Angel53:

Thanks and you are so right.

AwaitingMyBlackKnight:

I love your reviews the most because you are honest and detailed without being mean. I am considering an M rating but it will have to come to me and be natural. As per the plot: What's the rush. I want to build this story and make something that people will enjoy and want to read over and over again.

Thanks to everyone who has been loven up on my story. You make me want to keep updating.

I guess it is time for another disclaimer.

If Inuyasha belonged to me I would not be sharing him with you people. Conceder yourselves lucky.


Chapter 6


Kagome woke up the next morning with a splitting head ache and someone else's hair in her mouth. She blindly wiped the hair away eliciting a muffled protest form the girl in bed next to her. A thunderous pounding on her bedroom door made Kagome clutch her temples in pain.

"Your Highness, Your Highness," came the frantic voice of a maid she did not know, "You must get up. The tournament will start in less than an hour."

Kagome sat up spilling pillows and blankets in every direction. Just outside of her nest Sango was cursing a blue streak. Kagome smacked her with a pillow and winced as the maid resumed her urgent knocking.

"I'm up," she called, "Come in for goodness sake."

The maid, pale-faced and fidgety, bowed low to the princess.

"I apologize Your Highness," she squeaked nervously, "Seiko is ill this morning and the staff did not know to wake you."

"It's fine," Kagome reassured her, "Forget the bath than and bring Sango and me the clothes Seiko set aside yesterday, please."

The maid scurried away to find their things and Kagome poked Sango. Her only response was an annoyed grunt.

"Come on, Sango," Kagome shoved Sango off the bed and she landed with a thump. Sango's head shot up. Kagome was on the receiving end of a evil looking glare.

"What is it," she growled still half asleep.

"Time to get up," Kagome through back the covers and yelped as her feet hit the cold floor.

"I'm up," Sango groaned then gasped, "The prince. I completely forgot. I've got to go Kagome."

Sango scrambled upright and made a dash for the door. Kagome lunged and grabbed Sango's arm.

"At least get dressed first."

...;)(;...

Five minutes later Sango was outside Inuyasha's room dressed in a simple Western style kimono. She knocked softly on Prince Inuyasha's door and got no response. Dread growing she opened the door. What if, like Kagome, he slept in? That would be her fault.

She was wound so tight that her hand made a grab for her nonexistent short sword when she saw a shadow against the window. Ears flicked back acknowledging her presents but Prince Inuyasha did not turn from the scenic view of the dense gardens below. Sango relaxed and bowed before she approached the prince.

"Your Highness," she bowed again, "I apologize for my tardiness. How may I be of service?"

For a long moment Inuyasha said nothing. Only the occasional ear twitch belied his inner contemplations. He was dressed in his battle leathers dyed crimson and stitched with silver thread. A rampant silver dog was splashed proudly across his back. The emblem of the Western royalty.

"Spring comes early here," he commented, "The Northern snow has barely melted."

"Indeed my Prince," she agreed, "I always treasured my time in these green lands."

Inuyasha cast her a disgusted glance and she felt a blush rise but she willed it away. She had nothing to be ashamed about. She was protecting the only family she had left.

"Already the Princess's best friend I noticed," he observed, his voice dangerously soft, "You didn't waste any time."

Sango flinched. A small involuntary movement she could not repress. Inuyasha noticed it and grimaced.

"So, what does he have on you," he asked, his tense muscles relaxing in a resigned sort of way.

"I don't know what you mean, my Prince," she replied coldly.

"Enough with the games Sango," he rested his hands on the window sill, "You are so obviously not one for deceit and lies it boggles my mind that he sent you on this mission. The only logical explanation is that he has some kind of hold on you. One you would throw away your deeply ingrained morals for. For me it is my kingdom's safety and my freedom. What threat does he carry over your heart?"

Sango trembled and Inuyasha could smell her distress as he waited for her to answer.

"My brother," she said at last, "My little brother is all the family I have left in the world and I would do anything to have him back." She looked up fire and determination in her voice, "Anything."

