A/N: T-T I'm sorry, readers. Two reasons why. First is that fanfiction isn't letting writer's answer reviewers. I've signed a petition, but for now... Second is that it took me so long to update. I hit a little roadblock when writing the scene with Kiken-san. First time, but I hope I'm past. The other reason it took so long to update is because I'm having a busy week. It was my birthday yesterday so I wasn't home all day, and monday I was gone, too. Today I'm going to try and update for ACE, too, although I think I updated last weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to be busy, and the same with Friday. Saturday I might have some time, so don't expect an update before then.
Okay, so people who had questions/comments. I don't think anyone will be going to the asylum. I thank anyone who read this, and who likes it. I thank anyone who is a shounen-ai fan, and direct them to my favorites page for a couple good stories like I Fell In Love With a Boy and The 13th Hour. I also say to readers that I appreciate you reading, and to let you know that I will always read your reviews.
So, for the poll with who should stab the beast: Kouga: 0 Inuyasha: 2 Don't forget to vote!
"So...hungry..." Kagome moaned. How long had it been since her last meal? Hours? Days? It seemed like an eternity ago, that night in the forest. Yet the smarter part of her mind told Kagome it couldn't possibly have been more than a day ago, two at the most. Her stomach growled, reminding her that this was the first time she had gone more than a day without some type of substance. Even when she had gotten in trouble, her father had never refused her food. And even if he did, Souta would've made sure she had something.
Kagome heard shifting outside the doorway. This was about the third time she had heard what she had labeled 'the changing of the guard'. About once every couple hours (or was it days?) the person standing at the door traded places with another castle member. It appeared that the lord was as good as his word; she really couldn't get out of here unless she agreed to eat with him.
"And that has a snowball's chance in hell of happening," Kagome muttered darkly. There was absolutely no possible way she would eat with that aggressive, ill-mannered, egotistical, pompous...ass! Never, ever, not in a million years! Kagome's mind continued along that line, for a while before her train of thought was interrupted by her stomach protesting lack of nutrition again. Shaking her head, she stood.
There was one way to find out if there really was a guard to her door, after all. Tiptoeing quietly to the wooden blockades, she tested a knob. It was still locked, but that didn't stop Kagome. Somewhere in her distant past, when she had actually had a chance to have a childhood, Kagome had learned to pick locks. It was a fun past time, and had paid off whenever the other children had seen it fit she be locked into a small closet. As they say, old habits die-hard. Kagome could prove this, for she still carried small bits of wire on her person in case she needed to get out of a situation like her current one.
She thanked whatever deity was listening for habits, and pulled out a thin piece of copper wire from on of her sleeves. Eyeing the lock hole thoughtfully, she molded the impressionable object into the right form. Sticking it into the keyhole, she whipped out another wire almost identical to it. With a little work, shifting each wire about before she had them just right, she was soon rewarded with the sound of a soft click.
Smirking with triumph, Kagome straightened both tools and placed them back into their respective locations. Trying the handle on the door again, Kagome nearly cried out in happiness as the door slowly began to turn. She inched the door forward, careful to remember that there could be a person standing directly in front of the argentous object, she peered over the edge.
There was nobody down the left end, so she looked towards the right. That end was just as empty as the other. It confused Kagome, needless to say. Weren't there supposed to be people watching her? Kagome shrugged, not wanting to look a gifted horse in the mouth. Shifting quietly, she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. Moving like a shadow, she began to follow her nose.
The staff had obviously been preparing something. By using her sense of smell, Kagome was able to locate the kitchen area with little fuss, getting lost only once. The hustle and bustle of the room called to her, followed by a pang of homesickness. It sounded too much like marketing day for Kagome's state of mind. However, she was still ravenous. After a moment of preparation, she opened the small wooden door and stepped into the insanity.
Her jaw dropped at the sight. It seemed like the entire staff was crowded into the room, demon and immortal alike. Plates flew from a basin on one end of the room to a person who dried them on the other. Then they were tossed into the air, where they miraculously flew into a small cabinet overhead. Kagome saw a chicken being disemboweled in the center of the fray, and turned away hastily. There were wonders enough to distract her from the sight. People moved about with the ease of a rapidly running river, creating endless noise but not disturbing anything outside their tiny kingdom. Kagome edged around the outside of the mess, keeping her back to the wall.
