Chapter 4: The Way of A Lord
Inuyasha didn't like the look Sesshoumaru gave him when he entered the office unannounced, and wearing a grumpy expression.
"Perhaps you should tell your mate to ease up on you and let you get some sleep." Sesshoumaru said, seeing the anger on Inuyasha's face.
"NANIIII?! Inuyasha practically screamed. "K-Kagome and I have barely kissed and you think I'm SLEEPING WITH HER?!"
"Sleeping with who?" Kagome's voice asked from the door, as she stepped in, sitting primly on the floor. She smiled gently up at Inuyasha, arching an eyebrow. She patted the ground beside her and Inuyasha obediently took his seat there.
Sesshoumaru watched as Inuyasha sat, shaking his head. "Since our father left me in charge of making sure you became a suitable Great Demon, perhaps some etiquette lessons are in order." He said, putting his hand to his head as he shook it. "It would appear we have alot of work to do if you're going to impress her family enough for them to allow her to marry you in the human way."
Inuyasha's eyes bulged larger than saucers, his jaw dropping. "Wh-WHAT?!" He looked from Sesshoumaru to Kagome, seeing a mildly embarassed look on her face. "Kagome...?"
"My family isn't like the people here...They wouldn't accept me just being a mate. They're going to want me to be a wife." She said softly, hiding her face with her hair.
Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "First off, before you enter a room belonging to someone else, you knock. Knocking is rapping lightly at the door with your knuckles, not punching through it."
Kagome fought the urge to giggle, remembering how Inuyasha entered just about every place he went that had a solid obstruction in his way. The obstruction never lasted very long. She snuck a glance towards Inuyasha and saw he looked completely confused. Gently, she reached out, resting her hand on his, trying to console him.
Inuyasha was trying to grasp what was happening still. He felt like his life was spinning out of control and the only thing that was steady and constant was Kagome. "I never said I was going to be lord of our father's castle." He said bluntly, his face going from confused to stubborn in less than a second.
"But you did." Sesshoumaru shifted through the papers while lifting his teacup to his lips and sipping. "When you took our father's armor and put it on, you became lord of this castle. It's something of a tradition."
The hanyou facefaulted, then sat again, quickly, glaring at his brother. "Oi, you tricked me!"
"No." Sesshoumaru looked from Inuyasha to Kagome. "You made the decision to wear it to save your mate." He scratched behind one pointed ear, looking disintrested. "Back to your manners and ettiquette-"
Inuyasha jumped to his feet, glaring at Sesshoumaru in anger. "I'm not listening to this..." He growled. With that, he turned on his heal, preparing to storm out.
"Osuwari." Kagome said evenly, and listened as he fell to the ground, his face pressed into the tatami. She turned towards the man she loved and gave him an interesting look. "Inuyasha, I hate to say this, but your manners are lacking. My parents aren't going to be content with me being married in the demon way. They're going to want it legal and binding in my time. On top of that, they're going to want to hold a ceremony."
He groaned, laying there, his forhead resting against the ground. "ALRIGHT." He said, rubbing his temples. "I'll do it..." He grudgingly went and sat beside her, his ears flat against his skull, his face annoyed. He didn't have time for this and neither did she. They had a mission to finish. This could wait until that was over...right?!
"Now...on the way a demon is to treat his mate..." Sesshoumaru saw Kagome's face get annoyed this time.
"You're overstepping your boundaries, there, 'Nii-chan'." Kagome said evenly. "What Inuyasha and I do in private is our business, and how we act in public is also that."
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "Perhaps that's best left for you two to decide."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night, dinner was a nightmare for Inuyasha. Kagome had been slightly cross with him about his table manners and they'd wound up getting into a fight. Sesshoumaru had seemed mildly concerned, but everyone else explained it was nothing new for them. They ALWAYS acted like this.
That seemed to trouble the demon even more.
Half-way through dinner, Inuyasha got up and stormed out, and Kagome merely stared into her soup. Every time they fought, it hurt her. With a tired sigh, she stood, excusing herself and went to their room. He was sitting in front of the window, his entire body showing irritation. He'd closed himself off again. It was obvious in the way he was sitting, his knees apart, his hands clasping his feet together, his back to the door, his shoulders tense.
