The trumpets are blaring much more cheerfully than usual on the Masterpiece Theater set. Although Miroku and Sango are seated in their comfortable leather chairs, the scene behind them has been changed to a field of flowers. Earl the Lawyer is frolicking through the field strewing flowers this way and that in a flowing Greek tunic.
Miroku: (Smiles brightly) Long time no see or feel readers! I have missed you so!
Sango: (Muttering bitterly under her breath) That's just because a majority of them want you to write all of the future lemons.
Miroku: (Throws a wide eyed, innocent expression in the demon slayer's direction) What was that Sango?
Sango: You heard me, houshi-sama.
Miroku: (Pouting) How can you be so disrespectful to a monk?
Sango: (Dryly) Easily.
Miroku: (Turning back to the readers) Any ways, as you can guess, Ramber is in a particularly good mood because of all the reviews she got for the last chapter.
Earl the Lawyer: (Prances in front of Miroku and Sango, throwing flowers on both of them before returning to the field behind them again)
Sango: So she just wanted to say thanks to everyone, by having Earl-san skip around like an idiot. (Grumbles under her breath) I swear, the things she makes that man do… (Thunder strikes in the distance)
Miroku: Don't test her good mood, Sango. Besides, Earl is happy so long as he doesn't get struck with lightning again.
Earl the Lawyer: (Frolics in front of the two) Yep, as long as she doesn't char me again she can dress me up as a lobster and make me do the Macarena. (Tries to look dignified in his tunic and laurel wreath) The incredibly lovely, magnanimous, and brilliant Rambler decided to answer a few questions and make a few comments in regards to some of the reviews she received, since the review section didn't post her comments when she tried. First of all, she wants to thank The Real Rosie Gamgee for her MAGNIFICANT suggestion, it was most hopeful. You will know what I am talking about Rosie when you see the end of this chapter. She also wants to promise her that although there will be future citrus, it is all necessary to the plot, will be tastefully done, and she will be warned about it before hand. Secondly, she wants to clear something up for Ithilwen. You have to remember that MIROKU wrote the last chapter. Although she does not know how experienced he is she is guessing he exaggerated a LOT.
Miroku: (Indignant) I'll have you know that-
Earl the Lawyer and Sango: (Thunder strikes in the distance) WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!
Earl the Lawyer: Also Ithilwen, this chapter should answer your question about the drunk being random or not. As for Nassau's comment about the lack of sweetness in the citrus in the last scene, she wanted to say that although she too wanted it to be sweeter; she felt it had to be awkward given the nature of their relationship at this point. Hopefully there will be more waff in future chapters. Finally, to Leina and SimplyTurquoise, yes, Kagome is extraordinarily sheltered because of the age she lives in. People did not discuss these matters openly at all, most girls of the upper classes did not find out about sex until their wedding day. Kagome would definitely be especially sheltered because she lives in a shrine, where such matters are definitely not discussed. (Takes a deep breath) Okay, now on to the disclaimer. (Takes another deep breath) SHE DOESN'T OWN INU-YASHA, SO DON'T SUE OR SHE WILL CRY AND SCREAM AND MAKE EVERYONE AROUND HER MISERABLE! Not to mention that she also doesn't have any money, so the only thing you could get is her inhaler and her bag of cheesy puffs. And I must warn you, they're like three months old.
Miroku: (Shakes his head) She is such a packrat… Any way, I hope you enjoy the chapter, dear readers!
Chapter 6
The First Day of Wedded Bliss
The sun sent its beams into the shrine like a flood light, demanding all living creatures wake and greet it. As the blinding rays reached the heavy lids of the lone man in the shrine, he painfully rolled over, determined not to give in. After a few minutes of struggling, the man finally gave into daylight's insistence, weakly opening his blue gray eyes to stare at his surroundings.
The fact he was in a shrine didn't surprise him, he could have woke up on a volcano and not been fazed. It was one of the main consequences of his beloved sake, as well as the headaches. Grabbing his head in his callused and filthy hands, he attempted to begin the arduous process of standing up. Nature seemed to mock his efforts, the twittering of birds and calls of animals pounded loudly in his ears. Once his legs finally agreed to support him, he moved to the doorway, hoping to find somewhere to eat. From the looks of where he had been sleeping, his last meal was no longer lining his stomach.
After breakfast, he would find his way back to town; back to doing the only thing he could to numb the pain. Find more sake and drown in it. He didn't deserve anything else anyway, not after what he had done. After his failure, he didn't deserve to return home. It was better his family did not endure the dishonor he had caused them. He didn't really deserve the sake, but a man had to comfort himself somehow.
