Disclaimer: Everyone wishes they owned Inuyasha. To bad none of us do.
Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.
The One.
Chapter two: The House on the Hill
Kagome awoke with a start. Her step-father was leaning over her shaking her. It was the first time in a long time that Kagome had actually woken up right out of her sleep without going through yowling and buzzing and lost limbs and numb faces. To say the least it was a rude awakening. She had to blink her eyes several times because it was still dark outside. That took a moment to compute, but the second it did she asked the first question out of anyone's (who had just been sleeping that is) mouth:
"What time is it?" She was surprised to hear that her voice sounded scratchy and strangely quiet.
"Five thirty." Was her whispered answer.
"AM?" She asked, slightly louder and sitting up.
"Yup. You have fifteen minutes and then we're leaving." And with that a blinding light burst on in Kagome's room and she heard her door close. Five thirty! Is he insane? Kagome asked herself as she wasted eight of her fifteen minutes attempting to see. She wished this ceremony thing was just next door.
"Five minutes Kag!" Her step-father said as her poked his head in through the door. And she wouldn't even get to shower!
Falling out of her bad, Kagome grabbed a pair of jean cut offs and threw on a black tank top. She applied a little deodorant under her arms, gave her eyelashes a sweep of mascara, tied her long dark hair back into a braid and grabbed her bag. She was ready with barely a minute to spare. Then she realized she hadn't brushed her teeth and delayed her step-father two minutes. They pulled out of their driveway at five forty-eight in the morning and started off.
"I'm hungry!" Kagome whined. "Are we there yet? We've been driving for hours!" Akito twitched. It was all he could do not throttle her. "Daddy, I have to pee!" He cranked the radio up so he couldn't hear her any more. No matter how much it hurt his sensitive ears.
It was true that they had been driving for hours straight. They'd stopped at a McDonald's for a pee break and brunch at ten thirty (Kagome having fallen asleep in the car until that point) and then another pee break at another McDonald's an hour later. It was two o'clock and they still had just over an hour to go before they were there. Kagome had been whining more and more consistently for about an hour. He should have brought some gravol to give her or something. Anything to quieten the beast!
Akito pulled over at the next gas station and Kagome got out to pee. As he stood, pumping gas into his car, he thought about the next hour or so. If this was anything to go by it would be worse then he could ever have imagined. He finished pumping, paid, bought gravol, a sport drink and a bag of potato chips. He was determined to keep her quiet. He didn't know how much longer he could take the loud music. His ears were still ringing. Maybe he could touch on some of the facts about the ceremony and the etiquette and such. He was regretting not telling her more before. Like when she was to young to understand but still able to retain the knowledge.
Kagome skipped out to the car, smiling, pleased to be relieved of one of her many troubles. She liked annoying her step-father, especially when he cranked the music. That had been a great song. When she settled back into her seat, Akito looked over to her and handed her a pill. She rolled her eyes and took it from him. He handed her the sports drink and she swallowed the gravol. Medicine usually had an almost immediate response from her and as the car roared to life, Kagome no longer felt like singing or listening to loud music, she felt like quiet. Fifteen minutes out on the road and Kagome was lazily resting her eyes, listening the quiet music in the background and thinking about where they were going.
"You know Kagome, you might actually find a mate while we're at the ceremony." Akito stated conversationally. He knew Kagome wasn't asleep, so he carried on. "If you find out that you are a mate, I'd just like to know if you'd want a wedding too. We'd have to have it really soon afterwards because you'd probably be pregnant right away-"
"I am not having a baby at eighteen." It was mumbled and tired but firm.
"But if you find your mate you probably won't have a choice. It just happens. It's like-"
"You and Mom don't have a baby."
"Your mother and I talked about it and we both decided that we didn't want to have a pup right away. We might have one once Sota gets settled into high school next year. Haven't decided."
"Mmf." Kagome sighed.
