Author's Notes: Here's the chapter that instigates the beginning of the
action at the end. In the next chapter, it really starts. ^__^
Disclaimer: I really don't own Inuyasha. However, if I did---which can never happen---I would laugh evilly and overtake the world with my sexy characters. That is, if the military doesn't wipe me out first when they learn of my plan.
Behind the Masquerade
Zenith of Chances
The sun light crept through the windows, shining some light into the dark room as dawn slowly emerged. The birds began chirping, and she sighed with a shudder, remembering home when she heard the sound. She could hear the distant crash of waves, and a image of when Inuyasha had embraced her after she had returned entered her mind. She shook her head, pushing the memory back into some small recess of her mind.
Twirling a dry flower in her fingers, she watched the withered thing as she reclined back on the ground. Once upon a time, it had been as blue as her own eyes. However, it had shriveled into nothing now and was only a distant replica of what beauty it had once been. It had been the one thing Inuyasha had ever given to her personally…other than giving her these emotions inside of her, of course.
She heard a knock on the door, and snapped her head back to look at the innocent thing. She wondered who it was. No one had come last night when she allowed her feelings to overwhelm her, and she regretted losing control. However, she couldn't help feeling slight loneliness at how no one responded. She had screamed her soul out after all.
There was a knock again, and she snapped her attention back to the current distraction. "Who is it?"
"It's Sango. Can I come in?" the voice answered, and Kagome blinked.
"Yes."
The door opened to reveal her best friend, looking at her with a slender smile on her face. Her magenta eyes were weary as she strode into the room and closed the door behind her. Silently, she made her way to the table and sat down across from Kagome, looking over with patience.
Kagome knew this was indication of a talk with her cousin again. At least it was with someone she could trust the most. "What is it going to be about?"
Sango looked slightly shocked that Kagome had guessed her motive, but shook it off. Sometimes, she felt like the girl could read her mind after all. "You were screaming last night."
Kagome's eyes widened as she felt her chest constrict. So people did hear her last night. Should she be happy they didn't come until now, or should she be grateful? "Yea…and?" Why try to deny it?
Sango tapped her fingers on the table momentarily before continuing, "Well I didn't hear it. The demons were saying that they could hear muffled screams and smashing coming from your direction." Sango looked over at her best friend. "Inuyasha wanted to make sure you were okay, but I told him it would be better for him to leave you alone."
Should I be glad she told Inuyasha to keep his distance…?
"He doesn't understand, does he? He doesn't know?" Kagome questioned rather hesitantly, knowing that the hanyou was probably clueless on her feelings.
"By the looks of it, he doesn't know a thing," Sango answered, sadly. "Are you okay?"
Kagome averted her eyes to the window, feeling the sunlight hit her in the face and shower her in warmth. "Yes," she answered firmly, although she had to force herself to say that one word.
"You lie worse than Kohaku." Sango smiled, remembering her brother back home. He wasn't cut out to be a prince, being so polite, nice, and gentle, but who knows. People could change after all. However, that didn't change the fact that her cousin lied just as bad as her brother.
"I do, don't I?" Kagome chuckled a bit as she looked back at Sango, smiling. "No, I'm not fine. I hate this. I hate everything. I don't know what to do, or what I should do. I want to go home, but I don't want to go home. I want to be free, yet I'm chained to the inevitable." The smile was still on her face as she related all that was on her mind to her cousin.
Sango heard all this, but her eyes strayed to the flower resting near Kagome's hands. Seeing the wilted flower, she bit her lips. "This has to do with Inuyasha, doesn't it? Is that from him?"
Kagome's own eyes looked down at the dead bluebell, and her eyes softened. "Yes."
Sango and Kagome stayed quiet for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Everything just had to be so difficult, didn't it? If Kagome had been the one to be engaged to Inuyasha, it would have been perfect. If Sango didn't have the fact that Miroku doesn't know that she's a princess and not a simple peasant, it would be flawless. However, life wasn't a fairy tale and the only thing being left behind wasn't a glass slipper…but a broken heart.
"Hey…" Sango started, remembering something she had been meaning to talk to Kagome about. This wasn't exactly the best time, and it could only make things worse, but Kagome had to find out sometime. "Do you remember anything about the person you met at the masquerade?"
Kagome looked up at Sango with questioning sapphire orbs, before shrugging slightly, thinking. "Yes…" she began, "We were talking and I remember him saying he had a scar on his back." Kagome smiled slightly. "He was nice."
Sango stared at her, wondering if Kagome was so ignorant to the obvious similarities. How many people in the world had golden eyes anyway? "Kagome…what if you find out two people you thought were different were really the same?"
Kagome stared hard at Sango, her eyes probing for a motive to the question. Knowing that Sango kept her emotions fairly under control most of the time, and thus leaving nothing open to public, she said, "What is it?"
"I'm just wondering."
"I don't understand your question…so I don't know how to answer."
Sango sighed. Her cousin was still so innocent sometimes, even after going through so much in her young life. Would it be right to just tell Kagome? It would come as a shocker, and would probably hurt her more. She didn't want to be the one to hurt her, no matter how selfish that sounded to keep such vital information to herself. "It's okay. You don't have to understand. Maybe it's better not to."
"You're tempting me…" Kagome whispered.
Sango only smiled.