The light exploded around him as he heaved the door open, and he flinched before stumbling into it. Bobbing back and forth as if trapped an ocean current, he made his way down the stone path way. He breathed a sigh of relief as trees shaded him from the glaring sun.
"Excuse me, sir!" A deep voice bellowed out of no where, causing the man to jump in shock. Only jumping was a little to much for legs which had only feebly agreed to walk. The man found himself in an aching heap on the pathway, staring up at a dark shadow in the tree above him. "Are you okay, sir?" The shadow asked tentatively.
The man winced in response. "Too loud…" He whispered, holding his creased head in his hands.
"What was that?"
"I said you're too loud!" He grimaced as his own voice throbbed in his head.
"Ah…" The shadow sighed knowingly, "You're Inu-Yasha's best man." There was a twinkle of humor in the stranger's voice that the man found he didn't like. "Allow me to introduce myself," The stranger spoke in a mercifully quieter voice, "I am Miroku, a monk from around these parts."
Giving the shadow a pained smile, the man answered back, "Hiko. I'm a former monk who isn't from these parts."
The monk in the tree tried to lean down a little bit to get a better look at the older man. "Well Hiko, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you at this particular moment."
Hiko raised a thick black eyebrow. "It is?" He said, making himself a little more comfortable in his fallen position.
"Yes, for you see, I feel we can both do each other a favor." The monk smiled pleasantly as Hiko realized the man was in a contorted knot. "Now if you could just help me out of this tree…"
"Arise and shine!" A high voice squeaked cheerfully from the corner of the bedroom. Kagome groaned in response, grabbing more of the sheets to wrap herself in a cocoon free on sunlight and sound. Nestling into her pillow, she tiredly brought the sheets up to rest against her cheek, only to meet with something crusted on the sheets. It was still rather sticky…
"GAHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Kagome screeched, jumping out of the futon in one frantic motion.
The tiny figure in the corner leaped as well, clutching his wildly beating heart in his hand. "Jeez! Don't DO that!"
Kagome turned toward the figure, barely able to make out the figure in the darkness. It was small, and appeared to be furry, with some sort of poofy tail. "A talking squirrel?!" Kagome asked herself aloud as she moved toward the diminutive creature.
"Squirrel?!" The creature sniffed indignantly, "Squirrel?! I am a kitsune, ma'am, not a stupid rodent." He puffed proudly, showing off his childish chest, "I am a big, strong, cunning, powerful-"
"Little fox! How cute!" She squealed with delight as she picked up the red-haired kitsune child, cooing as she stroked puffy auburn tail and tweaked the big blue bow in his hair.
The child sweat dropped. Why did human women always have this reaction to him? No matter what Miroku said about it one day getting him girls, he still found it emasculating to have women fondling him as if he were a baby bird. He was a demon for gods' sake! Sure he was a kid, but he could still do some kind of damage to her. Not that he would, since she was his master's wife, but the point was that he could.
Rolling his eyes, he suddenly realized something he hadn't quite looked at before. The child struggled to find the right words as he went beat red, unable to take his eyes off the girl's chest. "Um… uh… ma'am…"
Sensing the kitsune's fidgeting discomfort, she looked down to find his large blue gaze glued to the top of her sleeping kimono, which was hanging wide open. With a startled screech she dropped the fox child, covering herself as she blushed furiously. "Gomen ne." She murmured, kneeling before the boy.
The kitsune tried to straighten a little in an effort to look more solemn and masculine. "It is okay ma'am." He said with a dignified air in spite of his high pitched voice.
"Please, call me Kagome." She spoke warmly, as she took in her surroundings. Her heart unexpectedly dropped when she realized Inu-Yasha wasn't there. What did I expect? Closing her eyes briefly, she forced herself to smile cheerfully at the fox child. "Are you a family member of Inu-Yasha's?" She didn't want to assume he was a servant.
"Family member?!" He gagged in disbelief, sickened by the thought. "How could you think I'm related to these guys? They're dog demons."
Kagome once again flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I really only know what my grandfather taught me about demons."
"What did he tell you?" The child asked curiously, sky blue eyes examining her face.
Looking away uncertainly she answered in an almost inaudible voice "That they smell like cabbage."
The child scrunched up his face in confusion. "What?!"
"Never mind." Kagome sighed heavily, dropping her head wearily. "So then you are a servant of the Yamuras, I take it?"
"Yep. I am Inu-Yasha's head servant, Shippo." The boy said proudly.
Kagome smiled at his pride, "You're the head servant? Wow, you must be really good to be promoted to such a position at such a young age."
"I am." Shippo replied confidently, puffing up a little further in his cerulean haori and vest.
