InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Birth Marks ❯ the ball ( Chapter 26 )

Here it is… the thing you all have been waiting for… the big thing… the BALL! Thanks for all those who gave me attendants, dark (I don't even have a full $30 to my name, and I need to get a summer job to even buy my class ring, isn't it obvious by now that I only own my style of writing?)

 

3. Karahima, she is whatever age you want and is a cat demon. She doesn't
really have anything special but around her ankle is a bracelet, and her
wrist. She has tiger strips on her arms, legs and face. Her hair is up at
the side in pigtails.

Chapter 26: the ball

 

Last time: Kagome smirked, “lady Kagome of Tokyo.” She laughed at her own pun, because no one would know where that was except for the inu brothers. “just say I'm foreign if they ask. Good night Sesshomaru-sama, or could I say San?” he rolled his eyes at Kagome's leaving, praying to the gods that she would stick with Sama in front of others.

 

This time: a knock came from the door, rousing a response from the male hanyou by picking up his head, groaning, and glaring at such door. He then looked back down to where he was sleeping previously and realized that somehow in the previous night, he had been allowed onto the bed and into her arms. He grinned smugly, because he seemed to remember if a certain pair of humans tried this, one would be dead and the other fuming.

 

Hearing another knock from the door, as well as a voice accompanied with it, came the second the male hanyou set his head back down into the crook of her neck. He carefully untangled their limbs, thankfully not waking her, and rolled off the bed. Snarling, he traveled to the shoji and threw it open.

 

“what do you want?” he growled, barely containing his voice so his partner could sleep.

 

“milord, it is time for your lady to get fitted for tonight,” the servant explained, clearly used to the anti-mornings type of person. The hanyou growled and attempted to close the shoji, but was stopped by a hand.

 

“hey, is it that time already,” the female hanyou stood behind the male, rubbing her eyes and her ears drooping, “but the sun's not even up yet!”

 

The servant gave an apologetic look and permitted herself to come into the young couple's room. “I'm sorry, lady Kagome, right?” the young hanyou girl nodded affirming the truth, “but lord Sesshomaru insisted on you waking early to watch lady Rin today. And you will soon find that there will not be enough hours in the days like this,” the servant placed her hand on her cheek and sighed.

 

The girl identified as Kagome nodded her head vaguely and turned back to the bed so she could put on her haori over her sleeping T-shirt. Soon after she ran her fingers through her hair to get the knots out, Kagome followed the servant out the door and to wherever she was to get her new kimono. Soon, they were in the opposite end of the mansion (after walking like forever, but Kagome was used to it) and in the craftsmen's rooms. One near the end is where our two entered, joining the young human-turned-demon and a spider-demon at a loom that took up the majority of the room that was currently empty.

 

“Gumoko (gumo= spider, ko= girl/woman's permanent name suffix), the lady Kagome is here for her kimono.” The servant asked, drawing the attention of the two. The younger opened her arms wide and leapt into Kagome's arms, much like Shippou had a habit of doing.

 

“Rin! Good morning! I guess I'll be watching you today, but will you be helping me with my kimono first?” Kagome asked, giving the girl another hug and setting her down before facing the half humanoid half spider demoness. “good morning to you also, I guess that you are the one that makes the clothes in this place, right?” she asked, looking around at some of the fancier kimonos lining the wall, including a haori that looked like Sesshomaru's.

 

“yes, ma'am, I am. It's such an honor to outfit you today,” she bowed her upper body, her back-most legs coming off the ground for balance. As soon as Kagome bowed back, she rushed forward and started taking a piece of silk to measure several places around the startled girl. “oh, are you wearing much under your haori? Because I want the most accurate measurements that I can.”

 

“well, yeah…”

 

“then you need to strip down to a yukata behind that screen,” she cut Kagome off, using one of her arms and a leg to point to a silken screen in the corner with a T-hanger propping up a simple white yukata for Kagome to wear. After letting her mind catch up to the quick-talking demoness, Kagome nodded and went behind the screen to change, shedding all but her under necessities. After coming back out, Gumoko's eyes widened in relief, believing that the girl had no shape previously. She rushed the girl again, retaking measurements and recording them mentally for kimono size, as well as observing her coloring and what would look good on her.