"But I'm not in the mood to be nosy. Surprising, isn't it? I feel so drained and lifeless. Wait, let me take that back. It's almost ironic calling myself lifeless," Kagome muttered, remember how she had died once. Albeit, she had come back with all her emotions and such, but it was still wrong.
"Well, don't you sound melancholic?" Sango teased slightly, giving enough indication that she was only poking slight fun and trying to lighten the mood.
"I suppose I'm slightly down."
"Then, want to know something that'll cheer you up?"
Kagome cocked her head to the side, gazing at her cousin expectantly.
Sango's smile widened. "He proposed to me."
There was a stunned silence between the two, as Kagome continued to glance at Sango with the same expression on her face. However, almost as if changing masks, her mouth was open as a scandalized look appeared on her face. "What!? When did this happen?!"
Sango continued to gaze placidly at her cousin. "Before you came back. A few days ago, I suppose."
"And you didn't tell me?" Kagome almost shrieked, the appalled expression only intensifying. Inuyasha was off her mind for those few minutes as she tried to digest the sheer staggering possibility of it all. Miroku proposing to Sango? The pervert asking the anti-pervert to marry him? "What did you answer!?" she almost shouted.
"I didn't give him an answer." Other than kissing him back…but that doesn't signify anything, I suppose.
"What will you say then?" Kagome demanded, her eyes wide as she stared at her cousins with curious eyes. "Yes? No? Or will you murder him for even trying to?"
Sango blushed, as she looked away. "Well…I don't know. I told him I needed time to think about it…although my mind told me to say yes. I just need to think things through, you know? Marriage is a life changing opportunity. I want to make sure I love him. I need to make sure he won't be chasing after other girls too."
Kagome felt like she had been slapped in the face, hard, cruel, and in an unforgiving manner. It was her cousin, and although she knew Sango meant nothing by those words, it felt like it had a double-edged meaning.
Inuyasha was marrying Kikyou…it seemed like her sister loved him. Kagome loved him as well. Kikyou would make sure Inuyasha wouldn't be chasing after other girls, and although Kagome doubted Inuyasha would, what if other girls chased after him? What if Kagome was the one yearning for Inuyasha? Kikyou would feel how Sango would feel, right? Kagome had no right to hate Kikyou, and anyone who couldn't completely understand why Kikyou wanted to keep Inuyasha to herself was being bias and taking sides. It wasn't Kikyou's fault for loving Inuyasha, and anyone would do what her sister was doing if they were in her place: trying to protect what was hers. If they hated Kikyou for that, they would be hypocrites because everyone did it themselves. Kagome would be one too.
Kagome smiled at her cousin. "Congratulations!"
Sango's expressions took on a darkened side however. "But there's a problem…"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. What would be a problem? Miroku and Sango would be perfect together… at least if Sango didn't mutilate Miroku when his hands wandered. She doubted the man would misbehave too much though.
"He doesn't know I'm not a peasant, and he still asked me to marry him. What if he finds out I … betrayed him? What if he thinks I lied to him because I didn't want him to know I was a princess?"
Betray… Kagome stared at Sango. "Why did you want him to know you weren't a princess anyway?"
Sango opened her mouth and closed it, as she looked horrified, as if reluctant to relay something private. However, she soon sighed as her shoulders sagged in defeat. "I guess…I was attracted to him before we actually found out the truth about each other. I mean, I met him under the most unpredictable means of meeting someone, and although we always met at the same towns, no matter how much we tried to get rid of each other, I found myself fascinated with the pervert."
Sango's eyes twitched slightly as she confessed. "I guessed you could call it a bizarre attraction? One day, while forced to spend the night in the same room when we both exterminated a demon together, he muttered that he liked me just the way I was before he fell asleep. He also said that he was glad I was just me, and not someone fake. Mind you, he turned out to be a fake as well, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him I had been as fake as he had been. I didn't know what to do, and in the heat of the moment, I would rather lie to him than have his impressions of me change. Now, I don't want him to know I'm deceiving him…"
Kagome listened intently, as her own thoughts went through her mind at a rapid rate. "Tell him when you think you're ready. It's better to let him know the truth before the answer. If he really cares, he'll understand. He wouldn't think different of you." Kagome smiled reassuringly.
Sango looked over at Kagome, slightly convinced. "I should tell him, huh? I guess I will…sometime." She sighed. "Sorry about telling you about this. Your problems are more pressing."
"No, they're not," Kagome insisted. "I'm fine. Everything is going to turn out fine. Trust me…"
Sango smiled. "I do."
~*~
He growled, pacing along the corridor and hearing his bare heels click rhythmically on the cold ground. He snarled, showing his fangs as he crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his fingers on his upper arm in a completely different tune than his walking.
"I will!" he snapped, and took one stomp towards his destination before stopping, freezing for a moment, and then turning around to pace back down the corridor. "I can't."
He stopped walking again, turning around to glare up the corridor. It would be so simple to go up and talk to her, and he really did want to after Sango had come out of the room and told Inuyasha that Kagome was fine. However, something just kept him away.
"I will!" he repeated, more determined to go up those stairs and talk to her. They needed to talk…it was the best thing to do. He was so confused about everything happening that this head could hardly handle the sheer amount. It had started hurting his head so much, he thought he would have to break something.
Stomping angrily up the stairs, Inuyasha kept frowning and holding his breath so that he wouldn't back out. It was surprising that this actually bothered him so much…he usually wasn't one to hesitate doing anything.
