InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The New Student and Kagome's Secret ❯ Chapter 53: Cruel Intentions ( Chapter 54 )

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the delay, but I went home for the Christmas holidays and really didn't feel like dealing my parents' prehistoric computer. Besides, my mom is like all spastic over me doing anything, but spending time with her and the rest of my family during the holidays. Anywho! If you want to go along with the story musically, you will need to download "How can I not love you" by Joy Enriquez. I kind of had a writer's block on this chapter so forgive the extremely late update. The song will be within the next couple of chapters.

Chapter 53

Kagome didn't look back. She ran down the hall, turned the corner and ran down the stairs to the second floor. Tears streamed down her face. She soon brought her hands to her face to cover the fact that she had been crying from anyone she may run into along the way. She stepped onto the second floor and ran to the only place she felt like she could go…the Royal Chambers. She burst through the doors and flung herself on the bed, not caring to close the door behind her. She had no idea why she was crying. She felt like there was so much more to the situation and that Inuyasha was being so stupid. She had run away from him. She hadn't wanted to know what he was about to say to her. She didn't want to hear it just yet. She brought the pillow to her face and began to cry harder. She was so confused.

Sango ran breathlessly down the second floor corridor until she reached the open doors of the Royal Chambers. She gasped when she saw Kagome's sobbing figure hanging onto the bed for dear life. Sango walked in and quietly shut the door behind her. She walked over to her friend and sat next to her on the bed. She began to softly stroke Kagome's hair. Kagome wasn't startled by her actions. In fact, she seemed to calm a little.

"It's okay, Kagome," Sango said. "Everything will be okay."

"How can you say that?" Kagome asked, lifting her head so her red, teary eyes could stare at Sango. Sango felt so sorry for her friend. She didn't know what to say. She had no idea what Inuyasha was thinking, therefore, she could not reassure Kagome that Inuyasha was going to be with her.

"Everything happens for a reason, Kagome," Sango said. "I really don't understand why you are crying. Inuyasha hasn't said that he is going to be with Sakura."

"But you don't know him like I do," Kagome said. "He always obeys his father's orders. I don't trust that girl. How do I even know that document is real? She's been acting suspicious."

"At first I would have disagreed with you and brushed it off as you just being jealous of her. But after what I witnessed at dinner, that girl is definitely up to something," Sango said. "Her motive may just be to get Inuyasha to marry her."

"I just feel like I am losing Inuyasha," Kagome sobbed. "Like everything we've gone through…didn't mean anything. If Inuyasha does end up deciding to be with her, Sakura doesn't seem like the type that would allow him to share a friendship with me."

"That's for sure," Sango said. "I still can't get over the way she acted towards him at dinner. Listen, I'm sure Miroku is going to talk to Inuyasha to find out what's going on. I'll see what I can find out later. In the mean time, you need to dry those eyes. If Inuyasha does choose to be with that girl, he didn't deserve you in the first place, and in my opinion, he's a flat out asshole for doing that after all you have done for him. I can't imagine Miroku and I having the same relationship with him after that."

"Thanks, Sango," Kagome said with a slight smile as she jumped up and hugged her friend. "You've always known how to make me feel better."

"Good," Sango said. "Now dry those tears. We don't want to give Sakura the satisfaction of knowing that you have been crying. You need to act as if nothing has changed." Kagome wiped her tears away and nodded.

"Right!" she said confidently.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Miroku had walked down into the garden area. Miroku was a little surprised when Inuyasha had decided to come with Miroku willingly. He hadn't put up a fuss at all. Miroku knew then that Inuyasha was obviously extremely bothered by the situation at hand…so much so that he had actually wanted to talk to Miroku about it.

Inuyasha walked over to the large, rectangular pond in the middle of the garden. He squatted next to the edge and stared at the abnormally large goldfish swimming around the pond. He sighed. Miroku walked over to him and stood next to him.

"You know," Miroku said. "That contract could be a false document. How do you know that she didn't just make that up herself?"