She hadn't thought anyone had seen her, until someone shouted. "Oi, who let you in 'ere, lass?" Actually, it was said so fast, and with a thick accent, that to Kagome it sounded more like "Oyu leyuiner, lass," than anything else. Kagome looked around for the voice, confused. Nobody had seen her here, she was sure of it! The proof was right in front of her, as nobody on the ground had stopped their chores. The plates still flew, the organized chaos still continued.
"Up 'ere, then!" the voice commanded. Kagome looked up skeptically, and all at once it clicked. Floating above her, quite clearly not being supported from anything, sat a demon. Kagome registered flying red hair, horns and fangs before she squealed and ducked. The voice laughed cheerily and Kagome covered her head. "No'in' t'be 'fraid uf, now." A shadow descended on her, and Kagome could see two bare feet stood in her line of view.
Kagome looked up cautiously, and then chided herself for assuming things. As she got a good look at the stranger, she noticed that her first impression had been wrong. The red hair reached just above his shoulders, matted and unkept. He did posses a horn, but it was small and sat somewhere under his thick head of hair. He also had fangs, but they were neither malicious nor dripping with saliva. His almost-but-not-quite-violet eyes held no anger or resentment. Instead, they were filled with prank ideas and mischievous plans. His guard was different than other castle staff, too. He wore white breeched that cut off just past his calf, leaving his feet bare. He had no shirt, instead opting to not have sleeves in the way of his work. He wore a sort of armguard on each limb for an unknown reason. His voice was a low alto that reminded her of her brother. Kagome stood up slowly, embarrassed at her reaction. Dusting off her skirt, she held out a hand. "Sorry about that. My name is Kagome."
The red haired demon smiled. "I knew tha' un. 'Avun't seen yer face 'round 'ere ever." Seeming to just remember he was addressing a lady, he took her hand and planted a soft kiss on it. "Me name's Jin Kiken, an' I'm head o' this 'ere room." He smiled, still holding her hand. Kagome flushed and jumped when Jin was cuffed in the back of his head.
This time the person was female. She was a long haired brunette with brown eyes that were the same shade as dirt. Tall and giving the aura of annoyance, she wore a white blouse and homespun woolen skirt proudly. Her strong hands were on her hips, sleeves rolled up to her elbow on either arm. Water droplets decorated her shirt and part of her skirt, suggesting she was either a dishwasher or a launder. Kagome guessed the former as the new woman began to give Jin a dressing-down. Her rough voice was pleasant to the ear, even if it was somewhat lower than most of the women Kagome had met.
Kagome turned her attention to the speech as the woman began to wind down. "...want to be stuck with all of the work. Again. Now you can run along and have your pretty little ass go and fix something for this young lady." Jin mock saluted her before leaping into the air, flying to the other end of the room in moments.
Kagome's eyes widened. Hadn't Yukina said that they couldn't just people without experiencing excruciating pain? This just didn't make sense! Her jaw dropped and she looked wide-eyed at the woman. Brown met brown as their eyes met, and the woman smiled slightly. Clearing her throat, she nodded her head to Kagome.
"You must be the new kid. My name is Shizuru Kuwabara." Kagome opened her mouth to ask her about the whole violence scene that had just passed and was cut off. "I know what you're going to ask. Why did I hit him when we all have that damn curse on us?" Kagome nodded mutely, closing her mouth with a click. "After you've lived as long as I have, and had to keep the boys in line, you get used to having pounding migraines on a daily basis." She laughed heartily.
Kagome smiled shyly. Shizuru was passed a plate and goblet from a young demon before, he scuttled off. She handed it to kagome, then took her arm. "Come on, you must be hungry." She brought Kagome to a small corner and set her down with her food. "It's not much, but at least it'll get you by. You just sit here and eat, and then I'll have my brother bring you back to your room afterward." Kagome looked down at her food as Shizuru went off to yell at the hyper wind demon again.
Kagome dug into her small but filling meal of sweet meat, bread and fruit. The watered-down wine tasted expensive and refreshing to someone who was used to cheap liquor and water. As she ate, Kagome watched the hustle-and-bustle of the kitchen, particularly enjoying the show of abilities from the demons. Her favorite was the person she called Dusk. He had dark skin and even darker hair, and liked to scurry around the shadows and clean the floor. He used his own hands for that, shifting them into a type of sponge before one of the other people threw water on the stone flooring. Then he would run back and forth, his sponge-hands soaking up the water and lifting the stains. After his hands became saturated with water, he would hurry over to the tub of wash-water and squeeze them out before repeating.
