InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Short Straw ❯ Chapter nine ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

My innate sense of sarcasm rears its ugly head once again in this chapter. . . ^_^;

The Short Straw

By Flamingwillows

Chapter nine

Two weeks later Kagome stared at her reflection in the mirror over her dressing table and debated the possibility of climbing out the window and running to the railway station to catch the next train to anywhere but here. It was her wedding day, but the ashen girl in the mirror looked as if she faced a trip to the guillotine instead of the church.

She started to pick up the brush that lay on the dressing table but her hand was shaking so badly that she doubted her ability to hold the brush, let alone use it. She let her hand drop to her lap and stared at her reflection with frightened eyes.

Oh, Lord, what on earth had made her agree to this? True, she wanted to leave this house, and the past two weeks had done nothing to change her mind. Aunt Kikyo had done most of the preparations for the wedding, but her cooperation had not been given out of concern for her niece but rather out of a desire that everything appear just as it should.

`With everything being done in such a harum-scarum rush, it's important we observe the proprieties. We don't want to give people anything more to talk about than we already have,' She had added with a long-suffering sigh and an annoyed glance in Kagome's direction.

No, it wasn't the desire to stay in her uncle's house that was making her have second thoughts. It was the sudden realization that she was marrying a total stranger. The few occasions on which she'd seen Koga were hardly enough to qualify as an acquaintance. Of course, there was The Kiss, which she'd begun to think of it capital letters. When she thought about The Kiss, it wasn't quite so hard to think about marrying him. But there was more to being married than just kissing.

A sharp knock on the door startled Kagome half out of her skin. Without waiting for an invitation, Kagura pushed the door open and stepped inside. Looking at her younger cousin, Kagome felt her heart sink. Kagura was wearing a lovely blue dress made of the finest lawn, trimmed in pale blue ribbons. With her hair pulled back with a neat ribbon, Kagura was the very picture of prettiness.

`Koga will take one look at her and realize what a terrible mistake he made.' The fact that he'd had plenty of opportunities to observe Kagura's beauty and had still proposed to her didn't mean anything to Kagome. She didn't need to look in the mirror to know that her cousin would outshine her at her own wedding.

"You look pale as a ghost," Kagura offered by way of a greeting. Leaving the door open behind her, she sauntered into the room and settled herself gracefully on the narrow bed. She studied her cousin, her red eyes bright with malice. "I know why Koga asked you to marry him."

"Do you?" Kagome turned back to the mirror and willed her hand to steadiness as she picked up the brush and began dragging it through her thick dark hair.

"It's because you're plain." Kagura announced cheerfully.

"Is it?" Kagome refused to allow so much as a flicker of emotion to color her voice. Her reward was the annoyance that flashed across Kagura's reflected face.

"Sometimes a man will marry a plain wife because he can leave her at home and forget about her. He won't have to worry about her attracting any unwanted attentions. Koga knows you won't make any demands on him because you'll be so grateful to him for marrying you in the first place. I'm only mentioning this so that you won't spend too much time worrying over the fact that you aren't a beautiful bride. Koga-"

"Koga is a very lucky man, and I'm sure he knows it." Sango's words preceded her. She sailed into the room, her dark eyes snapping with anger. "And you are a nasty little cat who would have benefited a great deal from a few good spankings when you were a child. I'm afraid it's too late for them to do any good now."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Kagura's porcelain complexion took on an apoplectic tint.

"Don't bother throwing a tantrum." Sango began tugging off her gloves, eyeing Kagura's flushed features with indifference. "If you start screaming I'd feel obliged to dash the contents of the wash pitcher in your face."

Kagome swallowed a hysterical giggle at the shocked disbelief on Kagura's face. In all her sixteen years, no one had ever spoken to her in such a fashion. "You can't-"

"I just have." Sango arched her dark brows to convey her surprise that Kagura hadn't noticed. "I'd suggest that you try to restrain you natural tendency toward malice, at least for today. If you do anything to cause Kagome even a moment's discomfort on her wedding day, I would feel obligated to speak to your mother about a certain scene I happened to witness between you and Jeromaru."

Kagura gasped, her face flushing. Kagome watched, fascinated, as she opened her mouth and then closed it again without speaking. There was a moment's silence when it seemed as if Kagura was groping for something to say. Failing that, she rose from the bed and flounced out of the room, throwing Sango a look of hatred as she passed. Sango shut the door behind the girl.

"That girl is a positive menace," she said, turning back to Kagome.

