Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me, but oh if he did… :cackles madly:

A/N: Okay, I know you guys are thinking, "What the HELL is she doing, writing another fic when she's got three others that she has updated in a freaking year?" Well, I totally agree with you. I'm so sorry, but I just can't get any sort of inspiration for those other fics! Every time I look at those blank documents, I can't think of anything to write that isn't extremely dumb or cliché, so I'm sorry! I'll try to do the best I can to get them finished up.

Anyway, I've had this idea for quite a while and I've actually got it all planned out and stuff. It's only four chapters long, so I'll hopefully get it done without any writer's blocks getting in my way :knocks on wood: This fic was inspired by a short story called "The Lady or the Tiger?" and it's very good. I recommend reading it, but you don't need to read it to understand my fic. I think I've explained it well enough.

Also, the tone of this story is more mature and formal than my other fics because I'm trying to continue the sort of tone that the real short story gives off (which is more sophisticated sounding than I could ever hope to achieve). Anyway, hope you enjoy!

The Lady or the Tiger?

Chapter I
"Stop! Thief!" several voices shouted. The sound of footsteps trampling the ground sounded through the open-air market.

A lone figure clad in a dull brown cloak turned his head toward the commotion behind him. Suddenly, the cause of the ruckus made itself known. Another figure, clad in similar brown apparel barreled out from around a building, sneaking glances behind him as he ran. In his hands was a burlap sack, no doubt carrying stolen goods. The first man stepped in the way of the thief, blocking his escape, but the thief, preoccupied with watching for the guards never saw this. He ran straight into the man, knocking them both over.

"Get off! Let go!" Shouted the thief, but the man had a strong hold on his bag. Giving a nervous glance behind him, the thief gave up and made a break for it, dashing away until he disappeared around a corner.

Inuyasha stood up and dusted down his cloak. He looked up just in time to see several burly guards rushing toward him. In the blink of an eye, they had him on the ground, prostrate, with his hands held firmly behind him. One guard snatched up the bag he'd dropped. He looked inside and nodded vigorously, confirming that they had their man.

"Wait! You've got the wrong guy!" Inuyasha protested, his voice muffled by the dirt floor. "The real thief's already gotten away!"

"Okay, buddy, well you can tell it to the king." A guard sneered, "The only real way you'll prove your innocence is through the Trial."

Inuyasha felt a spark of fear lance through his body. The Trial of the lady or the tiger was proposed decades ago by the semi-barbaric king who ruled the prosperous City. He was a passionate man and intelligent, but part of him – or more precisely half of him – was very much barbaric in nature, hence the title of "semi-barbaric". And because he was semi-barbaric, his laws, or more importantly in this case his punishments, were equally semi-barbaric. The man accused of crime would approach twin doors within an arena. If he were innocent, a beautiful princess would await him within the chambers of the door he opened. But if he were guilty, the jaws of a ferocious tiger would be his fate.

And so, with justified apprehension, Inuyasha followed the guards toward the palace of the semi-barbaric king to await his judgment for a crime he did not commit.

Miles away, Inuyasha's wife, Kagome, was cooking in the kitchen of their cozy home, unaware of her husband's terrible predicament. It was the eve of their second anniversary and in a childishly romantic state of mind, she daydreamed of the different possibilities that he might celebrate their marriage. Although Kagome was approaching her twenty-first year of life and had known Inuyasha for eight of those years, she was still very much in love with him.

A knock on the door interrupted her reveries. Setting down her mixing bowl, she patted the flour on her hands onto her apron and opened the door. A confused look crossed her face as she saw the two city guards standing before her.

"Is there a problem, sirs?" she asked nervously.

The two men nodded gravely. The man on the left spoke, "I'm afraid there is, ma'am. Earlier this morning, a man we have identified as your husband was arrested for stealing. The Trial for his judgment will take place three days from now and we ask that you attend." With that said, the men left, leaving Kagome frozen in shock.

Slowly, she closed the door and leaned against it for support. Her husband? A felon? She couldn't bring herself to believe it. He was the most honorable man she knew; he would never stoop to the level of a petty thief.

A shock of fear struck her as she thought about the Trial. Although she was supported the king and gave him nothing short of loyalty, Kagome was a sensible woman and she knew it wasn't the Trial that decided if a man was guilty or innocent; it was luck and luck alone. She clutched her face in terror as she thought about the tiger, hungry and fierce, as he tore into her beloved husband's body. Oh, the blood! She couldn't bear it.

But would the alternative be any better? And she thought about the lady. Beautiful and loving, she would accept her husband with her pale, white arms and a dazzling smile. And they would be married before her, before everyone, and no one would care that a poor, simple peasant had lost the love of her life.

Tears streaked down Kagome's face and she forgot about the dinner she had been prepared to make for her dear husband. She lay upon her bed, feeling frighteningly alone without the warmth of her Inuyasha next to her.

