[AN: Anyone who is wondering why this isn't a new chapter - read the update at the bottom. It's a call to arms, people.]
Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's Inu-Yasha or the Brother's Grimm's "The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich," which served as inspiration for this little fanfic. I do, however, own a really nifty star-shaped candle holder I got from Wal-mart. lights the candle and sits back, basking in the glow while waiting for the chapter to upload
The Hanyou Prince
Chapter 3
Battle of Wills
"So that is how it went."
The vast room, furnished only with a large lacquered table, served as a place for the counsel of advisers and the royal family to discuss various situations of importance. At least, discuss was supposed to be the operative term.
Inu-Yasha's ears twitched at this Naraku's tone. He noted the balance of power in the room, with himself, Kagome, Kaede, Miroku and Sango kneeling on the tatami mats on one side of the table and the remaining advisers surrounding Naraku on the other. He felt a growl rising in his throat, but stopped himself when he felt a hand rest on his arm in a calming manner. His gaze went to the owner of the arm, who was not looking at him, but directly at Naraku.
"Yes, " she affirmed in a clear voice. "That is how it went. And with Lady Sango's description of the altercations at the opposite end of the property, I feel we can all agree that they served as a diversion from the attempted theft of the Shikon no Tama."
"A diversion?" Naraku's voice rose in a lilting fashion. "So you are suggesting that these…low-level youkai were organized?" His eyes flitted towards Sango, knowing of her ideas.
"The evidence supports that theory." Kagome kept her eyes trained on the adviser that had held her position of power so recently.
The man noted her adamant support of the idea, and conceded. "It is a theory worthy of investigation. I shall have our best men on it." With this, he nodded to the black-haired woman at his side, who leisurely made to write notes on this.
Kagome, satisfied with this, turned hesitantly to the hanyou to her side. She become conscious of her hand still being on his arm and hastened to remove it, furious with herself for the blush she felt creeping on her cheeks and determined not to show it. "About Inu-Yasha…" her voice trailed off, uncertain of how to continue.
Naraku turned his attention to the white-haired man, who, up until just a few moments ago, had been oddly quiet. "You offered your services in return for a royal marriage." One eyebrow rose slightly, an indicator of what the adviser thought of the arrangement.
Inu-Yasha stiffened, and felt compelled to speak with everyone's gaze averted to him. "Yes," he began warily, "and she agreed."
"A hanyou consort…" Naraku chuckled. "Well, the important thing is the promise." At this, Naraku redirected his attention to the girl.
She shrugged slightly before repeating the words that had been echoing in her head in a neutral voice, "My word is my bond."
Inu-Yasha's jaw set firm at hearing her declaration. His chest tightened, imagining how it must have been for her in the moment she made her decision… "She promised to marry me, but I did not make her say when."
Kagome's eyes widened slowly before lowering her head, questioning what her own ears had just heard.
The adviser just smiled slightly at this. "Then take your time. There is no reason to rush things." Seeing that Inu-Yasha's gaze was diverted elsewhere and Kagome's bowed head, Naraku ended the meeting with, "So that will be all for today."
~+~
"Sango…"
The petite woman stopped walking when she heard the houshi's voice, knowing what was coming. "Yes, Miroku." She turned around, her face thoughtful. "A master, waiting for the Shikon no Tama."
This had been one of the many particulars of Kagome's story. It had also been the most important one not discussed in the conference. "Yes…" Miroku began, "but the rest of the counsel did not seem so eager to explore that idea when Princess Kagome brought it up."
Sango countered, "And why should they? It would be dismissed as a random statement made by a thoughtless youkai. They will handle this as inefficiently as they do everything else. Besides, it is not our fellow counsel members who really wield the power."
Miroku raised his eyebrow, taken aback by her reference to the hierarchy that still existed despite the appearance of the Prophecy Girl and her ascension to the throne. "Yes. Naraku does still pull the strings. Even the way he ended the meeting is proof enough of that. However, we have no evidence that he is anything other than what he appears to be," he reminded her cautiously.
"I know," Sango's frame slumped slightly, evidence of her frustration with the politeness of politics evident. "I cannot help it if I simply innately know that there is something amiss with him. How could he have so eagerly given up his ruling power that he had relished so much to easily hand it over to Lady Kagome?"
Miroku stepped forward to rest a hand on the petite woman's shoulder. Sango leaned back slightly before closing her eyes, relishing the comfort the houshi was giving. Miroku's voice came out soft, "I know you believe the attack on your village was organized. And I want you to know, I believe you."
"Houshi-sama…" Sango began, unsure of what she would say before…
Suddenly, the walls trembled faintly as a shout rang out. "HENTAI!"
~+~
Miroku rubbed his cheek, still sore from the smack earlier. He said, "As I said before, I hadn't even touched your—"
Sango cut him off with, "And as I said before, you were about to. You had intentions."
Miroku simply looked at her before shrugging, "Maybe not."
Sango's jaw dropped. The idea that the lecherous houshi may not have been about to take advantage of a good groping moment was enough to set her off. "Why you…!"
She stopped when she heard a cough, and then "Excuse me."
The pair turned their notice to Inu-Yasha, Sango quickly lowering her fists and Miroku removing his hand from his still-red face. "Why hello, venerable Intended Consort to the…"
"Feh. That long title gets a bit old. Just call me Inu-Yasha."
The couple nodded, and it was just a moment before Sango realized just how much she liked and respected this hanyou she barely knew. She smiled and said, "Please, call me Sango. You can call this…" there was a visible attempt in her face to restrain all the disrespectful names she could think of "houshi…Miroku."