"There's no way," Inuyasha said. Miroku raised an eyebrow. "The document had been sealed with my family's seal, an imprint of my family's crest. Only family members had access to the materials and knew how to properly use the seal, so that even if someone managed to get a hold of the sealing materials, they had no idea how to properly apply it. That document had been sealed correctly."

"Okay," Miroku said, clearing his throat. "So, what do you intend to do about it? Do you intend to follow your father's orders?"

"That's the difficult thing," Inuyasha said, standing up. "I can't imagine my father ever betrothing me to someone…especially after what he went through with my mother. He hadn't been happy with his first wife, and when he was finally able to choose, he chose my mother…a human…and had been really happy with her until their deaths. I just don't understand it. Maybe Father is just trying to look out for me, but I still can't imagine him forcing me to marry someone against my will."

"Maybe your father was just trying to look out for his people as well," Miroku said. "If Sakura is a direct descendant from Lady Kikyo, then she is probably very powerful."

"True," Inuyasha said. "But then again, what about the prophecy? You know a lot about the prophecy. Answer that."

"The prophecy is very vague, and it never said anything about you and Kagome ending up together. It merely said that the only way to save the human race was for the two of you to put aside your differences and appreciate each other for who each other was…not for what each other was. And both of you did that, which is why I am standing here right now. On another note, what do you think of Sakura? Could you see yourself with her?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha scowled. "When we were younger…much younger…Sakura…Sakura and I…she was the first person I ever trusted." Miroku's eyes grew wide.

"You had a thing for her, didn't you?" Miroku said. Inuyasha growled at Miroku, but looked away.

"We were just…just close friends…" Inuyasha said softly. "I was too young to know what love was."

"What about now? Do you know what love is now?" Miroku asked. Thoughts of Inuyasha and Kagome together flashed through Inuyasha's mind. He smiled to himself at the thought of the times they had together.

"I…I don't know, Miroku," Inuyasha said. "I haven't had a clear head in days."

Inuyasha and turned around to fiddle with a bush. "Look, Inuyasha, forget the prophecy…forget the document…what do you want?"

Inuyasha quit playing with the bush and looked up into the sky. He sighed. He really didn't know the answer to that question.

"I guess I want what's best for my father's people," Inuyasha said. "I just don't know what that is yet."

"Why don't you just think about it," Miroku said. "This is another tough decision you have to make. You need to clear your head. All of this is new to you. Why don't you go for a run or something?"

Inuyasha smiled. That sounded nice. A run could help him clear his head. He suddenly frowned and shook the thoughts from his head.

"No," Inuyasha said. "I can't. I can't leave Kagome alone. Sesshoumaru may be out there…Kouga too. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because I was being selfish enough to go out on my own. I may go for a walk, but stay within the castle walls so I can get to her if she needs me."

Miroku jaw dropped open. `Inuyasha, you are so stupid,' Miroku thought. `Listen to yourself. Wait a minute! That's it!' Miroku smiled as he began to walk away.

"You know Inuyasha," Miroku said as he walked away. "Maybe you should consider what's most important to you. Should you choose Sakura, you're not always going to be able to be by Kagome's side. Do you think you handle that?"

Inuyasha jumped up to say something, but watched as Miroku disappeared into the maze of greenery that decorated the garden. `He's right,' Inuyasha thought. `Should I choose Sakura, it wouldn't be fair for me to keep Kagome around…to either of them.' He plopped onto a bench and put his face in his hands. `What am I going to do?' he thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome and Sango had emerged from the Royal Chambers and had decided to go downstairs and enjoy a nice hot cup of tea. Kagome took a deep breath. She knew she would probably run into Sakura again. She just hoped she didn't freak out when she did. Sango and Kagome turned the corner and walked into the dining hall. She walked up to the window where Satoru looked like he was busily studying a recipe for dinner.

"Oh, hello Lady Kagome, Lady Sango," he said with a smile once he noticed their presence. He closed his book. "What brings you here?"

"Well, we were hoping we could get a nice, soothing cup of tea," Sango said politely.

