InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The New Student and Kagome's Secret ❯ Chapter 45: A Feast Fit for a King ( Chapter 46 )

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Chapter 45

"Welcome back…Lord Inuyasha," they said bowing to him.

Kagome looked suspiciously at Inuyasha. Everyone they had come into contact with seemed to have the utmost respect for him. She didn't understand why. She decided she would talk to him later about it. Inuyasha seemed happy to see them all.

"Guys! Isei! Katsuhito! Matsuo! Hitomi! Mayu!" Inuyasha said rushing towards them.

The servants were obviously a little taken aback by Inuyasha's disposition towards them. They knew Inuyasha was never very expressive and they wanted to make sure he was happy to see them and not mad at them for some unknown reason. When they had established Inuyasha was just happy to see them, they relaxed a little.

"It's so good to see you again, Lord Inuyasha," one man said stepping forward.

"Satoru!" Inuyasha said embracing his friend in a manly hug. "It's been so long!"

"Too long!" Satoru said. "I see you have been in good hands!"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said with a nod and then turned towards Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kagome. "Satoru was learning to cook under our head chef so he could one day take over his job." Inuyasha turned back towards Satoru. "He cooks a mean lamb!"

"Lamb???" Kagome, Sango, and Miroku said in unison. They had never eaten lamb. It was considered a great delicacy and only the wealthy really ate it.

"I had a feeling you would say that," Satoru said clapping his hands. Everyone looked up to see even more servants bringing in huge covered silver platters.

Shippo gasped at the sight of all of the food and the others just stared in disbelief. The servants set down the trays on the table one by one until the entire elongated table was nearly covered in trays of food.

"I am now the head chef here at the castle," Satoru said. "I have people working under me now. As soon as I heard the news you were returning home, I gathered everyone in the castle that could cook and began preparing a large feast for your welcome home celebration!"

Though Inuyasha would have never admit it, Kagome noticed how elated and touched he was to know that Satoru and the other servants would do such a thing for him. He looked at everyone, all of whom had such warm, welcoming smiles. Kagome smiled to herself. `Inuyasha deserves this,' Kagome thought stepping forward.

"Thank you so much for all of your hospitality!" Kagome said cheerfully.

"It is my pleasure Lady Kagome!" Satoru said slightly bowing then cut his eyes towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha gave him a quick menacing glare telling Satoru to quit thinking whatever he was thinking. He knew it was along the lines of Satoru hearing something about how protective Inuyasha was over Kagome.

Kagome gasped slightly, but then realized that he had probably strangely heard of her like everyone else she had run into. She smiled.

"I assume you have met Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara," Kagome said motioning towards her friends.

"Oh, yes my Lady," Satoru said. "Myouga had taken them all on a tour of the castle and just happen to run into us cleaning things up in the back."

"Cleaning?" Inuyasha said.

"Yes, sire," Satoru said. "But I will answer all of your questions over dinner. Your food will get cold. Please everyone sit down and let the feast begin!"

Kagome took a quick glance at the table. It was huge. It was as wide a normal table, but stretched nearly the entire room. Kagome was distracted however when one of the female servants helped Inuyasha to his seat.

"Here, sire," the woman said. "We reserved the head of the table for you."

"Thanks, but that's really not necessary…oomph!" Inuyasha began, but was quickly cut off whenever two of the male servants shoved Inuyasha into the seat at the head of the table. Kagome walked over cautiously making sure there wasn't a seat reserved for someone that she was about to sit in. Miroku sat on Inuyasha's left followed by Sango sitting next to him. Kagome decided to sit on his right-hand side and Shippo sat next to her. Kirara sat against the wall. A tray had already been prepared for her full of cooked fish. Kagome smiled and then looked up to see Satoru standing directly behind Inuyasha.

"Very well, is everyone seated?" he asked Inuyasha and his friends. They nodded. "Then let the feast begin!"

The servants immediately began removing the covers to the platters one by one to reveal mounds upon mounds of food. Everyone gasped at the sight. There seemed to be enough food to feed a hundred people.

"You really outdid yourself, Satoru," Inuyasha said with a smile.

"Why thank you sire," Satoru said. "But I made this dish especially for you!"

Everyone looked up to see two huge platters overflowing with leg of lamb being brought to the table. Inuyasha's jaw dropped open. Shippo had already begun to drool and the lamb didn't add to it. Miroku and Sango looked across the table to Kagome who just shook her head in disbelief.

The servants immediately began serving the food asking each person what they would like to eat first. Shippo ended up piling a plate of food that was as big as he was. Kagome giggled.

"I think your eyes were bigger than your stomach, Shippo!" she said with a laugh. Shippo smiled sheepishly.

Wine, tea, and water were served and then everyone began eating…except the servants. They kept taking empty trays away, bringing condiments to and from the table, providing more napkins, refilling their drinks, and whatever else they saw that needed to be done. Inuyasha finally eyed Satoru warily. Satoru straightened himself immediately and gave Inuyasha a questioning look as if to ask what he had done wrong.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Inuyasha asked pointing to the food.

