Chapter Four: Au

Kagome forced herself to speak the words she'd rehearsed. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama. I bring with me the goodwill of all humankind," she said loud enough for everyone on the dais to hear. She figured that most of the gathered demons could hear as well, since their senses were sharper than hers.

"Do you?" Sesshoumaru asked, quirking one elegant eyebrow.

For a moment, Kagome's temper flared. He'd demanded that the humans send him a princess to marry, and now he was being rude. "Well, you had my goodwill at least, but now I'm not sure I want to give it!" She huffed and looked away in indignation.

"Oujo-sama!" Sango hissed from behind her in warning.

"It is all right, Demon Slayer. This Sesshoumaru prefers that the Princess say what is on her mind."

Kagome looked back at him, his golden eyes gazing into hers as if searching for something. She blushed after a moment and looked away.

Before she could think of something to say, Jaken stepped in and presented the other people on the dais to Kagome.

"K-k-kikyou-sama! Let me present to you, Rin. She'll be your handmaiden here," the little youkai croaked as he tried to change the subject.

Kagome looked over at the girl that Jaken had introduced. The fact that Kagome couldn't sense any demonic aura from the girl surprised her the most. She was young, maybe eleven or twelve, with big brown eyes and long brown hair. And most importantly, she didn't seem to mind being a human surrounded by demons. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rin."

Rin smiled a huge, sincere smile. "It's nice to meet you, too, Oujo-sama!" Rin chirped.

"Let us go," Sesshoumaru said and turned towards the palace proper.

Two servants opened the huge gate to the main hall, revealing an area almost as large as the courtyard they had just left. It was opulent, with beautiful murals decorating the walls depicting huge white dog demons hunting and playing. The procession entered the hall, which had another two lines of servants bowing, marking the path they took towards the two thrones at the back of the hall. The larger throne sat empty, but in the smaller throne sat a beautiful woman with white hair, a magenta stripe across each cheekbone and a crescent moon on her forehead, just like Sesshoumaru's. She also had a great white fur that she wrapped around her shoulders, much like Sesshoumaru had.

'What is that thing?' Kagome wondered. 'Will I have to wear one once I become Lady of the West?'

The woman watched the little procession with golden eyes, a small smirk playing around her lips as she saw Kagome. Kagome's stomach tightened a little. 'Does she know? There's no way...'

"Okaa-sama, This Sesshoumaru presents to you Princess Kikyou, the woman that This Sesshoumaru wishes to take as his mate," Sesshoumaru said.

'So, she is his mother,' Kagome thought. 'But why is he so formal?'

"Welcome, Kikyou, to the Palace of the West. I am the Lady Mother, former Lady of the West. It is time for my son to take his own mate and his place as leader of our people. Are you prepared for the task of being the Lady of the West? It is not an easy one," Sesshoumaru's mother asked, her face a perfect mask, giving Kagome no idea of what the demon-woman was thinking.

"I'm as prepared as I can be, and I'll work hard to learn the rest," Kagome said, bowing. Kagome heard the rustle of fabric, and felt a hand under her chin. She looked up at the Lady Mother.

"You do not need to bow your head to me. You are my heir and shall be my equal. You shall take over my responsibility to care for my Sesshoumaru, and one day you shall have your own child to care for and protect."

Kagome blushed. "Thank you."

"I have never understood what my husband saw in humans, but maybe you will show me. You must be tired. Sesshoumaru?" The Lady looked over at her son as she moved away from Kagome and delicately sat back down on her throne.

"Rin, please show Kikyou-sama to her chambers to prepare for tonight," Sesshoumaru said to Rin. Then he turned to Kagome. "The wedding is at sunset."

"So soon?" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"You must carry This Sesshoumaru's scent. Until you do, there are demons here who would view you as prey."

"Does Rin 'carry your scent'?" Kagome asked. 'Damn, I spoke before thinking again'. She saw Sesshomaru's eyes narrow. 'Uh-oh.'

"Yes, but not in the way you believe. This Sesshoumaru resurrected her with the sword InuTaisho bequeathed to This Sesshoumaru. We traveled traveled together for many seasons, so she is marked as one of This Sesshoumaru's pack." He looked down at her with those beautiful golden eyes.

"I'm sorry. I was rude," she said, trying to easy the awkwardness.

"Go prepare yourself," he told her again, but somehow the way he said it made it less of a harsh bark of an order, and more of a reminder of what needed to be done.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama..."

She let Rin lead her off to the rooms that she'd be using, but even the girl's playful chatter couldn't penetrate a numbness that had settled inside of her. She was going to be married tonight to a demon who thought she was someone else.

'What have I ever done to deserve this?'

Author's Notes: Au means "to meet." 'Oujo' means 'the King's Daughter' or 'Princess', and 'Okaa-sama' is the most formal version of 'Mother' in Japanese.