 

After being poked, prodded and measured, the spider suddenly disappeared, only to reappear a few seconds later with many kimonos draped over her black body. The colors ranged from pinks to yellows to reds, as well as some purple. “here we go!” Gumoko held up the yellow yukata to Kagome's body, seeing that it complimented her skin tone, as well as the fact that her hair seemed to change color slightly in reflection to the colors surrounding her. “interesting, put this on lady Kagome.” She mumbled, throwing it at the confused teenager. She scrambled to put it on and was barely done tying the sash before it was ripped off her body, revealing the white yukata again.

 

“no, that won't do. You need a bolder statement, but these are definitely the colors for you tonight.” She rushed back to the room and grabbed a brighter set of kimonos to try on. She shoved Kagome into a purple one first and her hair highlighted that color. Gumoko nodded at the effects and helped her, definitely more gently, into a salmon colored one, then an orange, burnt yellow, and finally a dark twilight blue to complement her eyes on the top that was left open to the orange. The spider then untied all of them to reveal the white yukata and took of all five layers at once and put them on the kimono rack.

 

Kagome was in shock, without speaking a word, she had gotten her entire night's ensemble without her opinion. “ah…”

 

“don't worry, lady Kagome, I am going to embroider all these layers to suit you in no time. In fact, it'll be done before the guests arrive!” the spider gave a sweet smile and turned to the empty loom, silently dismissing her customers.

 

“but what about Rin?” Kagome asked, looking down at her temporary charge by the door.

 

“what about her? She has her kimono already from when she was given demon blood.” Gumoko said without turning, still looking at the empty space in the middle of her loom as if it would magically start working on its own. “I'm sorry lady, but I can't start working until you leave. I don't want my secrets ruined,” she said with a small, hidden smile. Kagome blushed slightly and bowed herself and Rin out without another word.

 

“what should we do now, Rin?” Kagome asked, looking down at her charge and noticing how different she looked from the last time she had seen the girl. Her ears were pointed slightly and she had silver streaks in her brown/black hair. She still had that side ponytail, but it was longer now and not a stubby bush like it had been when she was completely human.

 

The girl was holding onto Kagome's hand and was skipping down the hall, slightly pulling her sitter along. “I know what, pretty lady! We can go to the gardens! They're so beautiful and fluffy-sama puts so much hard work into them when he's here, and even lets Rin help sometimes!”

 

“ `and even lets me help sometimes,' Rin. You don't say your name when you're talking about yourself. Instead of me saying `Kagome thinks you're cute,' I say `I think you're cute, Rin' okay?” Kagome squeezed the girls hand slightly and she nodded.

 

“Ri- I think you're cute also, pretty lady!” she exclaimed, pulling Kagome along around a corner and nearly caused them to run over a servant that was carrying a pile of banners to be hung in the great hall as decoration.

 

“watch it you demon wannabe!” he spat, glaring at the little girl who he obviously disliked. Kagome puffed up and glared at the demon, who was a good two feet shorter than her, and kicked him, sending the banners and the demon into the wall ten meters away with a satisfying `splat.'

 

Rin acted like a chibi-Kagome and stuck out her tongue before doing an about-face and continuing down the hallway with Kagome in tow. “hey Rin, have you had breakfast yet? Because I wasn't able to before being pulled to the outfitters,” Kagome suggested, following the girl to a set of doors leading to the outside.

 

“don't worry, pre- Kagome-sama! Fluffy-sama has fruit trees in the garden that has fruit all the time!” Rin expressed this by throwing her hands wide before throwing the shoji doors wide to reveal the large gardens. Kagome was speechless as she took in all the beautiful colors and shapes, and even a small stream weaving through it with a series of small waterfalls separating the sections of the garden. While Kagome stood frozen on the porch, Rin whooped and ran into the gardens, set on making a bouquet for her foster father.

 

()

 

After a few minutes, Rin looked up from amidst the pink chrysanthemums and grinned, holding up a bundle that looked about strangled to death. “aren't they pretty! Fluffy-sama likes Rin's flowers!” Kagome couldn't help but laugh a little at the girl's antics, not even bothering to correct her grammar at the time. Coming out of her stupor, Kagome closed her slack jaw and stepped off the porch to join with picking flowers. After a while, Rin's head snapped up as if she heard something and grinned toward the second floor of the castle. Kagome follower her line of sight and spotted Sesshomaru looking down at them with hidden amusement in his eyes.

