A/N: I promised two chapters, and here is two chapters. Voila! A miracle! Okay, so a little note. The lord may seem a little OOC when you find out who he is (if you haven't already). Ignore that. That's just me on a slight sugar high. Also, I needed more writing stuffs, so I threw in a scene that was suggested from crazy-punk-girl. Okay? Well, this is the shortest author's note I've written yet, so let's just start the chapter.

Inuyasha had taken time to prepare for this. He was now sporting his best set of shirt and breeches, dyed into a deep lavendar that he was told highlighted his eyes. He was also a nervous wreck. In order to help his appearence, he had even taken one of his rare baths! Now, thoroughly clean and cold, he strode confidently down the lane that lead to his beloved Kagome's house.

Yes, it was a fine day. Birds were cheering him on as flies tumbled through the air like cheerleaders at a basketball game. Inuyasha whistled softly as his happiness warmed him. Today was the day his, and, no doubt, Kagome's, dreams came true. Today was the day when the world would bow down to him and part way for him and his soon-to-be wife. Today was the day he asked, and was granted, Kagome's hand in marriage.

Nothing could possibly bring him down! As he walked up to the small cottage and knocked gently on the door, he could feel Lady Luck praising him for his fine choices in life. Of course, he owed Miroku some credit. After all, it was the pervert's idea. And what a genious he was! When Inuyasha was done, he was going to buy Miroku the best damn women he could get his hands on.

The door opened and revealed Kagome's father, red-eyed and frowning. Inuyasha swept into an elaborate bow he had learned from watching Kenshin and other -choice- villagers. Kagome's father cleared his throat. "Wha' brings yeh all th' way o't 'ere, In'yasha? I thinked ye didn' care t' walkin' long roads."

Inuyasha straightened and began the speech he had been working on since early that morning. "Good sir, it is true that travel bores me. However, I come for good reason. I have traveled this great distance to seek, from you, the hand of Lady Kagome. It would please me greatly if I could be granted your permission to marry your lovely daughter." Inuyasha then flashed one of his trademark smiles, the one that got women swooning after him.

"No."

Inuyasha blinked. "Oh, good sir, what do you mean? Pray, tell."

Kagome's father glared at Inuyasha. "I means wha' I means. Kag'me is meh daugh'er. Uv alrea'y promised 'er t' a good friend o' me, name o' Naraku. Good man, tha'. Surry, but ye're outta luck, boyo." With that, he slammed the door shut to a stunned, and thoroughly rebuked Inuyasha.

And he had spent so long getting ready.

Kagome froze as the voice continued to speak. "Yuusuke, I do believe I told you to not let anyone in under any circumstances." The voice was a low growl, frighteningly similar to the growl of the creature from earlier in the night. "When I give orders, I expect them to be obeyed." The hand on Kagome's shoulder tightened almost painfully so. "I don't expect to have insults spat out to some bitch that strolls into my domain!"

Kagome could see the man, Yuusuke, cringe. "I'm sorry, but it's true. I can't help but speak the truth, right?" A rumbling growl echoed off the walls, giving the illusion that there was a pack of wolves somewhere in the vacinity. "She was only looking for shelter, and I turned her down. She was just about to leave."

"With provisions, you said." Kagome winced as the nails began to bite into her shoulder. "I do believe that can count as treason. Is that what you wanted?" Yuusuke had paled at that. "No? Then why were you helping some theif get a free trip to look around? Maybe, steal something? Like a flower, or mirror?" With each question, Kagome saw the man in front of her pale more and more. "Theives are to be punished by death upon sight."

Kagome realized that the man behind her was talking about her. "Wait just a minute!" she screamed, turning to face a tall, dark shadow. Her anger getting the better of her, she continued. "I have done absolutely nothing to warrent a death sentence. I'm no theif! I was looking for a safe place to stay after being chased by...something!" She threw the hand on her shoulder back to it's owner, while the man was still startled at her outburst. Apparently he wasn't used to being talked back at. Kagome wasn't used to taking hold of situations like these in such a manner, but this was the person that threatened an innocent woman to death at a whim. "Further, it's proper to introduce yourself to a lady. Especially one who has just fought for her life and won it by some damned good luck."

