Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe. Everything else is mine.
Tequila Blackbird's (but really Strawberry Grasshopper's - just this once, because the song I had on repeat this week definitely DID NOT fit, and her's did!)... Song for Thought
This chapter: "Iron" by Woodkid
"I'm frozen to the bones, I am… A soldier on my own, I don't know the way. I'm riding up the heights of shame. I'm waiting for the call, the hand on the chest. I'm ready for the fight... and fate."
Chapter Three
The moon was high in the night sky when she arrived at the castle, and fog had once again covered the ground in a thick, smothering blanket of white haze. It filled Kagome with a sense of dread – though, she admitted, that might also have something to do with the sheer exhaustion she felt. Her body ached. She was stiff in places that she didn't even know existed, and the feeling of solid ground under her feet was a cherished luxury.
It had taken her a full day to get to the monster's castle. Darcio had only allowed them to stop occasionally along the way so that they could eat and relieve themselves. Other than those few times, they had ridden constantly until they arrived. Now that she was here, however, she no longer felt their prior urgency. All she could feel now was a sense of trepidation rising from deep in the pit of her stomach.
The castle was just as large and ominous as her father had described it a few days ago. She even dared to say that it felt cold and cruel, though she would have to admit that this also might have something to do with the dangerous and vile creature that she knew lurked within.
Kagome quickly tied Darcio to a tree, confident that she would need him soon to return home. She stretched, smoothed out the folds in her clothes, and then adjusted the strap of her father's quiver on her shoulder – all the while stealing her nerves before she forced herself to climb the steps to the castle entrance.
She glanced down at her boots as they quickly tapped down on each stone step, announcing her ascent to all those who wished to listen. Then, all too suddenly, the doors loomed before her. They were thick and heavy, and they stretched towards the heavens as far as the eye could see, it seemed. Yet, they were surprisingly unguarded.
How curious, she mused to herself. It was almost as if the beast happily greeted his fate to perish at her hand.
She would gladly oblige him.
She had barely touched the door when it abruptly swung open into the dark abyss of what she could only assume was a corridor. Her eyes strained to see down it, trying to distinguish shapes or objects in the distance – but it was all in vain. It was truly a black pit of nothingness, and her stomach churned in fear of the unknown that awaited her beyond the threshold of this entrance.
In a moment of doubt and anxiety, she started to question her objectives and her purpose in coming here. Tendrils of insecurity crept into the corners of her mind and whispered prophecies of failure and her own demise to her...and she could feel herself slowly giving in to them.
There was a good chance that she would fail on this night, and that instead of killing the beast, he would kill her instead. She fought down the bile rising in her throat and wrapped her arms around her middle. She squeezed tightly as she pinched her eyes closed, doing her best to calm her aching nerves.
She could die, this was true. But this was also the only thing that could be done to save her family and secure everyone a future full of happiness.
This needed to be done, and she would do it.
She swore it.
It was with this thought that she was finally able to take the deep, calming breaths that she so desperately needed and step into the darkness before her.
The first step was, by far, the hardest for her. Each step after only helped solidify her will and purpose, and by the time she had crossed the threshold of the entrance, she knew that she could do this and be successful.
Or at least that was how she felt until the doors slammed shut behind her, making her jump in fright. The walls suddenly lit up with torches, which guided her path and encouraged her to follow their lead down the corridor to whatever awaited her in the distance.
She readjusted the strap of the quiver, selecting an arrow at random from it and notching it.
While she didn't know exactly what awaited her at the end of the corridor, she had a very good idea of what it might be – and she was going to be ready for him.
The eerie silence in the corridor seemed to increase her other senses, and she was distinctly aware of the pounding of her heart. She heard it in her ears in a dull buzz and she could feel it pulsing in her fingertips, thumping in time with each of her steps.
It made her feel...
Alive.
Despite all of the fear, all of the danger, all of the risk... She had never felt more alive in her life than she did in this moment, nearing the end of this vacant nothingness to face the beast.
