I'm back! Hello again! This is the second chapter, …no duh. Anyway, I'd like to thank the one person who reviewed… and let you know that the first few chapters are a little introductory to the characters and plot-idea. The action will come, I promise, but I've gotta get it written first. To tell you the truth, I was hoping for more than one review, but, hey, what you see is what you get, right? Anyway…

Here's my Answers To Reviews (A2R):

pink twilight0 : Thanks soo much! I'll keep the updates as consistent as possible! **grins happily**

Sorry I updated so damn late, but I have a pretty good reason, I promise! **crosses fingers** I had this chappie written Wednesday, but for some reason my computer and the Internet hate me **beats computer with club** (I don't know why **shrugs shoulders**) and the Internet didn't accept my account renewal and instead…the damn thing closed it! **sighs and shakes head** It's only just let me back on, so… sorry.

Disclaimer:

Oh, all right already! ** struggles in Feds arms** I don't own him! Happy? **huffs moodily**

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

*italics/noises*

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Unwanted Love

Chapter 2: The Western Lands

--earlier that morning--

Silvery white hair glittered in the sun as it reflected off the sword. A swish and clang were heard as the two fighters locked weapons again. Growling lightly, Inuyasha pushed back on his sword, effectively deflecting Miroku's attack. Grinning, he swiped his sword in a lower upper-cut (A/N: is that possible?) and came back down, knocking a baffled Miroku to the ground with the flat of his blade. Miroku's weapon, a long golden staff topped with a spike and rings, clattered to the ground and rolled out of his reach.

"Hah, I've got you pinned down with nowhere to go, Miroku," Inuyasha snickered, allowing the sword to lie heavily across his friend's back. Miroku sighed in defeat and said with a hint of annoyance,

"Alright, Inuyasha, you beat me. Now let me up!" The dog-demon complied, hefting his sword across his shoulder, and saying arrogantly,

"Damn right, I beat you! What did you expect?"

Miroku raised himself from the ground, dusting off his robes. "Alright, my friend, that's enough gloating for today." The black-haired demon shook his head at his friend. 'He sure does get carried away.' Miroku watched his life-long friend as he sheathed his sword, his glinting golden eyes flashing in arrogance above the single purple stripe on each cheek. Not a marking was on his forehead like the usual demons had, nor pointed elf-like ears; instead, two canine-like ears were perched atop his head. Despite his unusual appearances, the younger sibling of the taiyoukai Inutashio was respected in the Clan, if a little grudgingly. Said inu-youkai's ears twitched toward the wayward demon, sensing his scrutiny.

"What is it? Did I rip my robes?" Inuyasha asked, feigning annoyance.

"No, Inuyasha." Miroku decided to change the subject.

"So, how do you feel about the young demoness coming over to stay tomorrow?" Miroku folded his arms across his chest, waiting for a reply. Inuyasha visibly stiffened and replied haughtily,

"She is none of my concern. I don't care about such things. If my parents arranged a marriage, so be it, it isn't my place to state an opinion." Inuyasha began walking away, heading out of the training room. Miroku followed on his heels, picking up his discarded weapon easily, and stowing it away in the room designed for such things.

"I'm sorry, my friend, I did not mean to upset you," he offered. The silver-haired demon stopped and shook his head,

"It isn't you, Miroku. But drop it, okay? I'd rather not talk about that." He grinned as his lanky friend caught up to him. Miroku's purple robes rustled in the soft wind, his short, cropped black hair waving around his pointy ears. The identical black stripes that ran beneath his violet-gold eyes gave him the look of a mischievous, if kind-hearted rebel. A short, black tail waved from behind him, causing the otherwise stoic looking form to seem easy-going. The only thing that ruined the seemingly bold picture was the fact that Miroku had a mischievous smirk on his face.