"So, head servant Shippo-chan," She could tell he loved the title, "Can you tell me where my dear Inu-Yasha went?" Maybe she said that a little too acidly.
"The jerk went hunting. He said something about needing to kill something, or at least mangle a few trees." Shippo tsked a little as shook his head in disapproval, "The baka is always so violent."
Kagome couldn't help but smile, I couldn't agree with you more. "I take it you don't approve of your master's life style?" Shippo ducked his head timidly, realizing just who he had spoken to. To his surprise she grinned brightly at him, "Shippo-chan, I have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." He smiled back at her meekly as she stood up. "So, did the bastard say anything about breakfast before he went out to wreak havoc on the world?"
The kitsune nodded eagerly in response. "Yeah, he said you could either have breakfast in the room or down in the engawa. He didn't want you eating in the dining room."
Frowning a little, Kagome asked "Why didn't he want me to eat there?"
"Probably to keep you away from Sesshomaru."
"His brother?"
"Yep. He's even more of a creep than Inu-Yasha is." Shippo stated simply. "So where do you want to eat?"
"Well," She said thoughtfully, "I do need to explore more of this house if I am going to be living here, don't I? So I think I shall eat breakfast in the engawa."
Shippo nodded before heading to the sliding door. "I will lead you to the engawa after you change." Seeing Kagome's look of puzzlement, he answered her unspoken question. "The jerk arranged with your mother to have all of your clothes put in the closet next to the bathing room. The rest of your things are in the chest to the right of the futon."
Kagome smiled gratefully as she walked in the direction of the closet, "Origato, head servant Shippo-chan."
He beamed at her as left the room. "No problem, Kagome!"
Inu-Yasha sighed as he plopped down into a comfortable position on a branch of the large tree over looking a quiet pond. The tree's long branches wound this way and that, as if it couldn't make up its mind which way it wanted to reach. He lazily traced the reflection of their curves in the air with a single claw.
He really had wanted to kill something. At least he had thought so last night. Resolutely sticking to his plan, he had set out at dawn to find something to wrench apart with his bare claws. And yet here he was, lying on his side in a tree, without any intention of moving for the rest of the day.
Last night left him completely befuddled, but this morning left him even more so. He had awakened a bit before the sun peaked over the horizon, when the world was just light enough to make out everything in the dimness. Some of the candles had still been burning in the room, making the soft light of the new day even stronger. Turning over, he had seen her lying there peacefully. Her small curvy lips were shaped into an "o", and a little droplet of drool gleamed down her cheek. Chuckling silently to himself, he had tentatively wiped of the droplet with his thumb. But something hadn't let his thumb leave her face. Instead the digit traced the rosy line of her lips, as if it had a mind of its own. He found he was somehow transfixed by her deep breaths, and the faint gurgling sounds in the back of her throat. There was something melodic about it.
And then it hit him, like a jolt of lightning through his body. At this moment, he wanted her. Not because they had to, not because duty, listening relatives or kooky fathers who felt their sons had to married. He just wanted her. So he immediately got up and left the room. It had been the most logical thing to do in Inu-Yasha's opinion, and he didn't regret it.
No, he wasn't supposed to be aroused by her; he wasn't supposed to feel anything for her. They had a deal, and he was going to stick to it. They would part after six months, and then he would be free to find Kikyo. Kikyo. He was only supposed to want Kikyo. But at that moment, when he was lying there with Kagome he had wanted nothing more than to crush her lips with his.
Inu-Yasha suddenly became aware that the hand which had been tracing the branches of the tree was curled into a tight fist. The fist trembled as his clawed fingers tried to bury further into his rough palm. Blood seeped through his fist to fall to the grass below him. It won't happen again, he vowed to himself. Kagome is just a… friend…. Or a friendish thing. Okay, so he didn't know what she was. But he knew what he wouldn't let her become.
Apparently stone walls were thinner than Kagome thought. They were rare in Japan, and much thicker than the usual wood that held up most of the war lords' homes. And yet, she could hear voices whispering all around her, even though she walked down the hallway all alone with Shippo.
"Another human bitch…" Kagome turned in the direction of the malicious voice, but couldn't find its owner. "It would figure that bastard son of Taisho's would pick one."
Her head swiftly turned in the direction of another muted whisper "What do you expect? He can't do any better than a miko. And to think she isn't even a well-trained one."