It concerned her that she felt this way, but she pushed those thoughts out of her mind when she found the end of the corridor. It seemed to open up to a much larger room bathed once again in darkness, but it was soon revealed to be the precipice of a staircase that lead down to somewhere she couldn't quite discern. The only light was what the moon provided through large glass windows bordering the room. Cautiously, she approached what she could make out to be the railing of a balcony. Perhaps it had once been a ballroom? It wouldn't have surprised her.
She lowered her bow and arrow, tentatively grazing the railing with her fingertips. It felt thick and sturdy and wooden. She absently pondered what life had once been like here, straining her eyes to look out into the darkness at large crystal chandeliers that she could barely see hanging from the ceiling. Who had once lived in a place like this? Who would need a room like this in their home?
A duke? A lord? A king?
Someone far more important than herself, of that she was sure.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a dark voice asked, echoing off of the high walls and ceiling, making her heart race again. She quickly notched her arrow and started searching the darkness for the owner of the voice, eyes darting from wall to wall and washing across the floor.
"I could tell stories about this room that you wouldn't believe, even in your wildest dreams. Have you ever been to a ball?"
Her heart was roaring in her ears and her breath was choking her with fear. Where was he?
Where was he?
She couldn't see him! He had to be here somewhere!
"I'll take your silence as an affirmation to my assumptions. It's a shame. They can be quite enjoyable – or at least I always thought so. But I was also very fortunate to never need to plan one. I have heard that they can be very stressful to coordinate."
Kagome swallowed painfully, ignoring the sudden dryness in her mouth. "I doubt you have ever been to a ball," she sneered back into the darkness, having finally summoned all of her courage. "Why don't you stop hiding and show yourself?"
"Ah, yes. Show myself to the woman with a weapon. I don't see how this could possibly work in my favor."
"You can't blame me for trying," she chuckled bitterly.
"On the contrary," he refuted. "I can blame you for both trying and succeeding, though I sincerely doubt that I am in much trouble."
"You don't think I could do it?"
"My dear, naïve, little child," he drawled. "How can you even begin to try to hurt me when you can't even see me hiding in plain sight?"
In plain sight indeed, she silently mocked. "Ah, so you admit that you are hiding?" she countered as she began searching for something that she could have missed before. "Why?" she demanded.
"I believe that it is better to 'know thine enemy' first. It often lends a strategic advantage – something rather crucial when there are those who seek to spill your blood, would you not agree?"
He was here. She knew that he was here, so where... Her eyes widened when she reexamined a shadow cast by one of the widows on the floor. She had originally dismissed the shape as a shadow from a tree or a bush, but now...
She turned her gaze to the windows and chuckled softly, shifting her body and the arrow to face him. "I found you."
There he was, sitting on a ledge nearly thirty feet away from her, one knee bent to prop up his arm while his other leg dangled lazily off the side. His back was slumped backward to lean against the wooden frame, and in his other hand, he examined a red apple as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. His entire body and demeanor spoke of indifference and nonchalance, and yet, she could somehow see past this facade.
She knew that he was not only powerful, but dangerous and deadly as well.
"So it seems you have," he smirked. "Now, impress me," he challenged, throwing the apple straight up into the air.
She didn't think and didn't breathe. All she could do was feel as her fingers let go of the arrow. She watched it soar through the air and deftly sink itself into the window frame five inches above the beast's head, nicking the apple and altering its descent towards the ballroom floor. She watched, impressed that he caught it, never once having taken his glowing, golden eyes away from her.
He made a show of holding up the apple and examining the long cut she had made in its side. He then returned his gaze to match her own, staring into her eyes and reaching above his head to pull the arrow out of the frame with no apparent difficulty. He tapped the tip of the arrow head with his index finger as if to test its sharpness, and then tossed it to the side next to him on the ledge. He did all of this with a deliberate air of indifference before taking a bite of the apple.
Everything this beast did seemed to have a purpose and a goal. Though they were languid and lackadaisical, there were no wasted movements. Nothing he had done so far had been uncalculated. This was all a veiled show of intimidation and power.
"I must admit – you did not disappoint. I am indeed impressed," he called down to her. "You are still rather new to the bow and arrow though, are you not?"
"Why do you care?"
"I suppose I don't," he conceded. "You have quite a bit of raw talent, despite your horrible posture."
"My horrible posture?" She snarled indignantly, grabbing another arrow from her quiver and letting it loose two inches below where her first arrow had landed.
