AN: Before I continue I just want to say that Kagome is not a princess. If she were a princess then I'd have another royal fic, and I think there are enough royal fics floating out there (mine included). All will be revealed if you just hang around, mwa ha ha. And on a note regarding the content of this chapter: Kouga fans, I'm sorry!! ^_^;; It's just that I needed a person who loved Kagome and had a reason to hate Inu-Yasha, and Kouga fit that description. I know he's not evil, but he just has this small appearance (I think) so don't flame me saying how I could have done that to poor Kouga and all—seriously, he's not that bad, though Inu-Yasha's better. Oh, and to the person who asked me what about the name of the village, which was Houshi, well, heh heh *grins* I was considering a lot of names, even Hanyou, but that would be even stupider. Shikon I'd used, Tokyo I'd used, a lot of things I'd already used. And Houshi sounds cool. Monks rock! (Well, Miroku does.) Oh yeah, and thanks, demon-heiress, for lifting my spirits with your reviews! We miss you here! Anyway, more action and romance in the next chapter! Enjoy the fic, and reviews always appreciated! ^_^
In the City of Immortals
"The palace says they can stay. In fact, they have to stay. The king wants to talk with them in a week," Kagome told Sango when they met in the afternoon. "Rin can also stay until then, since both of them are responsible for bringing her home."
"Oh yeah, and Rin is out with your mom. They're not in her house, so we'll have to wait till they come back to give her the news," Sango said.
Miroku clapped his hands together. "Okay, now that that's settled, what are we going to do?"
A sudden rumbling noise answered the question for them. Everyone looked at Inu-Yasha, whose cheeks turned red. "Sorry, that's my stomach. Last time I ate was—what, yesterday noon?"
"Actually, I think that should be plural, as in stomachs," Miroku replied. "I'm inclined to believe he has two."
As Inu-Yasha grabbed Miroku's head in an elbow lock and Miroku pulled Inu-Yasha's hair, the two mermaids looked at each other. "I guess that decides what we're going to do," Kagome said.
"Sure. Oh, how about that noodle place over in the east division?" Sango suggested.
At the mention of the word 'noodle' Inu-Yasha's head jerked up, his eyes bright. "Noodles? What are we waiting for then?" Giving his best friend one last whack on the head, which left him seeing stars, he started swimming. "Come on, Miroku, stop slowing us down!"
"Wait!" Kagome yelled, swimming after him. "You don't even know which way to go!"
"It doesn't matter to him!" Miroku said, trying to match the pace of his food-driven friend. "He has like an inner radar that'll take him to the food. Hey, Inu-Yasha, wait up!" Kicking furiously, he grabbed the sleeve of Inu-Yasha's shirt, which didn't hinder the other boy at all.
Sango and Kagome laughed as they led the way, their graceful fins more effective in water than legs.
It wasn't long before they reached a restaurant, a sign called Shark Shack placed on the door. Since it was lunchtime, several merpeople were streaming into the popular restaurant. "Hopefully we can get a table," Kagome said as the four of them joined the flow.
Inu-Yasha's stomach grumbled again, much to his chagrin. Sango giggled. "Don't worry; we can just present Inu-Yasha as a Truly Desperate Case."
"Finally, a woman who's seen what I've been trying to prove to the world for years," Miroku exclaimed, putting his arm around Sango's shoulders. She flicked it off.
"Table for four," Kagome told the waiter standing near the front of the restaurant.
It took awhile, but finally they were shown to a nice table on the third floor on the balcony, the mer-city under them. They chatted for a few minutes until a waitress came to give them menus. Miroku looked up and saw the waitress, and a small grin spread on his face.
Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes as he opened his menu. "Oh, come on, Miroku, it's not necessary here."
"It's become a habit," Miroku replied distractedly, still eyeing the waitress. She smiled as she opened his menu for him.
"What's become a habit?" Kagome wanted to know.
"Well, see, back on land, Miroku and I aren't really that rich. We don't have a lot of money. Okay, we don't have any money. Our fathers disappeared with our ship, Olympia. They were probably caught up in a storm. Anyway, to eat, we rely on this eat-flirt-run method," Inu-Yasha explained without looking up from the menu.
Miroku sighed melodramatically. "Yes, he eats, I flirt, we both run. It's amazing I'm still alive."
Sango frowned as she ran her finger down the menu. "So you guys charm your way out of paying?" Her tone sounded disapproving.
"Hey, it's not bad or anything. Besides, the old hag who owns the restaurant is secretly in love with us, but she knows we're grossed out by her wrinkly face and unnaturally large bosom," Inu-Yasha defended.