"No problem," Satoru said, filling a teakettle with some water and placing it on the stove. He noticed how Kagome seemed to be out of it. She hadn't really said hello to Satoru and that was out of character for her. She just stared off into space as if something was bothering her. Satoru looked at Sango as if to ask what was wrong with Kagome. Sango shook her head, telling him not to say anything about it.

"My Kagome, you look lovely today," Satoru said. Kagome glanced down at herself. She still had on the pink and black outfit from before. "Very cute."

"Oh," Kagome said, seeming to perk up a little bit. "Thank you very much, Satoru."

The teakettle soon whistled on the stove. The girls accepted their cups of tea and decided to enjoy their tea in the serenity of the garden. Kagome waved bye to Satoru as Sango walked a little further ahead. Kagome turned back around to run directly into someone causing her to drop the tea onto the floor with a smash! The porcelain cup shattered on the floor splashing tea everywhere. Kagome looked up in horror to see…Sakura. She glared down at Kagome. Sango had stopped when she heard the noise and turned around. She saw Sakura glaring at Kagome, oblivious to the fact that both Sango and Satoru were witnessing everything.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kagome said immediately, as she bent down to pick up the pieces of the teacup. Sakura crossed her arms.

"Watch where you're going, priestess!" Sakura warned, saying the word priestess a little too sarcastically. Was she making fun of the fact that Kagome was supposed to be a priestess? Kagome decided to ignore it and not make eye contact with her. Kagome reached out to pick up a rather large piece of the teacup only to have Sakura step on it right before Kagome could grab it, smashing it into a million pieces. Sakura continued walking.

"I was going to try to pick that up," Kagome said somewhat angrily.

"The servants will get it," Sakura said arrogantly.

"You know, you could be a little more considerate of people," Kagome said, coming to her feet.

Sango and Satoru took this as their cue to enter the room. Sakura whirled around to lash out at Kagome when she noticed the others' presence. Her attitude immediately changed. Her face brightened up and she smiled and bowed politely to them both.

"Oh Sango! Satoru! What a pleasant surprise!" Sakura said. Sango and Satoru exchanged suspicious glances.

"Is everything okay in here?" Satoru asked.

"Oh quite all right," she said cheerily. "I'm afraid I must have startled poor Kagome when I came around the corner. She shattered the teacup on the floor and tea went everywhere. I hope this doesn't cause you too much extra work."

"Actually," Kagome said, holding out her hand. The pieces of the teacup lay in Kagome's hand. She had a few scratches from where she had been cut and the very small pieces lay in array on the ground. "I tried to get all of it, but there were a few pieces I just couldn't get without a broom. I'm sorry Satoru."

"Lady Kagome!" Satoru said as he rushed over to examine her hand. "Don't ever try to pick up something like that again. You could have really cut yourself. From now on, just let me know about it and I will come clean it up."

"But I was the one who dropped it, and…" she said.

"Now, now," Satoru interrupted. "That's enough. Come in the kitchen and I will clean you up and get you another cup of tea."

Kagome nodded and followed Satoru into the kitchen. Sakura glared enviously at Kagome as she walked by her and into the kitchen. Sango stared at Sakura. Sakura soon noticed someone was watching her. She gave Sango a fake smile and hurriedly walked away. Sango stared at Sakura as she walked away. She definitely didn't trust her now. That girl was up to something. Sango walked over to the kitchen window. Kagome was soon cleaned up and had another cup of tea. Satoru watched as Sango and Kagome walked away and disappeared around the corner.

"Rei!" Satoru called.

"Yes, sir?" Rei said as she walked over to him.

"You're now assigned to be the personal servant of Lady Sakura," he said.

"Yes, sir," Rei said, bowing. He put his arm around her and looked at her seriously.

"I want you to keep an eye on her if you know what I mean," Satoru said.

"Yes, sir," she said with a grin and scurried off to attend Lady Sakura.

`There's something fishy about that girl,' Satoru thought. `And if anyone can find out what's going on with her, the servants can.'

Meanwhile, Sango and Kagome walked into the garden and soon found a bench to sit on near the large rectangular pond of goldfish. Both of them sipped on their tea until Sango finally spoke.

"I can't believe that girl!" Sango said. "I saw how she spoke to you as if you were some pathetic bug that deserved to be squashed! Why didn't you come back at her?"