"Careful now, girl. The first one was free. The second one was greedy. If there is a third, you will not like the consequences."
"My father taught me how to use this bow, and I will not allow you to make a mockery of him," she spat, her voice trembling with barely concealed rage.
"Then either your father is a horrendous teacher, or he is a fool in need of a lesson himself."
Kagome couldn't even hear the satisfying thump of the arrow sinking into the frame an inch below the second one. She hadn't even realized she had pulled a third arrow from her quiver. However, she knew that she wouldn't have stopped herself from doing it even if she had.
"You beast! You monster! How dare you!" she spat, and that seemed to finally be his breaking point. Her only warning was the narrowing of his glowing eyes before he disappeared from the ledge into the darkness. It was like he had never been there to begin with – the only evidence of his existence being the three arrows and the red apple with a bite out of it that he had left behind.
The air suddenly left her body in a giant whoosh as she felt herself being jerked backwards into a wall of hardness, something sharp digging into both of her forearms.
"My dear, naïve, little child," he whispered from behind, his hot breath fanning over her ear and sending a shiver of fear up her spine. "You're in my world now, and here, you're the monster. Not me."
Kagome pinched her eyes shut and swallowed hard. He was keeping her arms pinned down to her sides and even though she was straining to get away from him, she couldn't. He was too strong.
She had drastically underestimated him.
"Did I not warn you that there would be consequences?" he purred. "I did warn you. Perhaps I stuttered and I didn't make myself clear. Is that it, my dear, little child?"
She was frozen with fear. She couldn't respond.
"Nod your head yes, child," he cooed condescendingly, and she found herself obeying before she could even think to stop. "Very good," he praised mockingly as she felt his grip lessening a fraction. He was still firmly holding her, but she was no longer in pain.
"Consequences... They are interesting things, aren't they? Every action has them, whether they be good or bad. Now, you just tried to kill me three times. What do you think the consequences will be for that?"
"You're going to kill me," she whispered lowly. So lowly, she wasn't sure she had even said anything at all.
"I could kill you...you're right. It would be so simple, too. I could snap your neck. It would be quick and easy...but maybe I should make it long and painful?"
She bit back the urge to whimper, and she hated herself for it. What she hated more, though, was that she had failed her family. She had come here in the hopes of freeing them all from his hold, and all she had managed to do was—
"However, I don't think I want to do that," he declared, having decided upon a course of action. He let go of her and she tumbled to the ground, no longer able to support her own weight on her shaking legs. When had that started? She wasn't sure. Kagome leaned forward onto her hands, her uneven breaths shaking her body. She was barely able to make out the shape of his black boots that appeared in front of her.
She couldn't say anything. She couldn't even stop him. She just closed her eyes and prayed that whatever it was that he was planning to do would be fast and painless.
"You've managed to intrigue me, little child. It takes quite a bit to do that, and I have a deal to uphold. Your life in exchange for your father's foolishness. You have a raw talent as well," he stated simply, crouching down in front of her and hooking a clawed finger under her chin. He tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. The dam that had been holding her tears at bay finally ruptured against her will, and they silently began to creep down her face. Inu gently brushed them away with the pad of his thumb and watched as she cringed in fear, despite bestowing upon her what he would call an act of kindness.
"Look at me," he commanded, and once again, she found herself obeying against her will.
"Good. You want me dead." It was a statement, not a question. "I have wants, too. I will make you a deal, little girl: you will live here with me, just as originally planned. However, you will now have certain responsibilities. Chores, if you will. You will also train, because I will make you a new deal. In exactly one year's time, if you still desire it, I will give you one more opportunity to kill me. Just one. If you can do it, everything here belongs to you, and you are free to do with it as you please. If you can't, then you will be my bride. Do you accept?"
Kagome was dumbfounded. What kind of deal was this? Who would even think of something so absurd? Who would willingly place their life into such a position? She had just started learning how to use a bow and arrow, and she could scrape an apple in mid air already. After practicing for a year, the beast stood no chance of survival. Why was he making such a deranged bet?
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you doing this? Why would you risk your life so casually?"
"My reasons are my own," he smirked, "now, agree to the terms, little girl. It's your only choice."