Miroku snorted. "Unnaturally large? Inu-Yasha, if she removed her breast band, the weight of her chest would pull all the wrinkles right out of her face!"
As he and Inu-Yasha guffawed, the two mermaids sighed, though it was an I'm-stuck-with-this? sigh. Kagome closed her menu and asked, "Is it hard to flirt? I've never done it before."
"She didn't need to," Sango grumbled, though it was good-natured. "She attracted mermen from way across the ocean."
"Aww, it's okay, Sango," Miroku said comfortingly, reaching across the table to take her hand. "I like you."
Sango narrowed her eyes, which clearly said don't touch me. Miroku sighed and the waitress came back, ready to take their orders. "Have you guys decided what to order yet?" she asked with a sideways glance at Miroku.
Miroku looked at his menu. "Um, yeah, how about the sea cucumber salad with salmon, and a large, delicious portion of you," he said, grinning wolfishly. Kagome, Sango, and Inu-Yasha groaned and hid their heads behind their menus.
"Is he always this bad?" Sango hissed to Inu-Yasha, who was sitting beside her.
"Yeah, and they always fall for it," Inu-Yasha hissed back. "The only time he got rejected, aside from when asking people to sleep with him, was right after our fathers disappeared and he said to this girl, 'If you were a booger, I'd pick you first.'"
"Is that flirting? That's gross!" Kagome commented, who was sitting beside Sango. "Let's just order quickly and eat as fast as we can. Inu-Yasha, have you picked something out?"
Inu-Yasha shrugged. "You've been here before, you know what's good. Any recommendations?"
Kagome frowned thoughtfully. She kept in mind that Inu-Yasha would want something with noodles in it, so she eliminated the dishes that didn't have them. Finally she suggested, "What about the octopus platter with thick noodles, sided with shrimp?"
"Sounds okay to me," he replied. Sango nodded in agreement. Inu-Yasha turned to Miroku as the waitress blushed furiously at what he said. "What about you, Miroku?"
"I know. How about a brain with a side order of maturity?" Sango replied for him. "Oh wait, will all of that fit into his head? It looks big, but we know it's all bone."
Miroku was about to argue about the space in his head when someone sneered, "Well, well, two humans with my woman? Is there something you're not telling me about, Kagome?"
Kagome froze at the voice behind her. A merman, surrounded by his friends, had his arms crossed and was staring down her. He had black hair that was tied in a short ponytail. Inu-Yasha could practically hear Kagome stiffen. "Go away, Kouga," she said coldly.
Kouga laughed, and as if on cue, his friends laughed with him. "Don't talk like that to me, woman," he said. "It's only because of me that you can still swim in the streets safe. Even after what you did to me…"
She rose from her chair, her face red. "I didn't do anything to you," she snapped. "In fact, it's only because of me that you still swim in the streets, period! I should have let them take you away to the prison."
"Maybe you should've," Kouga said, a sneer on his face. "But you didn't. That means you're still mine."
"Oh please," Inu-Yasha snorted. "Like that's going to get you a woman."
Kouga stopped, and looked at the human, contempt on his face. "Who is this?" he asked frigidly. "Some riffraff you found in the ocean and took pity on?"
Kagome glared at him. "The only riffraff around here is you," she said. "It's none of your business; now leave before I call the guards." Inu-Yasha, however, wasn't too happy with what Kouga called him. Kouga and his friends looked at each other, but they made no action to leave.
Inu-Yasha stood up. "Stop harassing her. She said leave, so leave now."
"Oh? And who are you to tell me to leave, stupid mortal?" Kouga smirked. "Ah, wait—don't tell me you and my woman…" his face suddenly darkened in anger. "You better not be seeing Kagome!"
By now most of the restaurant floor was staring at them. The waitress of their table swam off, perhaps to call the guards.
"So what if he is?" Kagome said defiantly.
"Yeah—what?" Inu-Yasha looked dumbfounded at what she'd just said.
Suddenly Kagome went up to Inu-Yasha, tilted his head towards hers, and lifted her lips to his. To the others, it looked like they were kissing, but in reality the hour was up and she was giving him the breath of life.
It worked, though. Kouga looked furious. "Nobody touches Kagome, you hear, human boy?" he snarled. "If I see you with my woman again, I'll rip you apart!"
Inu-Yasha's looked dazed for a moment after Kagome moved back, but he had a stony expression on his face when he looked at Kouga. "I'd like to see you try," he said in a low voice.
They glared at each other. Two muscular guards approached the table. "All right, leave this area now before we place you under arrest," one of them told Kouga. "We've had enough of your troublemaking here."