Cracking his knuckles, Inuyasha breathed out as he climbed the last part of the stairs, coming to Kagome's and his bedroom corridor. Turning around the corner, he had many things he had thought of to say to her when he saw her, but he definitely wasn't thinking of just suddenly stare right into her eyes the next moment.
"Inuyasha?" she gasped in shock, taking one step back with a hand over her heart. "Oh kami…don't scare me like that!" she said, still recovering from the stunning encounter. However, when she finally realized it was Inuyasha in front of her, she adverted her eyes out the window.
He frowned again. He had been so deep in his thoughts that he had missed her scent? Her scent…
All words forgotten and everything he had wanted to do was gone as something in his mind clicked. He stared at her, frowning again when he realized something.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome faltered in her words slightly, seeing the hanyou scrutinizing her with his eyes from the corner of her own. If anything bothered her, it would be when people stared without respect. "What?" she questioned, turning her head to look at him.
However, he had moved too fast and she only had time to gasp once again when she felt a strong hold on her shoulders and something between the crook of her shoulders and neck. "I-Inuyasha??"
"I smell something," he muttered, tightening his claws into the fabric of her kimono as he sniffed her neck, his face set in a glare. "I smell someone…" he whispered in a deep voice. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Perhaps it had been dampened when they were out in the rain and it was almost unnoticeable down in dining room with everyone crowded, but when she was just standing in front of him, he could smell it, even if it was faint.
"What are you talking about?" she squeaked in an abnormally high voice, finally moving her hands up to try and put as much distance between she and he as possible. Her eyes were wide as she felt his long hair run down her clothing, the top of his head accidentally nuzzling her chin as he continued sniffing her. "Stop it! You're hurting me…"
As soon as he heard those words, he retracted his claws and almost separated from her in a second. His expressions were bewildered as she stared at him with wide eyes, her hands up at her shoulders where he had held her in an iron grip. "Sorry," he mumbled when he looked down at his claws, looking slightly ashamed. What had compelled him to act in such a way was unpredictable, but the minute he had seemed to smell someone else on her, something inside him had flared.
She took another step away from him, biting her lips almost guiltily. "Just…" she began, her eyebrows coming down in concern. "Just…don't hold me like that again…"
He snapped his head up, but didn't frown or betray any other emotion, other than maybe partial remorse. He hadn't meant to just suddenly grip onto her, but he didn't think it would have disgusted her so. "I didn't mean to…" He took in a deep breath again, allowing her scent to assault his senses, although there was now no trace of any smell other than Kagome's. But he had almost been so sure he had smelt something else on her…something foreign…
"Why though? Why did you?" she asked, looking down at the ground and not wanting to look up at him.
"I…I smelled something on you."
"…What did you smell?" Her voice nearly cracked when she said those words.
He sniffed again, just to make sure, but there was still no scent other than Kagome's. He curled his hands into a fist, as he forced himself to say, "I don't know…"
There was silence between the two for a while and the only sounds to be heard were the tweeting of the early birds of the morning outside. Kagome bit her lips more as she slowly began walking, but away from him and towards the stairs he had just come up. Her eyes continued to refuse to make contact with his, and she easily slipped past him without touching.
Inuyasha could almost feel something fighting him off as she passed him for those few seconds. It was like a wall, a shield that kept him away, and everything he tried to do. His own aura had tried to comfort hers, but whatever the matter, she had discarded it and its meaning.
"Do you hate me."
Kagome whipped her head around to stare in a shocked manner at the back of the hanyou's head. How could he…how dare he ask a question like that when she… "No."
"Then why are you pushing me away?"
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
Kagome took in a deep breath to quench her oncoming irritation. She was still staring at the back of his head, and that was becoming slightly annoying as well. "Don't put words in my mouth," she whispered quietly. "Don't ever assume you know somebody. Don't even try to understand my feelings right now."
"I can understand them---"
"You can't!"
"---If you gave me the chance, I can!"
"Argh!" Kagome cried, already feeling the frustration soar sky high. She was feeling the need to stomp on the ground and scream about idiots who thought they could understand her, but if they did, they would hurt her or something. "I can't give you that chance! Everything would change…everything."
"Things are always changing!" She could hear the almost feral tone in his voice by now, although that surprisingly didn't scare her. It was better to argue than accrue trust with simple talks. "Why can't you just tell someone what's wrong!?"
"If you were in my position, you might just do the same thing as me. Don't be a damn hypocrite! Everyone might say I'm being stupid this way, but it's for the best!" She twirled around, taking heated steps down the stairs and trying to escape from the oncoming humungous feud. Arguments were okay, but not sudden brawls.
"For the best!?" he yelled after her, a glare obvious on his expressions. "For who!? Is this the best for the people around you, or are you being selfish and doing the best for you."
"It's for everyone!" she screamed back as she kept going down, while he glowered at her from the top. However, his next words were so simple that anyone else would just deny it...but she knew that secretly, it had hit a chord inside of her.
"You're just afraid."
~*~
She leaned against the door, staring at her master as Kanna and he sat facing each other, with a mirror between them. She could see everything going on as well, but unlike Naraku who had an almost sadistic grin on his face, hers was one of sullen emotions. Arms crossed across her chest, she could hear the quiet 'kukuku's of laughter coming from the man on the ground. 'Evil bastard…' she thought to herself.
