No A/N. Just story...
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. The characters and story are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I do own this storyline and any original characters that will appear: Dokubutsu, Kimae, Sei, Uchiki, Stardust, Lightning, Rei-Teki, Okayaki, Yukan, Kin, Chi, Namaiki, Niji, and more.
Chapter 26: Meetings and Reunions
"Kouga?"
"Hm?"
"What is going to happen at this meeting, exactly?"
The couple was strolling down a brightly lit corridor; the floors were made of a dark gray marble, the walls a lighter gray granite. At the end of the hall stood a large pair of ornate oak doors with curved, silver handles.
While Kouga was dressed in his usual armored attire, Kagome was dolled up in a bright blue kimono, tied with a lavender obi. Her raven hair was braided over her shoulder, hiding the mating mark Kouga had lovingly left on her neck. Kagome was grasping her mate's arm tightly, as if he were the gravity keeping her bound to the earth.
Kouga smiled down at her nuzzling her temple with his cheek, "Calm down, Kagome. Everything will be fine. My mother will be thrilled to meet you; she'll absolutely adore you. Father may be a bit more difficult to convince, but he'll come around. Especially since Ayame is being courted by Nam. He was counting on her to help persuade me," he smirked, "though I can tell you for a fact that it wouldn't have done a bit of good anyway," he chuckled lightly and kissed her gently on the lips. He opened the door.
The marble flooring flowed seamlessly into the large room, as did the gray granite walls. Silver sconces lined the walls. A long, dark wooden table was set in the center of the room. Two wolf demons, a male and a female, sat at the head of the table at the opposite end from the door. There were four glasses of water set on the table.
Kagome clasped her hands in front of her as Kouga rested his hand on the small of her back and urged her forward. Normally, this type of encounter wouldn't make the priestess so nervous; she battled demons for years. But these demons were different…she was meeting her in-laws…
Kouga strode forward confidently, seating himself on his father's right, Kagome sitting next to him. The two older demons looked on in shock as the human girl joined them at their table.
Ketsueki, the Lord of the South, unlike Sesshomaru, wasn't prejudiced against humans, though he did feel himself slightly superior in some ways. Nor was he blind; he could tell that this human girl was, on some level, important to his son. So he bit his tongue against the remark that he wanted to say.
"Alright, let's begin. Kouga, it's bout time you found an alpha female for your tribe, As you are well aware, there will be a time when you will replace me as Lord of the Southern Lands-"
Kagome choked on her water and stared at her mate with wide eyes. As she turned to look at him, her braid was jostled slightly, uncovering Kouga's mating mark for a moment- just long enough for the Lady of the South, Riko, to notice it and lift her cheeks into a small smile.
Kouga gave his mate a sheepish grin and shrugged. He averted his eyes to his father who was staring at him in confusion. He turned, after a moment, and smirked at Kagome, "Kagome, Love, I think that this meeting is going to be pretty boring for you. Why don't you take a walk through the meadow." In other words, 'Things may get ugly and I don't want you to be here for that.'
Kagome smiled sweetly, "No, I'm fine. I think I'll stay."
"Kagome."
"Kouga."
"Please?" he flashed her the cocky smile he knew she couldn't resist.
"Fine," she relented, "cheater."
Kouga chuckled and kissed her temple before standing and let out a short, loud whistle. The doors flew open a few minutes later.
"Hey, Kagome!"
"How ya doing?"
"Ginta! Hakkaku! I haven't seen you guys all week. How are you!" she chirped, running to them and giving each a big hug.
Kouga smiled, glad to see his mate happy, "You guys go have fun and catch up. I'll come find you later when I'm done here."
Ginta and Hakkaku nodded enthusiastically. Each of them grabbed one of Kagome's wrists and practically yanked her out of the room.
"Hey, guys! I need both of my arms to stay attached, okay?" she laughed, stumbling over her feet to catch up to them.
Ketsueki looked on in astonishment as two, well-trained, military wolf demons laughed and, dare he say it, skipped down the hall with the human girl. The Southern Lord opened his mouth to comment, but Kouga cut him off.
"So, father, back to business."
His father gave him a pointed look before continuing his lecture, "Now, I have been hearing rumors that you have promised to wed Ayame of the Northern wolf demon tribe. I must say, Kouga, she is a fine choice of mate for you. Her stature in the pack-"
"Those rumors are false," Kouga interrupted, a slightly sour tone to his voice, "Ayame is not my intended. And just to be clear, Namaiki is courting Ayame."
