This is my first fic, so be cruel but kind.

Cute When You're Angry

Aah, wine, such a treat, such a flavor. That was one of the few good aspects of being a lord; the dining at court was unparalleled. Yes, if it weren't for the meals and the power, he probably wouldn't even bother with nobility. He was a lord like no other lord. Youko Kurama was notorious. He was a thief, the finest thief Makai had ever seen. His many triumphant burglaries had garnered him masses of wealth and when one has wealth, one has power, and when one has power, one becomes a lord. It was expected of Kurama to make an appearance at these gatherings. There were regular meetings at the castles of lords to brag of winnings and to gossip of losses. Kurama's obligation was here, but his home was in shadow. He dwelled beneath the surface, just beyond your vision. He waited until all eyes were closed, for one cannot thieve until night comes. Once the sun had fallen and pulled the veil of darkness over Makai, he struck. He may now be a lord, but he was first a thief, and a thief he would remain along with his band of loyal followers. He was a regular Robin Hood, if Robin Hood stole from the rich to make himself richer. He was a man of instant gratification, but soon that would all change. And now back to the wine.

Kagome wasn't sure whether to be upset or amused. How many dresses could one princess really try on? Silks and furs, cashmere and taffeta, embroideries of every shape and color went flying past Kagome's head. Her Princess Kikyo was made up of many qualities, few of which were good. She was of a dangerous character, powerful yet greedy. Her power gave her greed and her greed made her crave more power. She had everything but she always wanted more. She was always able to find amusement at the expense of others, and she had a horrid, hicuppy laugh that screeched like a broken music box. On top of that, she had the nasty habit of grasping her hands together while she cackled, making her look not unlike a witch at her cauldron. All of this Kagome saw, all of this Kagome enjoyed about as much as paper cuts on one's writing hand. The only reason that Kagome saw all this was because she was Kikyo's personal chamber maid, a servant. As far as Kikyo was concerned, she had no eyes, so long as the important people saw what they were supposed to see. Nobles came for miles around, curious of the rumors of her beauty and purity. Beauty she may have had, with her slender figure, her waist length ebony locks, and her chestnut eyes, but Kagome had it on good authority that the ship of Kikyo's purity had long since set sail. It went by the name of Peter, a kitchen boy on a merchant ship that had docked in their kingdom years ago. In fact, many a young man had sampled Kikyo's 'purity.' If the princess loved anything it was pleasure. Kagome had been her chambermaid for seven of her nineteen years and she knew her twenty-two year old princess well. Kagome was not like most girls her age. Many of the village girls worked every day just like herself, but they had stars in their eyes and cobwebs in their heads. Working in a castle so congested with nobility had them all convinced that a rich lord would fall passionately in love in love with them and lift them out of their dreary lives. Kagome was much more practical, she always had been. She saw everything exactly as it was and told it the same way. She had no time for day dreaming. She had left her girlish hopes and insecurities at her mother's grave. This loss gave her a quiet strength that carried her through each task but allowed no space for unreachable wishes. Being alone can do that to a person. Kagome wasn't the type to sulk, though. Her mother wanted her happy more than anything in the world and just because she was gone didn't mean that Kagome was going to deny her that. She had a positive, yet ironic outlook that gave her a quick mind and a biting wit. Her active imagination always kept her amused. Finally Kikyo was dressed. Lords from all over the Makai would be arriving shortly. Kikyo was hoping to score a rich and absent husband. Kagome didn't care if Buddha was coming; it didn't change the fact that she had to bake in the kitchen for the rest of the day to feed the many guests. She fixed Kikyo's hair and then made to leave for the kitchen.

"Oh, Kagome," Kikyo called, "throw something sinful in the oven for me." Kagome smiled a little and said, "Oh I'm sure I can think of something I'd like to throw in the oven." She skipped down the stairs giggling.

Youko Kurama was bored. He had been sitting there, looking regal and intimidating for the past thirty minutes. Where was this princess of fabled beauty? And where had Kuronue gone to? He had nothing to look at and no one to help him make fun of his fellow lords behind their backs. If he had been any less regal he might have frowned stubbornly and given a petulant sigh. But he was above that, not far above it, but far enough. Just as he was about to lose his cool and start throwing appetizers at passersby, he saw Kuronue coming toward him. Kuronue and Kurama had been friends for their entire lives, and no matter how old you are, that's a long time.

"Hey, Kurama! You will never guess who I saw doing it in the dungeons!" It was times like these that made Kurama positive that he needed new friends.

"I don't care who you saw! Where the hell have you been? I almost lost my cool waiting for you."

"Appetizer darts?"

"Yeah."

"Right on."

Still, having someone who knew you to the point of almost being able to read your mind had its perks; for instance, charades tournaments. Yes, it was all great fun. Just as they were about to begin a rousing game of appetizer darts, trumpets were heard. Lights flashed. Doves flew. A choir sang the theme from Mary Tyler Moore. Suddenly a booming voice that sounded suspiciously like James Earl Jones began to speak.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Here she is, the one, the only, Princess Kikyo!"

She entered from a wall of dry ice (complements of Santa's elves) and the entire room exploded with applause.

"Wow, she is hot," said Kuronue.

"Yeah and she knows it," snorted Kurama as he watched Kikyo bat her eyelashes and blow kisses to imaginary fans.

"No you don't understand," Kuronue said excitiedly, "she's the girl I saw in the dungeons gettin' it on with the stable boy!"

"What?! As pure as the driven snow, my ass!" this gave them both a bit of a chuckle. The chuckles became full out laughs when Kikyo flipped her hair and exposed a hickie.

"Well, looks like we've found ourselves a target for appetizer darts." Kuronue took aim.

"Come on, Kuronue, cut it out. We've got an image to maintain: mine."

Kuronue rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, but remember our age old competition: whoever scores the hottest chick here wins… one dollar."

Kurama had a wistful look on his face. "This was really more exciting when we were poor."

"Yeah (awkward silence) anyway, you'd better watch out, Kurama cause I'm gonna own you in this one!"

"Yeah, okay, well I'm just gonna give you a head start." Kurama had that 'as if' look on his face as he walked away. He thought he'd do a little exploring, maybe borrow some treasures from friends-who won't know they're gone yet. So there he was, walking and steaing. That's where 'stalking' comes from. He moved deeper into the castle, curious as to what he would find. Suddenly a door burst open and he was bombarded with pots and pans.

"Watch where you're going, Idiot!"

Kurama pushed aside the frying pans and the casserole dishes to punish his offender. No one spoke to him that way and got away with their lives. And then he saw her face.

Wow. She's cute when she's angry.