Inuyasha nodded, his grip on the sill was cracking the wood beneath his fingers, "We are not enemies, Sango, we are both merely prisoners of war."

They stood in companionable silence until a harried pageboy knocked on the door.

"Ten minutes, Your Highness," he called before scampering away.

Inuyasha straightened his leathers with a quick tug and grabbed a beaten up old katakana that rested against the wall.

"Sango," he looked at the woman fate had tied him to for the most difficult thing he would ever have to do. She met his eyes with steely resolve. He was in good company. "Don't bother with any of this maid business. Just play your part and I will play mine."

She nodded curtly and buckled her own short sword to her waist. Next to Inuyasha's the beat up old weapon shone like a brand new. She eyed his dubiously.

He saw her looking and shot her a feral grin, "Underestimating Tetsuaiga is the last mistake my enemies make."

Sango shrugged as he patted his sword affectionately. That was a mistake she had made good use of in the past. She did not look anything like the warrior she was.

...;)(;...

The once vast lawn between the forest and the castle was now the sight of a freshly built arena. Kagome had commissioned it's construction only three weeks ago and she was surprised by how sturdy it turned out. It was merely an oval of raised seating but the carpenters managed to add the coat of arms from each household in the competition. It was big enough to seat the entire court and guests.

Down in the center of the arena a mix of human and youkai milled eyeing each other with open hostility. Kagome winced at the display of testosterone and wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew.

She stood, raising her hands for silence and, like last night, the entire audience grew quiet.

"Welcome challengers," she recited, "Today you have been offered a chance to prove yourselves in combat. The future King of the East must be strong so if you wish to remain you must defeat your opponent in the first round. The champion of the day will be invited to a privet dinner in my suite."

She sat to excited chatter and nodded to the herald who in turn cued the trumpets. They blared and Kagome winced. She was not entirely over her headache yet.

"Each competitor has been randomly paired with their opponents. The style will be hand to hand. Points will be earned by each firm honorable hit. Knock outs are not permitted and are grounds for disqualification."

The herald scowled faintly at the youkai making sure his instructions were clear.

"The first round is Lord Akifumi, third son of the Duke of the Southern Marshes, will fight Lord Etsuo, son of Count Hirotsuchi of the East. The rest of the challengers must clear the field."

A toad youkai stepped forward and faced Lord Etsuo. Kagome shuddered. While she did not care for Lord Akifumi he was at least kind and respectful. Etsuo, however, was the oldest son of a member of her father's council. He was just as disgustingly underhanded as his father. Unfortunately he was also an excellent fighter. The toad didn't stand a chance and the crowd cheered his defeat. Kagome sincerely hoped that it wasn't a foretaste of what was to come.

The day grew hot as the fighting continued. One servant ferreted cold drinks from the kitchens to the princess as another fanned her. She felt ridiculous sitting up on that scorching platform as men battled for the honor of marrying her. It was all beyond ridiculous but she did not know what else to do. If she did not get rid of some of her constant entourage she would go insane.

The only thing that made Kagome smile that morning was when the herald announced the fight between "Lord Kouga and Lord Miroku." Kouga stood alone in the arena for almost half an hour before everyone realized what Kagome already knew. Miroku was not coming. Kouga made a big show of calling Miroku a coward and how he would have never stood a chance against him anyway. In a fight between them Kagome's money would be on Miroku.

It wasn't until after lunch that a fight made her stand up and take notice.

...;)(;...

"Lord Gororu and Prince Inuyasha."

Kagome's heart was suddenly in her throat as she saw Inuyasha and his opponent take the field. The bright afternoon sunlight made his silver hair shine. The sight of those ears made her fingers twitch with longing. She watched as he removed his leathers and tied his long hair back out of the way.

His opponent was a massive bull youkai that stood twice as tall as Inuyasha. Gororu was a solid wall of thick ropey muscles and two wickedly pointed horns crowned his head in deadly glory. He flexed his humanoid arms in anticipation making the veins of his arms pop.

