InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Faithless Love ❯ Prejudice ( Chapter 4 )

Faithless Love

By: Memories Void

 

Disclaimer: The characters from Inuyasha were created by Rumiko Takahashi and I lay no claim to them.

 

Author's note: I'm a bit embarrassed… taking so long to update. My readers, (if there any left) you have my most sincere apologies. What's my excuse? I don't know… maybe I'm just lazy, maybe it's writer's block… In any case there is one question from the reviews I received that I'll address here: “Will there be a lemon?” There is no lemon planned for this story… Then again plans can always change. All I can say is that as I'm writing a chapter, if it feels right for a lemon to be there it will be there and if it doesn't feel right, there won't be a lemon. Sorry if this disappoints anyone but I won't promise you guys a lemon if I'm unsure whether or not I'll be able to successfully produce one.

 

Chapter 4: Prejudice

 

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She was awash in a sea of vibrant colors. Pink, blue, orange, purple, red, green, they were all there in many different combinations. It made her dizzy at such an early hour. But none of them were right for the occasion. None of them were astounding enough. She wanted to be absolutely beautiful today; she wanted to be worthy of her husband-of his position and also, his affection.

 

Turning back to look behind her, she frowned at Sesshoumaru who was still lounging on her futon, watching her sort through the hundreds of yards of silk that made up her collection of kimonos. A blush infused her cheeks as she realized he was still not dressed. The morning light shone through the window of her room, falling on his fair skin and silver hair. Kagome had the feeling she would never quite be able to catch her breath when he sat around like that.

 

Huffing in indignation, she turned back to the task at hand: picking out a kimono for her formal introduction today. It had been just over a month since they had been joined as husband and wife and Kagome found her life to be more difficult then she had initially imagined. It was not that she was given any pressing tasks to attend to, as a matter of fact she had basically no duties at all, save for at night when Sesshoumaru came to her. But aside from the occasional afternoon visit from her demon lover, her days were free to do with as she pleased.

 

It had only taken that first day, when she had arrived at Sesshoumaru's home, to find she was despised by more than just her husband's concubines. How many times had she been roughly pushed aside by a passing demon? Or how many insults had she endured openly or in hushed whispers? The number seemed endless. But she had taken it in stride, not complaining to her demon lord, hiding the occasional bruises to her body and pride.

 

From what she could gather they all just fancied her a momentary lapse in their lord's judgment. Naught more than a passing fancy, a craving that he would soon grow out of. It was not common knowledge that she was his wife and not just another girl added to his harem, which she had heard, was quite extensive but still lacking of humans.

 

It was not until the previous night that Sesshoumaru discovered the ill-treatment his wife had endured since her arrival. Kagome had gone out for a walk in the gardens to get a breath of fresh air, away from the stifling dining room, when she happened upon one of the soldiers. A demon soldier, which was not surprising since she was the only human in Sesshoumaru's household. But he had reeked of sake and stumbled towards her, grasping her arms and mumbling incoherently.

 

For a few minutes she struggled with him to no avail, even inebriated he was much stronger than her. Then she had screamed and there was a flash of light as the demon released her and swore under his breath. She took the moment of his confusion to run away. Sesshoumaru had found her in her room, tears streaming down her face as she lay curled up in the thick blankets on her futon.

 

It took only a moment and a few sniffs for him to figure out what had happened-or almost happened anyways. He said nothing to her, but left the room and Kagome wondered if he was mad at her. The young woman cried herself to sleep but was awoken in the middle of the night when Sesshoumaru gently shook her.

 

With wide-frightened eyes, she looked up at him and his beautiful, emotionless face. He said nothing.

 

“I-,” she began, but he cut her off, kissing her lips gently before undressing and laying beside her.

 

“I know,” he had said, gathering her into his arms. Kagome sighed in relief, happy she did not have to explain what had happened. She wasn't entirely sure what she would have told him if he had asked.

 

But the crisis had passed and she had slept peacefully in her lover's arms and awoke to his golden gaze, his eyes softer then she had ever remembered them being. Then he had told her she would be properly presented to the household-as his wife. Which lead her to her current predicament-looking for a suitable kimono.

 

As she stood there contemplating the many kimonos lining the room, she was startled by two arms snaking around her waist and pulling her back towards another warm body.

 

“What is taking you so long?” he asked, burying his nose in her fragrant mane of black hair.

 

Kagome groaned, pulling slightly away and turning in his arms so they were face to face.

 

“I don't have anything to wear,” she whined.

 

One silver eye brow arched up into his bangs as he glanced around the room, looking at the rows and rows of kimonos that took up a majority of the space. He remembered the day he told her she could have as many kimonos as she wanted, but he had no idea she would have required as many as she currently had. Soon she would need an entirely different room just to house her clothing.