"Oh yes, sire," Satoru said with a smile. "In do time. After we finishing serving you we will eat in the servant quarters." Kagome laid her fork on her plate and gave Inuyasha a concerned look.

"That's just ridiculous!" Inuyasha said. Kagome smiled. "Sit down. Eat."

The cling clang of the servants scurrying around immediately came to a halt and was replaced by gasps.

"But sire!" Satoru said somewhat taken aback. "We could never eat in the royal dining room!"

"Well, you can now," Inuyasha said.

"Please," Kagome said with a smile. "Join us for dinner. You prepared such a wonderful feast. You must at least eat it with us."

"That is very kind of you Lady Kagome," Satoru said. "But my satisfaction comes from seeing the content look on your faces as you enjoy the food we prepared. That's why I applied for this job in the first place. As soon as you are served, we will eat."

"We're served already!" Inuyasha said. "Our glasses and plates are full and we have every condiment known to mankind on the table. If it will make you feel better, bring pitchers of water and tea, bottles of wine, napkins, and brand new condiments to the table and then sit down. I want to speak with you. I have a lot of questions."

"Very well, sire. As you wish," Satoru said clapping his hands twice. The servants immediately began acting out Inuyasha's orders.

Kagome, however, couldn't help but think there was something going on that she didn't know about. Since when did everyone bow down and do Inuyasha's bidding? There was a lot more to this story than met the eye, and she was determined to find out what that was.

It wasn't long before everyone, servants included, had seated themselves at the table and began eating. Kagome noticed how everyone exchange excited looks that they were actually getting to eat in the royal dining room. `Have they never eaten at this table?' Kagome thought. `Surely not. Inuyasha has a lot of explaining to do, but I will talk to him after dinner. Inuyasha seems like he has a lot of unanswered questions. I'll let him talk to Satoru first.'

"So," Inuyasha said finally finished with his meal. "You said earlier that you had been cleaning?"

"Yes, sire," Satoru responded. "When Sesshomaru left to attack you, we housed many people from the village. They came seeking shelter and safety from the hoard of demons they knew would soon be attacking. It wasn't long before Sesshomaru opened one of his black holes of endless demons right over the village. The only ones that survived were the ones that had decided to seek shelter here. Everyone in the village was slaughtered…even Sesshomaru's followers."

"Wait, you mean to tell me that that guy actually had followers?" Sango exclaimed.

"Yes," Satoru said. "Most of those who followed him however did so only because they thought it would keep them safe from harm. But it didn't matter to Sesshomaru or the demons he released on the village. He killed them all."

"That's terrible!" Kagome said with a slight gasp.

"That bastard didn't deserve to live!" Inuyasha said slamming his fist down on the table. "He is a disgrace to father! I still can't believe he managed to overpower my mother and father!"

"Well, technically, Sesshomaru never overpowered your mother and father," Satoru said.

"What???" Inuyasha said, his ears perking up. Myouga and Satoru exchanged surprised glances.

"Didn't you know, Master Inuyasha?" Myouga said. "Sesshomaru had sent demons out to kill you while you were outside that day. He took the stronger of his legion and attacked your parents. He told them that he had you held captive, and if they so much as used any of their powers while fighting him, he would kill you. Your father of course withheld for fear of you being killed. He had no idea that you had escaped the demons, and did his best to protect your mother. When your mother saw you, she immediately told you to run and started using her powers again. But it was too late. Sesshomaru had nearly killed her already and your father was already dead. Fortunately, you made it out of that situation alive."

Inuyasha allowed everything he had just heard to sink in. He stared straight ahead and his eyes quivered as he began remembering what his parents' battered bodies looked like the last time he saw them. He clenched his fists and growled viciously.

"I swear on their graves that nothing like that will ever happen again! EVER!" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome held a look of concern on her face. She wanted to reach out to Inuyasha, but she knew it wasn't the time. She couldn't believe he didn't know. Kagome was heartbroken for him. She had no idea what to say. She just had to sit there and watch his emotional suffering continue.

"I am sorry that you are just now finding out my lord," Satoru said.

"Well," Inuyasha said relaxing a little. "If Sesshomaru is still alive out there somewhere it only quickens his death…but please continue."

"Oh, um, well, the people returned to the village as soon as they heard Sesshomaru had been defeated," Satoru said. "They began rebuilding and starting over. Meanwhile, we didn't know what to do. We had heard that you and Kagome both had died in the battle, and Myouga hadn't returned with news yet. We feared the worst had happened. We sulked around the castle for days. Though nothing was purposely stolen or damaged, the castle had become very dirty from all of the people tracking in and out with mud and blood on their shoes, and things had been slightly damaged because we had housed so many. We didn't even bother to clean or repair it. We were too depressed. We had lost everything. We had hoped that you would make it through and come here to take your place as the lord of the castle. As soon as we received news that you were not only okay, but also on your way here, we cleaned the place from top to bottom. Everyone around here loves you sire and even some of the priests and priestesses from neighboring lands and villages helped out. We were just excited to know that our Lord was coming home."

