InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Egypt Bound ❯ A Warning ( Chapter 3 )

A Warning

"You seem to be the next person on my card, Miss Higurashi, " Sesshomaru said as Kagome checked her dance card and found that he was right. He offered her his hand, which she took nervously. "Oh Dear God, please let him not be suspicious!" She meekly looked into his seemingly depthless golden eyes as the two started to move in tune with the orchestra.

"You seem to be a bit on edge Miss Higurashi, did Lord Hamilton act like a gentleman?" Kagome bit the inside of her lip to remind her that this was all real---her dance with Naraku, the dinner, the ship… everything was real. And now, another handsome man was standing before her asking her how she felt. Oh if he only had an inkling of how utterly fried her nerves were! And now she, who had never been a good fibber in her childhood, had to lie about how she really felt or lose everything her family had carefully saved over the course of their lives. Maybe a few carefully crafted fibs here and there wouldn't exactly hurt after all.

"I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru---I suppose I am a bit overwhelmed -today has been a very trying day, "Oh you have no idea…

"Yes, I can imagine. My ward, Rin is not much younger than you, and the poor child nearly collapsed after dinner, " Sesshomaru paused to give Kagome the once-over, and continued,"So, how old are you, Miss Higurashi? -If you don't mind my asking, that is."

"Nineteen." She offered, blushing.

"Nineteen…hmm…" Sesshomaru repeated softly. As the two promenaded around the floor, his face looked so calm and calculating, so much in fact that it made Kagome feel uneasy about revealing her age. She looked up at his face to see what would happen next, but nothing did. He mechanically whirled her about the ballroom as if they had never exchanged words; when the whirling ceased, he spoke:

"Miss Higurashi, would it be terribly bothersome of me to ask you to join Rin and I for afternoon tea tomorrow? It would be nice for her to be able to socialize with girls close to her age---she's quite shy, you know," he asked sweetly. Kagome mulled this sudden invite over in her head and decided that she would need Sango's help on this one. Hazel always said that if one was not sure about an invitation, she should always post a note in response with the invitor's servant or courier.

"I am flattered, Lord Sesshomaru," she paused, bringing her hand slightly to her lips in fake shock, " but I will need to check my schedule for tomorrow afternoon. My maid will send a confirmation." She didn't notice it, at first, but Lord Sesshomaru had managed to move them out of earshot of the social busybodies. He leaned in closer to her and she felt his warm breath on her earlobe.

"Why are we so far away from the others?"

"Keep your voice down! Do you have any idea why I have removed us from the crowd?" She shook her head. " I have to warn you, my dear, that Naraku is a very dangerous man." Her jaw nearly dropped down to her feet-thank God that she was not facing the masses.

"Wuh-what? How? "

" Let me say this: he does not play fair and will go to any end to get what he wants."

"W-what could he possibly want from me? I'm just a woman!"

"I am not sure, but if you value your safety," he turned and continued over his shoulder," keep him as an acquaintaince. Like I said, he is not above using innocents to further his plots." Sesshomaru walked off, leaving her by the half-empty punch in shock. She decided to call it a night and made her way to the main ballroom door. As she was sashaying her way through the crowd of other travelers, she noticed Naraku talking to the same snub-nose concierge as before. To anyone else, it would seem that he was just "checking up on things", but to Kagome, the two seemed to be sinister. With that in mind, she tried to keep out of his line of sight-that was until she felt someone gripping her arm.

"Ahh! Who in the-" she whipped around to find herself face-to-face with none other than the man she was trying to avoid.

"Miss Higurashi," he said in scolding tone. Her eyes slowly met with his. " Did you forget that we have a dance left?" Oh no. He's creeping me out. Get your hand off of me you sod! Kagome shivered slightly. Something about him unnerved her, but what exactly was it?

"Oh, your grace, I am sorry, but I must retire for the night. It has been such a long day and a girl needs her beauty sleep. Please forgive me?" She cracked a smile as his eyes nearly burned a hole through hers. He sighed and released his grip on her arm.