Wincing at the jab, Kagome forced herself to square her shoulders and hold her head up high. Small shivers raced up and down her spine as she examined the shadows on the wooden floor, trying to ascertain if she and the child were really the only ones in the corridor. She wasn't really surprised her new in-laws were not ready and waiting to welcome her into their home with open arms. They were youkai , and she was a miko, destined to a life of fighting demons. Either they or she would have died if they had crossed paths under normal circumstances. No, what she really didn't understand was why her new demon family was going to all the trouble of hiding themselves from her (not that she was overly anxious to be introduced to all of them). The only reason she could guess for their masking their presence was they were trying to let her know they were there, and wouldn't be making her stay comfortable, without actually confronting her. If that's the case, there's no way I am letting this bunch intimidate me.
"So Shippo, what's on the menu for breakfast?" She gritted her teeth into some semblance of a smile.
Shippo tilted his head slightly, as he continued to walk down the hallway. "Um… miso soup, rice, and fresh fish… I think."
"Ah, that's right…" Something among the shadows chuckled insidiously, "It is about my breakfast time as well! Are you sure I can't eat the little miko?" Kagome had to fight the urge to freeze in her tracks.
"No, Lord Taisho won't allow it. Besides, she's too scrawny any way. Look at the girl, she barely has any breasts!"
Kagome felt herself go scarlet; that comment had really stung. On to the next topic of conversation… "Head servant Shippo-chan, how much further to the engawa?" She asked with forced cheer.
"Don't worry, just a little further, Kagome." The kitsune reassured her in a hushed voice, well aware of the cutting remarks murmured through the hallway.
Finally Shippo entered the engawa, a wooden veranda overlooking a serene garden filled with red, white, and yellow flowers. Contrasting with the tranquility the garden offered were the tapestries and other artwork lining the three walls, depicting large dogs on a hunt, chasing and eating their captured prey. Despite her uneasiness with such violent decorations, Kagome had to admit anything was better than the voices she just left. Closing her eyes, she sighed in relief as she breathed in the fresh air, grateful to be free of the stifling corridors of the inside of the castle.
"Kagome-sama!" A deep voice chirped delightedly, startling her out of her revelry. Miroku sat at a low wooden table in the center of the veranda smiling at her, his staff placed carefully at his side. Next to him sat a middle aged man, with grime covering his battered clothing, sipping tea solemnly. "What a pleasant surprise!"
Finding his genuine warmth infective, Kagome answered, "It's nice to see you too, Miroku."
"I trust last night went well?" The monk asked suggestively, in spite of his innocent expression. He held his hands up in a placating gesture when she began to sputter at him with wide eyes. "What? I was worried for your sake!"
She joined them at the table, sitting on one of the crimson cushions lining its edges. Her eyes wandered to the stranger next to Miroku as she made herself comfortable, crossing her ankles to sit on her calves. The man did not meet her gaze, his disheveled coal colored hair falling about his eyes as he continued to sip his tea. So much dirt was caked on his weathered skin she could not make out whether his complexion was tan or fair. Blushing, she looked away, realizing she was staring at him rudely. But something about him just seemed so familiar…
Noticing her interest, Miroku spoke up. "Forgive me for not formally introducing you, Kagome-sama. Kagome-sama, this is Hiko, Inu-Yasha's best man from yesterday. Hiko, this is Inu-Yasha's wife." Hiko muttered a few inaudible syllables in response, still not meeting her gaze. "I am afraid you will have to pardon Hiko as well, Kagome-sama, since he is still a little hung over from celebrating. Hopefully the tea I mixed for him should help."
"Oh." Kagome responded as she looked around the veranda, trying to find Shippo. "Where did Inu-Yasha's head servant go?" She wondered aloud with a frown.
"Head servant?" Miroku inquired with an arched eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know, Shippo-chan."
Miroku gave her a crooked grin, amused at how trusting she was. "Let me guess, he told that, didn't he?"
The girl shrunk a little on the cushion as she looked away. "Well I did find it a little odd…"
The monk's expression softened, "No one would expect you to accuse a child of lying. Shippo is Inu-Yasha's only servant," He explained, "Shippo's parents were friends of the family. They were murdered a year and a half ago by some demon brothers looking to gather more power. Shippo was left with nothing, and nearly no one to turn to. Taisho-sama tried to get him to come live with them as his ward, but the boy would have none of it. He claimed it wouldn't be right for him to impose, and that his father would be disappointed if he took charity. So Inu-Yasha offered him a position as his servant to get him to live in the castle. He figured since he had never required the services of a servant before, he could just send the kid to do a few bogus errands every now and then to sooth his ego. Little did he know Shippo would be so stubborn about fulfilling his duties…"
"Poor boy… So my dear husband got more than he bargained for?" Kagome felt her lips tug into a grin at the thought of an exasperated Inu-Yasha trying to get Shippo to stop working.