"What?" Inuyasha asked warily. When Miroku got a look like that, even *he* had reason to be cautious. Miroku just grinned evilly and nodded his head back towards Inuyasha's home. Taking the hint, Inuyasha turned around to look at what his friend was staring at and had to catch the unrestrained laugh from coming out of his throat. At Inuyasha's snort, Miroku had to chuckle in malice as thoughts of what they could do to make the situation worse ran through his head.

Sesshomaru was being followed around by an annoying toad-like creature that kept whining in a high-pitched voice that "Master Sesshomaru" needed to return to his chambers to be fitted for his clothes for the next day.

"Jaken!" Sesshomaru growled out at the hinder-some pest who was dragging lengths of cloth behind him. "Must I remind you that I, Sesshomaru, am busy at the moment, and that I will go for the fitting later?" Sesshomaru's irritated features quickly got even more annoyed as he saw his annoying brother and his friend watching them intently, grins upon their faces.

Miroku noticed the attention they were getting and decided to shout down to the irate demon.

"Hey, Sesshomaru! Ready for tomorrow? Or are you having trouble finding something pretty enough?" Miroku knew that the older demon was sensitive about his rather feminine features, and was rewarded with a deep, throaty growl of warning. But Inuyasha had to join in the fun, too.

"What's wrong, brother? Can't find your make-up?" Sesshomaru let loose an angry growl before leaping at them and swiping at them with his claws. The two grinning demons had to quickly duck to avoid Sesshomaru's poisonous talons, but kept poking fun, anyway.

"What? You don't agree with us? We must have you looking beautiful for tomorrow, you know. We have to make a good impression on the Northern Lands' princess," Inuyasha said mockingly. Miroku laughed and grinned like an idiot as Sesshomaru's scowl took a turn for the worst.

Suddenly, both of the boys' grins faltered as Sesshomaru instantly turned calm and smiled at them. It was always bad when Sesshomaru smiled. It could only mean one thing, …*revenge*. Miroku gulped convulsively as Inuyasha's older, half-brother approached them slowly.

"You may be my half-brother, Inuyasha, but that won't stop me from slitting your throat the first chance I get!" he hissed. Inuyasha's expression remained uncaring and jovial as he answered the seething youkai.

"Same goes for me." Sesshomaru turned away, and Miroku sighed in relief. Then, seeing the danger as past, he muttered, "Find something pretty, now." Sesshomaru, of course, heard this and stopped in his tracks. Hearing the sharp intake of fearful breath from the offensive demon, he smiled to himself and continued back to his rooms.

"You really shouldn't push him, you know," a stern, but smiling voice said from behind the two young demons.

"Yeah, but it's just so damn fun!" Inuyasha chuckled, turning to face his mother.

"Lady Kaireena," Miroku greeted her with a bow. The demoness nodded to him and greeted him as well.

"Miroku. It seems that you and my son have managed to anger Sesshomaru again." Miroku smiled guiltily. Lady Kaireena shook her head in disproval, but her warm smile stayed on her face.

"You really should stop teasing him. It doesn't make for a very healthy-looking future. He may look harmless at times, but he's quite a formidable foe, and you shouldn't take his threats lightly," she warned.

"We know, Mother, but again, and I repeat…it's just so damn fun!" Inuyasha said, turning to grin at Miroku. Miroku walked up to Lady Kaireena, a bothersome question on his mind.

"Milady, why is it that you and Lord Inutashio, and the lord of the Northern Lands arranged for a marriage between Sesshomaru and their eldest daughter?"

Lady Kaireena sighed, and then said in a less-cheerful voice, "Well, Inutashio and Lord Raemeire wanted to make a peace treaty between the two lands, seeing as how we've been having trouble at the borders. So, when Sesshomaru and the young demoness are wed, all fights on the borders will be pointless since the land around them will belong to both the Northern and Western Lands."

"I see," he nodded in understanding. "But you don't sound happy with this arrangement, Milady," Miroku stated, peering into her face for any sign as of why. Kaireena sighed lightly again before shaking her head, trying to end the discussion.

