Hi again!!! Sorry for confusing anyone in chapter six. The reason Sango and Miroku couldn't remember anything, is because Inu- Yasha made the whole thing up, just to make them start running. If they hadn't started chasing after Inu- Yasha angrily, they'd have most likely freeze to death. So, in other words, "the night before" was just a product of Inu- Yasha's imagination!
I'm trying to use proper surname forms, so please, if I make a mistake, I apologize.
Disclaimer: Inu- Yasha is cute, waffy, and is Rumiko Takahashi's!!!! (I think that rhymes)
STORY: BED OF THORNS CHAPTER: 7Two tiring days later, the glass castle loomed threateningly overhead, and tall evergreens surrounded its sides, like soldiers gathered by their commander. The breezy wind blew against their faces, and the trees' limbs wavered slightly. The appearance of the palace looked intimidating, and the glass veneer only reflected the shadows of trees placed around it.
"Well, here we are. You two ready?" It was a rhetorical question. Of course they weren't ready. Neither of them was. But, all of them were determined to rescue Kagome at all odds- especially he himself.
Inu- Yasha slowly strode up the marble and stone pathway with barely any sound. Miroku and Sango followed silently after him, until they were alongside Inu- Yasha, who had been stopped by a burly guard stationed around the castle's north wing.
"What business do you have here?" The voice was low, with an oily texture.
Inu- Yasha suddenly felt extremely tempted to punch the life out of the snobbish man, but Sango nudged him hard in the ribs.
"We are here to answer to the request of servants for the Lady Kagome."
The man narrowed his eyes to scan the three of them thoroughly, trying to find something misshapen that might disqualify them from being interviewed. When his examination was over, the man's mouth curled into an arrogant sneer.
"Actually, we're not really in need of servants at this moment. We have more of those good- for- nothings than we are able to feed. However," here the man stopped to pause, "we are in search of a strong bodyguard for the lord's fiancée." His eyes fell briefly at the Tesusagia slung at Inu- Yasha's side, before returning back to Inu- Yasha's face.
The guard jerked a hand toward Inu- Yasha. "You look decent enough for a bodyguard. I believe you might be suited for this job."
He made no mention or beckoning towards the two people behind Inu- Yasha. Miroku angrily stepped forward, his hand clenched together angrily. "What about the girl and I?"
The guard's bushy eyebrows rose, and his mouth parted into a hearty laugh.
"If you two must come along, I'm sure I can manage to get you situated as backup dishwashers." A snigger followed the remark, accompanied by a snort.
Inu- Yasha could detect the murderous intentions in the air, concentrated intensely on the man in front of him. Clearing his throat loudly, Inu- Yasha directed his firm stare onto the guard. "I need some time to speak it over with my companions." He whirled around, and ushered Miroku and Sango to an isolated corner of the courtyard, several feet away from the presence of the guard. Once they were out of earshot, Sango immediately began voicing her opinions.
"I am NOT going to be a dishwasher, nevertheless a backup one! NEVER!" Her face was red with fury.
"And neither will I! I am not going to perform any degrading tasks!" Miroku added through clenched teeth.
Inu- Yasha groaned mentally to himself, and carefully massaged his sore temples. This was not going to be easy. Suddenly, another of his bright ideas popped into his mind, and he snickered, attracting Sango and Miroku's attention.
"What ails you, Inu- Yasha?"
Inu- Yasha's back slump, and he sighed in a manner of despair.
"I was only pitying the beautiful servant girls in the kitchen…I heard rumors that they long for male companionship in washing the dishes…"
As if on cue, the furious look on Miroku's face was instantly replaced by curiosity.
"You said…they were beautiful servant girls?" He emphasized slightly on the "beautiful". Miroku did not catch Inu- Yasha's hidden smirk.
Ha! I can't believe he fell for another one of my tricks! That's TWO times in a week!
Outside, though, Inu- Yasha's outer expression attained its depressed manner.
"Yes, I reserve my deepest sympathy for those girls. Do you think I should take the dishwashing job instead of the body guar-,"
"NO! I mean, no, Inu- Yasha, I believe you would be better off locating Kagome." Miroku could hardly contain his excitement. "As for those beautiful, lonely lasses in the kitchen, I shall console them in the place of you."