"Anyways Kagome, your scents are particularly hard to distinguish. It would definitely be 'The One' if you found a demon who could figure them all out." He smiled and lapsed into silence for a bit. "So, Kagome... When we get there, we'll all mingle for a bit and then we'll be shown to our rooms. I believe that the girls are bunking together in groups and the adults together et cetera. I didn't..." He trailed off and sighed. She was asleep.
"Kagome, wake up already!" And then her brain turned into scrambled eggs.
"Urg!" She sat up, still groggy and looked around. A blast of cold, salty air hit her head on and her eyes watered. Where was she? Kagome took in another lungful of salty air and tried rubbing the sleep from her eyes. They were by the sea. By a faire. By a faire that appeared to be waiting for them - judging from an annoyed looking man in a captain's hat. Then she asked the question.
"What time is it?"
"Time to go! Hurry up! They're waiting for us!" He pulled Kagome out of the car and then toward the boat, locking his car behind him. Kagome had to jog to keep up with him and kept stumbling. It was, to say the least, embarrassing to be waited for by the faire captain. They hurried along the small boarding dock and through a thick door into an extremely expensive looking boat. Kagome's embarrassment went up ten fold. She hoped they were the only passengers.
"Dad?" Kagome looked up into her step-father's face. "What time is it?"
He sighed and led her through a narrow, carpeted hall way and into a seating area filled with plush looking couches. Kagome could feel her eyes drooping at the sight of them.
"It's three thirty." He told her curtly and seated her on one of the couches. Kagome dozed for a little while before she began to feel herself waking up. She lazily glanced around and noticed that there were other people on board the boat. She sighed tiredly and watched as fathers and daughters talked and mingled amongst themselves. Odd; there didn't seem to be an mothers around. Her father was currently engaged in conversation with another older man. Kagome sighed deeply and people watched for a while before she noticed the cushions sinking in a little. Sitting up, Kagome looked around at a girl who looked strangely like herself. Except she was older. And she had better hair. And better clothes. And a better complexion. No biggy.
"Hi there." She said and the corners of her mouth turned up in a friendly smile. She had a better smile. And a better voice too. Kagome suddenly forgot her first thought about them looking similar and smiled back at the other girl as best she could.
"Hi." Man that was lame. Kagome reprimanded herself for her terrible greeting. The girl giggled.
"I'm Kikyou. Who are you?" She looked intensely curious. It was a little bit scary.
"Uh... Kagome. Nice to meet you." Better.
"Oh! You're Akito's step-daughter! I've heard about you." Catching the weirded out vibe coming from Kagome, Kikyou smiled and added: "My cousin and your step-father are on friendly terms."
"Oh, well, in that case..." Kagome smiled a little. Honestly, what could she say?
"Have you ever been to the ceremony before?" Kikyou asked conversationally, leaning back into the couch.
"No, I haven't. Have you?" Kagome was beginning to wake up more as her interest peaked.
"Well, no, not this one in particular. I'm looking for my life mate but I haven't found him yet. I consulted an old fortune teller and she told me he was royal. I'm hoping to get lucky this time." She smiled and winked and then apparently noticed someone else she had to go and greet. "Well, it was nice talking to you Kagome. See you later."
Kagome sighed and reclined back into the sofa again. This Faire ride was turning out to be worse than the car ride. She wondered if they were there yet. It had to have been at the very least ten minutes. She looked around and then noticed a window. The dark sea was rolling by fast, it's stormy surface mesmerizing. She watched and tried to imagine what it would have been like hundreds of years in the past, before Japan had been fished out and the waters permanently polluted. She imagined crystal clear waves, maybe a dolphin. And then a purpley octopus reached out and grabbed her and Kikyou and pulled them into the water but it wasn't cold, it was nice and warm. Then they all sat down and the dolphin pored them tea. Kagome wasn't at all surprised when her math teacher came in and tried to do Kagome's hair. Then she started swimming in the pool. She didn't find it at all weird that the ocean had a pool in it.
"Kagome! Urg, I should never have given you that gravol. Kagome!" Akito growled, giving Kagome a rough shake.
