Even though it's nothing major, I changed the rating on the story just to be safe. The story is no longer PG-13, but R. It's just for this chapter and perhaps some later that the story would be R, but most chapters in this story will be PG-13 material.
Thanks to reviewers: Moonlight Shadow4 (yes Finn is a bitch who is really a bitch. I never made that connection until you said that. I thought it was funny ^_^), Hanamaru285 (I'm glad you got that cleared up. And about Finn dieing… you'll just have to wait and see ^_^), Guardian Angel of ALL Anime (I'm so glad you were okay with your character! And as always a super funny review), Hinoke, loozer-09, lil-demon-nightmare (*tee hee* is all I have to say, Cyclops!), tao-fairlight, ladyofthedragons1 (yeah, I'm getting to it), and Shadow Wraith (I'm glad you'll allow me to kill away ^_^. I'll clear up the thing about Kagome and the dress below).
Okay Shadow Wraith! The thing about the dress: Kagome wasn't raised as royalty, and with everything going in her life at the moment, the fact she is a ruler of a conquered kingdom is probably last on her mind. Plus Hathar is conquered, so even if she thought about it, it wouldn't matter since she can't rule it. I hope that cleared some things up for you. That was a good question; thanks for asking because I never really thought too much about it while typing it. You make me think! AAAAHHHHH! ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the anime/manga Inuyasha, but some of the characters in this story are mine.
You have conquered, and I yielded. Yet, henceforth, art thou also dead – dead to the World, to Heaven, and to Hope! In me didst thou exist – and, in my death, see by this image, which is thine own, how utterly thou hast murdered thyself.
- Edgar Allen Poe; from In Death (borrowed from The Quote Cache)
If Kagome could have woken up any later, she definitely would have, but the butler by the name of Sydkiz came in and woke her and eleven-thirty a.m. As she ran a brush through her hair, Kagome thought about Mr. Sydkiz. She recalled that Inuyasha had hired him not too long after she had started living here. He was a silent old fox demon with bright hazel eyes, long gray and auburn hair that hung in a single braid down his age-bent back. Sydkiz was very kind and warm, but greatly enjoyed his own company. That or he was shy. Either way, Kagome liked the old man.
Just then, Kagome sensed a presence entering the room. The presence was of a younger person; younger that her and male.
"Your bath is drawn," the young boy spoke and she turned around. "If you are ready, Lady Kagome, I can escort you to it."
Kagome sweetly smiled at the slight shyness the boy exerted, and recalled Yiloku had called the young fox youkai boy Shippou. She had seen him once before with Inuyasha in the garden, carefully tending to the rose bushes that grew and trees whose leaves were still in the bud stage. It had warmed her heart to see Inuyasha working well with a young boy since he seemed the type to not like children.
"I would like it very much," Kagome nodded and a relieved look spread over Shippou's tiny face.
"Of course, My Lady," Shippou scampered to the door and waved at Kagome. "Follow me!"
Complying with Shippou's ecstatic request, Kagome trailed after him down the immaculate hallway. Once at the end, Shippou paused at a dark stained door and opened it. Thick steam like a wall of gray haze poured out of the room and Kagome blinked when the cloud passed over her; some liquid condensed on her eyelashes when it cooled, causing her to blink more.
"Here is your bath," Shippou bowed. Then he walked back down the hallway. "Enjoy, Lady Kagome."
"Thank you, Shippou," Kagome called over her shoulder and closed the bathing room door behind her.
If she would have known how intense the heat was, Kagome would have kept the door open, because it was quite like a sauna. Once her lungs adjusted to the heat and allowed her to concentrate on other things, she took the chance to look around. The entire room was a half circle of dark paneled wood, and on the far end of the room (across from the door) were windows that spanned from floor to ceiling; the glass frosted for privacy. The floor itself was real ceramic tiles painted a creamy green color and matched well with the rusty-orange colored draperies that hung all over the room. On the left side of the room was another door quite like the one she had just entered through and next to it a towel rack with white towels folded neatly on the three shelves. In the center of the room, raised up from the ground was the bath itself. The lowest level of the bath was a circle with a circumference close to fifteen feet, which came up to a step with a ten foot circumference. From this second step the bath water resided, but Kagome from her vantage point could not tell. The rim of the bath was so high that no one would be able to tell if someone was in it unless they stood on one of the steps. All in all the room was quite beautiful and Kagome was eager to take a bath.