She tried to approach him, but his shoulders only got more tight as she approached, as though he was getting ready to spring away through the open window and leave her alone again tonight. Sadly, she sat on the futon, her hands folded in her lap. "Inuyasha..." She said softly, fighting the urge to cry. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be pushing you to do this if it's not what you want..." She lowered her head, sighing heavily. "Forgive me?"
When she spoke, he jumped. He'd been so lost in thought, he didn't hear her come in, or even smell her, since the breeze was touching his face, which was in the window, rather than looking to the door. He turned a bit, seeing her sitting on the futon, her entire body sagging with defeat. He stared at her for a long time, watching the full moon play on her inky black hair. "Iie..." He said finally, looking back to the window. "It's not that. I'm just not ready for this. I've been the way I am for so long, and suddenly, I find out I'm expected to change and act like a demon lord? It's too much change. I can't become like my brother. I can't be chained to a castle and a desk."
She slowly turned towards him, then crawled across the floor, wrapping her arms around him. "I would be happy...if I could just have you." She pressed her face against his back. "I would give up my time to stay with you, but...that would hurt my family..." She never wanted to cry so much in her life. "I don't want anything but you." She said softly.
He turned towards her, slipping his arms around her shoulders. "I want to be with you, too...but..." He closed his eyes tightly. "Oh, Kagome, what are we going to do?" He asked, pressing his face into her shoulder and embracing her tightly.
"We're going to complete our mission." She said evenly. "We're going to stay together. But you...should honor what your father wished. Even if the change is slow..." She saw the doubt in his eyes and smiled gently. "I will be your mate...if you will be my husband." She said softly, stroaking a stray hair from his face.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Alright...I'll try..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inuyasha looked at Kagome in doubt. "What's this got to do with anything?" He asked, pointing at the battery opperated boom box she'd brought from her time.
She just smiled, shaking her head. "It's easier to pop in a CD to play music than it is to bring in an orchestra. Besides, it's a custom in my time. Bride and groom share a dance at the beginning of the reception."
He looked even more uncertain, and felt uneasy with everyone else watching. "Um...dance?"
She stared at him in shock. "You've never danced before..." She realized and almost facefaulted. She knew the other's were watching and wanted to die of embarassment. She noted the discouraged look on his face and gave him a warm smile. "It's okay, I'll teach you." She pulled out a classical CD and stuck it in the player, closing the lid, and turned towards him as she hit the play button. "Shall we?"
He saw the smile on her face and felt mildly better. He walked towards her, still feeling uncertain. "I don't know about this..." He said, frowning a bit.
She hit stop, throwing up her hands. "Would you feel better if everyone got up and did it?" She asked, looking at him, exasperated. When he nodded shortly, she shook her head a bit. "Sango, Miroku, if you would?" They joined them on the grass, looking as nervous and awkward as Inuyasha.
"Um, Kagome-chan...what if Miroku cops a feel?" Sango asked, nervously.
Miroku didn't look at Sango, instead, choosing to study the grass.
Kagome gave Sango a warm smile. "Something tells me he wont." She said, patting her friends hand, gently. She went to Inuyasha and then proceeded to demonstrate the placement of hands, as well as the steps. "It's called a waltz. It's pretty old, but it's also western." She gestured to Shippou who started up the player.
Inuyasha felt extremely self conscious with Kagome standing that close to him, and he seemed to be forgetting the steps. He saw Kagome giggle and felt himself relax slightly, till he trod rather heavily on her foot. "I- I'm-" He tried to appologize, but she just smiled at him.
"It's okay, let's try again."
This was kind of like the instructions on a shampoo bottle. Get shown, trod on foot, repeat. After about ten minutes of this, Inuyasha tried to get away, but with Kagome's rosary mojo, he didn't get far. Sango and Miroku weren't having nearly this much trouble. In fact, Sango seemed to be enjoying herself more and more, and Miroku was catching on extremely quickly. Inuyasha sulked, trying to remember how to do this.
