InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Vying for Dominance ❯ Daring ( Chapter 13 )

Daring

 

 

The miko's words were but a simple request, and yet they caused an uproar of commotion amongst the gathered crowd.

 

Human filth: words were spit in outrage. She has no voice here. How dare she consider herself worthy of speaking to our Lords? Let her fight. Let her die. Let hers be the example for all of her wretched kind. Vile, despicable creature. Let not her witchery infect our great community. Someone kill her where she stands.

 

Not just the crowd in the arena, but the Lords upon the dais as well.

 

“Someone remove that filth,” Tannis growled irritably. “Her putrid scent is ruining the taste of my drink.”

 

“I doubt such a thing is possible, Tannis,” Jomon taunted. “You have had too much drink to be able to scent anything. Besides,” he added as he leaned back in his seat and set his focus on the young miko once more, “I find her scent quite invigorating; like the currents of power before a storm.”

 

“You disgrace yourself, Jomon,” the burly grey Inu beside him admonished gruffly. “That creature is nothing but lowly mortal scum. She is as all her kind; filthy, repulsive, not worth our time or heed.”

 

“What's the matter, Haiiro,” Jomon returned, “Afraid of the little miko, are you?”

 

Haiiro's large frame shook with a dry laugh. “Hardly. I simply would rather see her as sport than listen to whatever drivel she could spew.”

 

From below the dais, Kuro scoffed openly in disgust at the miko. “What words could a mere human have that we should hear?” He turned to look at Takked. “Simply give the word, Takked, and the contest shall begin.”

 

Takked spared a look at Kuro, but he did not answer. The miko's request was curious to him, as was the way she stood so proudly even when from all sides she was being called the most horrendous of things and accused of things even more vile. What manner of creature was she? He couldn't help but wonder.

 

“Interesting…”

 

Turning to his right, Takked asked, “What was that, Sesshomaru?”

 

“The girl is human, a miko no less, and yet she would address us as such when certainly others would have sealed their fate with their insolence.” He tilted his head slightly in contemplation. “One would think that she attempts to gain favor by presenting herself as demure and submissive, not unlike what we would demand of a female. An intelligent strategy, if such is the case. So very unlike any other Hume I have encountered.”

 

“You would hear her speak then?”

 

He would have spoken for her if he could have; but he knew that he could not. Revealing his connection to the miko now would only end in disaster. He had worked for too hard for too long to attain his position. He would not loose everything now just for this female. And even if he had wanted to defend her from this crowd that would have her blood stain their arena floor, he couldn't. Powerful as he was, against them all even he could not hope to gain victory.

 

But she had made such things unnecessary. She knew strategy better than any would give her credit for. Even outnumbered and surrounded, still she found a way to gain the upper hand. He could see it in her eyes; the steady confidence, the knowledge that she hadn't been beaten, that she wouldn't be. More than ever, he knew that his little miko was beyond capable and beyond worthy.

 

In answer to Takked question, Sesshomaru did nothing more than lift his shoulders in a passive shrug. He could see the old dog was already debating the matter. All he had needed was a subtle nudge.

 

“Why even debate it?!” The angry question came from Kuro. “She is human!” he spit in open disgust. “She does not deserve your ears!” His claws flexed aggressively at his sides. “I would rather kill her where she stands.”

 

“Your opinion is noted, Kuro,” Takked replied coolly. “However, it is not your decision. I, as well, am intrigued by this miko's motives. She asks not for mercy or lenience. She does not beg or plead. She simply asks for our ears. Such is not too great an inconvenience. I will hear her speak.” Lifting his voice to carry to her mortal ears, Takked called down to Kagome. “You have our ears, mortal. Speak.”

 

Kagome bowed deeply in gratitude. “Thank you, my lord.”

 

Straightening herself once more, she took a moment to clear past the dryness in her throat. She would not have her voice waver now. All attention was trained on her, an eerie hush settled over the crowd. But even so, she could feel the malice being directed towards her, and knew that it was hatred she saw burning in those youkai eyes. She knew that she would only have one shot at this, and she intended to make it count.

 

Turning slightly, she lifted her bound hands to point towards the silver female that had brought her to this place. “I know this bitch,” she stated, her voice lifted to carry across the crowd. “In fact, I have met her in battle. I defeated her in a contest for the rights to a male.” Forced to pause when a terrible commotion erupted all around her, Kagome actually had to strain in fighting against the urge to cover her ears and block out the terrible rumble of ripping snarls and growls.

