A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize profusely to everybody for the delay. I have many reasons for my absence and here are a few if you would allow yourselves to listen to my petty explanations.
My computer crashed around the start of September, and I didn't know what to do. I had no money then and I wasn't about to fork over cash to some "professional" to get my baby fixed. Luckily, I found a friend after a few weeks whom was willing to fix my computer for me for free. But I found out when my baby came back that he practically made it into a new machine, which also seemed like he deleted all my files. [I was NOT happy] I kinda asked [in a demanding way] what happened to everything I have written for the last three years. This, he said the virus deleted. I did not have a backup. Thus, I have been in a really bad mood [this was at the end of September] and I lost every inspiration I ever caught. I mean, I had nearly every new chapter for every story done [80%!!!] and it goes bye bye. So then I took a month break, constantly opening Word to try and write but ending up being distracted. During the November month, I was crammed with tests, projects, holiday family unions [horrible, might I add] and just forgot about it. Finally, I decided, enough is enough and moping won't do me much good, so here I am, determined to get a damn chapter written all over again!
Another really important issue is the question about whether I flamed an author or something? I have cleared this misunderstanding up with the author and it was NOT me who did it, so I would appreciate it if people back off until they get proof that it was me. I respect authors, and I would not go around flaming them for the sheer enjoyment of flaming. So I repeat, it was NOT me who flamed her, but someone using MY penname to flame them. Cowards. All of them. By the way, criticism is always welcome here too. I don't expect to satisfy every person who reads this, but flames are rather harsh. Just back off.
Yelling at me and using profanity about how I don't update fast enough will NOT make me write faster. For the love of Inuyasha, will people get that through their heads? There are plenty other good stories to read, and I am sure they update faster than me, so if you really dislike it so much, then please go read something else.
Thank you for your time. I shall continue with this chapter and may you all enjoy it.
Behind the Masquerade
Joyous…or Jealous
Exactly a week had passed since Kagome arrived at Inuyasha's home with the armies arriving back safely. It had been an exceptionally harsh and violent week with her constantly arguing with the hanyou while he fired back as many words as she spat. The night when they had left sweet [or so some would assume] notes to each other seemed like history and quarrelling was part of the daily routine. From dawn to dusk, day in and day out, every time one tried to make a decent conversation, it would somehow, even in the most innocent ways, turn ugly.
"He's a pompous, conceited hormone driven piece of uselessness with nothing in the empty space where he assumes he has a brain."
Sango sighed, for the umpteenth time. "I'm sure he isn't as bad as you make him out to be. Have you tried to work it out?"
Kagome gave her a dry stare.
"You know what? That was a stupid question. How about, have you tried to work it out in a civilized manner? Did you learn nothing from being a princess?"
It was Kagome's turn to sigh. "Okay," she began, taking in a deep breath before exhaling it in a heart felt, "No."
Sango shot her cousin a deadpan look. "Please, Kagome, you have learned more than nothing. However, let's skip the joys of being a princess, and get back on subject. I'm sure Inuyasha can be rather stubborn ("he's more like spinach between my teeth!"), but---if he's that childish as you make him seem, then be above that and don't yield to his antics. Pretend you don't give a damn!"
Kagome's blue eyes lit up faster than Christmas lights and a grin appeared on her lips. "Sango! You are a genius!" she cried happily before throwing herself at her cousin and giving Sango a big bear hug. "I love you, I love you, I love you! Looks and brains, no wonder the guys are falling left and right AND center." Kagome gave a suggesting wink.
Sango rolled her eyes heavenward. "That is the most atrocious lie I have ever heard."
Kagome smiled as she began to leave Sango's room. "That's what you think. If I was a man, I would hit on you so fast you won't know what hit you."
Sango scoffed. "If you were a guy who hit on me so fast I won't know what hit me, then when I do know what hit me, I would throw you out the window so fast, you won't know what hit you until your head met the ground."
"Smart, brains AND aggressive," Kagome teased before closing the door behind her.
Sango smiled for a moment as the line from Kagome brought back some memories, but before long, she rolled her eyes.
"Jerk."
*~*~*
Kagome scratched her head harmlessly as she trotted her way down the corridor, deep in her thoughts. Sango really was a genius and had come up with the most perfect of all perfect plans. It had been so simple, yet how had she overlooked it? Was she tha---
A bump into somebody sent her crashing to the ground, where she squeaked painfully when her behind met the floor. Looking up while rubbing her bruised butt, she saw white hair and instantly assumed it was Inuyasha, probably grinning with smugness.