Kagome quickly polished off the last crumbs of her meal, feeling satisfied and awake. She politely waited until she was approached by another immortal. The man was tall, somewhere between the height of the lord and that of Yuusuke. He had messy, unkept orange hair that was kept in the oddest style Kagome had seen in her life. High cheekbones protruded from his thin face with small, beady blue eyes. He wore a bright blue tunic over a cream shirt, with blue breeches and boots. His voice was rough and unfinished as he introduced himself as Shizuru's brother.
"My lady," he began, his sparkling eyes scaring Kagome slightly. "I am the great Kazuma Kuwabara, here to escort your lovely-ness to her room." He held out an arm, bowing with the oddest look on his face. Kagome hesitated, debating on whether or not he was coming onto her or not. She was saved from that decision when Yuusuke appeared next to him and knocked him over.
Kuwabara went down with a yelp, then bounced right back onto his feet. "What was that for, Urameshi?" Kagome looked back and forth between them, trying to figure out their relationship together. They sounded like a pair of feuding brothers. "I was just about to bring Miss Higurashi to her room!"
Yuusuke blinked and seemed to just notice that Kagome was there. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Hey! You're that woman from before!" He smirked and swept into a mocking bow. "I'm ever so sorry for my manners, milady," he said sarcastically. "However, my idiot friend here distracted me with his loud mouth and even louder shirt."
Kagome lifted and hand to hide her smile. She shook her head when Kuwabara began to yell at Yuusuke for the insult. "I am not an idiot! Besides, you should know better than to address a lady like that. Where's your honor, ya punk?" Kuwabara adjusted his stance into a fighting one, raising fists against Yuusuke.
Yuusuke casually shoved his hands into his brown breech pockets. "My honor, huh? I dunno, must've left it somewhere in the stable yard." Kagome laughed and Yuusuke looked at her. His eyes were filled with mischief and humor as he winked at her. "Where's your honor, baka?" he addressed the carrot-haired menace. "Isn't it rude to keep a lady waiting?"
Kuwabara tried to growl, but it came out in a strangles gargle. "I'm not! I was just offering her a protective arm when you budged into my business!" He tried to charge Yuusuke, but ended up punching air. Faster than Kagome had thought, Yuusuke was occupying the chair opposite her.
"What are you doing? Practicing your blows on harmless air?" Yuusuke leaned back, tipping his chair onto two legs. "Besides, what would Yukina think?" Kagome watched as Kuwabara turned beet red. "I thought you liked her. What would she think if she found you flirting with a new woman, hm?"
Kagome decided to intervene before the two boys attacked each other. Kuwabara already looked ready to murder his friend, and Kagome didn't want to feel responsible for the death of two people on her shoulders. Standing, she clasped her hands together and brought both men's attention to her. "Not that this isn't entertaining, but is there anything else to do around here?" Both men looked away guiltily, as if they knew things she didn't.
Kuwabara cleared his throat. "I'm supposed to take you to your room. If you want to follow me...?" He swept an arm towards the door, but Kagome had other plans. Apparently Yuusuke picked up on them as Kagome formed them, for he rose and eyebrow but otherwise did nothing.
Kagome pouted. "But my room is so boring," she whined. Yuusuke laughed at Kagome's attempts at being a spoiled brat, but quickly turned them into coughs as Kuwabara glanced at him. Kagome stepped forward slightly, keeping her head bowed and peering up through her eyelashes. "I'm sure you know all about this castle, don't you?" she purred. "Couldn't you take me on a little, itty bitty tour?" she asked.
Kuwabara struck an odd pose at Kagome's flattery, before swiping a thumb across his nose. "Well, you are right. I know everything about this place, more than Urameshi." Yuusuke whistled innocently and looked away. Kuwabara swept into a royal bow, his arm extending towards the door. "If it would please my lady?"
Kagome smiled shyly as she tried to keep her laughter under tight control. Clasping her hands in front of her innocently, she walked daintily towards the door. Yuusuke followed, his hands behind his head and a large smirk plastered onto his face. Kuwabara brought up the rear, chest puffed out proudly as he began the tour.
End Chapter
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