Kagome immediately began to unbutton her nightgown. Each of the buttons was in the front and extremely hard to undo, which was one of the reasons why Kagome hated this particular nightgown. Once she got unbuttoned the smooth fabric slid down her figure and pooled at her feet, but she picked it up and hung it on the towel rack. Then she walked over to the bath, up the two steps, and sunk heavily into the heavenly warm water.
She sighed contently, for it was the first time in years she had taken a warm bath, and she completely relished in it. Kagome leaned her head against the bath rim, the warm vapors making her sleepy…
Inuyasha had just gotten up from bed –courtesy of Mr. Sidkiz. He stumbled down the hallway in the palace wing Kagome resided in, and he seriously considered stopping in and waking her up, but he did not. Instead he stalked down her hallway toward the bath at the end, for Mr. Sidkiz had run one for him.
He sighed with some odd feeling of freedom, for at the moment, no one was bothering him. Finn Orpheus was off with her mother -who had arrived the previous night- and both ladies were getting their hair done for the engagement ball. Kagome, Inuyasha assumed, was still sleeping soundly or creeping off to see Kouga; he ground his teeth with that thought. And Yiloku was making some last minute adjustments to the dress Kagome was to wear tonight. Yes, no one around at all.
Reaching the bath door, Inuyasha mildly opened it to find the room empty, though strangely smelling of Kagome. Inuyasha shrugged it off and swaggered to the left side of the room to undress. He slipped his pajama pants off and his shirt, hanging them on the towel rack. Then he noticed a white nightgown hanging from it just like his clothes and, with childish curiosity, picked it up and smelled it. The garment smelled like Kagome, and, he thought, Kagome must have been in here earlier.
Whatever, he thought and walked over to a mirror just next to the towel rack. Even with all the money that he had as well as his predecessors, this was the only mirror in all the residential wings of the palace. It was a small mirror that was mounted high enough on the wall that a man of his height (a good ol' six foot) would only be able to see himself from head down to navel; not a large mirror. But, as vain as he is, it was an odd ritual before every bathed in this room that he would evaluate himself in the mirror. Stupid, he knew, but tradition none the less.
He looked the same as always, he decided: well defined chest and abdominal muscles –not too prominent but defined- and his arms rated about the same. Inuyasha was content with his figure.
He allowed his trademark to cross his lips and he said, "I'm such a damn good looking guy," before turning to get into the bath. He walked up the steps to the bath and at that moment, Kagome woke from her nap in the bath and screamed the loudest in her life. She sat up quickly and positioned her legs so he would not see anything and used her arms to cover her breasts.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" he calmly asked, arms crossed against his chest, and standing there in all his naked glory.
"What do you think I'm doing?" she hissed. "And why are you naked before me?!"
Inuyasha snorted sarcastically and responded in the same manner, "Because I thought you would enjoy me with nothing on. Obviously not. I'm taking a bath and most people and demons don't bathe with clothes on. Does it bother you that I'm nude?"
"No," Kagome simply said but then Inuyasha gave her the 'raised eyebrow look' and she realized what she said. "I mean yes. Yes I do mind. Put your clothes on!"
He smiled devilishly which made Kagome cower against the side of the bath, for when that grin came, bad things followed for those who saw it.
"I won't since here you are, getting your eyes full of my great body while I see nothing since you're covering it up. That is not fair."
Kagome gasped, "How dare you even ask me! I am not here for your pleasure-"
"I'm not asking you to have sex with me, if that's what you're thinking," Inuyasha interrupted.
"No, that was not what I was thinking," Kagome indignantly stood up, completely forgetting about her lack of clothing.
Inuyasha could not help but think how lovely she looked with the water cascading down her hips and legs while her partially dry hair clung to the skin of the exposed portion of her chest and arms. Her eyes were ablaze with fury and her lips pursed so tightly they were nearly white. Then he realized he better stop looking at her wonderful figure or something was bound to get noticeably harder.
"What are you staring at?" Kagome quietly asked.
"You, though I know it's practically forbidden," he slowly replied.
Kagome shook her head and took a slight step forward, trying her hardest not to look at his well muscled body.