"It's not that I don't agree with it, it's only that…well, there are so many things that could go wrong with arranged marriages."

"Like what?" Inuyasha leaned on his sword, which he had yet to put away. Seeing that she wouldn't get out of the conversation so easily, Kaireena smiled at the two.

"Never mind. It's not important. You two need to go check and be sure that you have something nice to wear tomorrow." Kaireena was about to turn to leave, when she turned back and glared at both teenagers before her. "And I mean something nice! No gags, tricks, or repulsive clothes to annoy your brother, Inuyasha. We have to make a good impression. I mean it!" That said, Lady Kaireena swept away back down the hill to tend to the rest of the mountain palace.

"I guess that blows are plan to dust," Inuyasha stated, unconcerned.

"Ah, well. We could always tease the two 'lovebirds' later," Miroku reminded him. Twin grins of mischief spread across their faces as they headed for Inuyasha's room.

Upon entering the immense caverns, Inuyasha and Miroku were seized by servants and dragged reluctantly to some rooms. Once there, fine silk and fabrics were held up to them and measured against them over and over again. The two grudgingly held as still as they could as measuring tapes and servants bustled around them. Though their stillness could've been because of the many pins being pushed speedily through the fabric to indicate where to sew, tuck, and whatnot.

Miroku's lecherous mind was working overtime as the pretty, young demonesses buzzed about him. When Inuyasha saw that familiar hentai smile, he shook his head and gave his friend a meaningful look at the bowlful of pins on the floor. Miroku, unsure what his friend was nodding about, disregarded the look and reached out slightly to caress a demoness' bottom.

The expected effect came immediately. The girl stiffened and turned sharply to look him straight in the eye, her blue hair whirling about her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She glared at him. Unaffected, Miroku shrugged at her and put on a charming smile.

"Simply admiring the scenery," he stated. As Inuyasha knew would happen, the blue-haired demon gave an indignant huff, and jammed the long pin through the fabric, making sure to jab him good in the process.

"Ouch!" Miroku squeaked, but made no more attempts on the demon-girl.

Inuyasha shook his head; he knew that that pin wouldn't stop his lecherous friend for long. He found that he was more than right when about ten minutes later another indignant squeak and a resounding *SLAP* rang through the room. 'Will he never learn?' Inuyasha silently thought to the gods as his friend's eyes went swirly for a few minutes.

Finally the servants released them and shuffled off to begin making their clothes.

"I guess your mom will take care of my clothes, too, huh?" Miroku grinned at the white-haired demon as they again headed for his room.

"Looks that way."

"So, the plan is still on for tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. Why else would we be headed for my room?" Inuyasha asked, the glint in his eye matching his smirk.

"Alright! This'll be great!" Miroku rubbed his hands together in delightful wickedness.

--The Northern Lands--

"All right, honey, you're all packed." Lady Araime smiled at her sulking daughter. "Come now, dear. Everything will turn out right, I know, I'm a mother."

This comment caused a groan of misery from Kagome, who sat perched on the end of her bed as a servant picked up her last bag and headed outside to the waiting carriage. Last time her mother said that she'd ended up being beat up by some older demons that'd stolen her ball. Her father had started her training the day the then five-year-old Kagome could stand upright again. She knew that those bullies wouldn't give her the ball back just because she asked them politely! Kagome let out another groan of foreboding as her mother continued with her not-so-helpful advice.

"Now, on your way, be sure you stay out of trouble. You should be there by late evening. When you arrive, be very polite and courteous to everyone. Since you're a newcomer to the kingdom, no one will appreciate it if you boss them around or ask too many questions. When you sit down for dinner…" Lady Araime droned on, not aware that her daughter had groaned loudly and flopped over on her bed. Kagome had had to listen to the same thing at least five times now, and she was a little sick of it! The endless talking! The buzzing of noisy nonsense! It had to end! It had to! She wouldn't get there till next year if it didn't stop! She had to do something!