"Interesting…" he muttered, watching as Kagome stomped down the stairs after Inuyasha had accused her of being afraid. "Very interesting…" A malicious glint sparkled in his eyes as the images slowly started to swirl away. "Our little Kagome just got mad at little Inuyasha's claims…he's right though, you know."
Kagura really wondered whether he was talking to himself or not. She was listening, but he didn't seem to be speaking to her. After all, he usually only talked to her to give orders or probably when he was so lonely, he had to talk to somebody.
"Now, would it hurt more if when she betrayed, they were both mad at each other? Or would it be better if they both trusted each other…choices, choices…" He chuckled slightly.
'Their feelings are a mere game to him,' Kagura realized distastefully. "Do you really think she will betray him?" she spoke out, allowing her crimson eyes to be void of emotions. It wouldn't do her any good to have Naraku see her glaring at him like he was a repugnant piece of flesh---which he was.
He turned around slowly, his dark eyes narrowing as he eyed his minion. "No, I don't think she will."
Kagura was slightly surprised at that. She would have thought he would cackle and say that she would be forced to. It seemed he had been weighing the consequences in his head after all. "Why?"
"She's too torn at the moment to really do anything…and on the day of his engagement ball?" Naraku laughed. "I'll just give her until the end of her month stay…with a little urging in between."
"You're going to kill someone?"
"Only if she doesn't give it to me in the end. It's more fun to play around with her feelings for now."
Kagura shuddered. How horrible it must be to be Kagome. The bastard didn't even care what would happen to her…she was just a pawn in the entire scheme. If she died in the process---which she did, and might again---it wouldn't matter to him because he would have had the Shikon no Tama by then.
"She's just like me, isn't she?" Kagura asked.
His chuckles died down slightly, as his laughter was replaced with a solemn glare towards the wind youkai. "Of course she is. I control her life."
Kagura felt her whole body grow cold at the sensation his eyes sent through her. She averted her eyes from his, and if her heart had been in her chest, it would be thumping right about then. "Yes," she answered quietly, although something about his words and serious expressions seemed to keep nagging her. She frowned to herself as the man turned away.
"I die…she dies," he muttered.
It hit. Kagura's eyes widened for a moment at those words. Of course…how could she have been so stupid!? It was so obvious…Kagome and her were different. Naraku's somber feelings when he told her that information…the way he had told her to take care of Kagome…it was all right there.
She could feel masked anticipation pump red hot liquid throughout her body as she curled her fingers into fists. She knew how Naraku could die now…how she could be free of her curse and attachment to him. It was so simple.
A small smile alit on the wind youkai's face.
All she needed now was time and patience.
~*~
Kagome looked from left to right, making sure no one was walking up the corridors. Seeing that it was safe, she slipped into the room stealthily, her senses alert to any sign of intrusion. It wouldn't do good for anyone to catch her in the King's and Queen's room. She would have a lot to explain for…
"Where is it?" she muttered to herself, beginning to open up drawers and look under objects in a search for the thing. She always made sure it was back in the place it was however.
She took in a deep breath and stood up, looking around the room after a few minutes of searching. She was so sure the Queen would have left it in the room…something that precious, she wouldn't be holding it around too much.
"Come on, come on, where are you?" she mumbled, continuing to look through the drawers in a seemingly vain search for the object. It would take a miracle for her to find it, but she had to and wasn't about to give up.
After a few more minutes of searching, she was beginning to panic. She had been in here too long. She had planned to just slip in, use five minutes to find the object, and then get out before anyone found out she was there. However, she had already been in the room for a good ten minutes, and as time passed, getting caught was always more possible.
"Okay, Kagome, think about it. If you were the Queen, where would you put something like that?" She kept breathing to keep herself calm, her eyes scrutinizing the entire room in an effort to pinpoint the object's exact position. "Where would she put it…somewhere no one else can touch…somewhere no one else would ever dream of being…"
Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the flower vase the Queen was always at, putting various flowers in a lovely bouquet.
Kagome ran over to it, her eyes wide open as she delicately lifted the flowers out of the vase. Holding them in one hand, she gazed into the large vase to look for it. Her heart beat fast when she saw something protruding from the side of the porcelain.
Sticking her hand in without a second thought, her hand came over cold metal and she instantly pulled. Something gave way and as she extracted her hand, she saw that she was holding a necklace with a key on the end. Her eyes sparkled. Found it.
Carefully putting the flowers back into the vase and making it look like no one had touched it before, she quickly made her way over to the door. Slipping outside as sneakily as she had come in, she breathed a sigh of relief that the corridor was still empty.
Twirling the key in her hand, Kagome breathed easier. One part of her mission was complete…now she only had to complete the other half. A bittersweet smile appeared on her face. She was doing this for everyone else…
Inuyasha was wrong. She wasn't doing this for herself, and most of all, she wasn't afraid. Not when everyone's life depended on her…they could hate her when this was all over and done with, but she was definitely not doing this for herself.
She held the object tightly in her hand, ready to use it when she could. She would wait for now…until it was time.
Walking down the corridor, what she failed to notice was that Shippo was standing at the other end of the corridor, staring at her with pained eyes. His little hands were twisted into tiny fists as he watched the girl walk away, having just come out of the majesty's room.
He was beginning to understand as well.
A/N: Aie…I was really tired, but I really wanted to finish writing this. Whoopee. Now the next chapter is going to start the action. Whoopee! There will be around six more chapters to this story…give or take a few.