Inu-Yasha felt amusement for a moment, taking in what he understood of the situation between the man and woman before him. Then he brought his mind back to the matter he had followed their voices – and scents – here for in the first place. "Actually, Kaede tells me that you two would be the best people for me to speak with. You see, I am actually in need of…" Inu-Yasha's face contorted, his pride not allowing him to continue easily.
The houshi appreciated this and quickly eased the situation by interjecting. "Kaede was kind enough to let us know of your wishes beforehand. I would be happy to help guide you in whatever spiritual or meditative techniques that may help your…you." Miroku's normally calm exterior faded for a moment before amending his choice of words. How exactly does one address a man trapped in such a situation?
Sango drew the hanyou's stare to herself by adding, "Yes, and I am most eager to help you formulate a training program that would challenge you." Her eyes glazed as she continued speaking. "The precision you'll be able to master, and the strength…how can we boost that? Maybe…" The woman began muttering to herself as she continued her contemplation.
Inu-Yasha continued staring at the woman. How is it she doesn't just feel disgust at working with a hanyou like me? Miroku understood the unspoken thoughts of the man before him and began gently, "We are here to help you in any way we can."
Inu-Yasha tensed slightly at the comment, but then looked back at the still murmuring taijiya. "Tomorrow, then?" he asked, watching Miroku bow in assent. He was just about out the door before he turned his head back and said, "Continue to keep an eye on Naraku."
Sango and Miroku just stared open-mouthed at the now empty doorframe. After she regained her composure, Sango turned to her companion and said, "Just how well does he hear with those ears?"
A tinny shout could be heard from far beyond the door, yelling "A lot!"
~+~
"Dammit!" he growled, taking out his aggravations in his training. Which was difficult, considering the exercises Sango had helped him come up with that morning had been basically been designed with humans in mind, and not former already-skilled humans-turned-hanyou with pulsing magical swords. He ceased his movements, taking time to mull over his situation. What he needed was not so much training of the body or soul…
"Hello."
Inu-Yasha glanced quickly at his fiancée standing with a tray in the entranceway. He had not consciously noticed her arrival, but in hindsight he realized that the air had subtly changed, making way for certain scents. One that was uniquely her own, and another--
Kagome set the tray down on a nearby table and stated, "I brought some ramen for you for when you're ready to eat." Seeing his eyes light up, she laughed before going on, "The cook said you got rather excited about it."
About to give his thanks, the hanyou quickly changed his mind and asked, "Why are you being so nice, woman?"
"Look," she started in an exasperated tone, her hands clenched in fists down by her hips, "couldn't we just call a truce? A truce that includes you calling me by me name – Kagome.
"Feh" was all she could hear from him as he began ravenously devouring the meal she had brought him.
"Anyway…" she said, twisting her hands. The hanyou noted her unnecessary motions, and interpreted them as nervousness. "I wanted to thank you, for giving me…us…time."
Inu-Yasha snorted, "Whatever."
Kagome began to feel herself smile genuinely. He saw the slight curving of her lips and thought to himself, So, she hates the idea of being married to me so much she's happy for whatever little reprieve she can get? "Don't get all happy about it. Who says I'm all that eager to be tied down to a woman like you?" Realizing the foolishness of his words, Inu-Yasha could only wait for her response.
The smile gone, Kagome balled her little hands up into fists before sputtering, "Why you…! You're the one who…!" Unable to contain her rage, she turned on her heel and darted out of the room and away from her bewildering fiancée.
Inu-Yasha groaned inwardly, impressed by his own ability to scare off the girl. But he did not go after her – and whether it was pride or shame that held him back, he could not say.
~+~
[A/N:
Kristin Sharpe: Thank you for your quibble! I've never written action scenes before, but what I was really trying to show was that Inu-Yasha was acting largely on instinct. He doesn't lose his mind, but he certainly does get distracted. He'll be working on that.
I am thinking of up-ing the rating from PG to PG-13, mainly for language, and a little bit for violence. But so far it's not been too bad… I just cannot stop that potty mouth of his!
I kept Sango's name for Miroku "Houshi-sama" because Mr. Monk just sounds kind of silly J Also, I know ramen was not invented in Japan until recent decades, but I could not think of a good equivalent for our hanyou to get excited over.
Shameless Plug of the Day: I have to make two…er, three plugs today, because I simply must. First off, Lady Penguin's "Dearest" (story id: 1396732) is just beginning, but I have a sneaking suspicion it will turn out excellent. If I must suffer and wait for her updates, you all can suffer with me! Mwahaha! And the next two belong to Rurouni Star. "All Life's a Play" (story id: 1369754) just began recently, but it's fantastic. Kagome's the hanyou pinned to a tree, Inuyasha's a reincarnated priest and Sango's…well, let's just say no one is who you think they might be. She finished "To Live Again" (story id: 1342900) back in the end of May, so you do not have to torture yourself waiting for updates on this one. If Takahashi was going to put Kagome and Sesshoumaru together in the manga, this is how it would happen. I am not kidding. Read them all!
Update: 8/2/2003: All right, all right, I am a naughty author, I know. And to anyone and everyone who has reviewed or patiently waited for me to come out with another chapter, I am so sorry. Anyway, to the reason why I re-uploaded this chapter…I need help. I had an idea of where I wanted this to go, but then I lost it. But I still really, really want to continue this. So if you've got any idea of where you'd like me to take this – sideline stories, or the Big Battle, or anything – leave it in a review or email me using the email address on my bio page. Thank you so much! hugs the computer And Tatoosh, if you're reading this…raises an eyebrow You review everything! I want some ideas here! You must be absorbing loads of imagination from all the stuff you read and review!