Kagome jumped of her bed, went to her mother, and hugged her.

"I'm leaving now, Mama. I'll send word when I get there. Love you, bye!" Kagome said, pecking her mother on the cheek and waving as she rushed out of the room. Unfazed, Lady Araime stopped talking and called after her daughter.

"All right, dear! Have fun, and don't forget to be courteous!" Then, as if her daughter was still there, she continued talking about what Kagome should do when she arrived at the Western Lands. (A/N: She's a little spacy, ne? *smiles*)

Outside, Kagome was hugging her brother goodbye.

"I'll miss you, sis. Write as often as you can!" Souta said quietly into her shirt, unwilling to let her go.

"I will, Souta. I promise." Kagome tried to pry herself from her brother's grasp and turned to get into the carriage.

"Good luck, Kagome, and have a good life," her father's voice reached her ears. Turning, she hugged the demon tightly before turning and getting into her dark blue carriage. Lord Raemeire shut the door and stood smiling in his quiet way, watching his daughter leave his home forever.

Kagome held back any tears she felt coming, it was weak to cry, it was a weakness. 'I will not cry. I will not cry. But I'll miss them.' She thought to herself. There she sat, surrounded by most of her possessions and the large quantity of jewels and precious gold and silver that made up her wedding gift, being brought to an unknown fate, trying to keep back her tears. She refused to cry. The grass crunched lightly beneath the wheels, and the driver spoke quietly to the great dragon demons that pulled the carriage. The two great beasts were a type of wedding gift for her and her new husband. They were two of the finest in her father's herd. Kagome looked out the window to see the shiny black hide of the left dragon, his red back-spikes glistening, and his ridged head bobbing slightly to his relaxed pace. Looking to the right, Kagome saw the dark blue dragon with her green back-ridges and shapely head. The slight squeaking of the steel-enforced leather harnesses also came to Kagome's sensitive ears as the pace quickened slightly.

Kagome's thoughts drifted to her worries about her new life. Would she be able to stand not being with her family? Would her new 'family' even like her? What if she didn't fit in? What if she *hated* her husband?

"I can handle this, I *will* handle this, because I *must* handle this to keep the peace between the lands." Kagome nodded in resolution. 'But, just in case, I'll pack I bag full of necessary items in case I need to get away. I will not be forced to be happy. I refuse to be.' With that thought, she grabbed a partially filled bag of simple clothes, and began to pack in some of her jewelry that she could possibly pawn off, and her most treasured possessions. When her task was complete, she hugged the now brimming bag tightly to her, and began to let the gentle sway of the carriage lull her to sleep.

Little did she know that she would never make it to her destination, and that her bag would come in good use. For as they began to near the border between the Northern and Western Lands, many red eyes watched them through the forest's edge, waiting for a chance to attack.

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Oohhhhhh! Cliffie! I'm so proud of myself! My first cliffhanger! Yay! **does happy dance** I know, …I'm evil, but as Inuyasha says…it's just so damn FUN! **giggles**

So, now will you people review? I mean, the first chapter was barely three pages on Microsoft Word, and this one is six and a bit! That's twice as long! (**disembodied voice nods and says: 'she can count!'**) CREEPY! AHH!

Next time, get ready for some evil bandit fun as Kagome gets attacked! And what in the hell do Inuyasha and Miroku have up their sleeves? What's this…a monk outfit and a simple commoner's clothes? Why does Inuyasha have those, and what's he up to? Find out next time (on DragonBall Z! …sorry, my brother just watched a re-run of that and it said that as I was typing…I couldn't resist!) **looks at all she just wrote** God DAMMIT! I just gave some away! Oh well…**shrugs** you'll find out anyway…**walks away**

Until next time! And don't forget to REVIEW! (again…encouragement, criticism, even flames are welcome!)

Ja-ne!