Disclaimer: I really don't own Inuyasha. However, if I did---which can never happen---I would laugh evilly and overtake the world with my sexy characters. That is, if the military doesn't wipe me out first when they learn of my plan.
Behind the Masquerade
Zenith of Chances
The sun light crept through the windows, shining some light into the dark room as dawn slowly emerged. The birds began chirping, and she sighed with a shudder, remembering home when she heard the sound. She could hear the distant crash of waves, and a image of when Inuyasha had embraced her after she had returned entered her mind. She shook her head, pushing the memory back into some small recess of her mind.
Twirling a dry flower in her fingers, she watched the withered thing as she reclined back on the ground. Once upon a time, it had been as blue as her own eyes. However, it had shriveled into nothing now and was only a distant replica of what beauty it had once been. It had been the one thing Inuyasha had ever given to her personally…other than giving her these emotions inside of her, of course.
She heard a knock on the door, and snapped her head back to look at the innocent thing. She wondered who it was. No one had come last night when she allowed her feelings to overwhelm her, and she regretted losing control. However, she couldn't help feeling slight loneliness at how no one responded. She had screamed her soul out after all.
There was a knock again, and she snapped her attention back to the current distraction. "Who is it?"
"It's Sango. Can I come in?" the voice answered, and Kagome blinked.
"Yes."
The door opened to reveal her best friend, looking at her with a slender smile on her face. Her magenta eyes were weary as she strode into the room and closed the door behind her. Silently, she made her way to the table and sat down across from Kagome, looking over with patience.
Kagome knew this was indication of a talk with her cousin again. At least it was with someone she could trust the most. "What is it going to be about?"
Sango looked slightly shocked that Kagome had guessed her motive, but shook it off. Sometimes, she felt like the girl could read her mind after all. "You were screaming last night."
Kagome's eyes widened as she felt her chest constrict. So people did hear her last night. Should she be happy they didn't come until now, or should she be grateful? "Yea…and?" Why try to deny it?
Sango tapped her fingers on the table momentarily before continuing, "Well I didn't hear it. The demons were saying that they could hear muffled screams and smashing coming from your direction." Sango looked over at her best friend. "Inuyasha wanted to make sure you were okay, but I told him it would be better for him to leave you alone."
Should I be glad she told Inuyasha to keep his distance…?
"He doesn't understand, does he? He doesn't know?" Kagome questioned rather hesitantly, knowing that the hanyou was probably clueless on her feelings.
"By the looks of it, he doesn't know a thing," Sango answered, sadly. "Are you okay?"
Kagome averted her eyes to the window, feeling the sunlight hit her in the face and shower her in warmth. "Yes," she answered firmly, although she had to force herself to say that one word.
"You lie worse than Kohaku." Sango smiled, remembering her brother back home. He wasn't cut out to be a prince, being so polite, nice, and gentle, but who knows. People could change after all. However, that didn't change the fact that her cousin lied just as bad as her brother.
"I do, don't I?" Kagome chuckled a bit as she looked back at Sango, smiling. "No, I'm not fine. I hate this. I hate everything. I don't know what to do, or what I should do. I want to go home, but I don't want to go home. I want to be free, yet I'm chained to the inevitable." The smile was still on her face as she related all that was on her mind to her cousin.
Sango heard all this, but her eyes strayed to the flower resting near Kagome's hands. Seeing the wilted flower, she bit her lips. "This has to do with Inuyasha, doesn't it? Is that from him?"
Kagome's own eyes looked down at the dead bluebell, and her eyes softened. "Yes."
Sango and Kagome stayed quiet for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Everything just had to be so difficult, didn't it? If Kagome had been the one to be engaged to Inuyasha, it would have been perfect. If Sango didn't have the fact that Miroku doesn't know that she's a princess and not a simple peasant, it would be flawless. However, life wasn't a fairy tale and the only thing being left behind wasn't a glass slipper…but a broken heart.
"Hey…" Sango started, remembering something she had been meaning to talk to Kagome about. This wasn't exactly the best time, and it could only make things worse, but Kagome had to find out sometime. "Do you remember anything about the person you met at the masquerade?"
Kagome looked up at Sango with questioning sapphire orbs, before shrugging slightly, thinking. "Yes…" she began, "We were talking and I remember him saying he had a scar on his back." Kagome smiled slightly. "He was nice."
Sango stared at her, wondering if Kagome was so ignorant to the obvious similarities. How many people in the world had golden eyes anyway? "Kagome…what if you find out two people you thought were different were really the same?"
Kagome stared hard at Sango, her eyes probing for a motive to the question. Knowing that Sango kept her emotions fairly under control most of the time, and thus leaving nothing open to public, she said, "What is it?"
"I'm just wondering."
"I don't understand your question…so I don't know how to answer."
Sango sighed. Her cousin was still so innocent sometimes, even after going through so much in her young life. Would it be right to just tell Kagome? It would come as a shocker, and would probably hurt her more. She didn't want to be the one to hurt her, no matter how selfish that sounded to keep such vital information to herself. "It's okay. You don't have to understand. Maybe it's better not to."
"You're tempting me…" Kagome whispered.
Sango only smiled.
"But I'm not in the mood to be nosy. Surprising, isn't it? I feel so drained and lifeless. Wait, let me take that back. It's almost ironic calling myself lifeless," Kagome muttered, remember how she had died once. Albeit, she had come back with all her emotions and such, but it was still wrong.