"Did you really see her with Jeromaru?" Jeromaru's father owned one of the three saloons that dotted Black Dog's main street. Aunt Kikyo had been campaigning to have all three closed, and if she found out that her own daughter was associating with Kageromaru's son . . .

"No," Sango tucked her gloves unto her reticule and set it aside before giving Kagome a grin that was pure mischief. "But I've seen the two of then exchanging looks and it seemed a reasonable threat. I guess it worked. She looked like I'd knocked the wind out of her. I don't think you'll have any more trouble with her today." She added, with a pardonable satisfaction. "And you're not to listen to a word she said, either. You look absolutely lovely."

"Oh, Sango, I couldn't look lovely no matter what I did." Kagome's smile wobbled on the edge of tears. "Maybe Kagura is right. Maybe he is marrying me because I'm plain and-"

"Don't be a nitwit," Sango snapped. Stepping over to the dressing table, she took the brush from Kagome's nerveless fingers and applied it to her hair. "You're not plain. You're not as flashy as your cousin, I'll grant you that, but you're far from plain. And I'll tell you something else- you have a kind of beauty that will last. By the tine Kagura is thirty, she's going to look like a box of chocolates left out in the sun.

Despite her shaky nerves, Kagome snorted with laughter at the image of Kagura's prettiness melting away. Sango was deftly twisting her hair into place.

"You'll still look fresh as spring long after Kagura looks like day-old mutton."

"I can't imagine that, but you're a dear friend to say as much. Oh Sango, what on earth am I doing? Was I temporarily mad to agree to marry a man I don't know?"

"Women have been marrying men they don't know since time began." Sango said briskly. She pushed hairpins into place, and the heavy mass of unruly hair suddenly looked almost elegant. "I'd rather see you marry Koga Sukanami than throw yourself away on that stick Hojo, which is what you were going to do. Would you rather be marrying him?"

"No." Kagome didn't have to consider her answer. From the moment she'd accepted Koga's proposal, she'd hardly given a thought to Hojo. "It's just that . . . he scares me," she said, as much to herself as to Sango.

"Hatori scared me half to death. I nearly fainted before I could say `I do'" Startled, Kagome looked at her friend.

"But I thought you loved Hatori."

"I did, but that didn't mean I wasn't scared. It's a natural thing for a woman to be frightened of marriage. We're giving ourselves into a man's care, hoping that he'll be kind and that he'll provide for us, knowing there's little to be done if he turns out to be less than we'd hoped."

"If you're trying to reassure me, you're going the wrong way about it." Kagome said.

"All I'm trying to do is make you understand that your fears are natural. I think Mr. Sukanami will make you a fine husband and I'm spiteful enough to like the idea that you're not only marrying before Kagura, but marrying so well. That will put the little cat's nose out of joint for some time to come."

"I can't marry just to spite Kagura," Kagome protested with a laugh.

"No, but you might as well enjoy it." Sango's grin faded, her expression becoming more serious. "Has your aunt talked to you about your marital duties?"

Kagome flushed and dropped her eyes to her lap. "She said there would be `things' my husband would want to do, and that I would have to learn to endure them and to close my eyes and pray that they'd soon be over," Kagome said, remembering Aunt Kikyo's solemn expression.

"What a lackwit," Sango snapped. "More likely in this household, it was your uncle who's had to learn to endure," she muttered, half to herself. But Kagome heard and was surprised to find herself giggling at the thought of Uncle Naraku being led unwilling to his marriage bed.

"That's better." Sango took Kagome's hands and drew her up off the hard little stool. "Come sit with me on the bed and I'll tell you what it's really like between a man and a woman."

~ ~ ~*~ ~ ~

Kagome stared at the gold band on her finger. It looked new and shiny and felt strangely heavy. She twisted it around her finger as if seeking a more comfortable position for it.

"Is it too big?" Koga's husky question made her jump, her head jerking toward him.

"Too big?"

"The ring." He nodded to the band she was still twisting. "Is it too big?"

"Oh, no." She forced herself to stop toying with the ring. "No, it's fine."

"I could have it made smaller," he offered. He took his eyes off the road and looked at her.

"No, really, it's fine. I guess I'm just a little nervous," she admitted. Since he's returned his gaze to the road, she allowed herself to glance sideways at him.

`My husband.' Thinking the words didn't make them seem real, any more than the wedding ring on her finger or the fact that he was taking her to the home they'd now be sharing. She'd stood in the church and repeated her vows, heard him do the same, accepted the congratulations of the guests, changed out of her wedding gown with Sango's help and left her uncle's house forever and she still couldn't make herself believe in the reality of what she'd done this day.