"Watch where you're going, elephant man!"
No response. Kagome frowned as she looked up once more, before realizing it wasn't Inuyasha whom she had bumped into, but his brother, Sesshoumaru. He was looking down at her with cold ice in his eyes, before she realized it was probably because she called him 'elephant man.'
Without as much as a hand to help her get up, Sesshoumaru calmly answered, "I'm not the one who should be watching where they're going," before walking off.
Kagome's mouth opened in surprise before her eyebrows lowered. "What is up with the men in this family…"
She knew Sesshoumaru was dubbed 'cold' by almost everyone in the castle and the moment she met him that day when he returned with a bright girl in his tow, she knew what the people meant by 'cold.'
However, what confused her most was the girl he had arrived with. She seemed the complete opposite of him, with an age around Kagome's, a bubbly exterior and a smile like sunshine. The moment she made eye contact with Kagome, she had waved and said a cherry, "hello!" before following after Inuyasha's brother.
Ever since then, she had followed him everywhere---almost like a faithful puppy. Speak of the devil! Kagome saw her coming around the corner, humming a joyful little song to herself and occasionally saying "lalala" out loud.
Seeing Kagome on the ground, Rin, whose name Kagome had been introduced, extended a hand to the fallen girl and Kagome gratefully accepted it.
"Really, Kagome-chan! There's a lot of things on the ground and you shouldn't just sit on the ground like that! You never know who has ambled down this corridor. Anyway, do you know where Sesshoumaru-sama went? I lost sight of him before when I stopped to look at an pretty painting a few stairs down. It was a nice picture of a girl and a boy similar to Sesshoumaru-sama. You should go look, it's just below!" Rin exclaimed happily, smiling at Kagome.
"Well, if I find time, I'll surely go look at it! But for your question, Sesshoumaru just went down here moments ago. I don't have a clue where exactly he went to though," Kagome answered, brushing the dirt off of herself.
"Oh, then I'll be going. Nice to talk to you Kagome!" Rin quickly skipped down the corridor, in pursuit of the white-haired man.
Kagome took a breather before moving on. "This castle is like a household for weird people."
She turned the corner she had wanted to round a few minutes ago, before she bumped into another person, which sent her into a state of déjà vu as her ass went down to meet the ground again. "This is so…" she mumbled in an annoyed tone as she looked up to see who had bumped into her this time.
She saw white once more and judging by the arrogant smirk on his face, she knew it was Inuyasha. She was about to open her mouth to send out an angry retort before she realized this was the perfect time for her plan to go into action.
"Watch where you walk, stupid," Inuyasha growled, sending Kagome into another round of déjà vu, as he crossed his arms over his chest, the grin still on his face.
However, instead of glaring over at the hanyou, Kagome calmly picked herself from the ground and continued on her way, not once sparing another glance at Inuyasha. She could almost see the shock on his face as he turned around to watch her walk away as if he had not sent her hurtling to the ground.
"Did someone drug you? Or are you just born that way? By the way, tell that other you to move her ass back home!" Inuyasha shouted at her, but Kagome still ignored him although she had no idea what he was talking about, walking away as if she was mute to everything he was saying.
Walking down the stairs to the floor below, Kagome smiled happily to herself. For some reason, even though he had called her foul things and teased her, she felt pleased that she had succeeded in ignoring him.
"But it gets boring not being able to respond…hmph," Kagome mused out loud, walking around the corridor. Looking about, she realized that the castle was actually becoming familiar. She trekked down the corridors as if she knew them by heart and she didn't need to think twice about which turn to take. The route was etched into her mind and if she so dared say, it felt like…home.
"Home, yea, for a month," she ruminated, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. "Then I'll probably be shipped back home faster than Shippo running away from Inuyasha. But, it's nice here…"
She halted.
'Stop it Kagome. Don't think about it. You're just here…for one purpose and that's for your sister. After this, it's back to the hole you came from.'
Another side of her conscience came up and started arguing. 'Well…what if you don't want to go back…home?'
'This isn't the place you belong, this is the place belonging to someone else. This isn't the place you were born and you can't just stay here. Go back to where you started off…' side one of her mind reasoned.