"Well, don't you sound melancholic?" Sango teased slightly, giving enough indication that she was only poking slight fun and trying to lighten the mood.
"I suppose I'm slightly down."
"Then, want to know something that'll cheer you up?"
Kagome cocked her head to the side, gazing at her cousin expectantly.
Sango's smile widened. "He proposed to me."
There was a stunned silence between the two, as Kagome continued to glance at Sango with the same expression on her face. However, almost as if changing masks, her mouth was open as a scandalized look appeared on her face. "What!? When did this happen?!"
Sango continued to gaze placidly at her cousin. "Before you came back. A few days ago, I suppose."
"And you didn't tell me?" Kagome almost shrieked, the appalled expression only intensifying. Inuyasha was off her mind for those few minutes as she tried to digest the sheer staggering possibility of it all. Miroku proposing to Sango? The pervert asking the anti-pervert to marry him? "What did you answer!?" she almost shouted.
"I didn't give him an answer." Other than kissing him back…but that doesn't signify anything, I suppose.
"What will you say then?" Kagome demanded, her eyes wide as she stared at her cousins with curious eyes. "Yes? No? Or will you murder him for even trying to?"
Sango blushed, as she looked away. "Well…I don't know. I told him I needed time to think about it…although my mind told me to say yes. I just need to think things through, you know? Marriage is a life changing opportunity. I want to make sure I love him. I need to make sure he won't be chasing after other girls too."
Kagome felt like she had been slapped in the face, hard, cruel, and in an unforgiving manner. It was her cousin, and although she knew Sango meant nothing by those words, it felt like it had a double-edged meaning.
Inuyasha was marrying Kikyou…it seemed like her sister loved him. Kagome loved him as well. Kikyou would make sure Inuyasha wouldn't be chasing after other girls, and although Kagome doubted Inuyasha would, what if other girls chased after him? What if Kagome was the one yearning for Inuyasha? Kikyou would feel how Sango would feel, right? Kagome had no right to hate Kikyou, and anyone who couldn't completely understand why Kikyou wanted to keep Inuyasha to herself was being bias and taking sides. It wasn't Kikyou's fault for loving Inuyasha, and anyone would do what her sister was doing if they were in her place: trying to protect what was hers. If they hated Kikyou for that, they would be hypocrites because everyone did it themselves. Kagome would be one too.
Kagome smiled at her cousin. "Congratulations!"
Sango's expressions took on a darkened side however. "But there's a problem…"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. What would be a problem? Miroku and Sango would be perfect together… at least if Sango didn't mutilate Miroku when his hands wandered. She doubted the man would misbehave too much though.
"He doesn't know I'm not a peasant, and he still asked me to marry him. What if he finds out I … betrayed him? What if he thinks I lied to him because I didn't want him to know I was a princess?"
Betray… Kagome stared at Sango. "Why did you want him to know you weren't a princess anyway?"
Sango opened her mouth and closed it, as she looked horrified, as if reluctant to relay something private. However, she soon sighed as her shoulders sagged in defeat. "I guess…I was attracted to him before we actually found out the truth about each other. I mean, I met him under the most unpredictable means of meeting someone, and although we always met at the same towns, no matter how much we tried to get rid of each other, I found myself fascinated with the pervert."
Sango's eyes twitched slightly as she confessed. "I guessed you could call it a bizarre attraction? One day, while forced to spend the night in the same room when we both exterminated a demon together, he muttered that he liked me just the way I was before he fell asleep. He also said that he was glad I was just me, and not someone fake. Mind you, he turned out to be a fake as well, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him I had been as fake as he had been. I didn't know what to do, and in the heat of the moment, I would rather lie to him than have his impressions of me change. Now, I don't want him to know I'm deceiving him…"
Kagome listened intently, as her own thoughts went through her mind at a rapid rate. "Tell him when you think you're ready. It's better to let him know the truth before the answer. If he really cares, he'll understand. He wouldn't think different of you." Kagome smiled reassuringly.
Sango looked over at Kagome, slightly convinced. "I should tell him, huh? I guess I will…sometime." She sighed. "Sorry about telling you about this. Your problems are more pressing."
"No, they're not," Kagome insisted. "I'm fine. Everything is going to turn out fine. Trust me…"
Sango smiled. "I do."
~*~
He growled, pacing along the corridor and hearing his bare heels click rhythmically on the cold ground. He snarled, showing his fangs as he crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his fingers on his upper arm in a completely different tune than his walking.
"I will!" he snapped, and took one stomp towards his destination before stopping, freezing for a moment, and then turning around to pace back down the corridor. "I can't."
He stopped walking again, turning around to glare up the corridor. It would be so simple to go up and talk to her, and he really did want to after Sango had come out of the room and told Inuyasha that Kagome was fine. However, something just kept him away.
"I will!" he repeated, more determined to go up those stairs and talk to her. They needed to talk…it was the best thing to do. He was so confused about everything happening that this head could hardly handle the sheer amount. It had started hurting his head so much, he thought he would have to break something.
Stomping angrily up the stairs, Inuyasha kept frowning and holding his breath so that he wouldn't back out. It was surprising that this actually bothered him so much…he usually wasn't one to hesitate doing anything.