She hated him for saying that, but they both knew that he was right. It was either this, or her rather sudden and possibly painful death. Given her options, she almost preferred the latter.
"I accept the premise of the bet, but not the terms. I want to hear all of them first. I don't want any tricks, and I want to be certain that I understand what it is that I am agreeing to."
The beast's smirk widened into a toothy grin. "You continue to surprise me, girl. Most would have accepted blindly, if only from the fear of losing their life."
"I am not like most."
"That I can see. Come. It's been a long journey for you, and I'm sure that you would like something to eat. We can discuss the terms as you dine."
Inu held out his hand, inviting her to take it. She saw for the first time how long and deadly his claws really were – they looked like tiny swords attached to each one of his fingers. He truly could have hurt her when he was holding onto her arms. The fact that she remained unharmed was a small miracle in itself.
She realized in that moment that she had been a fool to think that she could ever kill him. Between his speed and his physical features, it was only by his grace that she was still alive. If she were to have ever been successful in killing him, she would have had to take him by complete surprise.
She never stood a chance.
"You would do well to obey, little girl," Inu commanded, sensing her hesitation.
With those words, Kagome felt her previous bravado return. Yet, much to her chagrin, she bit her tongue and fought the urge to sneer a smart retort. Instead, she finally placed just her fingertips onto his palm in such a way that she could hastily snatch them away if she suddenly felt the need.
The beast's grin widened even further, and she once again found herself suppressing yet another urge – this time, it was a shiver of fear.
She could feel Inu guiding her toward the stairs, and as they began their descent, the room was slowly filled with the soft glow of hundreds of flickering candles that lined the walls and littered the floor.
Kagome searched for something or someone that could have triggered the sudden illumination, but she couldn't find anything. Even more surprising was the mysterious appearance of a table filled with food in the center of the ballroom.
"How…" she began, her words trailing off as the beast led her to a chair at the table. There were too many questions flooding her mind – she didn't know where to begin. "When did this get here? How did the lights turn on? Who else is here?"
The beast chuckled dryly as he sat down across from her, pouring himself a glass of something amber-colored that she assumed to be brandy. "How indeed," he murmured mostly to himself, taking a swig from the glass.
"What does that mean?" she questioned, watching him as he swirled the liquid in the glass.
"It means that you have much to learn about me and life here," he told her, taking another sip from his glass. "Now, eat something. I know you're hungry."
Kagome looked down at her plate and poked at her food suspiciously. "Why am I eating when you clearly aren't?"
"It's not poisoned." he coolly replied, clearly not convincing her. "What do I have to gain from killing you?"
"What do you have to gain from marrying me," she countered, fiercely meeting his dark gaze head on.
"You are very direct."
"I don't see the point in easing into this conversation. Besides, we are supposed to be agreeing to the terms of this 'bet' you have proposed. Is that not part of the terms?"
"Fair enough," the beast conceded. "I have my reasons for marrying you."
"Such as?"
"My reasons are my own."
"That is the second time you have said that, and it is still a poor excuse for an answer," she countered, finally starting to eat the food before her. She took note of the plates and utensils. She guessed that the fork alone was worth more than her entire old house. "Why do you refuse to be truthful and honest? You are capable of such qualities, are you not?"
"I would watch your tongue if I were you, little girl. While you have moxie and gusto, you are teetering on the edge of impertinence. You will not like the result if you cross that line. However, if you must know, I want to marry you because I find it utterly ironic. You leave home trying to escape what you think will be a loveless marriage, only to be trapped in what you're sure will be yet another one. It shows me how far you are willing to go for survival and self preservation. It proves to me that you will do anything to escape a hollow, unfulfilling life. Are you willing to sacrifice your silly ideals of love in order to live, if you fail? If you accept these conditions, I'll know just how serious you are."
"Because almost killing you doesn't show how serious I already am? You still didn't tell me how this benefits you. And how did you know about my engagement?" Kagome demanded, frustrated when he only picked up his glass and took another sip from it, still smirking.
"For our purposes, my response should be sufficient. I believe that we were supposed to be discussing the terms of the bet?"