Inuyasha, Kagome saw, was no weakling himself. His shirtless torso was long and well built. She blushed as she took in his strong shoulders and well defined abs. Gororu visibly relaxed when he saw Inuyasha walking towards him.

"A shrimpy man I am fighting, no," Gororu scoffed in a very thick Far Eastern accent, "I give you fair chance to walk away now, shrimpy man."

"Shut up and fight me you misshapen cow," Inuyasha knew the exact insult that would piss the bull off the most. The youkai's face turned an angry red and smoke began to curl from his nostrils.

"Small man should not call names to me," Gororu warned, his voice low and dangerous, "I will be crushing you now."

"Bring it on tiny," Inuyasha bared his fangs in a menacing grin of anticipation.

They trumpets sounded and Inuyasha was a silver blur streaking towards Gororu. Kagome blinked until her eyes adjusted to the speed and watched in awe as Inuyasha pummeled the giant bull. Gororu made slow powerful swipes at Inuyasha but every time his blows met empty air. The fight ended abruptly when Inuyasha scored a hit squarely on the youkai's jaw. The bull bellowed in pain and toppled to the ground with a groan of defeat. Inuyasha came to a controlled stop at the bull's head.

"Give up," he asked, contemptuously nudging Gororu's face with his booted foot. He only moaned in response.

"Winner, Prince Inuyasha," the herald announced and the crowd erupted with enthusiastic cheers.

Inuyasha nodded curtly and suddenly his hot golden gaze was locked on Kagome. She sucked in a sharp breath as something deep inside pulsed in recognition. That long dormant tie she had unwittingly forged as a very young child was all of a sudden bright and glowing in her mind's eye. Inuyasha held her gaze captive for a long, intense moment before finally turning away. Free, Kagome found she was able to breathe again. Her eyes never left him as he gathered up his discarded clothing and walked off the field.

"Now we know why they call him the greatest fighter in the Four Kingdoms," Miroku had appeared by her side sometime during the fight. She jumped at his comment not having heard him arrive.

"What do you mean," she asked, curious. It had seemed like an easy win for Inuyasha.

"To my humble human eyes the entire battle a was a blur of constant motion," he made himself comfortable beside her on a stool a servant brought for him. "And Gororu had a reputation for being unbeatable."

"Inuyasha danced circles around him," Kagome told him, pride coloring her tone. Miroku eyed her thoughtfully.

"What about you," Kagome prompted with an amused glance as the herald announced 'Lord Taiji and Lord Hirohito'.

"What about me," he asked teasingly, seemingly engrossed in the fight below him.

"Kouga advanced to the next round with absolutely no opposition," she sighed comically, "I am afraid you have a cowards reputation now."

"I felt that eliminating someone who actually wanted to win would be dishonest," he explained, completely unconcerned.

"I can't say that I am not disappointed," she pouted, "I would have loved to see you in action. You would have wiped the floor with that wolf."

"I am but a humble man," he grinned, his eyes never leaving the field, "Any amount of skill I may have is merely subjective."

Kagome had seen the lord in the practice courts many times and had firsthand experience with his level of skill. He was a fantastic fighter and there was no doubt that could have had a real chance at winning this tournament. She snorted softly at his self depreciation. A twinkle in his eye belied his acknowledgement of her assessment.

Kagome turned to actually watch the activity below her mind slipping back to Inuyasha. Her skin warmed and her heart fluttered in her chest. His voice had been in her dreams last night and she knew that his flawless form would invade them tonight. What was it about him that called to her? Wasn't he just like all of the other men she had been avoiding all month? That thought prompted a more pressing question. Why the hell was he avoiding her?

She had lain awake for hours last night fuming after Sango had come back. He had dance with every single unmarried woman except for her! What was his problem? A growl thrummed in her chest, subsonic and dangerous and her fingers threw off pink sparks.