Cracking his knuckles, Inuyasha breathed out as he climbed the last part of the stairs, coming to Kagome's and his bedroom corridor. Turning around the corner, he had many things he had thought of to say to her when he saw her, but he definitely wasn't thinking of just suddenly stare right into her eyes the next moment.
"Inuyasha?" she gasped in shock, taking one step back with a hand over her heart. "Oh kami…don't scare me like that!" she said, still recovering from the stunning encounter. However, when she finally realized it was Inuyasha in front of her, she adverted her eyes out the window.
He frowned again. He had been so deep in his thoughts that he had missed her scent? Her scent…
All words forgotten and everything he had wanted to do was gone as something in his mind clicked. He stared at her, frowning again when he realized something.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome faltered in her words slightly, seeing the hanyou scrutinizing her with his eyes from the corner of her own. If anything bothered her, it would be when people stared without respect. "What?" she questioned, turning her head to look at him.
However, he had moved too fast and she only had time to gasp once again when she felt a strong hold on her shoulders and something between the crook of her shoulders and neck. "I-Inuyasha??"
"I smell something," he muttered, tightening his claws into the fabric of her kimono as he sniffed her neck, his face set in a glare. "I smell someone…" he whispered in a deep voice. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Perhaps it had been dampened when they were out in the rain and it was almost unnoticeable down in dining room with everyone crowded, but when she was just standing in front of him, he could smell it, even if it was faint.
"What are you talking about?" she squeaked in an abnormally high voice, finally moving her hands up to try and put as much distance between she and he as possible. Her eyes were wide as she felt his long hair run down her clothing, the top of his head accidentally nuzzling her chin as he continued sniffing her. "Stop it! You're hurting me…"
As soon as he heard those words, he retracted his claws and almost separated from her in a second. His expressions were bewildered as she stared at him with wide eyes, her hands up at her shoulders where he had held her in an iron grip. "Sorry," he mumbled when he looked down at his claws, looking slightly ashamed. What had compelled him to act in such a way was unpredictable, but the minute he had seemed to smell someone else on her, something inside him had flared.
She took another step away from him, biting her lips almost guiltily. "Just…" she began, her eyebrows coming down in concern. "Just…don't hold me like that again…"
He snapped his head up, but didn't frown or betray any other emotion, other than maybe partial remorse. He hadn't meant to just suddenly grip onto her, but he didn't think it would have disgusted her so. "I didn't mean to…" He took in a deep breath again, allowing her scent to assault his senses, although there was now no trace of any smell other than Kagome's. But he had almost been so sure he had smelt something else on her…something foreign…
"Why though? Why did you?" she asked, looking down at the ground and not wanting to look up at him.
"I…I smelled something on you."
"…What did you smell?" Her voice nearly cracked when she said those words.
He sniffed again, just to make sure, but there was still no scent other than Kagome's. He curled his hands into a fist, as he forced himself to say, "I don't know…"
There was silence between the two for a while and the only sounds to be heard were the tweeting of the early birds of the morning outside. Kagome bit her lips more as she slowly began walking, but away from him and towards the stairs he had just come up. Her eyes continued to refuse to make contact with his, and she easily slipped past him without touching.
Inuyasha could almost feel something fighting him off as she passed him for those few seconds. It was like a wall, a shield that kept him away, and everything he tried to do. His own aura had tried to comfort hers, but whatever the matter, she had discarded it and its meaning.
"Do you hate me."
Kagome whipped her head around to stare in a shocked manner at the back of the hanyou's head. How could he…how dare he ask a question like that when she… "No."
"Then why are you pushing me away?"
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
Kagome took in a deep breath to quench her oncoming irritation. She was still staring at the back of his head, and that was becoming slightly annoying as well. "Don't put words in my mouth," she whispered quietly. "Don't ever assume you know somebody. Don't even try to understand my feelings right now."
"I can understand them---"
"You can't!"
"---If you gave me the chance, I can!"
"Argh!" Kagome cried, already feeling the frustration soar sky high. She was feeling the need to stomp on the ground and scream about idiots who thought they could understand her, but if they did, they would hurt her or something. "I can't give you that chance! Everything would change…everything."
"Things are always changing!" She could hear the almost feral tone in his voice by now, although that surprisingly didn't scare her. It was better to argue than accrue trust with simple talks. "Why can't you just tell someone what's wrong!?"
"If you were in my position, you might just do the same thing as me. Don't be a damn hypocrite! Everyone might say I'm being stupid this way, but it's for the best!" She twirled around, taking heated steps down the stairs and trying to escape from the oncoming humungous feud. Arguments were okay, but not sudden brawls.
"For the best!?" he yelled after her, a glare obvious on his expressions. "For who!? Is this the best for the people around you, or are you being selfish and doing the best for you."
"It's for everyone!" she screamed back as she kept going down, while he glowered at her from the top. However, his next words were so simple that anyone else would just deny it...but she knew that secretly, it had hit a chord inside of her.
"You're just afraid."
~*~
She leaned against the door, staring at her master as Kanna and he sat facing each other, with a mirror between them. She could see everything going on as well, but unlike Naraku who had an almost sadistic grin on his face, hers was one of sullen emotions. Arms crossed across her chest, she could hear the quiet 'kukuku's of laughter coming from the man on the ground. 'Evil bastard…' she thought to herself.