Kagome glared, but quickly relented. She made a silent note to return the conversation back to his knowledge of her engagement later. "What do you expect me to do here?"
"Normal tasks like cooking, cleaning, mending clothing – the same tasks you used to do at your cottage with your sisters."
"How do you know what I used to do?"
"I have an active imagination," he dismissed, casually gazing over the rim of his glass, causing Kagome to let out a sigh of frustration. He was dancing around the question and they both knew it, and yet, she still couldn't corner him on the subject. She was afraid that she had been reprimanded one time too many already, and after her earlier scrape with death with this beast, she had resigned herself to heeding his warnings for now.
"What are my living conditions to be? What would be the point in agreeing to something if I come to wish that you would have just finished me off to begin with?"
"Unless you try to kill me again between today and in a year from now, you will never have to worry about that."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I will make sure that you are comfortable. I have already arranged your chambers, and I'm sure that you will be quite satisfied with them. I think that you will be quite pleased with the view of the garden. I'll take you there after you finish."
Kagome lowered her gaze, playing with her food and pushing it around on her plate. There was a question she had yet to ask that kept gnawing at her. She wasn't sure she wanted the answer to it, yet the nature and premise of the entire situation was so strange… so… odd, that she needed to know.
"Go on," the beast finally spoke, drawing her out of her thoughts. "I know you have more questions for me than that," he declared smugly with a clear disposition of arrogance, taking great satisfaction in her discomfort. He raised both arms and held them out to his sides, palms upraised – almost as if he were waiting for angels to fall from the sky and shower him with glory. His fangs glinted dangerously in the candlelight. "Please, go on. Ask away. I'm curious to know what else you could possibly want to know before we can make this little game official."
"Is that what this is to you? A game?" Kagome demanded, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"Dear little girl, is that not what any bet is?" he laughed, lowering his arms again and tucking them behind his head.
"Not this one. This is far too serious to be taken lightly. Think of what is at stake – my marriage, and your life. Does your life mean nothing to you?"
Inu's eyes darkened for a moment before he reconstructed the mask that he had previously held in place so well. It was brief – so fast that Kagome almost began to question if she had even seen it at all.
Almost.
Inu was, without a doubt, hiding something. Most likely a great many things. She only wished she knew what they were so that she could make more calculated decisions.
"My life is my own. I am free to do with it as I wish. If that includes wagering it in a bet I'm sure I will win, then that is my decision."
"And why are you so sure you will win? You saw what I can already do. In a year, I will be that much better. What makes you think that you stand a chance?"
"What makes you think you will succeed? Tell me, what do you see happening in a year from now? Exactly one year. Where will we be? You? Me? Am I tied to a pole, unable to move, with a target painted on my chest? And do you think that I would agree to that? Better yet, do you foresee yourself hunting me through the forest? Or perhaps the castle?
For how long will you be hunting me? Will I have a head start? If so, how much? Will I have a chance to defend myself? And what happens if you do manage to hit me with an arrow? Yes, an arrow. You have one shot, not one chance. That means you have only one arrow. Now, assuming you do manage to strike me, it would need to be a shot wherein I die – if not instantly – then within minutes.
Do you not see how difficult this will be? The real question, little girl," Inu paused, taking another sip from his drink and pointing at her with the hand that held the glass. "The real question is: Why do you think you will succeed?"
"I know I will," Kagome rasped, determination setting her veins on fire. "I have to."
"Why?"
"I need to. For my father."
"Your father," Inu chuckled humorlessly. "The love of the child knows no bounds for their sires. I will say this about the man – when under pain of death, he does obey quite nicely. But then again, so do most men.
So, here is what will happen: Come noon, you will hunt me through the forest. I will have a twelve minute head start, and you shall have until midnight to find me – you see, I'm rather fond of the simplistic romance behind everything being twelve. It has a certain air to it, wouldn't you agree? Once you shoot, I have one chance to defend myself. These terms are non-negotiable. Now, I've become rather bored with this conversation...but continuing in the spirit of generosity I have shown you tonight, I will allow you to ask one more question. If I were you, I would make it a good one."
"Then I shall. How do I know I can trust you, or anything that you have said tonight? How do I know that you won't try to kill me one night while I am sleeping? Or that this is all an elaborate ruse with some...ulterior purpose?"
