she was, well, a she. Miroku had decided he was responsible for Kagome's protection, it being Kouga's ship and all and because Lord Greenswitch was the one with the cash on hand. He had had to keep the vast majority of the crew convinced she was a boy so they wouldn't get any ideas. That had not been too difficult, he had only had to bribe the Capitan and the two men who had found her so they wouldn't talk. Still, it seemed like a waste of time seeing how Miroku kept her under lock and key when he wasn't there to baby-sit his sister personally.

 

Kagome's seclusion had made it near impossible for him to get close to her, but he had done his best.

 

Turning to look over his shoulder he gave Kagome a quick smile, which she uneasily returned before glancing at her brother who shot Kouga a glare, telling him with the look to keep his distance from the girl.

 

Miroku Higurashi was going to have realize his sister was not getting a free ride.

 

Lord Greenswitch's concentration was broken when the small craft scraped against the shallows of the beaches shore. Already tents were springing up all over the beach. Kouga smiled, pleased things in at least one area were going in the direction he wished.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

“…So as far as we know, she's with Miroku.”

 

Mrs. Higurashi finished her story with a sniffle. She was seated across from Inuyasha, clutching a handkerchief in her hands, occasionally using it to wipe her eyes.

 

Inuyasha leaned back into the couch completely unsure of what he should say. This was his fault; there was no mistaking that much. He was to blame for Kagome running away for a million different reasons.

 

He might have earned his guilt, but he was not going to sit by and let the problem grow.

 

“Where did they go?”

 

Mrs. Higurashi raised her eyes to the man sitting across from her. “Excuse me?”

 

“Lord Greenswitch and Miroku…Kagome is with them. Where did they go?”

 

“You are thinking of going after them?”

 

Inuyasha nodded gravely. “I will bring Kagome back.”

 

Mrs. Higurashi sized him up with a wary gaze. “How can you be so sure she would come back with you?”

 

Inuyasha's ears flattened once more to his skull. Looking down at the floor, he spoke quietly, unable to meet Mama Higurashi's gaze. “I would like to at least try. Only Kagome can decide, but I want to give her a chance to have a choice.”

 

Thinking over his words for some time, Mrs. Higurashi finally nodded. “I can tell you where they went, and show you maps my husband was given.” She paused to purse her lips together. Cautiously she looked back up at the hanyou, “Please bring my daughter back safe.”

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

Sango crouched in the bushes. Her face was painted for war in colors to give her strength and speed. Her heart was beating rapidly, but not in fear: a good adrenaline rush was lighting her veins on fire with impatience. She was angry these men had come again to her territory, but she hoped that the full-frontal assault she was about to launch would convince them to leave. She had persuaded the council this time not to waste time on the peace offerings and promises as they had done in the past.

 

The thought of the council made Sango's scowl deepen. It was true she was an outsider, an abandoned child from the earliest visitors to the shores, but had she not proved herself over the years? With the more resent coming of the missionaries and fortune seekers she had been the leading advocate for dispensing them a swift death—even if they were technically her own people. Her loyalty lay with her tribe, not her birth.

 

Night was falling and for once the strangers had taken precautions. Fires were burning brightly, tents were up in tight clusters, and sentries were already on watch.

 

No matter. The things they thought would keep them safe could also be their ruin.

 

Sango glanced over her shoulder at her tiny war party: twenty women all-together—ten of their best, ten rookies who were ready to cut their teeth in battle. They were not going to obliterate the newcomers in one sweep as Sango had wished. No tonight, the small group of women Sango lead was going to cause as much damage as possible and pray the Englishmen left. If they did, that would be wonderful. But if they chose to stay after the attack, at least they would have no idea of the full strength the natives were capable of.

 

Now was the time. The Englishmen had settled in for the night; only those keeping watch were outside of the tents.

 

Sango let out the call to signal to alert her warriors to be ready. She wanted to make sure the time was right…

 

Nothing in the tiny camp moved, the sentries looked bored.

 

I'll give them something to occupy their time. Sango sneered.

 

She called out into the night and moments later the camp of the Englishmen was swamped by the war party.

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

Kagome had just finished brushing out her hair for the evening when the night, so quite with only the sounds of the forest around them, was bayoneted by the most bloodcurdling scream Kagome had ever imagined in her darkest nightmares.

 

She had been getting ready for bed in the large tent she shared with Miroku. Her brother had insisted she be given her own room near him—as best as possible: she had a corner to herself, protected by two separate curtains.

 

The moment the war cry sounded, Kagome was on her feet and running toward Miroku. She nearly collided him in the small room created between the two seclusion curtains.

 

“Miroku!” She cried. “What was that?”

 

Miroku's normally passive and serene face was lined with worry. “I don't know, but I want you to get dressed, and then we'll go find Lord Greenswitch.”

 

Kagome nodded, disappearing into her area again to put Miroku's pants and jacket on once more over his shirt she wore as a baggy nightgown. She appeared again as quickly as she could, dressed looking very much like a boy with her braid tucked into the coat.

 

Miroku had stepped over to take her hand when the flap to their tent was thrown open, and a blood-hungry Sango stepped inside.

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

A/N: Yeah, I know a bit of a cliffhanger, but I wanted to get this out there. I know I usually alternate between stories when I update, but this chapter just flowed. I sat down to write the beginning while I had it in mind, and I really couldn't stop, so here you go. Also, I have a bit of writer's block on what happens next, so I thought I would post this now, otherwise it might sit on my computer for months while I try to think of something. Then again, it could come to me in an hour. Fucking writer's block….

 

Any one reading “Marriage of Convenience for Whom?”? I'm working on chapter nine, but like this story, the end of the chapter is tricky. However, unlike this one I can't really stop it where I have it now. So be patient, I'm working on it, I'm almost done, and hopefully it will be out soon.