"Because I probably would have killed her," Kagome said with a laugh. "I've got so much rage towards that girl now that I will either do nothing or kill her." Sango laughed.

"But seriously though," she said. "What a fake! Did you see the way her attitude changed when Satoru and I walked into the room?"

"Oh yeah!" Kagome said. "I just hope Satoru noticed it too. She made me sound like such a goofy child for dropping that cup of tea!"

"Oh, I know Satoru noticed it too," Sango said. "I watched him too. He knows she's up to something."

"I just hope Inuyasha can figure it out before it's too late," Kagome said.

"Me too," Sango said, taking another sip of her tea. "I'm at the point where I think she is just trying to marry Inuyasha solely based on the fact that he is heir to the throne. I think she is just interested in the power…not Inuyasha."

"The hard part about all of this is that it is going to be a little difficult to convince Inuyasha of that," Kagome said. "After all, the document was sealed with his family crest."

"You seem a little happier though," Sango said with a grin.

"Yeah," Kagome said. "It makes me feel better to know that she is a bitch. It gives me a right to hate her!" Both girls laughed.

"Who's a bitch?" someone asked from behind them.

Sango and Kagome looked up to find Miroku towering over them from behind. Sango jumped up and ran over to Miroku. She gave him a hug as if she was happy to see him.

"Okay," Miroku said hesitantly. "What do you want?"

Sango quickly relayed everything that had just taken place. He blinked his eyes in disbelief.

"Come on," Miroku said. "You guys aren't even giving the girl a chance. How do you know it wasn't just your imagination?"

"Satoru noticed it too," Sango argued. "Ask him if you want. Whose side are you on anyway?"

"Yours, of course," Miroku said. "All I am saying is that it is going to take a little more than a smart comment and a fake smile to make me believe she wants Inuyasha because he is the Lord of the Western Lands. I promise I will keep an eye out. If she is as manipulative as you ladies say she is, then I will see it for myself in due time. In the mean time, I would rather divert my attention to preventing Inuyasha from making a bad decision."

"Why? What do you know?" Sango asked.

"How's he doing?" Kagome chimed in.

"He's really confused. He already had a lot on him with just deciding whether or not he should take the throne. Now, he has this to deal with," Miroku said. "He doesn't know what to do, but he did say that it seemed out of character for his father to betroth him to someone…especially after what he had gone through with his mother."

"That makes sense," Kagome said. "Now that I think about it, it really doesn't seem like something his father would do."

"The only problem is that the document was sealed with his family's seal and only family members have access to the supplies and know how to apply it properly," Miroku said.

"I see," Kagome said looking forward again.

"Inuyasha has pretty much been on his own his entire life. He has dealt with things on his own and really had no one to worry about or care about other than himself," Sango thought out loud. "This all has to be really overwhelming to him. I can't imagine how he must be feeling right now."

Kagome solemnly stood and walked over to the pond. She knelt next to it and twirled her finger in the water. Sango and Miroku stared at her as if waiting for her to say something. She sighed.

"I just hope Inuyasha remembers that he has friends now," she said somewhat sadly. "Friends that care about him and would do absolutely anything for him. I just hope he remembers that when the time comes for him to make his decision." Kagome stood and shook the water off of her finger. "I think I am going to go for a walk through the gardens. Perhaps the aroma of the flowers will lift my spirits."

Miroku and Sango nodded as they watched Kagome walk away.

"Do you think it's safe to let her wander off by herself?" Sango asked Miroku.

"Yeah," Miroku said with a nod. "Inuyasha is out there somewhere. He'll look after her."

Kagome walked alone, humming a soft melody as she walked. She decided she would enjoy the beautiful scenery that was Inuyasha's garden. She walked through an array of violets, pansies, daises, wildflowers, and many other beautiful flowers that she had never seen before until she came to the rose garden. Kagome couldn't help but gasp out loud. Roses of every color were scattered throughout the garden. She stopped at each one, surprised to find that different colors had different aromas. She then turned and gasped to see white roses. They were beautiful and in her favorite form…neither a bud nor a blossom, but in the stage in between, perfectly shaped, and in a presentation that would have made the most worthy of all green thumbs gasp in awe and amazement. A beautiful and glamorous white marble fountain was completely surrounded by large white rose bushes. Kagome walked forward and reached out to smell the rose. She cupped the rose gently with her hands and inhaled. Of all the flowers she had smelled that day, this one was particular pleasing to the senses. She smiled and stood.