"It is forbidden. You should have left as soon as I yelled," Kagome said. "And you are not free to look at other females because you have Finn."
Hearing that name caused Inuyasha to break from his strange trance and realize what the current situation would do to Finn if she found out. She would leave him; she would be furious; he would be alone; he did not care… And it was at that moment he wondered what he had been doing to Kagome for the past few months, and how horribly he had lead her around while in Mythora. How badly Inuyasha wanted to pull Kagome to him, wrap his arms around her, smother her soft lips in kisses, and keep her with him for ever. Inuyasha then wanted Kagome forever, but he knew she would not feel the same, especially with the way he had been the past few months.
And without thinking logically, but with something else called a heart, he reached out for Kagome and pulled her to him. Inuyasha caught her lips and a blissfully gorgeous kiss while he wrapped both his arms around her curvy –and to him completely perfect- hips, pulling her even closer to his dry body. At first Kagome did not struggle or give in, but then her heart said she too wanted this, and she put her arms around Inuyasha's neck, allowing them to rest on his shoulders.
Inuyasha was glad she did not push him away and he then decided to be a bit daring. He passionately licked her smooth lips, begging for entry which she instantly complied, allowing him to run his tongue inside. She moaned into his mouth and did the same amazing ministrations to his mouth that he did to hers. Kagome felt his manhood harden against the inside of one her of thighs, but thought nothing of it for the moment. Of course her mind had to ruin the moment.
"Stop!" she pulled away, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't do this to me again, Inuyasha. I'm not going to be some mistress for you now or when you're married. I absolutely refuse!"
Kagome darted out of the bath and to the towel rack, pulling her nightgown on in record timing, and then she made for the door but was stopped when strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and prevented her from moving forward. Inuyasha held her like this, and she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. For some reason it lulled the tears out of her eyes and they streamed hotly down her face.
"I'm sorry Kagome, if I don't please you with the way I act," Inuyasha finally spoke, "but I do care for you, truly. It's just I'm betrothed to Finn. How can I break that?"
She forcefully pulled herself from his arms and whirled around to face him. Inuyasha involuntarily stepped back with the hurt, angry, confused, heartbroken, tear stained contortion that was the normally beautiful visage of Kagome.
"I don't care Inuyasha," Kagome sniffed. "Stop leading me around, because both of us know I'll collapse for you, and it hurts because I do. If you won't break it off with Finn, I won't stay and I'll be damned if I do stay and Finn becomes the queen. Do not break your engagement off for me, but I don't want to stay here. Send me away so I will not be a temptation."
And with that Kagome left the room, leaving a confused and saddened hanyou who was caught between two.
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Keysha smiled to herself. Here it was, the royal palace of Yogo and the location of a soon to be murder. How had she gotten here? Simple. She murdered the leader of the catering service and used a special jewel she found in her travels that would allow her to take on the looks of whoever she wanted. To anyone's eye, she looked like a middle aged male dog demon.
She took the time to look around the palace after she and her crew delivered the food to the kitchens. Keysha quite liked the palace's ancient and graceful architecture, the fine china displayed in cherry wood cabinets, suits of human armor, and tapestries made by youkai queens of old. All of it she loved. The ballroom itself was a favorite spot of hers and it saddened her that she would murder the king of this realm in it.
The ballroom was of immaculate white marble with tiny veins of coral running through it. Above the floor in the center of the room a huge chandelier hung. The chandelier hung from the high glass dome ceiling, past the upper deck which held seating for the dinner that night, and down to the dancing floor. It was hand blown glass that was shaped like wild daisies –the Yogo flower. These daisies have deep blue petals and strange green center –where most daisies have a yellow center- called Mysendhythe and the chandelier represented the colors. The glass was painted on the various parts of the chandelier to make it seem like the whole thing was made of flowers.
If one stood on the upper deck and looked down to the ballroom floor they could see the marble was laid out in such a way that it spelled out a word: Balthélias. In the demon tongue it means eternity, and was meant to instill in the minds of others the demons would exits for all eternity.
Keysha looked up and saw a cubby door leading to some unknown location. If it could not be seen too well unless someone looked for it, she decided, she would hide up there until it was time to murder Inuyasha. She lazily jumped to the small platform just off the door, and cautiously opened it. Inside it was completely black and most certainly wide enough to allow two of her self to sit comfortably inside. Keysha crawled inside the cubby space and closed the door behind her. She pulled the jewel out of her pocket which then allowed her to become herself. She reached around to her back and unhooked the rifle Naraku had given her and set if down; the jewel even permitted her to wear her own clothing and carry the rifle and no one would see them.
