NO! I don't own Inuyasha or Hawksong. Who else is damn tired of these disclaimers?
Chapter 10: Kikyo's Kiss, Kagome's Try
That morning Kagome found herself lying on her back in the dancer's guild yelping in pain as Soumyee pushed her leg farther forward than was natural.
"Come on. Stop your whining." She reprimanded pushing forward more and counting to ten.
"Good. Now stand up. And show me that you can remember what we did yesterday." Soumyee instructed.
Today was the last day Kagome was going to be in the demon city before she moved back to the Keep and Soumyee was using the morning Kagome had devoted to her ruthlessly.
Though the dance lessons were hard and often grueling, Kagome loved them. She was starting to understand why people devoted themselves to a craft when it was extremely hard. That just made actually doing it all the better.
After another hour and a half of practice, Soumyee stretched her one last time, and declared she was free to go and if she forgot anything she learned Soumyee was going to put her though the workout of her life.
Trying not to limp at her aching legs, Kagome left and went back to the palace. She could grab a quick lunch and see the markets one last time before she had to leave tomorrow.
Her dancing was not a bad thing for her political situation either. The demons were apparently more like humans than she thought. Seeing her working, hard, and walking among them seemed to make them feel better around her. In fact, the demons were warming to the peace idea much faster than the humans.
Kagome sighed and decided to try harder at the Keep.
Once at the palace Kagome found she wanted to explore.
So after a quick lunch and a talk on the possibility to market things in the human Markets with a merchant, Kagome stared walking around again.
She knew the palace well enough now where she didn't need someone to escort her everywhere she went but there were still so many places she had yet to see.
She started at the weapon storage room she left off at the other day and continued on.
She saw one or two people walking and she nodded to them and got the same greeting in return.
It was very nice to be able to walk among them without threats. While there was still hostility, the people had been fighting so long they were more than ready to jump at the chance of peace.
She was traveling down a hall she hadn't seen before looking at the doors around her when she saw the shadow of two people locked in a passionate embrace.
Kagome immediately stopped when she saw it but when she turned she heard a sigh and Inuyasha's voice say, "Kikyo, I can't do this."
Kagome froze and slipped into her mask so they wouldn't sense her as she listened.
"Why not? No one will know." Kikyo said trying to pursued him.
"I'll know, Kikyo. I'm mated to Kagome I can't go around kissing another woman." He responded.
She heard a foot stomp and Kikyo saying a little angry now, "You're a demon Inuyasha. You need touch and Kagome won't give that to you. She's an emotionless human."
Inuyasha sighed then said, "I know, Kikyo, but I can't do this to her. She's still a person."
"Damn it Inuyasha! You deserve better than her. She can't ever love you like I do."
Kagome chose this moment to leave. She had heard enough.
She made sure to not make a noise until she was a few corridors away then she broke into a run.
'an emotionless human' was what Kikyo had called her. Did she really seem like that to these people? Just something with no feelings who did things mechanically?
She was looking down and couldn't see anything, but she sure felt it when she hit someone and sent them both sprawling.
"Ouch, I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." Kagome said rubbing her head.
"That's okay, I wasn't either." A voice she recognized said.
Kagome looked up and saw Rin rubbing her behind smiling at her.
"I'm sorry." Kagome said again getting up and offering her a hand.
"Oh I'm fine. I was just thinking. You were the one running like the hounds of hell were right at your heals. What's wrong?" she asked taking the offered hand and pulling herself up.
"It's nothing important." Kagome replayed.
"Like hell." Rin said smiling. "Come on. Let's go to my room and we'll talk."
So Kagome walked with her apologizing again for knocking her over. "I said I was fine." She repeated still smiling happily. "Now what's wrong with you." She asked turning them into her room and shutting the door.
Kagome thought back to what she had seen and heard and said, "Nothing."
"It didn't seem like nothing." Rin pointed out sitting them down in some chairs next to a fireplace.
Kagome thought for a minute then asked, "Rin, do I make Inuyasha happy?"
Rin's eyebrows raised in surprise. "He's very happy with the mating yes. He says the peace is coming along well."
"That's not what I meant." Kagome said flatly.
"I know what you meant." Rin said pouring them some tea from a pot sitting on the small table between them. "Kagome there are some major differences between you and Inuyasha. The most important is this touching thing." Rin offered her a cup and Kagome accepted it with a thanks.
"You were raised without much touch in your life. But such a thing in our society is unheard of and considered nothing short of child neglect. We crave the comfort of others, Kagome. When a parent has a child and both of them have to work, they will take their child to a nursery where the child will be surrounded by others to play with." Rin explained leaning back in her chair cradling her cup of tea.