 

“Rin, don't pick too many or they won't come back next year,” he warned, keeping his voice uninvolved as usual. Rin nodded cheerfully and ran off to the next area of flowers, dragging Kagome along. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes when they turned away and walked back into his room. He would have slumped his posture also, but there were servants in his room and he would not show weakness to his inferiors. Looking at the waiting servant, he sighed internally and held his arm out in a `what are you waiting for' gesture. The servant jumped and immediately rushed forward with the tailored kimono for him to wear that night that matched his daughters: silver with purple lining and belt. It fit snugly and he nodded approval before leaving to finish his other tasks before his guests started arriving, like overseeing the decorations that almost drowned out the grand meeting hall.

 

After a while, a servant ran up to Sesshomaru in a panic, nearly falling over as he tried to stop and bow at the same time. “Sess-Sesshomaru-sama!” the servant panted, having to be stopped from head-butting Sesshomaru by a hand on his shoulder, “the guests are arriving already!” he looked up to see his lord's ice-like face.

 

After a few seconds, which felt like years to the servant with his lord's poison talons so close to his neck, Sesshomaru gave a small nod, “entertain them in the front hall, I have to finish getting ready,” and with that, both the servant and Sesshomaru parted the grand hall in separate directions. In the hallway, he pulled aside two servants and told them to find Kagome and Inuyasha and tell them to get ready. They nodded in unison and left, going separate directions also. This was going to be a pain if all of the guests arrived early.

 

The servant found Rin and Kagome still in the gardens, even though it was nearing mid-afternoon, each holding carefully arranged bouquets that Kagome was putting final touches in. the servant ran up to them and bowed, “ladies! The guests are starting to arrive, your kimono is in your room, I will help you get ready!” she said hurriedly, not even waiting to be acknowledged before taking Kagome's hand and dragging her across the gardens back to the castle and through a servant's shortcut hidden behind a tapestry directly to their rooms. Kagome managed to smile at Rin before the servant shooed her out of the room and in the direction of her own room to get ready.

 

It was true, the kimono was already in the room, placed there sometime after Kagome left, and standing on the `T' by a dressing table. The servant snatched a free end to Kagome's white tie to her yukata and pulled it off, almost immediately replacing it with the many layers of the kimono at once. Unfortunately, Kagome was unable to see the new embroidery on the bottom that snaked up to her back before it was on her body and already being tied with the simple string that kept the under layers on underneath the obi.

 

The obi was a long one, about five meters, and was a pale pink/purple. By the time the servant finished tying it in a complicated knot that resembled a lily, Kagome wanted to sit down because she had been standing so long. She felt like a Hina-doll the way she was being dressed up in all this elaborate clothing and silks. After getting a quick peek at what her obi looked like in some polished silver, the maid sat her down in front of it and quickly and elaborately did up her hair, gracefully hiding her ears to look like they were part of the hairstyle.

 

Inuyasha burst in when the maid was putting on Kagome's finishing touches (facial paint that had a silver crescent moon with the points up on her forehead) to show that she was the hostess of the castle for the night. He stopped suddenly, catching Kagome's features in his vision and the servant sent to look for him crashed into his back, pushing him into Kagome's arms. “Nantoiu (how beautiful), you're beautiful, Kagome,” he said breathlessly, swinging her around. Kagome giggled at the comment before eyeing Inuyasha back, apparently he had also been busy all morning also. Instead of his usual red robes, he wore lightly embroidered purple robes, with the kanji for inu sewn on his chest in a shade darker purple. Inuyasha also had makeup on, outlining two jagged purple stripes, one on each cheek, and a jagged crescent moon on his forehead like his older brother.

 

After a moment, Inuyasha held out his hand, “my lady, may I accompany you to the front entrance to greet the early guests?” he asked, adding in a slight bow to complete the `look.' Kagome was in shock by his revealed knowledge of manners, but after a few seconds took his hand gently and let him lead her out the door and down the hall, leaving the servants in the room. Sesshomaru was already there in his silver robes, waiting for them to come before having the door to the antechamber opened.