Then, Keysha leaned against the wall and closed her eyes; it was many hours until the ball started. The music that was surly to be played far below would wake her if the noisy crowd did not.
About six hours later an apprehensive Kagome stepped into the ballroom of the Yogo palace. Kagome had seen this room once before, but it was not as beautiful then as now. There were streamers of fine cream colored silk adorned with pink tipped roses and the Yogo national flower: Mysendhythe. At the right side of the room and under the upper deck was refreshment tables set up with either wolf or fox youkai working in crisp, white tuxes or simple maid outfits –depending on gender. Most of the guests –ranging from ningen to demon- were still upstairs eating the food brought in by caterers hours previously. Kagome could smell the heavenly food down on the bottom floor and quickly ascended the nearest flight of stairs that would take her above.
As she mounted the last step, Kagome started tossing her head about lightly, trying to find Yiloku who promised to sit with her instead of her nephew. Actually, Kagome made her promise, for she did not want to sit with Inuyasha after that morning's event in the bathing room.
Kagome sighed heavily as she thought about it. Since then Kagome had felt so used and cheap, and desperately wanted to leave the Yogo palace, though she had nowhere to stay; no living relatives. Though, she supposed, if she absolutely had to she could go back to the village of her youth. But that would only be in an extreme case, for Sango and Horaku had too lived there; she did not want to relive memories of the past.
After walking around for a few more minutes, Kagome finally located Yiloku on the far side of the upper deck sitting patiently at a two person table. Yiloku greeted the younger woman with a deep hug and kind words.
"Is your hair surviving the evening well?" Yiloku inquired after Kagome had settled in a bit and ordered her meal.
"Yes, it's doing fine," Kagome politely answered as she sipped on a soup appetizer.
"Good. I was worried about the kitchen girl doing it. I know that girl said she could, but," Yiloku leaned in and motioned for Kagome to do so as well, "the girl is so clumsy! A real awkward child."
"She did fine," Kagome laughed at Yiloku's statement.
Yiloku had been out that afternoon, and so asked one of the kitchen girls who claimed she could do a fine up-do to do Kagome's hair. And the end result, Yiloku thought, was quite worth it. The hairstyle really complimented the dress and Kagome's face and fair complextion. All of Kagome's hair was pulled up into large, tight curls.
"I suppose she did," Yiloku smiled.
Soon Kagome's dinner was brought out and she and Yiloku chatted well during that. Not too long after Kagome finished, it was time for the dancing to begin and the humans and demons alike filed downstairs, grabbing a partner to dance with. Kagome recognized the lively waltz from the ball in Mythora what seemed like months ago, though she was outside looking for Inuyasha in the Maze Garden while it played. She cringed with thinking about the incident, for it involved Inuyasha.
In the cubby space upstairs Keysha was just waking from her long nap, yawned widely, and slightly pushed out the door. The glass dome ceiling revealed it was well into night, and the scent of food hung strongly in the air, causing her stomach to rumble, but she ignored it. Below couples danced to some waltz she vaguely remembered from her childhood, and she recalled her older brother had tried to teach it to her, but she absolutely refused.
The back end of the ballroom had a raised platform with about seven chairs set upon it, and those chairs were only occupied by a few people: a bored young man (who she assumed was the king) a pouting young woman, and sleeping old man. Keysha chose to observe the king and the woman next to him. Every few moments the woman would turn to King Inuyasha and speak about something. On more than one occasion Inuyasha would turn his head, roll his eyes, and commence pretending the other did not exist.
Keysha became very interested when a different young woman –completely human even she could tell- walked apprehensively by the platform and looked terrified when the king practically leaped from his chair toward her grab both her wrists so she would not get away.
"Kagome I have to talk with you!" Inuyasha whispered desperately to a fearful Kagome.
"No," Kagome tried to pull away, "I want to go away. I refuse to stay here and be a distraction, so just let me go. What we had was a fling, nothing more, so stop trying to rekindle it," Kagome's chocolate brown eyes filled with thick tears. She was about to bare her soul to a man who hardly deserved it, but she had to let him know. Not even Yiloku knew.