"Wha-"
Riko put a hand on her mate's arm, "I think I'm going to get some fresh air while you two work things out." She winked at her son knowingly and glided out of the room before her husband could utter a word. Ketsueki looked at the smug look on his son's face as the door closed. He frowned.
Very well, then. There are a few other females in this tribe I think you may be interested in…"
Kouga leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and groaned, 'This is going to be a long day.'
Kagome had never laughed so much in her life. As soon as they had turned the corner in the hallway, Kagome was swiftly tossed onto Hakkaku's back and the three of them raced out of the castle. The further into the meadow they ran, the more they were surrounded by tall grass and wildflowers.
"P-put me down, Hak-Hakkaku!"
The priestess suddenly found herself on her rump, "Oof, hey!" she whined pitifully, glaring up at two grinning wolf demons, "Jerks," she muttered.
"Aw, you know you love us, Kagome," Ginta teased as he helped her to her feet. Kagome huffed and brushed the dirt from her backside.
The three of them walked in companionable silence for a while before Kagome spoke up, "So, where have you guys been all week? I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me…"
"We weren't allowed to see you," Ginta growled, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the dirt. Hakkaku snarled and kicked a rock at his feet.
At Kagome's questioning look, Hakkaku continued, "The palace is sectioned off into three areas: the servant's quarters, the soldier's chambers, and the royal chambers. We, as Kouga's lieutenants, were required to stay in the soldier's area."
"But you were there today."
"That was Kouga. He visited us last night and told us to come."
"Well, that's not fair," Kagome pouted. The wolf demons grinned.
"You can change that, Kagome."
"When you and Kouga move in here, you can do anything."
Kagome's cheeks reddened, "Did you two know that Kouga was going to take over for his father?" Hakkaku shrugged.
"Of course."
"And you didn't think to tell me this because…"
"Kouga ordered us not to tell. He didn't want to scare you off," Ginta answered.
Kagome's stance softened and they resumed their walk.
Kagome clasped her hands behind her back innocently. "So, guys, do you have any ladies in the tribe you're interested in?"
Both boys flushed pink in the face. Hakkaku answered first, "Well, um, I've really liked Kimae for a while now."
Kagome smirked, "I happen to know for a fact that she likes you a lot, too," she chirped in a sing-song voice. Hakkaku perked up and beamed.
"Ginta?"
"Nah, I'm single and lovin' it!" he grinned cockily. The three friends laughed and walked, barely keeping track of their surroundings.
"Niji is going to be disappointed to hear that," a light voice tinkled from behind them.
"Lady Riko!" Ginta and Hakkaku yelped.
They spun on their heels and bowed, their cheeks flushed.
Kagome turned around and slowly clasped her hands in front of her, tilting her head down respectfully. Riko smiled warmly at them.
"Stand up. You boys should know by now that I don't want you to bow to me. And Kagome," she grinned widely, "as my daughter-in-law, you need to pick your head up and look at me," she commented as she stepped closer. Kagome stared at the Lady of the South in awe. "How did you…"
"If you don't want anyone to know that you're mated, you really need to do a better job of hiding your mating mark," she chuckled. She gently pushed Kagome's braid behind her shoulder and ran her fingertips over Kouga's mating mark.
"So, Kagome, tell me about yourself," Riko requested, looping her arm through Kagome's and resuming their walk, "I can tell that you are no ordinary human."
"Well, I am a priestess…"
"She's the keeper of the Shikon no Tama."
"And she's from the future."
Kagome glared over her shoulder at Ginta and Hakkaku, but her flaming cheeks detracted from it's ferocity.
Riko looked between the three of them in a stunned silence.
The miko sighed, "Yes, it's true," So she delved into her life from the first time she was dragged into Feudal Japan.
Lady Riko strolled along quietly, absorbing every word.
"Wow, I was not expecting that. You really are a special girl, Kagome. My Kouga must have done something right to deserve an angel like you," her smile slipped into a small frown, "Although I am very disappointed in my son for kidnapping you. I thought I had taught him better manners than that. I think he gets his brash behavior from his father. I swear, those two can be so stubborn sometimes-"
Kagome's laughter was cut short as a sharp pain shot down her spine. She doubled over and dropped to her knees, clutching her chest. Every part of her body felt like it was being stabbed with icicles. Blood was pulsing in her ears; her head felt like it was going to explode.
"Get Kouga…tell him….potion...starting to take…affect…" Kagome whispered before she collapsed, her vision going black.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Get Kouga!" Lady Riko barked as she knelt by Kagome's limp form.