Giving Inu-Yasha one last scornful glare, Kouga swam out of the restaurant, his pack following him like puppets. Kagome watched until they disappeared from sight, then slumped back in her seat, sighing.
"Who was that?" Miroku wondered.
Sango looked at Kagome, who was staring down at her lap. "That was Kouga of the Wolf Clan," she said. "That's what they call themselves. They're a group of bullies who hang around the streets. They're not very nice, but they haven't been caught breaking the law yet."
"And you went out with that guy?" Inu-Yasha demanded.
Kagome looked up, scowling. "It's none of your business," she said shortly. "Just because I said we were seeing each other it doesn't mean it was true. It doesn't give you access to my private life."
There was an embarrassed silence. Inu-Yasha looked at Sango, confusion written in his eyes, but she silenced him with a look of her own. Even Miroku stared down at his plate until the food came. Thankfully it wasn't long before the waitress came back, holding steaming platters of noodles and octopus. "Enjoy," she said, giving Miroku an extra smile before sauntering off.
Inu-Yasha picked up a fork and stabbed at his food. "It's…green," he said doubtfully, lifting a few strands and letting them splat back onto his plate.
"Of course," Sango said. "Seaweed noodles. The kind that goes with everything." Inu-Yasha took an experimental bite. His expression brightened, and he began shoveling food into his mouth.
"Help, my octopus just moved!" Miroku howled, pushing himself out of the chair. Grabbing a knife, he began stabbing one of the octopus' arms repeatedly as it wiggled slowly in the water. "This is so gross! Aaaagh, it winked at me!"
Sango got up and stopped him from completely demolishing his food. "Miroku, they don't cook it completely so it still retains its flavor! I assure you, that octopus isn't alive enough to harm you."
Inu-Yasha's head snapped up. Half of an octopus arm was dangling helplessly from his mouth as his face froze in horror. "Zhey'r urive?" he asked with his mouth full, eyes widened in alarm. Then he spat out his food on his plate and yelled bloody murder.
It took awhile for Sango to calm them down, saying they didn't have to eat the octopus if they didn't want to. The said food was quickly removed from the premises, and Inu-Yasha and Miroku were content to eat plain seaweed noodles.
The silver-haired boy turned to Kagome, who still hadn't touched her food. Leaning over to her side, he asked gently, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Kagome smiled wanly. "Yeah. Soon."
"…You know, you were right. It wasn't any of my business," Inu-Yasha said softly. In the background, Miroku demanded Sango to give him his knife back, while she said responded with "over my dead body, you might kill someone". "I'm not going to ask about Kouga again. But please eat?"
A faint blush crossed her cheeks. The only time someone regarded her with such tenderness was when she was sick and didn't want to eat her food. Kagome picked up her fork and stuck it into her food. He smiled approvingly. Usually his expression was distant, and he hadn't really smiled the first time he'd opened his eyes. Kagome decided that she liked his smile, and if that meant she had to eat, then so be it. Smiling back, she tried to push Kouga out of her mind and ate her food.
* * *
They had decided to split after lunch. Sango would keep an eye on Miroku ("Actually, you're secretly in love with me, right, Sango?") while Kagome would take Inu-Yasha sightseeing ("Heh, heh, sightseeing…ouch! Inu-Yasha, it was a joke!"). The two parted ways after Sango, with utmost reluctance, gave Miroku the mermaid's kiss of life.
"Let's see, north is where the lords and ladies are, and they're really snobby. There's not much fun there. We can go shopping, but all they have is make-up and hair ornaments," Kagome said, letting the current of the ocean float her. Inu-Yasha did the same. "Or we could visit the great library..."
In the end, they just decided to swim around the city. As they drifted down the street, Kagome suddenly looked down. "I think I should tell you about Kouga," she began, "Before you hear it from somebody else."
Inu-Yasha waved a hand. "Oh, you don't really have to—"
"It's better if I tell you. Besides, if Kouga sees us again, and you have no clue about what's going on, he's going to be suspicious." Kagome smiled slightly. "You know, a few years ago we found a book from a sunken ship. The librarians preserved it, so it wouldn't rot. In it was a fairy tale about a dragon that ravaged the city unless a maiden was sacrificed to him."
"Oh yeah, I know that story," Inu-Yasha said. It was one of the few he knew, since his head was filled with stories about brave seafarers, not children's fairytales. He'd come across it once.
"Well, Kouga was—he was really wild. The east division had permanent guards stationed in its streets, because the Wolf Clan was always up to some sort of mischief. He—" Kagome blushed, and cleared her throat. "He made it pretty clear that he had a liking for me."