"Much more. No matter how many times Inu-Yasha bops him on the head for serving him breakfast and lunch, washing his shirts, tidying his room, or do any of the other things the servants do, Shippo keeps doing them. Even more amusing is he doesn't do the one thing Inu-Yasha wants him to do, which is address him as Inu-Yasha-sama." Miroku chuckled as he thought about the two's constant squabbles. "Shippo doesn't think he deserves the title and tells him as much."
"I can't really blame him." Kagome confided conspiratorially.
"Neither can I." He winked in response. "I'm sure the boy just went to get your breakfast. He probably figures attending to you is probably part of his duties as Inu's servant."
Sure enough the little kitsune appeared in the doorway momentarily, wobbling from side to side as he precariously balanced a steaming tray on his head. Rushing to his aid, Kagome took the tray from him, setting it before her on the table. "Thank you, Head servant Shippo-chan!"
The boy beamed in response, even though he was still wheezing from the exertion. "No problem, Kagome."
Kagome wasted no time in digging in to the sumptuous food before her. She really hadn't eaten much the night before out of nervousness, making her ravenous at the moment. Turning toward the small fox watching her, she tried to talk to him whenever her mouth wasn't full. "Shippo-chan, would you like to accompany me to my lesson with Kaede this morning? I was planning on having a picnic afterwards, and could use some company."
"Would you mind if I came too, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked hopefully.
Pausing mid chew, Kagome thought cautiously about his request. "Sure… as long as you don't try anything."
Miroku gasped in shock, "Kagome-sama, I am a monk! What on earth would give you the idea that I would dream of doing anything indecent?"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to list my reasons alphabetically or chronologically?" She asked dryly.
Shippo answered her first question as Miroku pouted, "I would love to come, Kagome, but I have to clean Inu-Yasha's room."
Waving her hand in dismissal, she snorted, "Nonsense. Besides, when was the last time he gave you a vacation?"
The kitsune mulled this over thoughtfully. "I don't think he ever has…"
"That's it," Kagome said resolutely, "You are taking today off, and tomorrow, if I have anything to say about it. You are coming with me and we are going to have a picnic."
"If you say so…" Shippo agreed uneasily, "But don't let the jerk think it was my idea…"
"Don't worry, I will tell him that you were forced to come to the picnic, and didn't enjoy a minute of it. It's completely my fault." Shippo smiled a little in response.
Suddenly the long forgotten silent party at the table stood up, brushing off some mud as he prepared to leave. Worried she had offended him, Kagome also stood up quickly, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Sir; I didn't mean to exclude you! You can come as well, if you wish."
For a moment Hiko's sad, weary blue-gray eyes met her youthful ones, trying to find something to say to the young woman before him. But he looked down again when the only thing he could think of was how much she reminded him of her mother. With that he carefully shrugged of her hand and silently stepped down into the garden, trampling on flowers in his path. He spoke without turning back toward the others, "Thanks for the offer, but I must be on my way. Don't worry, I will find my way back to the village from here, no need to show me the door." Pausing as his foot slammed down on yet another blossom, he turned his head slightly in the direction of Miroku, "Thank you for the tea, it really did the trick."
It worked a little too well in fact. The clarity of what had just taken place was as sharp and painful as a dagger to the heart. He had unwittingly attended his daughter's wedding. Boy, did he need another drink.
"Aim a little higher," Kaede instructed Kagome over the girl's shoulder. Lord Yamura's castle grounds did not include a practice area for archery. Archery was mainly practiced by mikos and humans, and the Yamuras preferred to be up close and personal with their prey anyway. Why use a bow and arrow from a far when you can just rip their heads off? So Kagome was force to have her archery lesson in the forest instead, where she had plenty of trees for targets.
Struggling to block out the hum of the forest life surrounding her, Kagome adjusted her aim, focusing on the large, sprawling oak about forty feet in front of her.
"Very good," The elderly miko remarked encouragingly, "Now, whenever you are ready, shoot. Just remember to stay relaxed, and concentrate on sending your energy into both the arrow and the target."
Kaede had
insisted Kagome change into clothes more suitable for archery practice, and had
also taken the liberty of bringing some, claiming it was a belated wedding
present. The white haori
and red hakama was very similar to Kaede's, but loosely fitted to Kagome's form. Her hair was swept back and tied with a
ribbon to keep from interfering with her aim.
"Yea Kagome!" Shippo squeaked from
Miroku's shoulder as the man reclined against a tree
diagonally behind the girl. "You can do it!"
Kaede raised an eyebrow admonishingly, "Hush now, Shippo, Kagome needs to concentrate."