A small finger tapped Miroku hard on the back, causing him to wince. He turned to see Sango with her arms crossed, and her eyes narrowed to thin slits.
"And I'll come with you, Miroku, to see that you don't try anything."
Inu- Yasha grinned knowingly to himself, and the three of them made their way back to the guard, who was currently strumming his fingers acidly against the wall he was leaning on. Then man nodded his head as if to admit their return, and he straightened back to a standing position.
"This way then,"
Then man signaled impatiently at them to quicken their pace, before he muttered some words low under his breath. Suddenly, there was a high screech, and the towering gates began to slowly separate, steadily swinging back until the four of them were greeted by a long trail leading to the castle entrance.
The guard then casually stepped onto the pathway, and mumbled for the three companions to follow close behind. Inu- Yasha, Miroku, and Sango obligingly stumbled after him, their footsteps keeping in sync. On the inner path leading to the palace entry, the guard only paused a few times to whisper to sentries stationed on each side of the lane.
When they finally saw the tall immense doors of the castle, the guard who was leading them halted, and turned his gaze onto his followers.
"You with the white hair, follow me. As for the other two, once we get in, you two talk to the man on the left, understand? That man will lead you to the kitchen where you will begin your chores."
Sango and Miroku grimaced at being treated in a demeaning manner, but Miroku didn't look too livid, seeing as soon he was going to meet the beauties of the kitchen.
***
The inside of the castle seemed as uninviting as its outer exterior. Everything was delicately furnished with clear glass, and everywhere Inu- Yasha looked, his reflection gazed boldly back at him.
"Well, this is it." Miroku and Sango looked at Inu- Yasha while Kiara sat on the cold floor, licking her paws clean.
"I guess so. See you two soon then," he heard himself reply in a calm voice that hid all traces of his anxiety and excitement. His friends nodded their heads, and walked away to the man who was waiting to direct them to their new jobs. Inu- Yasha tore his gaze away from them, and returned his glance back to the guard who had led him and his friends there.
The man made a motion to him to stay, before abruptly turning around the corner, and disappearing out of sight. Inu- Yasha tried to follow him with his eyes, but the man had told him to stay, and he could not see beyond the bend of the wall. Inu- Yasha gave up trying to see any further, and returned to thinking.
Now that he was in the residence of his enemy, he needed some type of disguise from being found out. The prince probably knew about him; otherwise, why would he have sent that rose girl?
He would need a disguise, not so much that Kagome would not recognize him when he came to save her, but enough so that people who weren't familiar with him could not match with Inu- Yasha, the hanyou.
Footsteps behind him were heard, indicating that the guard was back from his little trip. Inu- Yasha focused his gaze back at him, and saw that the man had brought something back with him. It was a neatly folded blue hilatare and hakama, the official samurai dress. Along with that was a helmet constructed of lacquered metal. Inu- Yasha looked quizzically at the guard as he slowly took the armor and clothing.
"Why do I need to change into those robes? I don't see you guards wearing them."
The look on the man's face darkened, and he took on a haughty tone. "As the fiancée's bodyguard, you will wear that piece of clothing, signaling loyalty to our prince. It would not do to have our to- be- princess's protector wearing ragged and dowdy clothes."
Inu- Yasha felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger. How dare that weakling poke fun at his clothing! He would like nothing better than to rip the man's head from his body. If it weren't for Kagome, he'd NEVER wear those robes, mainly because it meant allegiance to that damn prince. The only possible good thing that could come from wearing it was that it might hide his true identity.
All these thoughts were kept inside his head, and Inu- Yasha masked his true feelings with a grim smile.
"I'll be ready as soon as I finish changing."
***
Kagome heatedly sat cross- legged in her spacious chamber. Her eyes were filled with anger and anguish, and her hands tightly clutched her feathery pillow, aching to throw it into a certain lord's face.