Miroku watched her aura flux and tremble as if fighting against invisible bonds. He frowned as the Pink deepened then paled. Somehow someone had bound her nature and, if he wasn't mistaken, a large portion of her soul was missing. Not only did this trouble him deeply but the faint pattern of youkai in her aura was vaguely familiar.

The rest of that day was spent in the oppressing heat of the arena. Only Miroku's constant company kept her from being completely bored. As the last fight was concluded Kagome stood and again was the center of the crowd's attention.

"Would those eliminated please come on to the field," she asked and the first round losers assembled. All of them looked both furious and mortified. The son of the Fifth Prince of the South marched up to the dais. He was red faced and had a black eye developing.

"I say this whole contest was ludicrous," he shouted, "Of course the youkai had the advantage here today. This was outright discrimination. You are just a racist spoiled halfie."

She bristled at his words and insults and her youkai surged. A swirling mix of new emotions bombarded her as she stared down at the angry man. How dare this weak male challenge her? Did he not realize that he had never even stood a chance at becoming her mate? She was the ranking female in this Doom and her word was law. She bared her fangs and snarled. Every face turned away from her in one fluid movement of respect and submission. Some of the weaker youkai were even forced to their knees helpless against her dominance. The man, being human and from a human dominant land, did not heed the warning.

"My father will hear of your blatant favoritism and so will my Royal Uncle," he threatened, "We will not stand for this!"

Kagome felt something inside stretch against the pressure of her youkai as she flexed clawed fingers. Deep pure pink light dripped from her hands like liquid flame. The man below paled at the display of power and took a shaky step back, finally realizing his danger.

Somewhere inside the castle library silver ears twitched and a keen nose caught a familiar sent. His youkai rumbled in distress and directed his attention towards the arena. He was halfway to the door before he registered what was happening. A very strong youkai female was extremely pissed. There was no way in hell he was going anywhere near that aura. He forced himself to sit back down. That bitch could handle herself and he would only be an unwelcome intruder. Whoever she was angry with would deserve whatever he got.

Back at the arena Kagome was bracing herself for a leap that would end that man's life when a hand touched her shoulder. She rounded on the interruption intent of unleashing her rage. It was Miroku. He was carefully avoiding her gaze though she could see a look of wonder on his face. Her youkai recognized this man as one of her subjects and she relaxed slightly willing to hear him out.

"Your Highness," his voice was full of awe and respect, "Such a man is beneath your notice as Alpha. Your people are not threatened by him and nether is your authority."

She considered and nodded. Her doom mate was right, that human male posed no threat to her or her doom. The band around her youkai snapped back to its original shape and Kagome was left blinking at Miroku in confusion.

"I'm sorry Miroku," she said a little dazed, "I don't know what came over me."

"No harm done, Your Highness," he assured her, "We were all upset by the Southern lord's disrespect."

She frowned and turned back to the white and sweating human.

"You are no longer welcome in my home," she said to him, "You will be escorted out of the East immediately. A carriage will bring your personal items along next week."

At her words a pair of guards grabbed him roughly and frog marched him away.

"As for the rest of you," she gave the losers a smile, "You are all welcome to stay through the week then I must ask you to either find lodging in the town or return home. I thank you all for coming and I wish you luck in your romantic endeavors."

Kagome dismissed them and was about to go inside for some much needed dinner when Miroku stopped her.

"I have something very important to discuss with you at your earliest convenience," he said urgently.

"Of course," she sighed, exhausted, "How about tomorrow night after the winner is declared."

"Thank you, Your Highness," he bowed and watched as she headed for the castle. He could not believe she existed. It was too miraculous and she obviously had no idea who she was. He was deeply concerned about the binding spells and the hole on her spirit and the soon she knew about it the faster she can find help.

...;)(;...

Princess Kagome was not loitering in the hall that lead to Inuyasha's room. She was not waiting for him to come back from dinner. She was not going to waylay him as he walked by. She was most certainly not going to wish him luck tomorrow and tell him that she wanted him to win the tournament.