"Thank you Shippo-chan." Kagome said to lessen the blow to the kitsune's ego, still trying to force her energy into the bow. For several moments she was still, glaring at her target in determination. Finally she let the arrow fly through her green surroundings, landing with a powerful thud a hair above her intended target.
"Well done, Kagome." Kaede congratulated her as Miroku whistled in appreciation and Shippo clapped and cheered gleefully. "Your form isn't too bad at all for someone without much training. All we have to work on-"
The miko was interrupted by wild thrashing rustling in the tree Kagome had hit. Suddenly a figure in red bounded out of the tree and toward them, all the while hollering at the top of his lungs. "DAMN IT BITCH! Of all the places you could have practiced in the whole of the forest, you just had to pick the one I was in, didn't you?!" Inu-Yasha was now nearly breathing down Kagome's neck, seething at her with annoyed amber eyes.
Kagome gaped at him a moment before answering him, beginning to get irritated herself. "Well it's not as if you TOLD me where you were going to be, now did you?!"
"Stupid wench," Inu-Yasha growled, leaning forward to hover over her further. "I told you I was going to hunt this morning. Now, thanks to you, all of the game in the area has probably been scare away." There was no way he was going to tell her she had just disturbed his sulking not his hunting. He had been so deep in thought that the arrow had managed to startle him, making him extraordinarily grouchy. Not to mention he was looking at the spitting image of Kikyo. Right down to the ribbon in her hair. Where the fuck did she get that outfit?
Momentarily out of ammunition with which to defend her self, Kagome's mouth opened and closed several times. So he hadn't just left her there with no explanation. It's not a good reason, but it is a reason nonetheless. This by no means meant that she was going to back down from the argument. He had just come barreling at her yelling at her, with out so much as a 'Hi honey, how has your day been so far?' So she used the only argument she had left. "Well, you never give Shippo-chan anytime off!"
Opening his mouth to shout back, Inu-Yasha stopped, momentarily dumbfounded by the turn the argument had taken. Kagome used this brief silence to gain momentum. She marched over to Shippo and plucked him off Miroku's shoulder, returning to Inu-Yasha to all but shove the fox-demon in the hanyou's face. "The boy works and he works and you never give him a vacation! Do you even say thank you? Have you ever given him a holiday bonus?!" Kagome eyes began to water up, thoroughly getting into the guilt trip she was laying on her husband.
The boy was slumped in embarrassment in Kagome's grasp. "Its okay, Kagome, it's the least I can do to earn my keep." He muttered softly, blushing madly as he tried no to look Inu-Yasha in the eye.
"No it's not, Shippo-chan!" She countered resolutely, "You are a kid, and should have time to act like one! You should play, and make friends, not take orders all the time for gods sake!" She glared accusingly at the half demon "Did you even think about that?"
Inu-Yasha was both frantic and confused. Why was this suddenly all about the runt? Just a moment ago he had been about to exact vengeance for having his moping interrupted, and now the bitch was near tears because his servant didn't get a New Year's bonus? The kid had it almost as good as he did, it wasn't his problem if he continued to work against everything Inu-Yasha had told him. But her big blue-gray eyes were brimming with tears, making it impossible for him to tell her where she could shove it. So instead he shrunk back from her a little, ears pressed flat against his skull.
Inwardly sighing in triumph, Kagome went for a full victory. "Well I will not see this child exploited any further." She announced righteously, eyeing Inu-Yasha over her raised chin, "He is going to be my servant from now on, and he is taking today and tomorrow off. And he will also take a day off every week from now on."
"What?!" Inu-Yasha roared indignantly, "He's my fucking servant, bitch! You just can't fucking confiscate him like that!"
Kagome smirked thinly as she hissed "Oh yes I can, husband dearest. One of my stipulations last night was that I get my own personal servant. I choose Shippo."
"Stipulations?" Miroku decided perk up from his silence, arching an eyebrow in surprise, "You let her have stipulations?"
Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed. "You were serious? Even after everything else last night?"
Kagome could see him struggling to keep the flecks of hurt out of his eyes. Still she stood firm, "Not about having unlimited access to all of your accounts, but I am serious about this." She paused a moment "And about being served breakfast in bed; I have always wanted to try that."
"Well, you never really wanted Shippo to serve you anyway." Miroku chimed in when he saw Inu-Yasha snarling at her.
"So it's settled then," Kaede intervened with a voice that closed all discussion. "Shippo will attend to Kagome, and Inu-Yasha won't be burdened with a servant he does not want." Nodding to her self she walked toward Kagome, "I think that will work out rather nicely, now if we can get back to your lesson dear-"
"Don't I get any fucking say in this?" Inu-Yasha cried in exasperation, clenching and un-clenching his fists.