'Are you saying…the place back there is the place I fit in…?' side two challenged, before Kagome put her hands to her head and blocked out the two sides of herself.
"I've been with weirdos for too long…I don't want to stay anywhere" she whispered, trying to stop thinking about her problem. It wasn't like it would do her any good to dwell on tribulations that still would not occur until three weeks later.
She looked up, getting frustrated at her train of thought as she noticed it was just going around in a circle.
That was when she caught sight of the painting Rin had told her about. Her eyes widened. Something hitched in her throat and her voice could not be reached, as she stared at the work of art. Something inside of her told her, this wasn't a simple drawing nor was it something fake. It was authentic.
"Really quite a painting, isn't it?" a voice asked, and Kagome whirled her head around to look at who had spoken. It was Lady Komiya.
"It really is…" Kagome murmured breathlessly, turning her gaze back to the painting. "Is that…?"
"Yes it is, it was Inuyasha four years ago," Lady Komiya confirmed, she herself examining the portrait.
The painting consisted of two people, or teenagers to be exact, both sitting on the sand at what looked close to be the beach outside. Behind them, majestic cliffs accented the view and to the side were waves beautifully painted upon, lapping against the golden sand. One was confirmed Inuyasha, his eyes full of innocence and his ears tweeked towards the ocean. His gaze was upon the other person in the picture, a girl roughly around his young age.
Kagome's stare glanced from Inuyasha to the girl. "And she is…?" Kagome questioned, looking at the picture of a girl with short brown hair and penetrating gray eyes.
At this question, Lady Komiya's face darkened slightly. "She was an old friend of Inuyasha's," the queen spoke before moving onto something else. "I can't bear to take it down really. A painter a few years ago had painted this when he saw my son and that girl sitting together on the beach. It turned out to be a lovely piece of work, as you can tell."
"Indeed," Kagome whispered, staring into the dull gray eyes the girls withheld. They were intensely overpowering, something drawing her glimpse to them. They seemed to hold so many emotions…so many feelings…and in a way, loneliness.
"Some things in life drawn only show the reality of it, while others, those with inspiration and a stimulus, can paint the most boring of subjects and turn the painting into an illustration of one's dreams," Lady Komiya enlightened, a small smile appearing as she looked at the enthralled princess. Tapping the girl's shoulder to awaken her from her daze, Lady Komiya continued on, "Anyway, before we get side tracked again, I was looking for you."
"You were?" asked Kagome, blinking her eyes in confusion. "What for?"
Queen Komiya smiled, maneuvering Kagome downstairs. "Someone just arrived about fifteen minutes ago, and you might be happy to see who it is!" she announced joyfully, as Kagome continued to look as puzzled as a lamb. "You're such a darling!" the queen cried when she saw the innocent, confused look Kagome had, and pinched her cheeks playfully. "If only you were my daughter-in-law!"
Kagome blushed heavily. "It's alright, but thanks anyway. I would never marry Inuyasha."
Queen Komiya laughed heartily and a twinkle was seen in her eyes. "Whoever said I wanted you to marry Inuyasha in specific?"
Kagome grew even more crimson, if that was possible.
The queen let out another warm chuckle. "I'm just playing, darling."
Kagome kept her mouth shut.
Allowing the queen to drag her lightly down the stairs, all she heard out of the lady's mouth was 'blah blah blah!' as she tuned out and went back into her own little world.
'Why…why had I thought of Inuyasha first? I could have said Sesshoumaru…' Kagome reflected, her eyes going glassy.
"But really, I guess the saying is right! You shouldn't judge someone on a first impression. She is really quite a nice, smart girl!" Lady Komiya talked rapidly, as Kagome finally began to listen to her.
Lady Komiya turned around to smile at Kagome as they reached the doors to the ballroom. "I'm glad she's as much as I expected…I'll leave you two alone for five minutes. Have a great talk!"
Kagome was confused. "Wha--?" she began, but the queen had forced her through the doors, shutting the doors behind her.
Kagome stared blankly at the doors in front of her face. That had been rushed…she didn't even know why she was in here.
"Hello," a familiar, cold voice echoed through the empty ballroom.
Something clicked in Kagome's head. Where had she heard that voice before…?
A frosty laugh rang out. "Aren't you even going to greet your own blood?"
Kagome's body became as stiff as a board as she recognized the voice. But…it wasn't possible… "Kikyou?" she whispered breathlessly, turning around and coming face to face with a distant smile on her sister's face.