 

“I find that quite hard to believe,” the demon replied.

 

“I'm not joking, Sesshoumaru!”

 

Neither was he, but he refrained from saying so.

 

“What is wrong with your current wardrobe?” he said instead.

 

“Well, nothing… They're all very nice, but they aren't stunning. Do you know what I mean?”

 

He didn't, but would never admit to not understanding something.

 

“I want them to think I'm worthy of you. I want them to think I'm beautiful,” she whispered, hiding her face in his chest, which, she noted happily, was still unclothed.

 

“Ah,” Sesshoumaru murmured as understanding dawned on him. His hands went to her shoulders, removing her sleeping yukata. The garment slid smoothly off of her and pooled in a puddle of silk at her feet. She stood there in his embrace, naked and blushing.

 

“If that is your desire, you should attend like this,” he said, stepping away and gazing appreciatively at her lack of clothing. The blush darkened and traveled down her throat to her chest. The demon chuckled as she quickly snatched her yukata off the floor and covered herself.

 

“You're a pervert,” she accused, turning away from him, willing the heat to recede from her face and body.

 

The demon lord sighed, gazing through her window at the quickly rising sun. They had lingered too long. He walked around her, framing her delicate cheeks in his deadly claws.

 

“I would not have chosen you if you were not worthy of me. I know this, but my subjects do not and no amount of kimonos will prove to them otherwise. You must find another means to prove yourself to them.”

 

Sometimes, she forgot how wise he really was. She would get so caught up in the beauty of him, in the silky slide of his flesh against hers, of the piercing look in his golden eyes and the sensuous feeling of his platinum hair in her hands that she was blinded to all else. Really, he was too perfect. All of it was just too perfect. That he should care for her always seemed impossible when she thought about it.

 

“I love you,” was all she could think of to say. There was no verbal response from him, but he leaned down to kiss her lips and forehead gently.

 

“Wear the white one,” he instructed. Kagome smiled and nodded, suddenly ready to face the day.

 

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Kagome frowned, her face depicting deep concentration as she studied the demons before her. She could almost feel the impatience emanating from their bodies indicating that if she did not make her decision quickly all hell would break loose. But she needed time to contemplate her choice. A distraction was needed…

 

“Errrr… who wants some suiko?” she yelled out suddenly.

 

The faces of the demon children brightened immediately as they all raised their hands, cheering at the promise of sweets. She smiled at their enthusiasm, giggling as she stood up from her place on the veranda.

 

“Well then, let's go to the kitchen,” she said, turning to lead the group of young demons.

 

“Hmph, you're just changing the subject so you don't have to decide who the winner is!” one of the boys stated, pointing an accusing claw at her. The young lady laughed sheepishly at having been caught by a child.

 

“No, not at all,” she stuttered lamely. Her thoughts moved rapidly, trying to think of a viable excuse. The children were now eyeing her suspiciously, and she knew she was in trouble if she didn't think of something soon.

 

“Well?” one of the older demon girls prompted.

 

“Well…” Kagome echoed before clearing her throat. “Well, it's just that you were all so good! I couldn't decide which of you jumped the highest.”

 

She smiled innocently at them, hoping that they would buy it. The younger one's seemed to take the bait, but a few of the older one's seemed a bit dubious but thankfully kept silent.

 

“So, what about that suiko?” the boy who had been the initial accuser asked while winking at her.

 

Kagome bit her lip, swallowing the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him. He was a clever boy, always making fun of her and catching her mistakes. The young demon had bright, ice-blue eyes and blonde hair that he had tied back with a blue ribbon. As to what type of demon he was, she had no idea, but his name was Kyuusai.

 

He had been the first child out of the group to accept her as a human. The girl who had spoken had been the second, with her pale brown eyes and plain black hair it was sometimes easy to mistake Megumi for a human, if one ignored the pointed ears and fangs. Once she had won Kyuusai and Megumi over, the rest of the children had followed, and if no one else, at least they liked her.

 

As for the full grown demons in the castle… Well, it was a bit harder to win their trust and respect. Though they dare not physically or verbally assault her, she was still the recipient of many glares. There were rumors that a soldier had been killed for assaulting her. Kagome herself, never questioned what became of the demon that had meant her harm in his drunken stupor. Though she loved Sesshoumaru with all her heart, she could never condone violence, and so chose to remain oblivious to his darker nature.

 

For the most part if the demons didn't glare then they just outright ignored her, or treated her with the barest amount of respect. It was only through the virtue of Sesshoumaru that they treated her with any at all; she knew this and sought to change it. But the question of how a young human girl could impress a castle full of demons was a challenging one. Kagome had long since decided that befriending the concubines was highly undesirable, and senseless; as they were the ones with the most cause to hate her. As it were, she never saw the red-headed demoness who had attacked her that first day and as for the rest of the harem-with so many demons about she could not tell a maid from a concubine anyways.

