Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything from this fanfic but the plot…no characters are mine, they belong to their brilliant creator.

Chapter 4 : Getting Ready

Inuyasha exploded.

"WHAT? You mean to tell me--," he howled with rage, as Myoga frantically shushed him, " That you don't know how to get me through! Then what was the point of even telling me!"

"Well, I…," Myoga's voice trailed off, "I know there's a way for you to get in, I just—uh—don't know how…to… get you in," he finished in a quiet, faltering voice, as Inuyasha stood behind him, cracking his knuckles menacingly, " Er… Okay…I'll go find a way!" He quickly zoomed through the crack in the wall.

Annoyed, Inuyasha growled softly under his breath. When he got his hands around that Myoga…

He kicked the wall in frustration, suppressing a howl as pain shot up his leg.

Well, at least he knew he couldn't kick the solid wall down.

Several impatient minutes passed….

"Did you find a way in yet," he tapped at the wall, a little loudly , just in case that Myoga couldn't hear his words. He waited, but there was no answer.

"Damn him. The least he could do is say something," he muttered, and leaned against the wall.

At that instant, the wall swung inwards, sending him sprawling over backwards, making him hit his head against the hard, stone floor.

"Ow! Dammit," he cursed, and stood up, rubbing the back of his skull to lessen the painful blow.

The important thing was that he managed to get inside, right?

" Are you alright, Master Inuyasha," Myoga appeared out of nowhere, jumping onto his right shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Literally, Inuyasha brushed him aside, with some impatience, "What is this place anyways?" He glanced around the hidden room curiously, taking in the sights.

The hidden room they were standing in wasn't very big, it was, probably, the smallest room in the entire manor. On one corner of the room, there was a small, dusty, dirty window, letting in some faint starlight…all over the corners of that room, there were cobwebs, draped thickly over the walls, like thin, delicate tapestries. Everything was covered with a fine layer of dust, the walls, the floor, and including the only furniture in the room, which happened to be a few chairs and a table.

"There it is. There's the haori of your father's, Master Inuyasha," Myoga jumped to the table in the middle of the room, pointing to an object that was folded neatly near the edge of the table. "The haori of the fire-rat."

"The what, now?" Inuyasha walked over to the table and took the dusty haori off, unfolding and shaking it clean, inspecting it with a critical eye.

"The haori of the fire-rat," Myoga repeated. "It protects against fire. It was your father's, passed on generation through generation. It's an old family heir-loom."

"Heirloom? Doesn't that mean it ought to belong in a museum somewhere?"

Myoga sighed, shaking his head. "No! I mean, yes! I mean, no! It's yours Master. Though undoubtedly people might want to preserve it in a museum somewhere—but that isn't the point! You should wear it to the Ball! It doesn't look old fashioned, or even out of style for this sort of occasion."

"Ah, I might wear it, then," Inuyasha drawled in an unconcerned voice, "If I go, I mean."

"Oh, yes. Lord Naraku didn't want you to go, did he?"

"Of course that Bastard doesn't want me to go!" Inuyasha snapped, irritated. "He hates the sight of me. He's embarrassed to have a Hanyou stepson. Keh. I hate the sight of him, too."

"So, you're going to listen to Lord Naraku and not go?" Myoga questioned.

"I didn't say that," Inuyasha snapped, " I'll go if I want to. I don't care what Naraku says."

"And he said no, correct?"

"Yeah, he said no!"

"Then are you going?" Myoga finally asked.

Inuyasha though it over for a moment.

"Yeah, I think I will," He replied, and once again looked down at the fire-rat haori that had belonged to his human father.

The day of the Ball swiftly arrived, and when it did, Kagome was both excited and nervous. She already had a beautiful blue gown picked out weeks beforehand, and when she put it on, and adorned herself with stunning, delicate-looking jewelry, she went to go look at herself in her large, vertical mirror.

Her reflection stared back at her, with wide-eyes.

Is that really me?, she wondered, putting a hand to her face.

Kagome hadn't been aware of how much she had changed since she had reached puberty. As a child, she had been awkward and clumsy, and now… well, she was still awkward and clumsy, but she looked more…like an adult.

I look a little like Kikyou, she thought with some shock. I mean, not a whole lot, but you can see the resemblance between us. But Kikyou is gorgeous and I'm just… pretty. Pretty normal.

She snorted and laughed. Gods, this was stupid.

I'm just who I am, she finally decided, It doesn't matter whether or not I look like Kikyou.

Feeling a bit better about herself, Kagome turned and went to see whether or not she could help with any more Ball preparations.

Back at Naraku's Manor, the preparations were over and done with.

Inuyasha stood inside the stables, after being told by Naraku that he had to remain at home and make sure nobody broke in or tried to steal anything. He was also instructed not to steal anything himself, though he had never done such a thing (nor did he want to).

Near sunset, a carriage came from the city to take Naraku and his two daughters away (this was some sort of service provided to all the people over the small country, to encourage more guests to attend).

After they left, Inuyasha began to get ready, cleaning himself up and putting on the fire-rat haori that, surprisingly, was a perfect fit. It seemed so perfect, it could have been made for him.

And then something happened. He began to change, to transform into a human. His hair, which was usually silvery white, turned black, and his usual claws and fangs disappeared.

He had forgotten that tonight was the night of the new moon!

"Master Inuyasha?" Myoga jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder, "Are you still going to the Ball, anyways?"

Inuyasha smiled recklessly, his now dark brown eyes glittered in the darkness as he stepped out into the night. "Yeah, I think I still am, Myoga," he answered, remembering that neither Naraku nor Kagura or Kanna had ever seen him as a human…and not caring whether or not they did now.

A/N: Once again, sorry for the long update and the bad spacing, if there is any. Next chapter is the Ball… I will try to upload it soon. Thanks to fluffylover666, rustyspoons (For Reviewing twice!), Nessya, QT102, and WaterAlchemist27! You guys ROCK! Thanks for making me feel loved! And to those who don't review, and just read. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!