Her companion nodded. "So the city sacrificed you to him."
"Sort of like that. I hope you don't think I went out with him because I liked him, because that wasn't it. I went willingly because I thought I could change him. You know, if the princess can establish peace in the kingdom, then I thought I could do my part in establishing peace too." Again, the princess reference. Inu-Yasha was beginning to wonder if Kagome was the princess in disguise, but then that couldn't be. She would have given him the permanent breath of life. But if she were trying to keep it a disguise…but she wasn't the princess. Her last sentence just proved it, she had compared herself to the princess.
"I guess I can say I changed him a little," Kagome said softly. "But he began trying to change me into someone more like him, so I broke it off. He isn't as unruly as before, and even though he yelled at me in the restaurant, I believe he cares for me a little. You'd better watch your back. Kouga's changed, but he can still be dangerous."
Inu-Yasha found himself sighing with relief. So she hadn't been attracted to Kouga! A beautiful girl like her attracted to a smarmy ass like him—
Did he just say beautiful? Well, she was. She was smart, too. She had the makings of a princess, but her accent would have given her away if she were a real one. But it didn't matter if she was a princess or not—she was Kagome.
He was pulled from his musing when Kagome uttered a strangled yelp—and when he looked in her direction, she was gone. Only a few bubbles remained in the place where she'd stood. Alarm growing in him, he shouted, "Kagome!" and scanned the street. On his right he noticed an alley, empty, but bubbles were rising up from there, which proved someone was recently there. He swam furiously into the alley and was quickly shoved against the wall, a bone as sharp as a knife pressed against his throat.
* * *
"I bet Inu-Yasha and Kagome are having the time of their lives," Miroku said, putting a book back on the shelf and taking out another one. He'd wanted to visit the library, and was amazed at the large collection of books. "How do you guys keep the books from rotting?"
Sango was sitting on a chair, flipping through a book. "The librarians preserve it using our power source," she replied. All of a sudden she slammed the book shut. "Aargh, I still can't believe Kouga made that scene!" she cried. "I told Kagome not to get tangled up with him, but no…"
"What happened with Kagome and Kouga, anyway?" Miroku asked. "Were they lovers?"
The mermaid bristled. "Kouga was a jerk, and Kagome thought she could de-jerk him. She couldn't, so she left him. He's been after her ever since. He might even be after Inu-Yasha too, since Kagome made it appear like she was kissing him. Kouga's quite jealous." Sango frowned thoughtfully. "Since then she hasn't been interested in mermen…she says men always play with your heart. I don't know what Kouga did to make her think that."
Miroku shook his head. "Hmm, maybe we can change her mind about that. Not all men are bad. We don't always play around with women."
"Ooh, and aren't you the poster boy," Sango snorted. "Do you really think you could change her mind?"
He sat on the chair beside her and looked into her eyes, his brown ones glistening with excitement. Sango's breath tightened. It's just because he's too close, she told herself.
"No—but Inu-Yasha can," Miroku suggested, a small smile playing on his lips.
She raised her eyebrow. "Are you suggesting Inu-Yasha and Kagome get together?"
Miroku shrugged. "Why not? He's never paid much attention to love—unless you count ramen, but that's off-topic. He's never had a lover before, so he's far from being corrupted. He doesn't think of women as toys. In fact, he's too gentlemanly for his own good."
"You can stop trying to advertise him," Sango said, sighing heavily. "A relationship between a human and a mermaid is forbidden."
"What?" Miroku looked aghast. "Why?"
She swallowed. "Because it just is. Look, Kagome and I are immortal. A relationship would just cause sadness, because Inu-Yasha will grow old and die, and she will live on."
"Come on," he persisted. "Why don't we play matchmaker? I bet if we put them together, you know, love will conquer all."
Sango rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"
"I know, but I'm a cute kind of ridiculous, right?" Miroku said, grinning up at her.
"Sure. The kind of ridiculous that freaks out over an octopus."
"For crying out loud, it winked at me. It was supposed to be dead."
"It must have been a female, then, if it winked at you. Pity, isn't it? You killed off your only admirer."
"What? I have plenty of admirers."
"Of course. You reel them in with your charming, entrancing lines like, 'If you were a booger, I'd pick you first.'"
"Did Inu-Yasha tell you about that?!"
"Doesn't it bother you that we always end our conversations like this?"
* * *
"Hah! I knew it! You were all talk and no action!" Kouga sneered, pressing the white bone against Inu-Yasha's skin. "Didn't I tell you not to be seen with Kagome?"