He'd actually married her. So sure had she been that Koga'd realized what a terrible mistake he'd made in asking her to marry him, she'd been almost surprised to see him waiting her for at the church. The thought still amazed her several hours later.

"Won't be long now," Koga said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "House is just over that rise."

He glanced at Kagome, and since she was looking in the direction he'd indicated, he let his eyes linger. The sun was almost gone but there was still enough light for him to see the soft curve of her cheek and the tempting fullness of her lower lip. That mouth had lingered in his thoughts more than he'd liked. He'd had two weeks to think about it, two weeks to remember the softness of her lips under his.

Considering it had been nothing more than a kiss, it had certainly lingered in his mind. Of course, that wasn't really surprising, since she'd bee his wife-to-be. It was natural that he think about kissing her. He just hadn't expected to feel quite so much anticipation at the thought of doing it again. Not to mention everything that came after.

The house was nestled in a fold where the deceptively flat prairie suddenly dipped downward. There was a spring that ran clear and cool and had never gone dry during the years the Sukanamis had been there. There were corrals and outbuildings, and all the necessary clutter that went with running a ranch.

Koga left the buggy in the care of one of the hands, introducing him as Joe. In the near dark, all Kagome could make out of him was that Joe appeared to be tall and thin. She could only hope that he wouldn't be offended if she didn't recognize him the next time they met. Koga unloaded her portmanteau from the buggy and set his free hand under her elbow, guiding her footsteps across the dark ground and up the steps onto the porch.

Miroku had stayed in town for the night and would be bringing her trunks out the next day. When Koga had first told her about this arrangement, Kagome had been grateful that she wouldn't have to deal with a brother-in-law as well as a new husband on her first night as a married woman. But when Koga pushed open the door and stepped inside to light the lamp, Kagome would have given a great deal to have had half a dozen guests to troop inside with her.

Before she could give into the urge to turn and flee as quickly as her new slippers would allow, Koga had a lamp lit, illuminating the front hall. He set the lamp on a table against the wall and turned to look at her, raising his eyebrows when he saw her still hovering on the porch. He started to say something, then stopped as if a thought had struck him. He grinned at her.

"I guess you can tell I haven't had much practice at this marrying business." He was coming toward her as he spoke, and before Kagome could guess his intention he'd bent and swept her up against his chest. She gasped and threw her arms around his neck, her reticule bumping against his back.

By the time he'd hauled her inside, she'd realized that he was just following tradition by carrying her across the threshold. But the feel of his muscular chest against her breast and the easy strength with which he held her were enough to scatter her wits to the four winds.

He set her down in the entryway and she reached up to straighten her hat, missing Koga's wince at the gesture drew his attention to the over-decorated atrocity. He wondered if she was fond pf the hat and would be upset if some accident befell it, like perhaps a stray wind sweeping it into a horse trough. He filed the idea away for future consideration.

He saw her looking around the front hall, her eyes curious, and realized that she was probably anxious to see her new home. He wished suddenly that he'd put a bit more effort into getting the place cleaned up, maybe hired a woman from town to come out and put it into decent shape. He and Miroku had stirred themselves to clear out the worst of the mess but he was suddenly conscious of the thick layers of dust on every surface, of floors that had seen neither broom nor scrub brush since the departure of their last housekeeper, a good few months ago.

"Mirkou and I aren't much for housekeeping," Koga muttered, using the edge of his boot to brush cigar ash underneath the sofa while Kagome peered around the parlor.

"That's all right. I know a great deal about cleaning house, including how to get ash out of a carpet." She glanced at the place where the ash had been before lifting her eyes to his face. Koga thought he'd never seen anything half so appealing as the teasing smile in those big brown eyes. He grinned back, and some of the nervous tension seemed to leave her face.

Koga showed her through the rest of the house but her impressions were sketchy at best. The place needed a thorough cleaning. It was obvious that it had been some time since it had known a woman's care. She knew she should be paying more attention to the things he was showing her. After all, this was to be her home from now on. But her thoughts kept jumping to the night that lay ahead. Her wedding night.

"Miroku has moved his gear out to the bunkhouse," Koga said as he opened the door to one of the three bedrooms upstairs. "He figured we ought to have the house to ourselves for a while."

"He didn't have to do that," Kagome protested, thinking that the last thing she wanted was to have the house- or her husband- to herself. "This is his home."

"I think he's figuring to move back in a few weeks. Since we didn't take time for a trip or anything, maybe he figured this was the next best thing."