"Have you found your favorite?" someone asked from behind her.

Kagome whirled around to find Inuyasha leaning against one of white garden arches that had been adorned throughout the garden. He smiled softly at her. Kagome blushed. She hadn't said anything to him since she had run away from him. She didn't know if he was angry or upset with her.

"Uh…I think…I think I actually have," Kagome said sheepishly. He smiled brighter and walked over to her.

"Really?" Inuyasha asked. "Which one?"

"The white roses," Kagome breathed as if she was still enchanted by the flower. "They are exceptionally beautiful. I really can't give you a reason as to why. I just seemed to be drawn to them." Inuyasha smiled.

"Really? How ironic," Inuyasha said walking over to the white rose bushes that decorated the fountain.

"Huh? How so?" Kagome asked.

"Because," Inuyasha said, plucking one of the white roses and holding it out to Kagome. "You've chosen the flower of the Takashi family. It's one of our symbols and is even on our crest. The white rose is a symbol of purity in power and a bond between souls...soul mates. To my family, it was the perfect flower."

"Wow, really?" Kagome said as if she had just solved some great mystery. Inuyasha nodded.

"For you," he said, gently placing the single white rose in her hand.

"Me?" she asked. He nodded.

"Of course," Inuyasha said. "It's your favorite, isn't it?" Kagome blushed and looked towards the ground.

In the bushes not too far away, a set of eyes stared at the couple. `I've got to act fast,' she thought, and allowed the bushes to close behind her as she scurried away.

Inuyasha walked over to a bench and sat down. Kagome still stared dreamily at the flower as a light blush still remained on her cheeks. She looked up to see Inuyasha sitting down and walked over to him.

"You're not upset with me, are you?" Kagome asked.

"No," he said. "Why would I be upset with you?"

"Well…after I ran off like that earlier," Kagome said. "I'm sorry. I was just…just…"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Inuyasha stated. "I would have done the same thing." Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief. "You see, Kagome, I have a lot on my mind right now. I take it you know about the document." Kagome nodded. "I figured you would, you little eavesdropper. You've always stuck your nose into places it didn't belong."

"What?" Kagome said. "I beg your pardon! Sango and Miroku are the ones who dragged me up there anyway. I personally don't want to see you and that…that…girl together so I had no desire to go." Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"Kagome, come here for a minute," Inuyasha said, patting the seat next to him. Kagome blushed but sat down. "You've always been there for me. Don't think I will ever forget that. I have so much on my mind. Just please promise me…that no matter what happens…that you will always be there. I need you Kagome." He placed a hand on hers.

She looked up towards him. His eyes begged her to say yes…but what if he chose Sakura? What if she was the one he chose to be with? Kagome knew, as she stared into his golden orbs, that she didn't care any more. She loved him. She knew that now, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. She wanted to be by his side no matter what. She had to be there for him. It wasn't an option…even if it meant watching him be with Sakura.

"Inuyasha you know I will always be here for you no matter what," Kagome said placing her other hand on top of his. "You can always count on me for anything." Inuyasha smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Kagome," he said and leaned over and kissed her on her cheek. "It means the world to me for you to say that."

He wrapped his arm around her and Kagome leaned into him. She was still blushing furiously from the kiss. She rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled contently and rested his cheek atop her head. Somehow, he always felt at peace when she was near him. He needed her near him. He needed to feel her sweet embrace. He dreaded the decision he had to make, but he knew he had to let everyone know something as soon as possible.

`Tomorrow,' he thought. `Tomorrow I will have a decision about everything.'

A/N: Tada! Okay, long chapter, I know! The next chapter will be up very soon! Stay tuned to see what happens next!