 

“I spared her life,” lifting her voice to carry above it all, Kagome continued, “on her honor to stand down and accept my victory. As you can see…” As well as she was able with her hands bound together, she gestured down the length of her body at the tattered mess of her clothing and the dirt and blood coating her skin, “She dishonors her word in such ways. She abducted me from my protector, forces me to stand here without my champion to even be given the chance to fight for me.”

 

With a dramatic pause in her speech, Kagome lifted her eyes to the Lords on the dais. She knew she was defying her position, but she was determined. “Should not this be the right of every female?”

 

“She is daring,” Jomon commented softly.

 

“She is foolish,” Haiiro corrected.

 

Setting his drink down on the table, Tannis focused his drink-fogged eyes to take in the sight of the little miko. But it was not the mortal in her he saw, rather, it was the fine silk of her garment. Though it had been ripped and torn, hardened by water, and sullied by dirt and blood; still he could see the rich quality of the garment. It was a simple blue, sapphire like her eyes; meant to be worn beneath a more elaborate covering that would have born the markings of her station or her house.

 

But she was a miko, one who had no use for material possessions. Those of her station would wear the robes of their practices, not the fine silks that only the royals of her mortal kin could afford. No, this garment did not belong to her. She wore it well, her soft curves filling it out despite the damage done to it; but it was not made for her.

 

In fact, it seemed more likely that it had been made for someone else all together; or, perhaps, something else. If her words were true, if she had gained the favor of one of their males by defeating Gina in battle - not an easy feat to accomplish; one, in fact, that had only been turned aside by Auria - then perhaps it was not so hard to believe that he would have given her something in return for her favor.

 

And if this was the case…

 

“She is right,” Tannis said, his voice faint in contemplation. “Miko or not, human or not; if there is one who would defend this female, he should be given the opportunity to do so.”

 

“Perhaps,” Takked allowed. But though he, as others, had felt the impact of her words, he still wasn't convinced. He stood to bring focus to himself. “Your words are stirring, priestess,” he called down to her. “And yet,” he paused to sweep his hand across the gathered crowd, “If you speak the truth, why is your male not here to stand for you?”

 

Kagome shook her head and bowed again. “I do not know, my lord. However,” she added as she began to lift herself to face him, “If I may be so bold, I am certain that at least one of you is aware who I am, and so you would know that I am the Miko of the Shikon.” A low rumble shook though the crowd as some of those gathered recognized her position and spread the word, and Kagome smiled to herself. “I just thought you would like to know that one of your fighters from earlier was cheating.”

 

Lifting her bound hands, she pointed towards the other side of the arena where Yami was celebrating his victory with his prize female at his side. The Inu startled at the attention suddenly directed towards him and turned. He could see the other contestants moving towards him, and he bared his teeth at them in warning. But they would not be turned. It had been their honor and their pride that he had taken in the arena. To loose in fair contest, though humiliating to some degree, was still respectable. But to loose to one who had forsaken their traditions and their ancient laws was unforgivable.

 

“Watch out for his right arm, boys,” Kagome called out to the advancing group of angered losers. Turning back to the Inu Lords, she added with a wink, “It really packs a punch.”

 

The fight breaking out from the sidelines of the arena floor had drawn the attention of the Inu Lords. All except one had turned their eyes. And when Kagome's met his, when she felt the intensity of his gaze upon her, she couldn't help the way her lips pulled upwards in a breaking smile. Sesshomaru may not have been able to say so in that moment, but Kagome was certain that it was approval she saw in his eyes.

 

A sudden, massive impact from behind her was followed by a wild roar that grew louder with each passing second. Startled, Kagome turned towards it, bracing herself for movement. Her eyes drew wide when she saw the Inu she had singled out gone mad on the power he had stolen from the Shikon. He had broken away from his assailants to lunge at her, his claws outstretched and his fangs bared in a fearsome array of deadly incisors.

 

In one instant he was there, coming towards her with impossible speed; but in the next, he was gone.

 

Only after the maddened Inu had been taken from her sights did she feel the flash across her senses where the movement had been burned into her mind's eye. Even though she knew who it had been that had stepped between them, she couldn't help but gasp when she turned and set her eyes on Sesshomaru. The other male lay crumpled at his feet, still alive, though unconscious. And in Sesshomaru's hand lay what remained of the other's arm.

 

He turned towards the crowd. “Jaken,” he called out for his servant. His voice was cold, and his eyes, to any fool enough to look into them, were wastelands of frozen golden ice. The onlookers parted to clear the path, none willing to stand under a gaze that for so many had meant death.