Kagome sighed, resting her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
It took Inuyasha a moment to notice what had happened, but when he did, he turned bright red and tried to hide his face with his hair. He lowered his head, chewing on his lower lip. "Uh...Kagome?" He asked.
She lifted her head and smiled at him, then pulled back. "I think you've gotten the hang of it." She said, stepping away from him, but continuing to hold his hand gently. She could see that he was trying SO hard, and he was succeeding, despite having trodden on her foot so many times, and being nervous as anything.
Sango and Miroku cheered him on while Shippou giggled evilly. Inuyasha just lowered his head to hide the faint blush that was trying to creep up onto his face.
The pleasure of having pleased Kagome was broken when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat from the mansion. "If my little brother's dancing lesson is done, I have some other things he's going to have to learn."
Inuyasha went away, his ears flattened against his skull, his face looking somewhat fearful. Kagome followed him immediately, since his education involved her too, and she wanted to make sure Sesshoumaru wasn't going to be telling Inuyasha how to treat her. She liked how he treated her as it was.
Sango and Miroku sat down on the porch, Sango giggling. "Did you see the look on his face?!"
"He looked like he was being led to an execution!" Miroku said, laughing beside her.
Shippou grinned. "Are you kidding?! For Inuyasha, this IS like an execution. He's being forced to be civil. May as well cut the heart right out of him!"
The pair blinked, then realized the kit was right, but rather than laughing, it sobered them both. It made them realize that Inuyasha was sort of being forced into something he didn't want, and on top of it all, Kagome was being drug along with it. Inuyasha was being forced to grow up and take over the kingdom his father left him.
"Maybe it would be better if those two eloped..." Sango said softly, looking up at the sky. "Miroku..." She looked towards him, seeing him gazing up at the sky as well. "Remove that hand."
Author's Notes: What d'ya think of poor Inu-chan's situation?! Don't worry, this isn't the end. It's gonna have a happy ending, with lots of rice and sake and other yummy goodies, like pocky. I dunno if I'll finish it up next chapter. Maybe I'll drag Inuyasha's torture out a little longer. Ja na!
Inuyasha didn't like the look Sesshoumaru gave him when he entered the office unannounced, and wearing a grumpy expression.
"Perhaps you should tell your mate to ease up on you and let you get some sleep." Sesshoumaru said, seeing the anger on Inuyasha's face.
"NANIIII?! Inuyasha practically screamed. "K-Kagome and I have barely kissed and you think I'm SLEEPING WITH HER?!"
"Sleeping with who?" Kagome's voice asked from the door, as she stepped in, sitting primly on the floor. She smiled gently up at Inuyasha, arching an eyebrow. She patted the ground beside her and Inuyasha obediently took his seat there.
Sesshoumaru watched as Inuyasha sat, shaking his head. "Since our father left me in charge of making sure you became a suitable Great Demon, perhaps some etiquette lessons are in order." He said, putting his hand to his head as he shook it. "It would appear we have alot of work to do if you're going to impress her family enough for them to allow her to marry you in the human way."
Inuyasha's eyes bulged larger than saucers, his jaw dropping. "Wh-WHAT?!" He looked from Sesshoumaru to Kagome, seeing a mildly embarassed look on her face. "Kagome...?"
"My family isn't like the people here...They wouldn't accept me just being a mate. They're going to want me to be a wife." She said softly, hiding her face with her hair.
Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "First off, before you enter a room belonging to someone else, you knock. Knocking is rapping lightly at the door with your knuckles, not punching through it."
Kagome fought the urge to giggle, remembering how Inuyasha entered just about every place he went that had a solid obstruction in his way. The obstruction never lasted very long. She snuck a glance towards Inuyasha and saw he looked completely confused. Gently, she reached out, resting her hand on his, trying to console him.
Inuyasha was trying to grasp what was happening still. He felt like his life was spinning out of control and the only thing that was steady and constant was Kagome. "I never said I was going to be lord of our father's castle." He said bluntly, his face going from confused to stubborn in less than a second.
"But you did." Sesshoumaru shifted through the papers while lifting his teacup to his lips and sipping. "When you took our father's armor and put it on, you became lord of this castle. It's something of a tradition."