"The Lord of the Western Lands?" Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha. "Just what's going on here? I keep hearing you say stuff about lord this and lord that. I understand that Inuyasha is the heir to the castle and all, but you guys act like he is Lord of the Western Lands or something!"

Kagome folded her arms in disgust. She looked around the table. Everyone had guilty looks on their faces except the servants who just looked surprised that she didn't know already. Kagome relaxed her arms and gasped.

"Oh God!" she said looking at Inuyasha.

"Kagome, um…there's been…uh…something I've been meaning to tell you," Inuyasha said stumbling over his words and avoiding eye contact with her. Kagome stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't mean that…that you…" Kagome said still utterly shocked.

"Kagome, I didn't just come to see the castle," Inuyasha said pausing for a moment. "I came because the Western Lands have no Lord."

"What?" Kagome said as she started to feel faint.

"Allow me to explain it to you Lady Kagome," Myouga said. "Inuyasha is the heir to the Lord of the Western Lands. Inuyasha's father was Lord of the Western Lands. When Sesshomaru killed Inuyasha's father, by demon rule, Sesshomaru gained everything Inuyasha's father had…including his status. We, the servants, are the only ones that understand the situation at hand. That is one of the main reason I sought out Inuyasha so quickly because should he and Sesshomaru both have died, anyone could have waltzed in here and took over as Lord. That would have been chaotic! The Western Lands are the most powerful and the Lord of the Western Lands governs and assists all the other lands. Now, what I am about to tell you is something that I have only barely touched on with Inuyasha." Everyone, especially Kagome, Sango, and Miroku became attentive. "Inuyasha has the authority to take over the Western Lands right now. He defeated Sesshomaru, thereby, reclaiming the Western Lands as rightfully his. Therefore…Inuyasha's decision is not whether or not he wants to live in the castle. He has to either choose to take over as Lord of the Western Lands or appoint someone to that position. Only he has that authority now. THAT is his real decision."

"So is Inuyasha the Lord of the Western Lands as we sit here speaking right now?" Miroku asked.

"Yes and no," Myouga said. "The castle belongs to Inuyasha. Inuyasha has the authority of the Lord of the Western Lands, but not necessarily the title just yet. Inuyasha has to agree to it and make a formal acceptance speech to the people of the Western Lands."

"Wait a minute! You mean I gotta get up in front of people and talk?" Inuyasha asked.

"Should you choose to accept the position, yes," Myouga replied. "You have to make a formal speech to the people just basically telling them that you are their rightful new Lord and introduce yourself…then sign a contract in front of them binding the agreement. It's not that long and not that big of a deal."

"Riiiight," Inuyasha said.

Sango, Kagome, and Miroku sat there in shock. Sango and Miroku already knew most of it, but they had no idea of the extremity of the situation. They didn't know that Inuyasha was basically the unofficial Lord of the Western Lands right then. They just thought he had a decision to make. Kagome, on the other hand, thought they were just going to check out a castle. She was dumbfounded. She was literally…not shocked…but in shock! She just stared straight ahead. Inuyasha noticed her blank, shocked stare out of the corner of his eye and felt like at any time Kagome was going to lay into him for not telling her the truth about everything.

"Gee Inuyasha," Shippo said wide-eyed. "I had no idea you were royalty."

"I'm not!" Inuyasha said standing up and slamming both fists down on the table. "I'm not royalty! I'm not your Lord or your Master or whatever else you wanna call me! I am none of that!"

"But sire, we just…" Satoru began, but was cut off by Inuyasha.

"I have heard ENOUGH! I am not Lord until I say I am! You all got that?!" Inuyasha said angrily. "And who's to say that I am going to choose to be your Lord…no one! So stop telling me this shit until I say so!"

"Yes, my Lord," Satoru said.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He knew it was of no use. These people had been calling him lord and master all of his life and they weren't about to stop now. Frustrated, Inuyasha through his hands in the air and began walking out of the room.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled standing up to follow him. Miroku and Sango stood and followed him too, soon followed by Shippo, Kirara, and the rest of the servants.

"Inuyasha, would you please calm down," Kagome said as he stopped in the great room just outside the foyer. Inuyasha had his fists balled at his sides, then he seemed to calm. He turned around and faced everyone.

"Please," Inuyasha said calmly. "Try to understand that I will do what is best for my father's people. However, this is a tough decision. Should I choose not to take over, I have to appoint someone else to do so and I have to make sure that who I appoint will rule in a manner befitting of that of my father. This is my decision and my decision alone. Please try to understand that I will do what I think is best for the people."

`Inuyasha,' Kagome said to herself as she stared happily at him. `He has matured so much. His father would be proud.'

A/N: Hey, hey! I'm on a roll and I am already starting the next chapter! Woohoo! Okay so read and review as quickly as possible! I might just beat you at updating before you review! Hahahahahaha! Come on now! You have to give me props for updating quickly! I am doing a lot better! See you soon!