"You can't," he stated bluntly. "There is no way of knowing for sure that I won't turn my back on our deal, nor is there any way of knowing that I won't come for you in the middle of the night. But, let me ask you something – what do I have to gain by killing you? Absolutely nothing, other than a body to dispose of. You, on the other hand, have everything to gain, so how do I know that I can trust you?" he countered, leaning forward.
"The answer to that is that I don't," he continued. "You've already tried to kill me, and if I'm gone, then you walk away from this place a free woman. You can go right back to the life you had. It's very tempting, isn't it? Yet, I know you won't for two reasons:
First, that life back there includes the before mentioned loveless marriage that you are trying to escape. Do you really think that by killing me and returning home, your father and fiance will act as if it never existed in the first place? You leave here, and you are just trapped in another prison. By staying and engaging in our bet, you at least stand to benefit.
Second, your father is a man of his word. That means that you must be as well, or else it's a mark against him and your family. How could you ever return to your father and look him in the eye, knowing that you had betrayed him and his ideals?"
"So we are to blindly trust one another?" she questioned, utterly baffled.
"If that is not enough for you, then I will gladly rephrase my question to this: What choice do you have? You have positioned yourself in a way where you don't have one. So, let's shake on it and be done," he concluded, rising from his seat and reaching out his hand.
Kagome hesitated for a moment before following his example and shaking his hand in agreement. The overwhelming largeness of his hand enveloping her smaller one and the feeling of his deadly claws scraping delicately against her hand wasn't lost on her. It only served to remind her that he was right. She didn't have a choice. If she wanted a chance to survive, she would have to subject herself to a year under his authority – and if she didn't, she wouldn't like the end result.
"Good. Now that we have these affairs settled, let me show you to your room. You have an early day tomorrow," he smiled wolfishly, his fangs gleaming in the glowing candlelight.
Inu picked up his glass and led her out of the ballroom, through several corridors, and up a staircase. Kagome followed him silently, doing her best to memorize where he lead her, intimidated by the many light fixtures that would come alive as they neared them.
Finally, they came to a stop in front of a large, heavy door.
"This will be your chamber," Inu announced, unlocking the wooden door and holding it open. "You will stay here for the next year. As I said before, I hope that you enjoy the view. You can expect me at eight tomorrow morning. Until then, pleasant dreams."
And with that, he was gone, leaving her at the mouth of her room. Alone. She closed the door soundlessly, leaning against it and sliding to the floor. The events of the day were finally taking their toll on her.
Tears began to silently slip down her cheeks as her emotions began to get the best of her, whispering doom into her heart. She had been a fool to think that coming here and killing him would be the answer to all of her problems. She liked to think of herself as a woman, but the beast was right – she was nothing more than a naïve, little child pretending to be something that she wasn't.
He was right. How could she have honestly thought that this would free her of her engagement to Koga? It hadn't been the only reason for her coming, though. Her father was, and would always be, one of the biggest inspirations for her departure. Now, unless she did kill the beast in a year's time, she was certain that she would never see him again. Or her sisters, for that matter.
She choked back a sob as her tears began to intensify.
She really had been a fool, and now she was going to pay the price for her actions.
Her fear and her sobs wracked her entire body, forcing her to cry until she could cry no more. Sleep then overcame her exhausted and aching body.
Inu listened to the broken girl on the other side of the door and forced himself to remain where he was. It didn't surprise him in the least that he would find her crying. On the contrary – he expected it. Not that he wanted the poor girl to cry, but he had managed to sufficiently destroy her life in the mere span of an hour.
Pushing away from the door, Inu continued making his way through the castle until he entered his library, deep in thought.
He hadn't intentionally been looking to spy on her. He was merely on his way to his nightly observational with Leala. It was how he kept in touch with the world around him after thirty years of complete and utter isolation. Nonetheless, he felt badly for the poor girl.
Her entire life had just been ripped away from her. Everything she had once known and loved was now nothing more than a distant memory as she was now thrust into a new world.
His world.
He could empathize with how she felt, and he pitied her.
She had been here for merely a few hours. He had lived this way for years.