"Of course."
Kagome could feel a thousand questions running through her head as she struggled to word them. Though, the only word that came past her lips was, "How…?"
The tinkling laughter was heard once more. "It's simple. I arrived here a while ago, little sister," Kikyou answered, the meaningful smile still on her lips.
Kagome frowned at the obvious sarcasm. "Why are you here? What are you doing here? And why are you acting…normal?" Kagome questioned, clenching her fists. This can't be happening…
"Well…this will be where I live after I get married, right? I would rather like to get acquainted with it…and 'normal,' little sister? I am always normal," Kikyou scoffed, turning her gaze away from Kagome to eye the beautiful ballroom.
Kagome flinched at the word 'marriage' before scrutinizing Kikyou carefully, watching her walk around. 'This is so wrong…she's walking like…like a real princess. Like she did before…'
Kikyou threw Kagome an icy glare when she saw the younger girl stare at her with perplexed eyes. "Back straighter, don't stare, and don't frown," she ordered, and Kagome did it on reflex before opening her mouth in protest. "And no complaining," Kikyou ended, a smirk appearing on her face.
Kagome was strangely reminded of Inuyasha.
Kikyou crossed her arms across her chest. "I already like this place," she declared, walking up the stairs that lead to the upper floor. "It's elegant…it's majestic…it's what all girls would want from a marriage---" Kikyou stopped half way, staring down at Kagome. "---And not to mention…I've got a rather cute fiancé."
Kagome could feel her blood run cold, although she had no idea why.
"Did I tell you, little sister? I met him a while ago."
Kagome remembered Inuyasha telling her 'By the way, tell that other you to move her ass back home!' and finally knew what he meant. She started feeling some strange rock in her throat. "He wants you to go home," Kagome muttered dully and this was received with an amused look from Kikyou.
"Really? I'd prefer to stay. I rather like him. He keeps me on my toes…I like that," Kikyou mused, gazing down at Kagome from the top of the stairs.
Kagome swallowed hard. "You…like him? After Na---"
Kikyou continued talking, interrupting Kagome before she could finish her sentence. The younger sister could not figure out whether Kikyou did it on purpose or not. "Yes, I like him. Why should I not like him? He's my future husband."
Kagome realized Kikyou had been mentioning anything to do with her marriage to Inuyasha a lot. Did she suspect something to be going on between Inuyasha and her? Kagome gawked up at her older sister, seeing the inspecting eye pinpointed on her. So she did suspect something. "There's nothing going on between Inuyasha and I," Kagome stated simply.
Kikyou smiled innocently. "I never assumed such a thing. That would be sinful if you did."
Kagome guffawed at such a thing. As if she would ever like Inuyasha…that was the most disgusting thing possible. And why was Kikyou 'back to normal?'
Suddenly, a random maid appeared behind Kikyou, bowing down at the princess. "M'lady, your room is prepared," the young woman announced.
Kikyou cast one last look down at her younger sister. "Well, it seems our little talk is over, little sister. I'll be seeing you soon, shall I?"
Kagome just blinked at the ground, not hearing Kikyou, confused to the point of explosion. Everything was wrong. Everything happening right now was so wrong, it was practically impossible. Yet…it was happening and that was as possible as facts could get. Nothing was making sense, yet it was occurring.
Only one line broke through her train of thought.
"Kagome…remember…Inuyasha's mine."
A/N: I finally finished writing. It took me forever because I hit semi-writer's block here and there, so the chapter is mighty choppy. But at least it's finished after how many months? So anyway…Kikyou is here. Dun dun dun. But why? Was it really for marriage? Why is she 'normal' and not really annoying? Is Kit really going to make this a Rin/Sess? [still deciding…so I derno] What's up with the picture? Why is there so many unanswered things in this story? Haha, stay tuned my readers because I'm just smelling trouble ahead. :)
-Kit- a.k.a. Keolla
[P.S. If you sent me email and I never answered, I apologize. My email is screwed badly, so I might not be able to respond, or I just didn't receive it. Also, if I don't answer you on AIM, 1) I am not there, although my away isn't on. 2) my brother/mom is on [btw, they think some of you are weird] 3) my friends are on for me. 4) I don't respond to yelling. But from now on, if you IM me, 90% of the time, its me and I will answer…so go ahead…]