Inuyasha sat in his cold, prison cell, a chain shackling him to the wall, feeling as alone and forlorn as his wife. He missed her soft warmth and loving tenderness. He gave a bitter smile in reminiscence as he thought of her. Although kind and caring, she also had a fiery temper and a stubbornness that matched his own. He remembered the day they met. He was so angry at her refusal to submit to him that he'd almost struck her. But he had not been able to deny at the same time that she was also very pretty and he was attracted to her.

If only he'd let that thief get away! To hell with his honor! It was not worth giving up his wife. With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha closed his eyes. In this time of darkness, he would allow himself nothing less than the comfort of his memories. He thought of Kagome's expressive face in times of anger, happiness, despair and bliss. He thought of the feel of her lips as he kissed her, warm and soft when they were gentle, and hot and fierce when they were passionate. He thought of their lovemaking, of how she would stroke her hands through his long, black hair and run them along his body.

His very being ached to be with her and now more than ever, he wished he'd at least left her with child so that he'd given a part of him to the woman he loved before being sentenced to meet two possible fates in which neither would allow him to be with her.

Two souls cried out desperately for one another that night and the gods watched down on them with pity. For Inuyasha and Kagome, three days were spent in agonizing anticipation, but eventually, the day of the Trial had arrived. Inuyasha was unsure whether he was more relieved or afraid.

As Kagome woke up that morning of the Trial, she slowly slipped on a black cloak to symbolize her mourning. Although she was wife of the accused, she had no more a special seating than a man who didn't care at all what would happen to her husband. Because of this, she planned on getting to the arena earlier, so that if Inuyasha chanced to look up, he would see her up in front, and see the her love for him in her eyes.

It took Kagome several hours to reach the arena. She could have taken a ride from the cart that was instructed to carry the citizens to there, but she preferred to walk with only her thoughts for company rather than suffer through listening to others speak of her husband not as a human being but as a show for entertainment. When she arrived at her destination, Kagome seated herself as far forward as possible and waited as a steady crowd flowed to the seats around her. She sat stiffly with her hands folded calmly in her lap, which belied the anxiety she felt rushing through her very veins.

Each minute passed excruciatingly slowly. The seats in the arena filled until each held an occupant and she had not moved an inch. Finally, feeling as if she'd waited a lifetime, the king entered the platform on which he was always seated. Lush, red curtains adorned the sides of the platform and hid most of it from view. The king sat solemnly in his golden throne, settling his large hands comfortably on the armrests of his chair. His subordinate beside him unraveled a scroll and held it out before him, announcing in a loud voice that nevertheless only reached half of his audience:

"We gather here today to place judgment on a man accused of thievery. The evidence is clear, but our gracious king allows even the lowliest of scum a chance to prove himself innocent. If this man, Inuyasha Taisho, is indeed innocent, the gods will direct him to the door that holds a Lady who shares blood with the very king himself. But if he is guilty, may the gods condemn him and give him to the Tiger who will deliver him his justice. Behold, the accused!"

Two sturdy, wooden doors creaked open ominously to reveal Inuyasha, and Kagome's breath caught in her throat. Oh, how ragged and weary he looked as he held up his hand to block the blinding sun! Her heart ached for him and she pressed a hand to her bosom for she feared it would beat right out of her chest.

"I bet he picks the tiger," a man next to her whispered to his wife, "he looks guilty, that 'un." He nodded sagely.

What does he know? Kagome thought savagely. How she wished she could slap him and release her pent-up fury! Her eyes were aflame in anger, but she said nothing. Again, her mind drifted to her beloved's two fates. To see him open that tall, menacing door only to have him devoured by a ravenous tiger, its fangs sinking into his chest as he screamed in agony, while she watched… it was unthinkable. But to see as his face sagged in relief to encounter the gorgeous princess and hold her in his strong arms, the place where she rightfully belonged… it was nearly equally unsavory. The thought made her burn in jealousy. But above all, she loved him like nothing else. She would not wish his death for anything.

And so, with hands fisted tightly in hope, she prayed the door he would pick would reveal the lovely woman that would be his new wife.

As Inuyasha stepped into the glaring rays of the sun he'd not seen in three days, his hands flung up to shade his sensitive eyes. He took measured steps that brought him nearer and nearer to his doom. For doom it was. Either he would become the feast for a starving tiger or he would betray the one person that meant the world to him. Before he stepped forward to open one of those cursed doors, he paused and looked into the crowd that was watching his every move. As if his vision had been drawn to her, his eyes focused on his beautiful wife, her eyes so very sad, shadowed by the hood of her cloak, but so full of love. His heart throbbed heavily in his ears and he tore his gaze away from her to approach the door on the right.

With the strength of his Kagome's undying support, he pulled the heavy wooden door open.

TBC…
A/N: Yes, a cliffhanger. Well, what did you expect? That I'd actually give away which door he opened? But I think the summary was enough to make you suspect who exactly was behind that door. I hope you guys liked this! I'm really tired now. You guys know what to do next! There's that little blue box down there that's just waitin' for you to click on it! P