A/N- Sorry about the late updates but I am new in high school and not used to the testing. Geez I feel like I'm going to fail or something. Trying out for the basketball team to -. This chapter I had to right twice because my computer had a virus so we had to rebut it and reformat it completely. All my work was lost including school. I also have a HUGE test tomorrow for math I feel like I'm going to cry-sniff sniff. Oh well enjoy.
Disclaimor.-Nope don't own/ tobad so sad.
Chapter 7
As summer arrived it got hotter and hotter and hotter. Some pages were made into squires. The numbers seem to come and go. They were also expected to do the same amount of work although they were given free time in the water whole beside the royal lake.
The boys ran toward the water hole stripping when they got there. It was a relief after the morning fighting art finally to take a dip. Kagome watched enviously as she untied the top strings on her shirt. She hadn't even done that when the boys had removed their shirts during training.
"Hey Kam come on." Sesshoumaru splashed some water in her general direction. She glared. He was tempting her while he knew she couldn't. Walking over to a strong oak she sat and leaned against it bringing out her book. Wiping the sweat off her upper lip she opened the book and tried to concentrate. water...laughing.....
"Damn!" Shutting the book with a snap Kagome swept her wet bangs out of the way. Getting up she headed toward the stables.
As she got there Thrift was munching on hay, flicking an ear back while not really acknowledging her arrival. Kagome entered the stall, giving the mare an admiring pat but suddenly turned around as she heard a russel.
"Shoot! Akira don't sneak up on me for gods sake." He intertwined himself around her legs. She almost toppled over considering he was now about the size of a husky. Thrift bent down eyeing the feline. Akira sat still, his eyes giving Thrift a once over. They seemed to except each other. Thrift bent down, sniffing, she then blue out nudging him.
The noon bell rang for lunch. Kagome gave a quick pat to both and then rushed toward the mess hall where she met up with the group as they collected lunches.
"Hey Kam, how come you don't swim?" Miroku questioned. Kagome winced. Gotta think fast, damn.
"I ... was fishing...yeah, and my friend fell in, and I um almost drowned but my...uh friend saved me." Kagome mentally called herself sevn different types of idiot. Obviously only an idiot could make that up and only an idiot could actually believe it.
"Cool." Inuyasha got a tray. Kagome choked on nothing. This might actually come through.
"Higurashi, your friend saved you? Didn't he fall in?" Sesshoumaru patronized. Kagome fumed, she could have pulled it off if he hadn't pointed out that one mistake.
"He got out first...and saved me. Yup that's how it went and Inuyasha, here." Kagome placed a few fruits on his tray. Kagome reached over and took bread and butter. It was what she usually ate since they didn't serve a lot of vegetarian food. Turning to eye Sesshoumaru and Miroku, she saw that they had already gotten fruit.
Inuyasha sniffed the air.
"Hey Kam you stink of, like, horse man!" She rolled her eyes and stated the obvious.
"Maybe it's because I was in the stables Inuyasha."
"Yeah well you stink." Kagome bit into her apple.
"Yeah I think we have established that point Inuyasha." He wrinkled him nose at her.
"I mean you really stink." Kagome took another bite.
"Higurashi, I think you should go take a bath, you know the public ones are open right now." Sesshoumaru smirked at her. Her knuckles became white. Pulling back she lugged the apple across the table at Sesshoumaru. It landed in his soup. Seconds after, Inuyasha yelled, "Food FIGHT!"
Food flew back and forth. Kagome ducked under the table watching as the chicken leg went one way as the broccoli went the other. What a waste of food Kagome thought shaking her head.
Looking at the exits she covered her head and made a beeline for the door. Opening the door she slipped on some jello and fell straight into a wall. Well it used to be a wall until she looked up and realized it was a living breathing taiyoukai prince.
"Klutz," It was amazing how one word could tick someone off so. Pulling back and straightening up she narrowed her eyes.
"I slipped on jello. It's not like you could do much better." He studied her for a moment.
"Actually I could." Kagome huffed and turned away, eyeing the war.
"I'm off, it would be so much better to not get caught in this." Kagome turned and headed down the corridor. He followed all the way to her room joining her. "What the heck are you doing in here?" Sesshoumaru shrugged.
"Company? Something like that." Sitting down at her desk he sifted through her papers. Kagome sat down on her bed cross legged watching him.