"If I can't dance with you tonight, please at least do me the honor of having breakfast with you on the deck tomorrow morning?" Inwardly, she cringed at the very possibility of doing such a thing, but then she remembered her grandfather's words and her whole reason for her being in the position she was in now---Maybe Sesshomaru was just jealous because Naraku is his opposition, yeah, that sounds about right…

" I normally breakfast in my room, alone…" she sighed.

"Well, what about teatime then?" Naraku smirked, happy with his sudden burst of creative thought. Kagome cast her eyes downward in a demure manner for a few seconds. Better let him sweat it. She looked back up.

"That would be lovely," she replied, "except that I have already been invited to tea, my lord," she smiled weakly. Out of the corner of her eye she swore she saw a fist clench.

"Well, then Miss Higurashi, I suppose that leaves us nought but the evening meal now does it?" She swallowed a slight lump in her throat.

"Uh, yes, I suppose it does my lord. Please excuse me, it is getting late; tonight was most lovely Lord Naraku. I believe I have finally found a waltz partner that is to my taste! Good Night!" She waved a gloved hand goodbye as she finally left the ballroom.

She unlocked her room, to find that her trusted blackmailer had laid her night-things on the bed, and had even turned down the covers! Sango was unpacking one of her trunks as she walked in.

"So, how'd ya do old girl?" she asked in a full cockney accent.

"It was tough, but I think I made good impressions on everybody."

"Have you gotten any invitations?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, two. One from Lord Sesshomaru and the other from Lord Naraku."

"Oh."

"What do you mean, `oh'? Didn't I make some progress?" Kagome replied shocked at Sango's nonchalant response to her good fortune. Sango stood up and smoothed out her skirt-she hated to be the bearer of bad news, but as an advisor to an aspiring socialite, it came whether she wanted it to or not.

"Well, Kagome…you did good, but now comes the hard part," Sango sighed. Kagome's ears perked up in anticipation. "You now have to figure out which one wants you for you, and not as a pawn in a political cat and mouse game."

" I gathered that. But Sesshomaru only wants me for a companion to his ward! Naraku…well, he seems to have some other motive," Kagome looked down at the floor and saw Sango's small black-shoed feet inch near her. She felt a hand grab her chin and lift it up. Two pairs of brown eyes met.

"Kagome, I want you know that this is no longer child's play, these men can make or break you, especially if and when they figure out your background. Now I must admit they are both charming and handsome, but watch out!"

"So, who would be the better choice? Sesshomaru or Naraku?"

"I wouldn't make my decision so early if I were you, Egypt is still far away and we have yet to catch our other steamer at Marseilles. Make them wait and show no preference yet."

"But you haven't answered my question yet! Who is the better of the two?" Kagome asked anxiously.

"*sigh* Given the choices, and having knowledge of their backgrounds, I would say Sesshomaru, but his background is not flawless," pondered Sango.

"Well, no one's perfect-and we both know I'm not to judge, so let's sleep on it tonight. Heaven knows what tomorrow will bring, right Sango?" Kagome chirped.

"Uh, right Miss," Sango stuttered.

**A/N: To Everyone who has reviewed (which last time I checked was 2 ppl), or has read the first few chapters, Thank You! This is my first actual published work, so I'm very happy to see that at least some folks are interested in it. Sorry about the long wait, but I have been overwhelmed with reading for my classes and work-which leaves me limited time for writing. But, when I do get the chance to write, I will try not to just pop out a single crap chapter (well, that one's up for interpretation). I promise. So, be the wonderful and generous people that you are and review! I want to write a story that you want to read, and to keep me from writing crap chapters I need your support! Also, for those readers who travel between the fanfic sites, I am on both ff.net and mediaminer. But lately mm.org seems to be easier to upload with. So check both for future updates!

***Ok, For those of you who read the first 2 chappies before, I had to umm…do some name changing because I used the name Kaede twice. So Kagome's etiquette teacher is now Hazel, and Kaede, well…you'll meet her soon.