It was going to be quite an adjustment for her, he was certain. Yet, he still maintained that she had brought this upon herself. If only she had come here looking to negotiate instead of kill…then things might have been different for her.
As it was, however, he would be lying if he said that he wasn't glad that she had taken this approach. Now he had a chance for everything to finally change…
Inu opened a desk drawer and pulled out a green, heavily-lacquered box with gold floral filigree on the sides. He gently ran his fingers over the top in a light caress before opening it. There lay the dormant mirror that contained Leala. He picked her up out of the velvet-lined box and awakened her.
At his voice, her small, spritely body appeared in the glass surface, and she rose up from within to hover a few inches above the once again calm mirror. She regarded him with curious eyes, awaiting his command as he flicked his wrist and lit the fireplace on the other side of the room.
"Show me her father," he finally commanded, and as always, Leala obeyed. She dove head first back into the mirror, and the surface darkened to an eerie black. It would only be a few minutes before the fairy found the man. Inu sat down in a chair by the fire and waited for the vacant emptiness to animate with the image of Kagome's father.
Inu propped his arm up on the edge of the chair, resting his fist against his mouth in thought as he watched the man sitting in his own chair by his own fire. He looked weary and exhausted. His clothes were dusty and he was smudged with dirt. Inu concluded that he had gone off after Kagome had left – most likely to try and reason with her. It was too late for him now, however. Unless one knew the way to his castle, it was nearly impossible to find again.
Granted, the man had been able to do it once before, but that had been an accident.
Now, however, the man would never be able to find his way back. Not unless Inu willed it. He had made sure of that, despite the overbearing exhaustion it had brought upon him afterwards.
Inu observed the man as he read – most likely not for the first time – a note. The script was feminine in nature, and while he was tempted to ask Leala to get a better look at it, he refrained from making the request. Some things are better left alone and private, he reasoned. Besides, he had a very good idea as to what it said, and who it was from. He would allow the poor man to have a few moments alone, and he summoned Leala back, having finally seen enough.
Once again, at his request, Leala appeared before him. Her silver body hovered just above the calm surface of the glass.
"What do you think, Leala?" Inu inquired. "The poor man should know what has become of his daughter, shouldn't he? Should I send a little warning to him saying that it's not in his best interests to come after her? Or should I just allow Kagome to do it?"
Leala, silent as always, flew to his desk and sat atop his ink well and cocked her head to the side.
"You think I should? Perhaps we should both recount our tale? Or is once enough for the poor man?"
The fairy held up one finger, and Inu nodded in agreement. He then rose to pull out some blank parchment and a new quill.
Thick, bold, sharp lines crossed the paper in his hand, stripping it of its once naked purity. In its place was a harsh truth he was sure would cut into Mr. Beaumont like the sharp edge of a blade cutting into the soft, uncalloused flesh of a newborn babe.
Finished, he stored the paper in his desk drawer, deciding to send it out in the morning. He walked over to a window and stared out at the moon in thought.
One year.
He could make it one more year. He was sure of it.
And if not, then he was determined to make it the best last year he possibly could.
A/N:
MY INTERNET HAS BEEN DOWN FOR THE LAST THREE HOURS. WE DON'T UNDERSTAND MY FRUSTRATION WITH THIS. I'm posting all of this before it goes AWOL again.
As always, thanks to everyone that has read and reviewed! This is by far my FAVORITE chapter so far, and I'm curious to see what people think of it! Seriously. You guys don't know how much these reviews mean to me :). They are awesome, and you guys are awesome! Thanks again to Tequila Blackbird for editing!
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 are already done, so stay tuned for Chapter 4 on Monday February 16, around approx 7 pm EST (as always. If I can even say always. Have I earned that right yet?).
And now, of course, the Author Responses for Ch 2 for users without a FF account, because every review deserves a response :).
Ta ta for now!
~Strawberry Grasshopper (SG)
A/R:
phoenixwings37: Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks again for the wonderful review, and I hope that you will continue reading come the 16th!
Guest 1 and 2: Thank you so so so very much for the awesome reviews! It really means a lot to me that you would take the time out to write something about the story so far :). I hope you both enjoyed this chapter, and I hope that you will come back for chapter 4 in 2 short weeks!