Kagome was struggling against the grip of two of Kouga's friends. "Stop it, Kouga. Let me go now," she demanded, glaring at Kouga.
Kouga snorted. "When we were together you wanted lots of things, Kagome. I gave them all to you, I did it all for you, but apparently it wasn't enough. So maybe it's time to try a different approach. Maybe it's time for me to do what I want."
Inu-Yasha's arm gripped Kouga's wrist, preventing the bone from sinking into his neck. "Are you done with your rejected lover speech?" he asked Kouga. When the leader of the Wolf Clan turned to him, he said, "Good, because now I can do this." He shoved his knee into Kouga's stomach and as the merman keeled over, Inu-Yasha brought his knee up to smash Kouga's nose.
The two thugs holding Kagome immediately released her to tend to their boss. Kagome rushed over to Inu-Yasha. "Are you all right?" he asked her. She nodded, and then slowly touched the red mark on Inu-Yasha's neck where the bone knife had lain. "It's okay, that one will heal. Let's get out of here."
As they prepared to leave, Kouga grabbed the back of Inu-Yasha's shirt, one hand holding his broken nose. "Not so fast," he said thickly. "You're in my territory now, and you can't leave."
"There are some of his men guarding the exit to this alley," Kagome said in a low voice. "He's going to make you fight."
"Fight, huh?" Inu-Yasha glared at Kouga with a challenging glint in his amber eyes. "Fine, but if he thinks I'll be the one to lose…"
"Inu-Yasha, he has a knife," Kagome warned. "Be careful."
So, it's come down to a fight for the fair maiden, Inu-Yasha thought with a smirk as he faced Kouga. At least I have legs…if I can get that knife from him, there isn't that much he can do except slap my face with his tail. The comic image that followed made him laugh.
"Ah, a man who faces death with laughter!" Kouga said with a grin, brandishing his bone knife. "I always knew humans were stupid." And he charged towards Inu-Yasha.
Kicking furiously, the human swam up to meet the immortal. They had an encounter for a brief second. Kagome quickly scanned Inu-Yasha's body, looking for the red trickle of blood that Kouga's knife must have drawn. She went limp with relief when she found none.
In Inu-Yasha's hands was Kouga's knife. The merman stared at his hands, shocked that a mortal could have swiped it that easily. Inu-Yasha held it up. "Now it's my turn," he said, and shot towards Kouga. Snarling, Kouga swam towards him for the second encounter.
It happened in a flash. They crossed each other, hair flying behind them as they dealt their quick attacks. Then Inu-Yasha smiled. "Do you know what I've learned from all this, wolf boy?"
"What, human?" Kouga snapped harshly.
"That mermaid blood is silver."
Kouga looked down, and indeed silver blood streamed from a wound in his stomach, caused by his very own knife. Then the pain hit him and he doubled over, placing his hands over the wound. He made a strangled cry as his face twisted in pain.
Inu-Yasha tossed the knife in the air and caught it again. "Now tell your dimwit friends to move, or I'll make a nice carving to place in my room." Shooting Inu-Yasha a glowering stare, Kouga flicked his hand at the mermen standing in front of the entrance to the alleyway. They parted.
The human boy pocketed the knife and took Kagome's hand. She looked down at their entwined hands, startled and a little bit nervous. "You won't go after Kagome again," he said simply, yet the message was clear. "You know what'll happen if you do. Let's go." He led Kagome out of the alley. She couldn't help looking back at Kouga before entering the streets of the city.
"I think attacking a mermaid counts as breaking the law," Inu-Yasha said conversationally as they broke into open space again. "You might want to call a guard to clear up the mess."
Kagome was still shocked at how easily he beat Kouga. "You were—Inu-Yasha, that was amazing, that—"
He blushed. "I don't like it when guys act that way, thinking they own women," he said, scuffing his toe into the sand.
Kagome snapped up. That was exactly what I thought, she said, amazed. Finding a guard swimming down the street, she stopped him, told her story, and directed him to the alley where Kouga had abducted her. She stole a glance at Inu-Yasha. He was watching the guard, making sure that he took care of the Wolf Clan.
Even though he would probably say otherwise, it came down to the fact that he'd risked himself for her. She felt herself going red. And this was the same boy who'd yelled at her during his first hours in the merworld, the look in his eyes so obviously repulsed.
Kagome found herself wondering about the boy with the golden eyes, wondering about how many secrets he still kept inside of him, and wondering whether he would let her see them during his stay under the surface.
Wondering if she could tell him her own secrets…