 

He looked the two head to foot and nodded in approval, seeming that they had the same general colors on. Sesshomaru took Kagome's free hand in the crook of his arm to her shock before nodding to his guard to open the door for their entrance.

 

“Kit. You are aware that you are early, are you not?” Sesshomaru asked, more like commanded, looking down at the giggly red kitsune female. She just giggled more and leaned over the low table to try to get closer to Sesshomaru.

 

“you're just as bishonen as usual, and so serious!” she tried to imitate the inu, but it turned into a squeak with the final `s'. Standing up, she skipped around the table, her red with gold embroidery kimono spinning around behind her, and latched on around his waist instead of where his arm used to be as of last year. “my dear Sesshy-kun, what happened to your arm?!” she gasped, feeling the empty sleeve with only a stub of arm inside. “how could you be so reckless to ruin my favorite body!” she started fake sobbing, using his empty sleeve to wipe her eyes. Kagome and Inuyasha just ignored her, choosing to sit down on two sides of the table and serve themselves tea. If the first one would be this crazy, they didn't know what to do with themselves.

 

Just then, the one known as `Kit' turned away from her `love' and to the other two in the room. “hello inu-kun, and… who are you?” she asked with an obvious edge to her voice, not liking the new girl here immediately. She was a threat between her and Sesshy-kun!

 

“my name is Kagome,” our heroine replied, nodding her head and then turning back to Inuyasha. she didn't know who this kitsune was, but Kagome didn't feel right with her around… like a bad vibe. Kagome just wanted her out and gone and didn't want to see her again as far as she could go.

 

Kit shrugged at her cold, or otherwise unresponsive, welcome and turned back to Sesshomaru, clinging to his still-intact arm. He gave a mental sigh, this was going to be a long night and hours before anyone else showed up.

 

()

 

Sesshomaru was right, it was hours, nearly sunset, before the next guest arrived. And it was Uwakionna of all people! (chapter 21, she was mentioned. Remember: clingy. Slut.) Inuyasha winced and dug his head into the crook of Kagome's neck to show that he was taken. This took Kagome by surprise at first, but then she leaned her head onto his and looked her over. From what she had heard, this was the one after Inuyasha. Her kimono top looked barely tied shut as it showed a good majority between her breasts before it was closed off by her obi as well as a good portion of her legs. The under-kimono, that was standard-looking with ankle-length sleeves and floor-length bottom, was a bright pink. Over that, but under the obi, was a shorter kimono that was stylishly cut without sleeves and went down to her thighs and was gracefully shut tight, blessing the other guests soon to arrive with at least some modesty. This over layer was a twilight blue, and on top was finally the obi, which was surprisingly a pastel purple to contrast the other `darker' colors.

 

“Uwakionna, right?” Kagome asked, resisting the urge to growl at her potential enemy of affection.

 

The girl ignored Kagome and flung herself at Inuyasha, making herself comfortable in his lap before he could react. “hello Inuyasha-koi,” she said in a husky voice, “miss me?” Kagome was torn between beating her to a bloody pulp, or sitting Inuyasha for letting her sit in his lap.

 

She chose the latter. “sit! How could you let that slut sit in your lap like that! Sit!” well, the table was no more, and the poor, unfortunate, innocent girl was drenched with scalding tea when she was thrown from Inuyasha's lap. “serves you right, he's mine!” Kagome said in a growl, territorial instincts welling up in her gut as her claws glowed as a physical threat for her to run.

 

Fortunately, she got the clue and left, but not before stealing a lip-lock from the stunned Inuyasha to spite the girl. Kagome was pissed, `how dare she!' Kagome thought, picking up a tea-pot shard and throwing it at the wall, the china shattering into smaller pieces on contact.

 

Inuyasha looked up at his, and gave up a small grin. “see? Now you know why I fight Koga when he's around!” he crossed his arms and Kagome gained a confused look.

 

“no, not really… but she was all over you!” Kagome leaned over to look eye-to-eye with Inuyasha, “and Koga's just a friend, nothing else. He has someone already and I don't love him like that!”

 

“I'm he…” Koga entered, Ayame behind him, and stopped. There was the fated couple in front of him, and talking about him of all things, he was touched.