"I love you, Inuyasha. I always have, but you have broken my heart far too many times for me to just give in. Do you know how badly I want to stay and allow you to marry her so I could be your consort? Very badly! But it's wrong and will just end up hurting me even more. I know, "Kagome breathed deeply to calm herself down and not draw attention toward the scene, "that you love Finn. You always have, but I love you. You can't help who you fall in love with; look at me. I love you and you care for someone else. That's why I have to go."
Kagome started crying then; not just tears, but sobs and tears. She felt Inuyasha's grip on her wrists had considerably slackened and she backed away, weeping even more with the stunned look on Inuyasha's face.
"Stop, Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out, causing some cat demons to look oddly at him. He did not notice. "I said I have to talk now listen."
Kagome stopped and sniffled –what would the harm be in listening since her heart was already shattered?
Inuyasha pulled Kagome into a deep hug, kissing the side of her head numerous times while she whimpered into his shirt, arms tucked under his firmly.
"I love you too, Kagome," Inuyasha said with as much urgency and sincerity he could muster. "I always have. I've just been so stupid and thinking that I had no choice in who I could be with."
"No," Kagome moaned.
"Shhh," Inuyasha said comfortingly. "I don't want Finn, I want you! Don't you believe when I say I love you?"
Kagome slightly pulled away so she could see Inuyasha's face. His lips were pursed tight with nervousness and his eyes were wide with fear of rejection and hope. Also something else…… Love?
"I do believe you," Kagome murmured and the hope in Inuyasha's eyes sky rocketed. "But if you loved me at all and wanted to be with me, you would break it off with Finn."
"Good," Inuyasha smiled relieved and kissed Kagome lightly on the lips which she returned. Both were trying not to draw too much attention to them. "That's why I had to talk with you. I thought about what you said this morning and chose you. Marry me, Kagome."
Just then the bent back form of Mr. Sydkiz approached the still embracing pair and said, "Your Highness, it is time to announce your engagement to Lady Finn Orpheus."
Inuyasha pulled away from Kagome, but not before gripping her shoulder as reassuring as possible, and walked back up the platform, then faced the crowd. All ningen and youkai alike stopped talking or dancing, and the small orchestra playing a lively tune halted for the new king of Yogo, deeply anticipating his announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Inuyasha began, but paused when Finn came up next to him.
Finn wore a smug smirk and slipped her hand into Inuyasha's and pulled him close to her. "What were you doing with Kagome?" Finn asked, barely moving her lips and keeping them in a grin so that the audience would not think she was talking.
Inuyasha ignored her.
Keysha opened the cubby space door far above the ballroom floor. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to then light change, but after a few moments she could see. Below she could see Inuyasha walking back onto the platform and addressing the audience. She reached behind her for the silver rifle without taking her eyes off the young king, and she brought the rifle up to her eye and put Inuyasha into the sight.
"I would like," Inuyasha started speaking, "to thank all of you who came here for my engagement party. Many of you came to me this evening and asked, out of all the fine ladies here, which one was to be my bride. I told you all that you would have to wait, and this is the moment you have all been waiting for…"
"Perfect," Keysha whispered to herself.
She had Inuyasha in the dead center of the sight and all she would need to do to finish this job would be to pull the trigger, and Inuyasha would die.
"This is Finn Orpheus," Inuyasha indicated to her, "but I," he then turned to her, "can't marry you Finn."
"What!?," Finn screeched. She looked wildly out at the audience and saw a timid looking Kagome with her hand over her mouth. "I knew you were fooling around with her. That whore!"
Finn Orpheus stepped toward Inuyasha and grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him slightly backward. At that moment a loud crack came from above and Finn Orpheus never felt the bullet enter the left side of her head, exit out the right, and blow a good portion of her skull and brains off.
Well, there you go. Finn is dead! BWAHAHAHAHA! I know some of you were quite looking forward to that, and now Inuyasha and Kagome can be together. Yay!
I hope Finn's demise was okay for you, Guardian Angel of ALL Anime. I know she didn't suffer (sorry) but at least her brains blew out, eh? Kinda gory, but I didn't go into details for people who can't handle them.
Thanks for reading and I hope you review!
^_^