She was like a bird, captive in a cage; only her cage was more luxurious and contained a soothing futon, accompanied by quite a few silky pillows. The floor was coated with tatami, making her feel well at home. However, the glass finish on the wall gave the room an icy chilly feeling, negating all effects of the comfortable furniture. Still, the well-furnished room only fueled her angry feelings, and Kagome slammed the pillow onto the futon, causing a fair amount of feathers to float in the air.
Who did Rui think he was? She wasn't going to be persuaded by all his wealth. She cared for none of it; all she wanted was to lay her cheek against the soft silk of her kimono, fall asleep, and awaken to find that it was all a dream. She had already tried this method several times, but she always woke up staring at the glassy ceiling of her room.
Escape was out of the question. Guards were stationed around every corner of the castle, and often lurked in the dark shadows of the halls. To make matters worse, she had just gotten word that she was to be assigned a male bodyguard, who was supposed to give her even more "protection". Most likely he was hired to keep her from running off.
On the other hand, maybe she could persuade the guy to help her escape. Kagome brightened considerably at the thought. He could turn out to be someone who understood her longing for her home and friends…and Inu- Yasha. However, if he turned out to be a suspicious man who took his job seriously, she was doomed.
Oh well, Kagome thought. It's worth a try to be nice. I mean if he's my bodyguard, he's probably going to be with me for a long long time. Her spirits somehow dampened again, and her effort to convince herself that everything would be okay was taken in with skepticism.
The screen to her chamber made a small squeak, the sound it usually made when it was slid open. Kagome shifted her sitting position on the futon so that her back was facing the people entering her room.
"Kagome-sama? We have come with your new bodyguard."
Kagome made no movement to reply or to even look at them. She heard the messenger tense up, and a period of uncomfortable silence followed.
"Well, since your lady has no comment, I shall leave you and your new guard to introduce yourself," the man quickly finished his sentence, and hastily scurried away, happy to be out of the uncomfortable atmosphere inside the room, and left his companion alone with Kagome.
Kagome heard the soft ragged breathing of the remaining personnel- the man who was to be her safeguard, but she still made no motion to talk of look at him face to face. Finally, she acknowledged him, her face still staring at the wall.
"So, I see you are my new bodyguard," she began in a soft voice.
Inu- Yasha felt his heart quicken, and he felt a shiver of joy run through him. That voice could only belong to one person- Kagome. How he had wanted to hear her speak. It took all his strength from running to her, and enveloping her in his arms. He wanted to bury his nose in her silky hair, drowning in her alluring scent, to convince himself it wasn't a dream.
"Kagome," he said, his voice quivering.
Kagome's heart did a sudden flip-flop, and her strong grip on the pillows loosened. That voice…it was so familiar…low with a degree of roughness, it sounded so much like Inu- Yasha. Her arms trembling, she hesitantly turned and lifted her head so that she met his gaze squarely.
Kagome felt her knees buckle, and she felt a lump form in her throat. When her eyes had first peered up at him, she could barely recognize him under all those layers of clothing. It was Inu- Yasha. There was no mistaken of the same soft glossy hair, and the same bright golden orbs.
She hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, but before a word could escape, she felt two strong arms encircle her thin waist, and Inu- Yasha's cheek resting tenderly against her forehead.
"Kagome," his voice had a shaky edge to it, and did not seem to contain any trace of his usual gruffness. "I missed you…"
Kagome's cheeks blushed at his warmth, but then widened into a small smile. Inu- Yasha had come- she just knew he would. Kagome snuggled closer, and buried her head against his shoulder. They stood there, pressed together in a warm embrace, their breaths softly mingling with each other, for neither of them wanted to shatter this perfect moment.
Behind them, the shoji screen made a sudden creaking noise as it made an unsuccessful attempt to slide open. Startled, Kagome nearly leaped back in shock, and ended up bumping her head against Inu- Yasha's nose.
"Kagome?"
It was Rui.
***
Inu- Yasha's Lesson: Based on current evidence, Sango and Miroku do have a relationship!
***
A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!! Okay, so it's an evil cliffhanger. To find out what happens in the next chapter, R & R!!!!!!! MWA HA HA HA!!!! (too much food can really screw up my mind… v_v;;;)