"Promises Promises"
by Pixie
Disclaimer: Yeah yeah…
Author's Commentary: Ok, you've guys have heard all the excuses before. Happy Thanksgiving, turkey lovers.
Chapter 20:
Kagome focused on the sound of the crunching leaves beneath her feet. Crunch, Crunch, Crunch. She was glad for the noise. It prevented the silence between her and Inu-Yasha from being totally deafening. She glanced up at him, peeking up through her bangs and sighed. Inu-Yasha was totally focused too, on his feet. The word "awkward" seemed to hover above them in neon letters.
"Now's a good of time as any…I have to tell him how I feel before he takes any more romantic walks with cute redheads."
"Inu-Yasha…"
"I don't want to hear it." He glared down at her, his eyes seemingly full of anger…but Kagome sensed something else, she couldn't quite identify. She quick stepped forward, moving in front of Inu-Yasha.
"Listen to me!" She demanded, stamping her foot and glaring up at the Prince. He glared back, then rolled his eyes and walked around her.
"Leave me alone wench…" Kagome spun around ready to yell at him. Inu-Yasha turned his head and stared at her, his golden eyes free from their usual spark and mischief, simply dead golden orbs, like a light bulb burnt out. "I don't like…whiny, loud girls like you anyway…" Kagome gasped out loud, and felt tears sting her eyes as Inu-Yasha walked off.
"Inu-Yasha…"
Rin felt her heart pound inside her chest. It wasn't often Sesshoumaru showed emotion, must less nervousness.
The throne room was a mighty place, as places where kings dwell ought to be. Rin could practically feel her feet sink into the soft crimson carpet, and she felt the illusion of walking through very light snow, just enough to make your feet stick a little. The whole thing made her feel a little clumsy and awkward in the king's presence. The walls seemed to tower over her small height, each one expertly crafted by the finest hands in the land out of crisp white marble. Tall pillars, each articulately laced in ancient gold designs raised themselves up towards the heavens. Rin wanted to stop and breathe in the whole sight, but felt she would be out of her place to do so. Guards stood around the throne, standing so still they seemed a part of the decorative place rather than human beings. Rin innocently wondered to herself whether the guards were alive or not. She could not stare at one long enough to see if they were breathing or not.
As she approached the King, Rin stuttered out a swift "Your Majesty" as she stumbled to the ground in an awkward sort of kneel. Kagome once had reviewed basic royal behavior, and Rin had felt then that she had done in correctly, but now she felt awkward, big and clumsy in front of these royal court members.
The King's voice sounded old, and rumbly, like a deep mountain god, or so Rin imagined a mountain god would sound. She'd never met one, personally. "Sesshoumaru…do you have any idea who this girl IS?" He sounded like a very tired mountain god, Rin thought to herself. As if he had spent years with all the problems of the world on his back.
"Well with sons like these two…I'm surprised he hasn't died of a stress attack." Rin almost smiled at the thought, but then thought the better of it.
"Do you have any idea where she CAME from?"
"Uh-oh…not good, not good!" Rin suddenly began to realize what was going on as she realized how hot the room was, and how very small she was in it.
"We have reports of this young lady sleeping on the streets, begging, stealing!" Rin flinched slightly at each truthful word, the realization of the situation crashing down on her hard, and a pain rising in her heart.
"This is not good…Sesshoumaru-sama, what are we going to do?"
Kagome wiped away the last of her tears as Shippo gently comforted her.
"Inu-Yasha's a jerk anyway! You deserve much better than him." Kagome smiled down at the young fox demon, patting him softly on the head.
"Oh Shippo…I know he's a jerk, and I know I deserve better but…" Kagome looked off in the distance and smiled softly, her bottom lip trembling as a fresh river of tears flooded her grayish blue eyes, "I don't want to do better," she added passionately, "I don't care if he's a jerk just as long as he's my jerk…" Shippo sighed and patted her arm.
"Well, I don't get WHY you like him…but if you say he's a good guy, I'll take your word on it." Shippo leapt down off the bed and saluted Kagome. "I, Shippo, will go personally talk to Inu-Yasha, man-to-man…" Shippo puffed out his chest a little, "and I will tell him he better treat you real good now!"
Kagome gasped. "Shippo, you'll get fired for speaking to the Prince that way!" The little fox demon grinned up at her, a huge cheesy smile overwhelming his face.
"That's ok. You can get me the job back when you're Queen." And with that the little fox demon was off. Kagome couldn't help but smile as he scampered off. As she watched the door, a very pale Sango entered.
She looked as if she had just survived a vampire attack, her skin was pale as could be, and her whole body seemed to tremble slightly. She collapsed, not even seeming to notice Kagome sitting there, sinking deeply into a sage green chair. Kagome leapt up, immediately suspecting the worst…and somehow, Miroku.
"Sango, what is it? What happened?"
Sango continued to stare blankly at the wall, some unknown force captivating her. The silence seemed almost suffocating until, quite suddenly, Sango broke it.
"I think I just agreed to marry Miroku."
Author's Commentary: Ai, Ai, will it ever work out? We're down to the wire sports fans, and its about time at that. With Thanksgiving break here, I should, theoretically, have more time to write. Granted, that's only a theory.