"Anything knew happening anytime soon?" Kagome asked as she reached over to pet Akira who had come back to the room.
"Why ask me?"
"Cause you're the prince and princes are weird so they know weird stuff." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at this.
"Princes are weird...so we know weird stuff?" He repeated. Kagome rubbed Akira's ears.
"Yeah you know they do princely stuff." Sesshoumaru shook his head, a sure sign that he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Well...my cousin is coming over if that counts as something knew." His voice had become a little patronizing.
"Yeah it does."
"I'll introduce you, many woman are interested in him. Maybe you will too." He tried to look thoughtful. She threw a pillow at him, then fell off the bed from lack of balance. He had caught it and was smirking at her, holding the pillow aloft so that she could see it. "Klutz." She turned red.
Launching herself at him, it was only a few seconds till she was down. He had tossed her onto the bed and and pinned her hands down.
"You... are far to slow." Kagome growled at this.
"You are such a jerk you know!" kagome attempted to knee him. His hand came up.
"Watch it! I need those." Chuckeling he got off her and went to the window. "Well, well here he comes. Lets go." They headed down to the main entrance where they were met by Inuyasha and Miroku. Both seemed excited.
When the new comer came to view, Inuyasha and Miroku ran to meet him. Laughing and conversing easily. Sesshoumaru shook hands with him. Even Sesshoumaru was smiling slightly.
He had black wavy hair to about hi waste, eyes that were, in the light, friendly. But when he turned to her, sun blocking his face she saw a little bit of red tint. Kagome almost took a step back but instead, smiled nervously.
"Oh, Kam, you two havn't been introduced before have you?" Miroku slipped in beside her. She shook her head. "Well this is Duke Naraku, the only other relation the king actually has." She bowed.
"It is nice to meet you Duke."
"Ohh just call me lord Naraku, Duke makes me sound like some stuffy advisor."
Kagome offered a hand that he took. His hands felt dry and hot. Taking her hand away a little to fast, she studied him.
"Well as you see the servants are unpacking my stuff. I have to go and make sure they don't mess anything up. It wouldn't do for those valuables I readied for the king to shatter." With that he went back to directing the swarm of servants unpacking the luggage.
"If you were a cat, I'd say you'd have those claws unsheathed and ready, man! What's gotten into you?" Inuyasha asked as he looked back at roger.
Kagome shrugged. All her friends seemed to like this guy, yet she felt threatened by him.
"Bad day," She finally replied.
As they returned to their classes, Kagome loosened up. Pulling her mind off the noon events and focused them on her math studies. Duke Kanai came in.
"Bread and water for the next five weeks to the following boys is that clear!?" The boys nodded weakly as he read off the list. Kagome soon realized that the punishment had been for the food fight she started with Sesshoumaru. Ironically they weren't on it.
Well that's life for ya. Going back to her math problems her thoughts kept drifting back to that guy Naraku. Who was he? Were was he from? Was she the only one that actually disliked and felt oppressed around this guy?
Later that evening there was a huge dinner party for the many nobles in honor of Naraku's return. They were to serve the knight's or nobles they had been assigned with. Hers happened to be there history teacher.
She studied the new lord as much as she could without seeming to be obvious. Her teacher, who was the court drunk, got drunk, big surprise there. She escorted him back to his room.
As he settled into his chair he tossed her a coin.
"What did you think of him Kam?"
"If you are implying Duke Naraku..." Kagome shrugged, "He's..." Toutosai waved a hand.
"Speak your mind."
"He's kind of...weird, creepy. It kind of feels like he's sugarcoated and everyone can't see inside." Toutosai sat back and rubbed his for head.
"That's what I thought but be careful Kam. He's a dangerous man. between me and you, I'm the kings spy and any man that even slightly opposed him has well...disappeared."
"Disappeared as in killed?" Toutosai shook his head.
"Disappeared as in disappeared." So she had been right to watch him Kagome thought. Well that certainly is some information isn't it? Wonder why all those people can't see through it though. "He also excels in magic. He has returned to teach you pages and squires how to detect and counter magic because they think the illness was sent by some powerful wizard, witch, or dark miko. Anyways you should get going."
Kagome bowed and left the room to go to hers. Finishing up homework she went to bed contemplating the enigma of Lord Naraku.
Hope you enjoyed it. -