The hanyou facefaulted, then sat again, quickly, glaring at his brother. "Oi, you tricked me!"
"No." Sesshoumaru looked from Inuyasha to Kagome. "You made the decision to wear it to save your mate." He scratched behind one pointed ear, looking disintrested. "Back to your manners and ettiquette-"
Inuyasha jumped to his feet, glaring at Sesshoumaru in anger. "I'm not listening to this..." He growled. With that, he turned on his heal, preparing to storm out.
"Osuwari." Kagome said evenly, and listened as he fell to the ground, his face pressed into the tatami. She turned towards the man she loved and gave him an interesting look. "Inuyasha, I hate to say this, but your manners are lacking. My parents aren't going to be content with me being married in the demon way. They're going to want it legal and binding in my time. On top of that, they're going to want to hold a ceremony."
He groaned, laying there, his forhead resting against the ground. "ALRIGHT." He said, rubbing his temples. "I'll do it..." He grudgingly went and sat beside her, his ears flat against his skull, his face annoyed. He didn't have time for this and neither did she. They had a mission to finish. This could wait until that was over...right?!
"Now...on the way a demon is to treat his mate..." Sesshoumaru saw Kagome's face get annoyed this time.
"You're overstepping your boundaries, there, 'Nii-chan'." Kagome said evenly. "What Inuyasha and I do in private is our business, and how we act in public is also that."
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "Perhaps that's best left for you two to decide."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night, dinner was a nightmare for Inuyasha. Kagome had been slightly cross with him about his table manners and they'd wound up getting into a fight. Sesshoumaru had seemed mildly concerned, but everyone else explained it was nothing new for them. They ALWAYS acted like this.
That seemed to trouble the demon even more.
Half-way through dinner, Inuyasha got up and stormed out, and Kagome merely stared into her soup. Every time they fought, it hurt her. With a tired sigh, she stood, excusing herself and went to their room. He was sitting in front of the window, his entire body showing irritation. He'd closed himself off again. It was obvious in the way he was sitting, his knees apart, his hands clasping his feet together, his back to the door, his shoulders tense.
She tried to approach him, but his shoulders only got more tight as she approached, as though he was getting ready to spring away through the open window and leave her alone again tonight. Sadly, she sat on the futon, her hands folded in her lap. "Inuyasha..." She said softly, fighting the urge to cry. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be pushing you to do this if it's not what you want..." She lowered her head, sighing heavily. "Forgive me?"
When she spoke, he jumped. He'd been so lost in thought, he didn't hear her come in, or even smell her, since the breeze was touching his face, which was in the window, rather than looking to the door. He turned a bit, seeing her sitting on the futon, her entire body sagging with defeat. He stared at her for a long time, watching the full moon play on her inky black hair. "Iie..." He said finally, looking back to the window. "It's not that. I'm just not ready for this. I've been the way I am for so long, and suddenly, I find out I'm expected to change and act like a demon lord? It's too much change. I can't become like my brother. I can't be chained to a castle and a desk."
She slowly turned towards him, then crawled across the floor, wrapping her arms around him. "I would be happy...if I could just have you." She pressed her face against his back. "I would give up my time to stay with you, but...that would hurt my family..." She never wanted to cry so much in her life. "I don't want anything but you." She said softly.
He turned towards her, slipping his arms around her shoulders. "I want to be with you, too...but..." He closed his eyes tightly. "Oh, Kagome, what are we going to do?" He asked, pressing his face into her shoulder and embracing her tightly.
"We're going to complete our mission." She said evenly. "We're going to stay together. But you...should honor what your father wished. Even if the change is slow..." She saw the doubt in his eyes and smiled gently. "I will be your mate...if you will be my husband." She said softly, stroaking a stray hair from his face.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Alright...I'll try..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inuyasha looked at Kagome in doubt. "What's this got to do with anything?" He asked, pointing at the battery opperated boom box she'd brought from her time.
She just smiled, shaking her head. "It's easier to pop in a CD to play music than it is to bring in an orchestra. Besides, it's a custom in my time. Bride and groom share a dance at the beginning of the reception."