 

“Make way! Make way!” a raspy, squawking voice called out from behind the crowd. A squat green body wriggled its way between the much larger bodies of the onlookers, waving his wooden staff this way and that to try and force his way though. Eventually the little toad made his way to the clear path formed towards the ring. He took to it with his head held high with borrowed pride as he approached his most revered Lord.

 

“Lord Sesshomaru!” the little imp cried with frantic glee. “What is it that you would have of your servant?”

 

“Jaken.” Sesshomaru cut off the imp's rambling praise by flinging the severed arm at him and knocking the little toad to the ground under its weight. “Search that for a shard of the Shikon. Find one,” he said as he slowly turned to face Kagome, “and she may live. Do not…

 

“It's there,” Kagome cut in sharply. She wasn't stupid enough to lie to an Inu - well, not a real lie anyways, only modified versions of the truth - and she would never make little of her duty to the Shikon. He should know better than that. Sighing away her anger, she realized he did know better. Like her, Sesshomaru was putting on a show for he crowd. Something not quite real, but not quite false either.

 

“You should know, though,” she told him softly, “that he can't touch it. The jewel is far too corrupted. It will consume him.” Turning away from Sesshomaru, Kagome started walking towards the little imp still diligently following his Lord's orders to find the fragment of the jewel.

 

“Jaken,” she called out to him when she saw his bulbous eyes widen with a dark kind of excitement. “Don't touch it.”

 

He looked up to her for a moment, but before she could take another step, his hand started to move. Soon his eyes followed. As if in a trance, he watched transfixed as he reached out to take hold of the jewel fragment.

 

“No!” Pushing herself forwards, Kagome managed to catch the toad's hand. He squawked shrilly, and his eyes snapped up to see her. But the truly did see. He had been broken from the trance.

 

“Release me you filthy human!” he shrieked in outrage. Pulling firmly against his scaly arm, he managed to slip out of Kagome's grip.

 

The little toad stumbled backwards once released from her hold, giving Kagome enough time to reach into the torn flesh of the arm to pull out the Shikon shard. In her hand it turned from a sickly black of death to the dancing light of her purity as it passed into the stone. She smiled as she stood, knowing that this fragment would cause no more harm. But as she stood, she began to realize that the stone wasn't really hers.

 

Slowly, she turned back to Sesshomaru. “I guess…I can't really keep this,” she said as she hesitantly held out her hand to offer the small stone to Sesshomaru. “Your proof, Lord Sesshomaru.”

 

His eyes widened marginally, and then closed in a drawn gesture of exacerbation just as a wave of start passed through the crowd.

 

Kagome looked quickly around her in confusion. “Oh no,” she breathed out as she looked back to Sesshomaru. “What'd I do?”

 

“You insolent human wench!” a squawky voice bellowed out from Kagome's feet. She looked down to the fuming Jacken. He was frowning fiercely with his beakly mouth and waving his wizard staff threateningly at her knees. “How dare you offer your favor to the mighty lord Sesshomaru!”

 

“N..No!” Kagome stammered as she held her hands before her in defense. “I didn't mean to!” She stumbled back from the irate toad and his master. “I…I…” Bringing her hands up to try and hide her rapidly spreading blush, she whined miserably, “Oh, how do I always get myself into these situations?”

 

Deep rumbles of laughter spilled down from the dais. It had been centuries since Takked had seen Sesshomaru be stunned, and the fact that the miko was still standing after her gloriously foolish action was evidence enough that the usually so vindictive Inu had been literally shocked still.

 

“It seems you may have a future in foolery, miko,” he called down to her with unveiled amusement giving lilt to his deep voice. “Perhaps you would bring your unique entertainment to our table for the evening.”

 

Baffled by the invitation, and not knowing what such a thing would mean for her, Kagome looked to Sesshomaru for the answer. “Can I do that?” She asked him quietly.

 

But Sesshomaru only turned away from her. “Do as you wish,” he told her coolly as he made his way back towards the dais and the Lords table.

 

For a moment, Kagome remained caught in indecision, but after realizing how precarious her position truly was, surrounded by countless youkai and without any real means of defending herself, she chose to follow the only one whom she believed could get her out of this alive.

 

Hastening from the arena floor, Kagome followed after Sesshomaru.

 

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Sorry folks, no Gladiator Kagome - not yet, anyways ;P Don't worry though, I'm sure that bitch will get what's coming to her soon enough. (Lol it's so fun to use the word bitch and know you're not being vulgar). But that will have to wait. I am working my way up to another citrus-y moment in another couple of chapters -*Yeah!*- so I'm sure no one will mind (we are all such hentais =D).

 

Anyways, I'm off for the night. Later all.

 

Shadow