 

“then how do you love him, if you don't love him `like that'?” Inuyasha raised his voice slightly, not even noticing his new audience.

 

“ `like that' means I think of him on the same level as Miroku!” her hands were on her hips now, “as a brother-in-law type. Sango is like a sister to me, and when she and Miroku mate, he'll be my brother-in-law! Get it!” she faltered, seeing a shadow beside Inuyasha from the front door with a knee-length tail swishing back in forth. Her eyes raised slowly from Inuyasha to the man, demon, behind him and connected eyes.

 

“hello again, Kagome. I am sorry for not recognizing you and attacking you earlier. I was brash and fool-hearty,” Kagome stood up completely and eyed the ookami-ooji (wolf prince). Both of his legs were bandages, but looked more like leggings with how easily they integrated into his usual outfit, and he had his usual grin on that usually disarmed Kagome with a glance until lately after `the attack'. And promptly after seeing his smile, she fainted, not able to handle him not mad at her.

 

“Kagome!” they yelled in unison (Inuyasha, Koga, and Ayame), rushing forward to make sure that she didn't land on any table splinter.

 

()

 

“ugh, what happened?” Kagome asked, turning her head away from the lamp-light and rubbing her head. She opened her eyes and realized that she was still in her kimono for the ball.

 

“good, you're awake,” Inuyasha commented, propping her up to drink from a bottle of water from her bag. “you fainted after seeing Koga and I guess, like at your father's house, you weren't able to breathe in your obi. The servant loosened it slightly, so you should be fine now. My brother said to have you come when you woke, so you could be introduced formally to the Tai-Youkai (ruling demons) here, and to bring Rin also.” Kagome nodded and sat the rest of the way up with Inuyasha's help. “do you want to go?” Kagome nodded and they stood up, Inuyasha supporting her by the hand before she got her legs steady.

 

Kagome nodded after a few seconds and they walked to Rin's room, Inuyasha keeping a steady hand on her waste the entire time. When they showed up at the girl's door, she gave Kagome a quick worried glance before replacing it with her usual smile and bowing to the couple and following them to the grand hall, or more like leading them to the great hall during her excitement.

 

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the girl's antics and how care-free she could seem, even though Kagome was once told about her past and how terrible it was. Rin reminded her of someone she once was, able to smile at everything without a care in the world. How she missed those days.

 

“Rin! Come back her please,” Kagome called after the pre-teen and she listened, stopping right in front of Kagome to listen to what she had to say next. “Rin, Inuyasha and I are going to go inside, and then Sesshomaru is going to call you in. after you are dismissed, come find me in the crowd, okay?” she nodded and Inuyasha opened the door to find themselves behind a set of heavy maroon curtains.

 

Inuyasha gestured for Kagome to stay put before he sneaked out between the folds to behind Sesshomaru. After a few seconds, Kagome heard a whistle and almost immediately the guests quieted. Inuyasha saddled up beside Kagome and took her hand before Sesshomaru started talking. “thank you for coming to this turning of seasons annual ball, even though for some of us it was more required than optional,” a small chuckle rose from the group while Kagome gave Inuyasha a look out of the corner of her eye. “ as you are well aware, I have chosen a heir until I get a mate and male heir, and you will meet her in a few moments. But first, my brother is intended to be married sometime in the near future, and here he is to introduce her!”

 

The curtains opened to reveal the couple and Inuyasha led Kagome forward to the top of the stairs. “Inuyasha-ooji, second son of the white dog lord of the west, and Kagome-hime, lady of Tokyo!” came the squeaky voice of Jaken as he read from a scroll and then gave a weird face at `Tokyo'. Inuyasha then let go of her arm and bowed to her, whispering for her to go down the stairs, Kagome hid a nod in her responding bow and gracefully, but slowly, alighted the stairs.

 

At the bottom, there was a particularly friendly, but `fish out of water' type of girl that came up to her and bowed. She introduced herself as Marina and said that she was one of the last mermaid people in this side of the ocean, even though she was also a hanyou. She had bluish hair that was shoulder-length and sometime longer that seemed to be made out of water, but was light like a cloud or cotton candy. One of the most interesting things about her was that she had a pair of wings that were blue. They were bat-like in form and she wore them like a cape. Her skin was also blue, like she was extremely cold, but Marina assured her that it was her natural color. She didn't look so much a mermaid as what the English-speakers would call a gargoyle. But unlike a gargoyle's serpentine tail, it was horse-like and matched her bluish hair. In all of a few minutes, they had become fast friends.