Kagome was just visiting her favorite painting. The one of her mother in full luminescent glory. She had been so radiant in her youth. Kagome had only ever known her mother as sickly but this painting was proof that she had been so full of life once. Kagome desperately wished that she could have known that woman in the painting. She gently ran her fingers over the raised paint of her mother's upturned face. If only she too could communicate with the light maybe then she would be able to feel close to her mother again.

She was so caught up in her memories and longing that she had forgotten why she had ventured into this corridor in the first place. She slowly became aware of a warm fiery aura glowing behind her but she was loathed to tear herself away from the painting.

"The Lady Queen was a magnificent woman," a voice as familiar now to her as her own spoke, "They called her the Light Bringer in ancient times when my father and her were young."

"Did they know each other," she asked, not looking away from the painted rays of light.

"All of the original Four were very close in the early days," he explained, moving closer, "The Hot Southern Son who was the first mortal whose strength of spirit rivaled that of the youkai. The Silent Northern Sentinel who was the most powerful Ice Youkai ever to live."

"It was said that she could see the future," Kagome chimed in.

"Yes," Inuyasha agreed, "She foresaw many things which brought her grief so she hid herself from the world in the cold Northern Mountains. The Fierce Western Warrior who was my father. He was the protector of the lands in the days before the Great War when each of the Four went their own way and built their own kingdoms."

"You must miss him," she said, tears in her eyes. Inuyasha did not reply but went on.

"And finally the Rising Eastern Light, your mother. She was the most pure and beautiful youkai in all the world. Legend has it that it was she who fashioned the sun, and she who gave the humans fire, and she who hung each star with care and devotion. The world was darkened by her passing."

"If she was so great and powerful than how did she get sick?"

"I do not know, princess," he said softly.

The use of her title snapped Kagome back to reality. She tore her gaze from the painting of her mother and turned to face Inuyasha. She raised her eyes to his and forced a trembling smile.

"Congratulations on your win today, prince," she said, moving to skirt around him. She was suddenly very aware of his proximity. He casually blocked her retreat with an outstretched arm.

"Where are you going in such a hurry," he asked, leaning in close. Kagome held her breath not daring to move. The heat that radiated off of his skin burned pleasantly and she could feel his aura move against her own. Questing.

"Prince Inuyasha, we are hardly aquatinted," she managed to say, her voice shaky and uncertain.

"Your eyes were burning holes in my back last night," he pointed out smugly. She gasped in indignation. He had been deliberately ignoring her! She felt her cheeks grow warm with anger. Misreading the meaning behind her blush Inuyasha smirked.

"Didn't think I would notice, huh," he chuckled, "Women are so easy to read."

Kagome bodily shoved Inuyasha away from her causing him to stumble back. Despite herself the content with his skin made her hands tingle and pink sparks fell from her fingers.

"What the hell, bitch," he protested, regaining his footing.

"How dare you presume to know me," she snapped, "Besides, it is you who have come to me begging for my hand in marriage!"

"I never beg," he snarled, "Especially to spoiled little princesses who are so starved for entertainment that she has to string along a hundred no toeing fawning men."

"String along," she gasped in fury.

"Like dolls they dance to your every whim," he scoffed, a challenging light in his golden eyes.

Kagome felt tears of anger and humiliation prick her eyes. He was not wholly wrong, was he. She really did have men prancing to her every whim, but not by choice. If she could she would send every single one of them away, especially Inuyasha.

"Do you really think that I would choose this if I had any other option at all," she challenged, drawing herself up to a regal five foot two. "My father is the one who thinks I am too politically weak to rule alone."

"What," Inuyasha looked thrown.

"I don't want to talk about it," she marched away from him, heading to her own rooms. An immovable hand on her shoulder stopped her. She shrugged it off and glared at Inuyasha.

"Just leave me alone," she snapped and left him staring after her, alone with the painting.

Perhaps, he thought, he had judged her too harshly. The sting of the rosary warned him that the direction of his thoughts was counter to the mission. He snarled a curse and stormed off to his rooms.

A/N

What is a doom you might ask? It's a secret. Stay tuned.