"No." The elderly miko replied shortly. "Now Kagome, what we need to work on now is your form-"
"NOW LOOK HERE OLD WOMAN-"
"Inu-Yasha," Kaede spoke calmly, not turning to look at the hanyou, "If you want you can go elsewhere, but if you are planning on staying I am going to have to ask you to be quiet while I continue instructing your wife."
Pouting furiously, Inu-Yasha stomped over to the tree Miroku was leaning against and plopped down sullenly. He crossed his arms in his sleeves as he scowled at nothing in particular.
Shippo hopped away from Kagome to once again sit on Miroku's shoulder. The kitsune could not suppress a giggle of delight at Inu-Yasha being to seriously told off by two women within five minutes. The bop he received on the head for his near silent chuckles didn't stop him from laughing out loud a few moments later.
"Oh, shut the fuck up, brat!"
"Inu-Yasha…" Kaede warned, causing the hanyou to once again fall silent morosely, and the boy to start laughing even harder.
Kagome sighed in delight as the group walked back toward the castle after their picnic. There was something so tranquil about walking through the forest. The sun darted through the trees, shining brightly only to disappear again like a child playing hide and seek. Each limb of every tree seemed interwoven with each other, creating an intricate net that kept the sun's heat at bay. Her mother and grandfather had always insisted that she never walk in the forest, fearing she might be attacked by youkai. This was a treat for her senses, and she eagerly enjoyed the forests sights and sounds.
At least she would have, if a certain inu hanyou hadn't been stomping through the greenery, grumbling to himself about "hags and battle axes" who didn't no their place. She gritted her teeth, desperately trying to hold her tongue. He's such a child! Kagome swore she had seen five year olds that acted better than this. The boy was walking so fast that she barely got to take in the scenery. Worst of all his menacing stampede through the forest had scared away all of the wildlife; every flock of birds flew off when he entered the vicinity.
The last straw for her was when he stomped on a butterfly, not watching where he was going. "That's it!" She huffed, halting in her step, causing Shippo to bump into the back of her leg. "What the heck is wrong with you?"
Inu-Yasha stopped in response, still as ice. Every muscle in his form wound even tighter as he slowly turned to face her, barely controlling his fiery temper. "What's wrong with me?" He hissed incredulously, glowering at her coldly. "You have the fucking nerve to ask what is wrong with me?! First you yell at me for the way I treat Shippo, even though I don't force the brat to do a thing, then you just confiscate him as if he were some kind of thing, then you demand to be served breakfast in bed every day, and NOW you have the NERVE to ask what the fuck is wrong?! Where the fuck do you get off?!"
Kagome didn't know whether to start crying or screaming. He had never been this mad with her before, she had never seen such venom in his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but you just came out of that tree screaming and-"
"That doesn't entitle you to act like a self righteous bitch!" He snapped back.
"Well if you didn't have such a temper, you bastard-"
"I DON'T HAVE A BAD TEMPER!"
"Would you stop yelling at me for a moment?"
"Oh, just fuck off bitch." Turning angrily he got ready to storm away, when he heard a stifled sob from behind him.
Slumping in defeat, Kagome whispered ruefully, "I just can't win with you can I?" Before Inu-Yasha could reply, or even turn to see the girl's face, she took off running with all abandon away from the four others in the direction of the castle.
Shippo immediately scampered off after her, "Wait, Kagome!" He cried as he tried to reach the fleeing girl.
Miroku, who had watched the heated exchange in grim silence, took this opportunity to speak up. "You know, Inu-Yasha, she actually helped you out back there."
Sinking onto the grass beneath him, the hanyou replied bitterly, "I don't want to hear it, monk."
"He's right, Inu-Yasha." Kaede spoke up softly, her gravelly voice chiding, " If Shippo serves Kagome, she is more likely to get him to relax and accept his place as a ward rather than a servant. She was arguing with you impart so that Shippo would believe she wanted him as a servant, rather than just helping him out."
"She could've said something!" Inu-Yasha defended stubbornly.
Rolling his navy blue eyes the monk replied dryly, "I believe that would have defeated the purpose."
"Whatever." Inu-Yasha muttered, completely out of arguments as he held his head in his callused hands.
Sighing, Kaede began to walk in the direction of the castle, "You aren't even giving her a chance."
Miroku followed her, responding to the miko just loud enough for Inu-Yasha to hear, "That's because he doesn't want to."
Inu-Yasha really did hate the fact that the monk knew him so well.