"Well, it's very nice of him but not necessary," Kagome said briskly. For one wild moment she considered suggesting that they should drive back to town and tell Miroku as much, maybe bring him home with them.

"This is our room," Koga said, pushing open the door at the end of the hall.

`Our room.' Kagome swallowed a lump in her throat the size of a melon and forced herself to the threshold of the room. Koga had carried her portmanteau upstairs with them, and he set it on the bed. One bed. One not terribly large bed. Kagome dragged her eyes from the piece of furniture.

This room, like all the others, showed signs of neglect. Dust covered every surface, the floor was in desperate need of a good coat of wax and the curtains needed washing. Certainly, there was more than enough work here to keep her busy.

Her eyes drifted back to the bed. For a moment she wished that Koga had hired her as a housekeeper rather than married her. Never mind that her uncle would have seen her tarred and feathered rather than let her become housekeeper to two bachelors. Never mind that Koga's blue eyes had haunted her dreams from the moment they'd met. And especially never mind that she'd thought of little else but his kiss for the past two weeks. A kiss on her uncle's front porch was one thing, sharing a bed was something else entirely.

If Koga noticed that she didn't allow more than the toe of her slipper to enter the room they were to share, he didn't comment on it. Leaving the portmanteau on the bed, he came toward her. Kagome quickly backed out of the doorway.

Sango had thought to provide a light supper for the bridal couple, packing it in a wicker basket that had sat next to Kagome's feet on the way to Koga's house- her house, she reminded herself as she picked at a plate of cold chicken and cold boiled potatoes dressed with Sango's special dressing. She'd been too nervous to eat at breakfast, too stunned at finding herself actually married to eat at the wedding supper her aunt and uncle had provided. The last decent meal she could recall was noon the day before and she knew she should be hungry, but she couldn't force down more than a few bites.

If Koga shared her nervousness, it didn't seem to have affected his appetite. He ate three pieces of chicken and a second helping of potatoes. Having run out of small talk, Kagome let her eyes drift around the small kitchen, which appeared to have suffered more abuse than the rest of the house. No wonder Koga had decided to get married. The place was falling apart around his ears.

Though she had no interest in food, she was sorry to see the meal end. Because once the food had been put away and the dishes had been scraped and set ready for washing the next morning, there was nothing to stand between her and the reality of that bed upstairs.

"Why don't you go on ahead." Koga said when there was no longer any excuse for lingering downstairs. "I'll be up in a little while."

Kagome nodded wordlessly and left the kitchen, carrying a lamp with her to light the way. He was being considerate, she thought as she climbed the stairs. He was giving her time to unpack a few of her things and to change in privacy. If he was really considerate, perhaps he'd give her enough time to climb out the window and flee.

The image of herself dashing across the empty prairie in the middle of the night was so absurd that she smiled. But the smile wavered and crumpled as she pushed open the bedroom door and confronted the reality of the bed she was expected to share with her husband in a short while. It hadn't grown any larger since she'd last seen it. Two people sleeping in that bed would certainly be. . .intimate.

Trying to keep her mind a blank, Kagome opened her portmanteau and took out what was necessary. She could finish unpacking tomorrow when she had a better idea of where her things might go, when Miroku arrived with her trunks. When her hands weren't trmbling quite so badly.

She hurried through her ablutions, worried that Koga might come in while she was in a state of undress. Kagome froze as a sudden thought assailed her. Smothered in layers of fine muslin, she caught her breath. He wouldn't expect her to undress entirely, would he? Sango hadn't said anything about that. Surely he wouldn't expect to take all her clothes off.

She quickly finished pulling the nightgown over her head and reached for her wrapper. Her pulse didn't slow until she had it the wrapper on and buttoned all the way up to her throat. She pulled the pins from her hair and dragged a brush through it, trying to subdue the unruly waves into some semblance of decorum. When she'd done the best she could, she tied the heavy mass back with a blue ribbon.

And then she waited.

Her hands clasped together in front of her, she tried to remember what Sango had told her, tried to forget Aunt Kikyo's grim expression, which she'd found amusing- at the time- and most of all tried not to think of how big and strong Koga was, of how easily he could overpower her. Despite Sango's reassurance, Kagome jumped slightly when she heard a door close downstairs. Koga would be coming up soon. This was their wedding night and it wasn't likely that he planned to spend it alone.

~ ~ ~*~ ~ ~

Hee hee, it's so fun to watch Kagome work herself into a panic over something somewhat less than the demon horror of the universe . . . just slightly. (Enter sarcasm HERE.)