 

“now,” came Sesshomaru's voice again, “the light of my life, my heir, my Higurashi, Rin!” Sesshomaru gestured to the curtains behind him and a few seconds later, a head peeked out from behind them overcome with a sudden bout of shyness. Sesshomaru, surprisingly, knelt down and faced Rin, speaking gently, “come on out Rin, they won't hurt you. I just want you to say hello.” Rin nodded slightly and came out from the curtains to just cling to his pant leg. If she couldn't stand out at the tops of the steps by herself, they might as well make it halfway.

 

“he…hello, Rin's name is Rin,” she managed to say, waving her hand feebly before clinging more tightly to her lord father's leg. a low murmur of laughter crossed the crowd as they adored the child before Sesshomaru gave her a light push.

 

“go with Kagome now, I will be down in a minute or two Rin,” he urged gently, pushing her again in the general direction of the stairs. Rin managed a small nod before releasing her death-grip on his hakama and traveling down the stairs to stand silently beside Kagome as she talked to a peculiar-looking blue demoness.

 

Sesshomaru came down the stairs after a few minutes of making announcements and took Rin to release Kagome to mingle. Kagome nodded and started walking around, still talking with Marina and forming a fast friendship, finding out that she, too, was a miko hanyou.

 

“have you ever thought of the future Marina?” Kagome asked, seemingly out of the blue. The girl turned suddenly to face her, her blue hair swirling like a current around her shoulders and over her wings.

 

“what? O…of course I have! What brings this up?” she asked, wondering where Kagome was getting with this.

 

“I think of the future all the time. I see different species dying out, and if there are survivors, they're most likely hanyou, us for example. What I'm thinking is to keep track of the hanyou out there in Japan at least. I've met so many so far, and I just wonder how many of `us' there are in this age. Where I'm from, there aren't many youkai around, and if there are, they're in disguise to fit in with the humans.” She turned to marina with a serious look, “we're the mediators, its up to us, all hanyou, to bridge the gap between human and youkai, do you want to help me?”

 

Marina nodded her head in enthusiasm, liking the prospect of others out there just like her, an outcast in both worlds, and to be able to find their own world together. “yeah, I'll help you! Who knows, it could be fun!” the girl bounced away, her wings flaring out behind her like a cape, to find her other companions to bring up the idea with them. Kagome sighed and smiled, the future, even though she was from it, she still didn't know what hers was. She turned and started walking back to the front steps to find Inuyasha, but soon ran into a hard chest unexpectedly, knocking them both to the floor.

 

“oomph, sorry sir,” Kagome pushed herself off of the person that she landed on and kneeled down beside him. Underneath her was a picture of what a `negative' Inuyasha would look like. He wore a blue haori and had black hair and canine ears. “here, take my hand,” Kagome offered, sticking her hand out at the stranger, he opened his eyes and took her offer, grinning slightly in embarrassment.

 

“umm… sorry for that,” he scratched the back of his head before sticking his opposite hand out to shake hers, “hey, my name's Volpe, what's yours?”

 

“ah, you must have not been there when Sesshomaru introduced me to everyone, I'm Kagome, Inuyasha's intended.” He then deflated at that, but still shook her hand. He then left without a second word to go find someone else to flirt to. Kagome shrugged and continued on to find her mate-to-be in hopes of avoiding any wannabe sexual confrontations.

 

Sesshomaru intercepted Kagome at the foot of the stairs right before Inuyasha with a yawning Rin. “Kagome, it's Rin's bedtime, can you go take her?” Kagome nodded quietly, silently agreeing that it was time to take a break from the ball and all of the guests there because, surprisingly, she didn't like large crowds.

 

“come on Rin, I'll tell you a story when I tuck you in,” Kagome looked down at the girl and smiled sweetly. How was Shippou doing, being away from Kagome for so long, they were never separated for longer than a week before from either Inuyasha or Kagome.