Inu-Yasha didn't see Kagome again until supper. He had entered the dining room out of habit, listlessly taking his place at the lavish table, only to find her seated there beside him. Thankfully she had changed out of the haori and hakama so similar to the ones Kikyo had always worn, allowing him to breath easier. Her head remained bowed in front of her, not looking at him as she fiddled with the skirt of her royal blue silk kimono. The pink swelling lining her eyes betrayed her crying, even though her expression remained closed. He could tell she didn't want her new in-laws to know she had been upset.
Kagome needn't have feared them noticing however. Taisho was too caught up ranting about insolent relatives trying to take over his property to have seen anything in front of him. Takiko was busy trying to hide her pain to notice Kagome's, smiling in an almost manic fashion as she rocked back and forth. As for Sesshomaru, he just didn't care; the lives and emotions of mortals meant less to him then a fly in his soup.
All of them sat in silence as the food was served; the only noise in the cold stone room was the clanking of plates being set on the table. Each was off in their own perspective worlds as they mechanically began to eat their food.
Suddenly Taisho spoke up, finally relaxing after the days trials. "So Kagome," The girl in question looked up at him meekly. "How do you like your new home?"
Kagome winced internally. The word 'home' seemed so final. A flash of family dinners of old lit her mind; Ji-chan prattling on about the history of miso soup while Souta flicked food under their mother's disapproving gaze. A bittersweet smile crossed her features before she could cover it with one more cheerful, "It's beautiful here."
"So I take it you are happy with this whole arrangement?" Taisho prodded further. After all the painstaking planning it would be nice to be told by someone he had done his job well. Maybe not Inu-Yasha, he wasn't about to expect his son to be grateful yet, or anytime in the near future, but maybe the girl would show the proper respect and appreciation.
Thrown momentarily, Kagome sat there dumbly trying to think of something to say. She cast a glance in Inu-Yasha's direction, only to find he was thoroughly entranced by his steak. Well, it's probably better to lie for now. Smiling brightly, she answered, "Very much so, Yamura-sama. Arigato-goziemashita."
Taisho frowned imperceptibly for a moment. He knew that smile; he had seen Takiko don it a thousand times, although hers was now flawed and worn with age. Sure, he had wanted a 'thank you' or two, but this wasn't what he wanted. He wanted one from her heart.
Shifting his position on his cushion, he took his bearded chin in his hand as he studied the newly married couple. Both sat rigidly in their seats, neither one looking at the other. Instead of sitting together as lovers would, they were a respectable distance apart, as if complete strangers. It was time for extreme measures. "I'm so glad to hear that Kagome." Taisho spoke seriously, plotting his next move as if it were chess. "And I trust everything between the two of you went well last night?"
Oh, he's asking for it. "Quite." Kagome deadpanned, looking at Taisho with a completely solemn expression. Inu-Yasha nearly choked on the piece of meat he had been chewing in response.
Sesshomaru groaned inaudibly. "Must we discuss the mortals' mating at the dinner table? Surely there is a more appropriate topic of conversation, Father."
Ignoring his oldest son, Taisho swept in for the kill with a small predatory smile. "Well in that case, I am sure you wouldn't mind giving me a grandchild as soon as possible." The statement echoed off each of the walls as everyone else gaped in shock. Taisho just smiled wider.
The Masterpiece theater set has returned to normal, complete with a fire place and book cases. Miroku is visibly pouting, while Sango looks concerned.
Sango: Rambler isn't really going to force them to have children, is she? Why does she insist on torturing these two?
Miroku:(Still pouting with his arms crossed) Why does she insist on torturing me? I didn't even get to do that much in this chapter!
Sango: (Grumbling) At least you were in this chapter, I haven't even shown up yet.
Miroku: (Stands up quickly and runs behind Sango's chair, begins giving her a back massage) Don't worry, dearest Sango, I'm sure she will put me in the next one.
Sango: (Sighs) No, Kouga is showing up in the next one, but not me.
Miroku:(His message starts
going lower, towards her butt) Well I am sure she is going to put you in soon!
Sango: I hope so… (Suddenly goes rigid as she
realizes what's going on) HOUSHI-SAMA! (She tries to strangle him from her position
in the chair, and then begins to chase him around the set) You hentai!
Miroku: (Fleeing for his life) Now Sango, I was only trying to make you feel better! (Almost gets swiped with her giant boomerang) Jeez, there is no reasoning with some women! Well if you will excuse me, dear readers, I must pay more attention- (Sango successfully swaps him on the head, making him speak in a very slurred voice) Ta vere I'm goin'. (Drops on the floor in a large heap.)
Sango: (Smiling brightly) Well I feel much better now. The lech and I will see you later readers, please remember to review! (A big neon sign that says "Review or Face the wrath of the dreaded Mongoose!" drops behind Sango).