"Interesting…" he muttered, watching as Kagome stomped down the stairs after Inuyasha had accused her of being afraid. "Very interesting…" A malicious glint sparkled in his eyes as the images slowly started to swirl away. "Our little Kagome just got mad at little Inuyasha's claims…he's right though, you know."
Kagura really wondered whether he was talking to himself or not. She was listening, but he didn't seem to be speaking to her. After all, he usually only talked to her to give orders or probably when he was so lonely, he had to talk to somebody.
"Now, would it hurt more if when she betrayed, they were both mad at each other? Or would it be better if they both trusted each other…choices, choices…" He chuckled slightly.
'Their feelings are a mere game to him,' Kagura realized distastefully. "Do you really think she will betray him?" she spoke out, allowing her crimson eyes to be void of emotions. It wouldn't do her any good to have Naraku see her glaring at him like he was a repugnant piece of flesh---which he was.
He turned around slowly, his dark eyes narrowing as he eyed his minion. "No, I don't think she will."
Kagura was slightly surprised at that. She would have thought he would cackle and say that she would be forced to. It seemed he had been weighing the consequences in his head after all. "Why?"
"She's too torn at the moment to really do anything…and on the day of his engagement ball?" Naraku laughed. "I'll just give her until the end of her month stay…with a little urging in between."
"You're going to kill someone?"
"Only if she doesn't give it to me in the end. It's more fun to play around with her feelings for now."
Kagura shuddered. How horrible it must be to be Kagome. The bastard didn't even care what would happen to her…she was just a pawn in the entire scheme. If she died in the process---which she did, and might again---it wouldn't matter to him because he would have had the Shikon no Tama by then.
"She's just like me, isn't she?" Kagura asked.
His chuckles died down slightly, as his laughter was replaced with a solemn glare towards the wind youkai. "Of course she is. I control her life."
Kagura felt her whole body grow cold at the sensation his eyes sent through her. She averted her eyes from his, and if her heart had been in her chest, it would be thumping right about then. "Yes," she answered quietly, although something about his words and serious expressions seemed to keep nagging her. She frowned to herself as the man turned away.
"I die…she dies," he muttered.
It hit. Kagura's eyes widened for a moment at those words. Of course…how could she have been so stupid!? It was so obvious…Kagome and her were different. Naraku's somber feelings when he told her that information…the way he had told her to take care of Kagome…it was all right there.
She could feel masked anticipation pump red hot liquid throughout her body as she curled her fingers into fists. She knew how Naraku could die now…how she could be free of her curse and attachment to him. It was so simple.
A small smile alit on the wind youkai's face.
All she needed now was time and patience.
~*~
Kagome looked from left to right, making sure no one was walking up the corridors. Seeing that it was safe, she slipped into the room stealthily, her senses alert to any sign of intrusion. It wouldn't do good for anyone to catch her in the King's and Queen's room. She would have a lot to explain for…
"Where is it?" she muttered to herself, beginning to open up drawers and look under objects in a search for the thing. She always made sure it was back in the place it was however.
She took in a deep breath and stood up, looking around the room after a few minutes of searching. She was so sure the Queen would have left it in the room…something that precious, she wouldn't be holding it around too much.
"Come on, come on, where are you?" she mumbled, continuing to look through the drawers in a seemingly vain search for the object. It would take a miracle for her to find it, but she had to and wasn't about to give up.
After a few more minutes of searching, she was beginning to panic. She had been in here too long. She had planned to just slip in, use five minutes to find the object, and then get out before anyone found out she was there. However, she had already been in the room for a good ten minutes, and as time passed, getting caught was always more possible.
"Okay, Kagome, think about it. If you were the Queen, where would you put something like that?" She kept breathing to keep herself calm, her eyes scrutinizing the entire room in an effort to pinpoint the object's exact position. "Where would she put it…somewhere no one else can touch…somewhere no one else would ever dream of being…"
Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the flower vase the Queen was always at, putting various flowers in a lovely bouquet.
Kagome ran over to it, her eyes wide open as she delicately lifted the flowers out of the vase. Holding them in one hand, she gazed into the large vase to look for it. Her heart beat fast when she saw something protruding from the side of the porcelain.
Sticking her hand in without a second thought, her hand came over cold metal and she instantly pulled. Something gave way and as she extracted her hand, she saw that she was holding a necklace with a key on the end. Her eyes sparkled. Found it.
Carefully putting the flowers back into the vase and making it look like no one had touched it before, she quickly made her way over to the door. Slipping outside as sneakily as she had come in, she breathed a sigh of relief that the corridor was still empty.
Twirling the key in her hand, Kagome breathed easier. One part of her mission was complete…now she only had to complete the other half. A bittersweet smile appeared on her face. She was doing this for everyone else…
Inuyasha was wrong. She wasn't doing this for herself, and most of all, she wasn't afraid. Not when everyone's life depended on her…they could hate her when this was all over and done with, but she was definitely not doing this for herself.
She held the object tightly in her hand, ready to use it when she could. She would wait for now…until it was time.
Walking down the corridor, what she failed to notice was that Shippo was standing at the other end of the corridor, staring at her with pained eyes. His little hands were twisted into tiny fists as he watched the girl walk away, having just come out of the majesty's room.
He was beginning to understand as well.
A/N: Aie…I was really tired, but I really wanted to finish writing this. Whoopee. Now the next chapter is going to start the action. Whoopee! There will be around six more chapters to this story…give or take a few.