 

()

 

“come in Shippou, Kagome wouldn't like it if you got a cold,” Sango called out the hut door, trying to persuade the kit to come indoors. Recently he had been staying outside on lookout as much as possible, many times his body giving up before his mind, hoping to be the first one to see his okaa-san and her smiling face before tucking him into bed right beside her in the sleeping bag.

 

Shippou sighed, a tear running down his face, and turned inside in defeat. Sure he pretended to not miss them when one was missing, but that was only a façade to hide his fears about what happened to his father happening to either of his new parents. “coming!” came the weak cry, pushing aside the cloth door opening to sit beside the fire.

 

Both the taijiya and monk noticed the kit's sullen attitude that had developed over the past week or so. They missed not doing any shard hunts, or just being together like a family. Yes, a family, or a pack as the animalistic members of the group would call it. Kagome was the nucleus, being like a little sister to both of them, Inuyasha a brother, Shippou definitely a nephew, and Kilala was like a dear pet to them all. But what about each other, they had matched glances plenty, but what were they to each other?

 

()

 

“what story do you want Rin?” Kagome asked, lying down on top of the covers that Rin was under. The girl was in a simple white sleeping yukata and Kagome was, unfortunately, still in her kimono.

 

“the tricky kitsune!” Rin cheered, hoping that Kagome knew that one.

 

Kagome smiled, hiding a small cringe inside, “which one? I know a couple of them because kitsune are tricksters themselves, they were born that way. How about I tell you one that momma told me when I was you age, alright?” Rin gave a small nod and grinned, knowing that this one was going to be a new one and not some old one that her human parents had told her when she was younger.

 

“well, there was once a spirit kitsune named Yoko Kurama, and he was called the greatest thief of all time. He was so good, that the people that he stole from didn't even know that anything was missing until he was long gone…

 

()

 

“Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha called his brother, seeing that no one was currently `paying respects' to the western lord.

 

Sesshomaru turned his head in hearing his name and looked at Inuyasha, “what is it brother?” he asked with his cool attitude.

 

“I… you- you adopted Rin, right?” Inuyasha took a breath, hating the fact that he was actually asking his brother for advice.

 

“that is correct.”

 

“Kagome… and I… want to adopt,” he blushed a light dusting of pink, “it's the kitsune pup. He's already taken to calling her mother, so I was wondering…” Inuyasha couldn't stand looking at his brother, so his eyes started rapidly traveling everywhere.

 

“how to do the bonding ceremony, correct?” Sesshomaru was losing his patience with the young idiot, so he interrupted. “on your strongest nights, you form a blood-sake potion with the child and your blood…”

 

()

 

“… the chain snapped and the bat demon went back for the pendant, yelling for Yoko to continue on and that he would be fine. Not believing a word, Yoko followed, just in time to see him skewered with bamboo spears. In his grief for his long-time friend and partner, one of the human trackers found him and shot him with an arrow, supposedly killing him instantly. But you never know, kitsune are tricky that way, he could just be possessing a body right now, waiting… and waiting for his chance to get his own body again.” Kagome finished, knowing that Rin had fallen asleep a long time ago. She smiled gently and kissed Rin's forehead before getting up and leaving, turning the lamp down low so it was a night-light instead of lighting up the entire room.

 

exiting the room, she spotted a young girl a little older than Rin that looked human enough. “umm… excuse me, but can you help me get back to the ball room? oh, and by the way, I'm Kagome,” Kagome bowed to the girl and she bowed back.

 

“I'm ling, and its this way,” she said, turning away and leading Kagome down the hall. This girl was obviously a guard, seeing how many weapons she was carrying (crossed katana on her back, and another one at her side), but was dressed up slightly for the night like the others at the castle. She had a light green Chinese-style button-front shirt with a high collar and no sleeves and underneath a pair of gi pants in a darker green with a skirt that was scrunched up to her knees on either side with a string that was an earthy shadow of green/brown. Her hair was also a matching brown and up in a high ponytail.

 

“here it is, lady Kagome, enjoy your stay,” ling bowed herself out and left, continuing to patrol the halls like her fellow taijiya-like guards.

 

`yeah, I will' Kagome thought, turning back into the room to act like a socialite once again. There was just something creepy to her about people who didn't talk much.