She heard Yuusuke stiffle a laugh. Apparently he had never heard a woman swear. Which meant he had never met Kikyo or any of the other village women. "You think you're all high and mighty, don't you? With your fancy cobblestones and big house. Let me tell you something, good sir," she said sarcastically. "This is the most unimpressive house I have ever seen in my entire life." Okay, so it was a little lie. Kagome wasn't about to admit that, yes, she had been impressed and, yes, the entire layout was fancier than anything she had ever seen in her life. "I've seen Buka have better dwellings than this!"

The stranger, who must've been about six and a half feet tall, snapped out of his stupor. "You dare talk back to me, ungrateful bitch!" he snarled. "How dare you insult me and my home? You have no right to say anything about things you don't know about." Kagome saw a shadow move as he raised his hand. Years of the instinctual action that came from years of the same sort of treatement from her father kicked in and Kagome ducked a slap intended for her. She heard the air whistle above her head as the man's hand swept over her. This surprised him again, and Kagome took advantage of that.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. Taking the hand that, mercifully, held her book, she took her own swing at him. She was able to hit him square in the face. A gasp of surprise came from both men in the room, shocked that a woman would dare strike a man. And a powerful, wealthy one at that! Breathing deeply, Kagome addressed the man. His head was turned to the side from the slap he had recieved, and candle-light lit up wide eyes. "Don't you dare hit me. I've had more abuse in my life than I care to stand for, and I won't take any, any, from an ass-hole like you!"

Turning, she stormed past Yuusuke, who followed her with his shocked gaze, and out into the lighter darkness. False dawn was approaching quickly, and Kagome could feel weariness pulling at her. Shrugging it off, for she needed to make it through the forest still, Kagome untied Buka and began to lead him back down the path.

She got as far as the gate before she froze. Not like when she had been trapped by that demon, but as if something wasn't letting her leave. The same force that prevented the hunter from following her and Buka wasn't letting them go. That just furthered Kagome's anger. She knew, somehow, that the only reason she couldn't leave was because the lord of the castle didn't give her permission. Grounding her teeth in frustration, she turned back to the castle. She made sure that Buka couldn't leave, either, before dropping the lead rope and making her way back to the looming palace. As a small act of revenge, she made sure that she trod on any plot of land she came across. If there were any plants there, they would be dead by the time the sun rose fully.

She strode up the stone steps, back into the dark hallway with the threadbare runner, and stopped short of the lord and Yuusuke. Both were talking in hushed whispers, Yuusuke's voice sounding desperate and the lord's, annoyed. Her hands were fisted at her side as she took in a deep breath. "You damned bastard, I demand you let me leave!"

Both talkers stopped and turned. Kagome noticed that the man, who she now assumed was the lord of the castle, had long, flowing hair that probably reached at least down to his waist. Yuusuke still held the candles, but the light was falling the wrong way for Kagome to get a glimpse at the lord. As she fumed, Yuusuke discreetly exited, leaving Kagome and the lord to deal with each other alone.

"What's the matter, trouble leaving?" The lord's voice was full of sarcasm, and Kagome knew that he knew that she knew that she couldn't leave without his say-so. "I do believe that it is proper for a woman to speak when spoken to. Or are my manners a little out of date? I could have sworn that nothing like that has changed."

Kagome clenched and unclenched her fists. He was playing with her! "You...you..."

The lord laughed. "Trouble speaking, too. I do believe that is a sign that the speaker is feeble minded. Or was it love-struck?" He put a hand to his chin and made a sound of thinking. "No, it was feeble-minded."

Kagome couldn't believe this man! As the sun began to rise and light up the hall, it still didn't quite reach where the lord stood. "How dare you say that? I have more brains in a single finger than you do in your entire castle!" For emphasis, Kagome raised her pinky. "You're so full of yourself, I'm surprised you haven't already exploded." Kagome saw him shift into a position that screamed 'don't-go-there'. Kagome ignored it. "And your a coward. At least I'm not afraid of a little light."

Kagome heard him growl dangerously again. "You think you know everything, do you?" He took a small step towards the light, then retreated again. Kagome smirked in triumph momentarily. "I have good reason to not want to go out in the sun. None of them have to do with being afraid."