 

There was a tug at her sleeve, pushing her thoughts aside for the moment, Kagome smiled down at the young demon, a girl of about six years grinned back and took her hand.

 

“Lady Kagome, suiko?”

 

The young woman nodded and headed off towards the kitchens.

 

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It was very lonely, being the only human in a castle full of demons. There were so many things about them she didn't understand. It was even worse then actually being by one's self, because at least then there wasn't the feeling of being ignored by everyone around you.

 

What could she possibly do to prove herself to them? In the back of her mind was the lingering doubt that perhaps, she wasn't worthy of Sesshoumaru, that they were all right and she was just some idiot human he was stringing along. But she felt so cherished when they were alone, when he looked at her and kissed her; she felt valuable. No one had ever made her feel that way before.

 

Her parents had died when she was still very young, so she barely even remembered them and in her uncle's house she had always felt like just an ornament, some inanimate thing decorating his house, fading into the background of his life. There was nothing astounding about her, except that she loved Sesshoumaru, sometimes if she thought about it too much she was sure her heart would burst from the amount of feeling she had for him.

 

There was a sound from behind her and Kagome turned slightly, to see Kyuusai standing behind her, scuffing his toe in the grass. She giggled at the slight flush on his fair cheeks and patted the spot beside her. Taking her offer, he sat and together they stared silently into the forest surrounding Sesshoumaru's compound.

 

“Lady Kagome,” the young demon's voice wavered slightly. The confidence of a adolescent left him and he sounded more like a child than he ever had before. She had previously guessed his age to be around 14 or 15, but now without his slight air of arrogance, she knew him to be younger.

 

“Hmm?” she lay back onto the grass, her eyes focusing on the fluffy white clouds over head.

 

“A-are you really mated to Lord Sesshoumaru?”

 

The young woman smiled a bit sadly. Did even this child question her right to remain with Sesshoumaru? But of course it would make sense; all the young male demons that resided in the Sesshoumaru's household idolized him. But did they feel betrayed that their lord would take a human woman as his own, or did they accept it?

 

“I married him,” Kagome answered, watching the boy's expression. He didn't seem disappointed or angry-just confused.

 

“Is it the same thing?” he asked.

 

Kagome shrugged as best she could while lying on the ground, “I suppose it is.”

 

“Well then,” Kyuusai stood, his fists clenched at his sides, “I'm going to mate with a human too!” he proclaimed.

 

“What?” Kagome yelled and sat up as her demon companion turned to look at her. She hadn't meant to sound so… surprised, but she was. How had he come to that conclusion? Sesshoumaru's opinions meant more to these children then anyone understood.

 

“Kyuusai,” she started gently, “I don't think-,”

 

“Lady Kagome,” the demon said, kneeling at her side, “will you please help me? I want to be like Lord Sesshoumaru.”

 

There was a blank look on the young woman's face. The boy seemed so sincere. He truly wanted to be like Sesshoumaru.

 

“Kyuusai, I'll help you if I can but you shouldn't marry a human just because Lord Sesshoumaru did. You know, humans are all different. Just like demons.”

 

He seemed thoughtful for a moment. Kagome sighed in relief when a look of understanding crossed upon Kyuusai's face.

 

“I see,” he said, “so then you're a special kind of human, right? Well, I'm gong to marry you Lady Kagome. If I can take you away from Lord Sesshoumaru it'll prove that I'm his equal!”

 

It was apparent to Kagome that she would never be able to follow this particular demon's train of thought. But before she could begin to explain to him the error of his idea, there was a screech from the forest.

 

The sound made her ears ache and her vision blur. She tried to stand but was too dizzy. Beside her, Kyuusai seemed to be in the same predicament. Most likely he was in a worse state then her considering his hearing was more sensitive. Though she could not see it clearly, she could make out the movements of something big approaching them at a fast pace. They needed to get back into the safety provided by the castles walls.

 

Blood spurted into her mouth as Kagome bit deeply into her bottom lip. For a moment her mind cleared, and she grabbed Kyuusai, barely able to lift him. But somehow she managed and began staggering towards the castle. Not fast enough, she knew, she was feeling nauseous and weak. They were fifty yards away from the gate. A few guards that looked like blobs of shadow to Kagome's unfocused eyes were heading towards them. But behind her she could feel the heat of the low level youkai chasing them.

 

`They won't reach us in time,' she thought wildly before she stumbled and fell, the demon child falling from her grasp. It was almost upon them, she crawled forward a few feet to cover Kyuusai with her body, curling around the boy who was howling and writhing; the sound too much for his keen senses. Soon, it was too much for her as well and everything went black.

 

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