He looked even more uncertain, and felt uneasy with everyone else watching. "Um...dance?"
She stared at him in shock. "You've never danced before..." She realized and almost facefaulted. She knew the other's were watching and wanted to die of embarassment. She noted the discouraged look on his face and gave him a warm smile. "It's okay, I'll teach you." She pulled out a classical CD and stuck it in the player, closing the lid, and turned towards him as she hit the play button. "Shall we?"
He saw the smile on her face and felt mildly better. He walked towards her, still feeling uncertain. "I don't know about this..." He said, frowning a bit.
She hit stop, throwing up her hands. "Would you feel better if everyone got up and did it?" She asked, looking at him, exasperated. When he nodded shortly, she shook her head a bit. "Sango, Miroku, if you would?" They joined them on the grass, looking as nervous and awkward as Inuyasha.
"Um, Kagome-chan...what if Miroku cops a feel?" Sango asked, nervously.
Miroku didn't look at Sango, instead, choosing to study the grass.
Kagome gave Sango a warm smile. "Something tells me he wont." She said, patting her friends hand, gently. She went to Inuyasha and then proceeded to demonstrate the placement of hands, as well as the steps. "It's called a waltz. It's pretty old, but it's also western." She gestured to Shippou who started up the player.
Inuyasha felt extremely self conscious with Kagome standing that close to him, and he seemed to be forgetting the steps. He saw Kagome giggle and felt himself relax slightly, till he trod rather heavily on her foot. "I- I'm-" He tried to appologize, but she just smiled at him.
"It's okay, let's try again."
This was kind of like the instructions on a shampoo bottle. Get shown, trod on foot, repeat. After about ten minutes of this, Inuyasha tried to get away, but with Kagome's rosary mojo, he didn't get far. Sango and Miroku weren't having nearly this much trouble. In fact, Sango seemed to be enjoying herself more and more, and Miroku was catching on extremely quickly. Inuyasha sulked, trying to remember how to do this.
Kagome sighed, resting her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
It took Inuyasha a moment to notice what had happened, but when he did, he turned bright red and tried to hide his face with his hair. He lowered his head, chewing on his lower lip. "Uh...Kagome?" He asked.
She lifted her head and smiled at him, then pulled back. "I think you've gotten the hang of it." She said, stepping away from him, but continuing to hold his hand gently. She could see that he was trying SO hard, and he was succeeding, despite having trodden on her foot so many times, and being nervous as anything.
Sango and Miroku cheered him on while Shippou giggled evilly. Inuyasha just lowered his head to hide the faint blush that was trying to creep up onto his face.
The pleasure of having pleased Kagome was broken when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat from the mansion. "If my little brother's dancing lesson is done, I have some other things he's going to have to learn."
Inuyasha went away, his ears flattened against his skull, his face looking somewhat fearful. Kagome followed him immediately, since his education involved her too, and she wanted to make sure Sesshoumaru wasn't going to be telling Inuyasha how to treat her. She liked how he treated her as it was.
Sango and Miroku sat down on the porch, Sango giggling. "Did you see the look on his face?!"
"He looked like he was being led to an execution!" Miroku said, laughing beside her.
Shippou grinned. "Are you kidding?! For Inuyasha, this IS like an execution. He's being forced to be civil. May as well cut the heart right out of him!"
The pair blinked, then realized the kit was right, but rather than laughing, it sobered them both. It made them realize that Inuyasha was sort of being forced into something he didn't want, and on top of it all, Kagome was being drug along with it. Inuyasha was being forced to grow up and take over the kingdom his father left him.
"Maybe it would be better if those two eloped..." Sango said softly, looking up at the sky. "Miroku..." She looked towards him, seeing him gazing up at the sky as well. "Remove that hand."
Author's Notes: What d'ya think of poor Inu-chan's situation?! Don't worry, this isn't the end. It's gonna have a happy ending, with lots of rice and sake and other yummy goodies, like pocky. I dunno if I'll finish it up next chapter. Maybe I'll drag Inuyasha's torture out a little longer. Ja na!