Chapter Two
Tamahome was instantly on his guard. I knew just how badly he wanted to kill Nakago at this point but that would only make things worse. Before he could throw any punches I stepped between them.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Tamahome demanded.
"I asked him to come. Since I'm marrying him I figured we should talk." I replied, trying to keep my voice even.
"Alone in your bedchamber? Are you really that dense Miaka? You know what he's capable of!" Tamahome practically yelled.
"Yes, you do know what I'm capable of. Or should we go down to the dungeon and I remind you Tamahome?" Nakago said from behind me. I could feel his cold, sadistic smile. His words only served to anger Tamahome more.
"Please Tamahome! Stop making this more difficult than it already is! Can't you see how much you're hurting me!" I cried. I'd had enough. The day's events were catching up with me and all I felt like doing was crawling into my bed and crying. With Nakago here I knew I couldn't do that.
"I'll go Miaka, but believe me when I tell you that I won't be far." Tamahome said. His voice betraying his barely controlled anger. Nakago stepped inside and momentarily blocked his path. I could tell by the look of amusement on the Generals face that he was just messing with him. Once Tamahome had finally left my room, I realized that I was alone with Nakago. This fact made me extremely uneasy.
"Hey Nakago? Let's go for a walk in the gardens ok?" I asked hoping my voice wouldn't quiver with the fear I felt. I watched as he walked out the door only to turn and face me again.
"Are you coming Priestess?" He asked.
"Miaka," I corrected. His only response was the raising of his eyebrow. "If we're going to be married," I continued, "the least you can do is call me by my name. Not even my warriors call me Priestess."
"Very well Miaka, shall we go?" he asked with a slight chuckle in his voice. Before my courage abandoned me I joined him, slowly closing the door behind me. We took a short walk around the garden but we were far from alone. I could feel the guards eyes follow us everywhere we went. After a while, we made our way to the gazebo. I leaned against the railing, my back to him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You just did Miaka." He said sarcastically.
"Do you really want to marry me or are you just following orders?" I asked though I was sure I already knew the answer. After a few moments of silence I turned to face him. His face was a mask as impenetrable as the one Chichiri wore.
"It is to our mutual benefit to marry Miaka. We will both get what we desire in the end," he said. It wasn't really the kind of answer I was expecting but I knew it was the only one I was getting. A short time later he walked me back to my room and we separated for the night.
Though the empire was still in a huff about the news of my eminent wedding, the plans proceeded smoothly. Nuriko had taken it on himself to act as my personal bodyguard. It seemed like I couldn't go anywhere without him being nearby. As much as I love the former cross-dresser, I was starting to feel annoyed; though he did come in handy when I wanted to avoid Tamahome. He hadn't forgiven him for hurting me in anger. He'd heard about how Tamahome had tried to convince me to run away with him and even though Nuriko understood his friend's feelings, he didn't agree. It was another reason he'd become over protective of me.
Soi was constantly giving me the cold shoulder and making things difficult for me. I knew she was in love with Nakago but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. I spent little time with Nakago as he had his own duties to attend to. That didn't bother me one bit. The only real time I got to myself was in the solitude of my room. Even then I was plagued with the thoughts of my upcoming wedding, or rather, the wedding night. I knew I couldn't talk to anyone about my concerns. The only person I could talk to was Yui and she still hated me. I found myself searching out Chichiri more and more. He was the only one I felt really understood my situation.
Sorry it took so long. I'm struggling a bit with this story line. I hope you enjoyed it. Any suggestions will be more than welcome. As always, please review.