"About Inuyasha," she continued, "he will not push you than you are willing to go with him. But, forgive me if I'm wrong, isn't the idea of a marriage to find a way to work together. A way to make the marriage work together. He will not push you, but you must show you are willing to work with him as well. Willing to work together to get this marriage to work. Not just because you are married, but because two peoples peace depends on your succeeding."
"I know that but…" Kagome stopped unsure what to say.
"Your still a little uncomfortable, right?" Rin finished. Kagome nodded surprised she knew what she was trying to say. "That's what marriage is honey. You have to find common ground to stand on. You both must work to make this work for it to work. Am I making sense?"
Kagome nodded smiling, "Actually you are. Thanks for the tea Rin. I should get going."
"Visit me any time, sweetie." Rin told her as Kagome stood up.
"Thanks for the advice." Kagome said at the door before leaving.
She walked through the palace and into the city. People were everywhere and she had no idea if he was even there.
Though she should have known, the second she stepped out she would be pointed in the direction Inuyasha was at. People seemed to know she was searching for him as they led her right to him.
"Kagome!" he said surprised.
"Hey." Kagome said happily as they still were fabricating they were deeply in love. Without prompting she walked over to him and took his hand as she asked, "What are you doing?"
Inuyasha's eyebrow rose as he was surprised at her act as she usually just hugged his waist. "I was just looking at this fine peace of jewelry and wondering if it was good enough for you." He answered showing her the beautiful masterpieces the seller was showing off.
So they spent the afternoon together walking through the stalls looking at the wares and occasionally buying something. They tasted so many foods that Kagome was sure she wouldn't have to eat dinner to get full. She refused no one a request to taste until she got to the man selling the lamb leg.
"It is basted in red wine and slow cooked on a spit and sprinkled with my special herbs and spices." He promised holding it out.
Inuyasha took a bite and said it was delicious but Kagome pleaded a full stomach to get out of eating it.
"You know what I'm curious about?" he asked as they left the stall arm in arm.
"What?" she asked looking around at the other things she had yet to see.
"Why your people don't eat meat?" he asked.
"Oh that. Well my great grandmother Clarice hated the very smell of cooked meat and outlawed it from the Keep. She lived for so long the generation after hers never developed a taste for it. It's just stayed out of the menu's since." She answered honestly.
"Truly?" Inuyasha asked smiling. "Then if you have no moral or religious obligations against it I must insist you try that man's leg." He said turning them around.
Kagome opened her mouth and tried to protest but he walked her right up to the stall and said he wanted her to taste the lamb. The cook was so thrilled Kagome was sure he would have handed over his entire stall if Inuyasha had hinted he wanted it.
"Here my Lady." He said holding out a small morsel. Kagome took it and steeled herself. Even if it was horrid she knew she would have to pretend to like it or risk hurting the man's feelings.
With Inuyasha's and the cook's eyes on her she slipped it into her mouth and chewed, prepared for the worst.
What she got was the most amazing and strange thing she had ever tasted.
"Well?" Inuyasha asked looking like he very well knew the answer from the expression on her face.
"It's delicious. Strange but great." The cook swelled with pride as Inuyasha pulled her to him and said playfully, "My brave little Kagome."
Then he turned to the vendor and said, "We're returning to the Keep tomorrow, but when we get back would you like to make a dinner for us?"
The cook looked on the verge if tears as he confessed it would be his greatest honor and he couldn't wait.
With a smile for the man, Inuyasha and Kagome moved on back to the palace.
"That was good. I didn't think it would be that good." She confessed once they were inside again.
"You never know these things until you try them Kagome." Inuyasha said leading her to her room.
"Good night, my queen." He said leaning forward and kissing her gently. Kagome remembered her talk with Rin and forced herself to relax.
Inuyasha must have sensed the change because he wrapped his arms around her tighter than before and deepened the kiss.
For some reason Kagome was actually enjoying the experience.
When his mouth left hers he started kissing down her cheek and onto her neck.
Then Kagome had a split second vision of his sinking his fangs into her neck and she stiffened. She tried to relax before Inuyasha noticed but he felt it.
He let her go and sighed, "I appreciate the gesture Kagome but I wont take a women who fears me. I won't take one who feels like she's obliged to do so." And he let her go.
Kagome fell to the ground her knees shaking as he left.
She realized that she did want him to kiss her. Not for obligation but because she wanted him to.
She scrambled to her feet to run after him to tell him so.
But when she turned the corner to his rooms she saw something that took the breath from her body.
Someone with a mask for their mouth and cloth for their head was attacking Inuyasha with a sharp dagger and Inuyasha was holding back the dagger, that was only an inch from his neck, with all his strength.
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Ha I actually made a cliffy. WOO! See I told you they would get better. Wonder what will happen next…..