 

Kagome entered once again to face just as many people as there were an hour ago, maybe a few less, but not enough to notice. Looking around, she spotted Inuyasha talking to his brother and smiled while descending to the brothers. Maybe they could get along for once…

 

“no way, I won't cut my mate for some stupid ritual even if that's how it's done!”

 

… then again, no. Kagome came in behind Inuyasha, not wanting to bother his `discussion' with his brother that had something to do with her in the first place.

 

“then you should ask her about it yourself, dear brother,” Sesshomaru was sitting down, sipping what she could guess was flavored sake, “she's right behind you.” Inuyasha's face went pale when he thought about how long she could have been standing behind him.

 

Kagome grinned inwardly, she could see how pale Inuyasha had gone, even with his white hair, and decided to play with him. She stepped up to flush against his back and went on her toes before he could turn around. “what's this about cutting me, hmm?” she whispered, giving him a faked version of the `you're in trouble but I'm holding it in' voice. She felt Inuyasha shiver and she smiled at Sesshomaru so he could know that she was playing along with what he had started.

 

“what about you getting hurt?” Inuyasha asked, trying to cover his guilt with a failed attempt at laughing. “you mean getting cut for the ceremony, right,” he turned around to face the girl so that they were in each other's arms, “you know I would never hurt you on purpose, right?” he was practically groveling and she couldn't help but crack and start laughing.

 

“ you should have seen the look on your face!” she continued, placing a small kiss on his cheek, “but what's this about me getting cut?” she asked again seriously.

 

“your acting skills leave much to be desired, miko hanyou,” Sesshomaru cut in, looking at the girl that he would be soon related to.

 

This was unheard as Inuyasha started to sweat in nerves. “I was asking about certain ceremonies that I thought would come up eventually…” Inuyasha trailed off, not really wanting to say any more. “lets go outside, its getting stuffy with all these higher-ups tainting the air,” and with that, led Kagome outside to the gardens that she had been in earlier to a spot that seemed particularly secluded.

 

“umm…”

 

“shh, Kagome, before you say anything,” Inuyasha sat Kagome down on a stone bench and knelt down on one foot in front of her. He dug out a long and narrow box from the front of his haori and held it out to her, she took it and her head started spinning.

 

()

 

it was sixth grade, and the girls were all around Kagome's desk to talk before the teacher showed up for their next class. “Kagome-chan, how would you like to get proposed to?” Eri asked, the girl as curious as ever staring at her best friend. The other two were looking over at the boy named Hojo as she was asked this.

 

Kagome blushed and looked over at Hojo also, they were practically his fan club he was so handsome. “I don't know. I guess it would be under the Goshinboku like mom and dad was. I would be wearing the most beautiful pink dress and he,” all four giggled, knowing who he was, “would have just brought me back from dinner at a fancy restaurant and a romantic movie that he picked out just for me.” The girls all sighed, thinking along the lines of `how romantic' and `Hojo better do that'. Just then the teacher came in and they had to sit down for math to start.

 

()

 

“Kagome?” he asked, hoping that she wouldn't laugh at him, “would you care to allow me to court you?” he then closed his eyes tight, preparing himself for the hardest and most depressing blow of his life.

 

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes slowly, peering at Kagome with a look of fear on his face. She was sitting frigid, not moving whatsoever, except for her eyes, which were misting up with tears. Whatever Inuyasha was thinking, this was worse. She was rejecting him so much that she was crying in disgust.

 

“d- do you mean like dating me?” Kagome asked, looking down into Inuyasha's eyes.

 

“if that means that I am allowed to give you presents and woo you, yes.” Inuyasha laid his hands over Kagome's and helped her open the box. Inside was a small dagger with a golden handle. It was a simple design, a Celtic knot weaving throughout it with two lion's heads holding an opal, but it was beautiful.

 

Kagome carefully and tenderly took it out of the box to examine it closer. After looking to Inuyasha and back to the dagger several times, she dropped the dagger to her side and proceeded to jump into Inuyasha's arms and they both fell into a patch of lilacs.

 

“so, that means yes, right?”

 

()

 

Yech, I hate romantic moments! But I guess I owed you guys for having such a long break. Also, this chapter is 18 pages to tell ya. My normal chapter is about 6-9 pages, I hope y'all are happy. And sorry for the cliffie, it just fit! I promise my next chapter will be out `on time', dark