Kagome smiled. "You see? I was right, wasn't I? You're probably some fat, balding old geezer that doesn't want a pretty little thing like me to leave. Oh, dear, is the little old man getting angry?" Kagome mocked in a baby-ish voice. The lord had started to growl again, warningly. "Oh, I'm so afraid of a growl! Help! I'm going to die by growl!" Kagome laughed, but it was short lived.

Faster than she could blink, she was face to face with the mysterious lord. Her eyes widened. The hair she had noticed before was white, and suggested old age. Until you looked past that and actually saw him. He was as tall as Kagome had predicted, looming over her like an adult does a young child. His skin was as pale as Kikyo's, and held less warmth than hers, if it could be believed. The clothing he sported was made from expensive silks modeled into a sleeveless tunic and calf-high breeches. Both garments allowed his developed muscles to show through, telling all who saw that he didn't lack in that department. His feet were clad in silk slippers, and his entire outfit was as white as his hair. What made Kagome's eyes widen was the fact that he sported two large, fairly fuzzy fox ears at the top of his head. A smoothly furred tail swished behind him angrily. He would have been the best looking man in the world, if Kagome hadn't looked into his eyes.

Molten pools of liquid gold gazed at her. They were beautiful if you didn't look too deeply. They were as hard as the stone Kagome stood on, and twice as cold. There was an emotion in them that told Kagome's instincts that this man was a born predator. His stern face was masklike as his eyes seemed to pierce into Kagome's very soul. After what seemed like an eternity, he smiled. A smile that held blood-lust and rage. Fangs gleamed in the sunlight. "What's the matter, wench? Kitsune got your tongue?"

Kagome opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She didn't move as he reached for her, a clawed hand grasping her upper arm. She didn't do anything as he forcefully led her down a series of corridors and stairwells. Kagome just couldn't do anything but follow like a docile little lamb. Even her thoughts were frozen, except for one. 'Oh gods, I'm in a demon's castle.' That one thought kept circling around itself, never changing.

She absently heard a door open, though it sounded far away, as if it were a shout from her father while she was in the field, working. She listened to the lord tell her something, yet didn't hear it. "This is your new home. I do hope you find it to your liking." The voice registered as a sadistic purr, right before Kagome was shoved and locked into a cell.

Kagome sat against the far wall and waited momentarily for all of the past few hours to sink in. She made a mental list so as not to forget anything, and went over it aloud. "One, I was awoken in the middle of the night to find a demon-thing hunting Buka. Two, said demon-thing turned on me. Three, the flight through the forest. Then the castle, then Yuusuke, the lord, not being able to get out, and finding out the lord is a demon. Can't forget getting locked into a tower cell with one small window and absolutely nothing else." Kagome shook her head.

Shrugging, and figuring she had nothing better to do, she began to ponder the lord. Very good looking lord. As soon as Kagome got past the fact that he could, and probably would, murder someone completely innocent for the fun of it, she considered his appearence. What was he afraid of? With a body like that, he could probably round up every woman from here to Peru for his own personal harem.

And then there was the fact of his ears. Kagome smiled at that. The ears looked so soft and fuzzy, she just wanted to pet them! How dangerous could you be when you had puppy-like ears on the top of your head? In Kagome's book, that just about negated everything malicious about him. It was like dealing with an angry kitten. You just couldn't stay mad at it, because it was too damned cute!

Kagome stopped her thinking when she realized something. He said he was a fox demon. That thing that chased her was probably a demon. Demon two could hear her and Buka make their way through the forest from a good distance, which went to say that demon one had just as good, if not better, hearing. Which meant that if Kagome started to yell and make a big fuss, demon one wouldn't get any rest.

There was only one way to prove that theory.

"You goddamn bastard!" she howled. "How dare you lock me up in here! You had better release me, or so help me, I'll sick my brother on you. He's a fine fighter, too. And my father will come after you, you hear me? He has powerful allies, and if his precious daughter doesn't come home then he's going to be very cross. I bet you weren't counting on that little detail, were you?"

Kagome smiled as a loud shout responded. "Shut up, you damn bitch! You're a prisoner, and you aren't supposed to be talking! You're supposed to be crying and mourning the loss of your freedom." Kagome stood up. If he thought that she was going to obey some unwritten prisoner ettiquette, he was sorely mistaken. Kagome had always prided herself on her voice. It could carry far, and was loud when the time was right.

Time to make him regret throwing her in there.

End Chapter
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