"Oh!" Kagome said as she breathed in and looked around her. The boat was empty. Why were they always late for everything? What about her math teacher? Then Kagome realized that she had probably been dreaming. "Sorry, dozed off."
"Its okay, come on." Her step-father took hold of her arm and helped her to her feet. They hurried out of the side door again and down a ramp onto a paved expanse. There was a row of eight black cars; all parked a few feet away. Five of them pulled out and drove away down a paved drive. Kagome watched them, wondering what on earth was going on. Her father, though well meaning, wasn't exactly what she'd call a fountain of information.
"Dad?" She looked up at him questioningly as he led her toward one of the cars and it started.
"It's okay, just ten minutes in the car and we'll be there." He seemed to be reassuring himself rather then her. Kagome felt slightly indignant. She wasn't that bad!
The two climbed into the car, Kagome in back and a driver and her step-father in front. The driver looked to be a tall man in a dark suit. His hair was dark and pulled back into a low pony tail. He turned his steely eyes on Kagome and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He tilted down expensive looking glasses, his steely eyes met hers.
"If you don't find your mate, would you do me the honor of baring my child? OUCH!" Akito punched the driver in the head, growling, his eyes narrowed.
"Drive." Akito's voice was indeed threatening.
"Okay, okay, calm down!" He took off, speeding up the drive. There were a couple minutes of silence before the driver spoke again. "So... I'm Miroku. And you would all be?" He raised an eyebrow behind his glasses.
"I'm Kagome. That's my step-father, Higurashi Akito. Pleased to meet you Miroku." She gave him a friendly smile and then settled back in her seat.
"It's my pleasure entirely Miss Kagome." He grinned and turned his attention back out the windshield. There was a pause during which Kagome began to fidget. Fortunately for her Miroku was in as chatty a mood as ever. "So, is this your first time to the Takahashi mansion?"
Kagome raised an eye brow curiously and leaned forward in her seat to get a better view of her driver. "Yes. I didn't even know it was a mansion. I thought we'd be staying in some kind of hotel or something... What's it like?"
Miroku smiled easily as he took a gentle corner. "Well, it's huge, let me tell you that. It's also Inutaisho's favorite house to host a party in. No complaining neighbors, you know?"
"No, I don't know. Surely he has a neighbor. He can't possibly own the whole island!" Kagome exclaimed. Her step-father sighed and turned her face to look out the window.
Miroku laughed. "But of course he does! He bought this island about... Well, maybe a hundred years ago, give or take a few years. Maybe tomorrow, if you haven't found a mate, I'll show you around." He looked at her and winked. Kagome giggled in response to his flirtation.
"Yeah, I'd like that. And since I don't plan on finding a mate anyways, we could just meet somewhere." She looked like and excited child, waiting for Christmas.
Throwing his head back and laughing, Miroku turned a bend around a hill and Kagome gasped. A positively enormous house had come into view, sitting atop a high perched hill. It's front was brick and the architecture was classic, with wide windows and white frames. It all seemed incredibly magical. If she had been riding in a horse drawn buggy it was have felt like something from one of her romance novels. As they began to make their way up the hill, Kagome noticed that the lawn surrounding it was perfectly manicured. The gardens next to the house were breath taking and the only thing that took away from it all was the line of black cars parked in front of it. The moment Miroku stopped, Kagome climbed out and looked around in awe. You could see the steely sea from the top and the gently rolling hills were completely deserted. To Kagome, it was a vision of paradise. She took in a deep breath and couldn't help the smile that found itself creeping across her face. It was quarter to five and the sinking sun was warm on her face.
"So I'll see you out here about this time tomorrow?" Miroku asked as he stood up, his door still opened behind him.
Kagome grinned. "Deal." And before either of them could say another word, Akito cleared his throat and grabbed hold of his daughter's arm.
"Come on Kagome. We're late enough as it is." And he hauled her up to the front door. He knocked heavily and it swung open to reveal a small toad like demon. Kagome waved over her shoulder just as her step-father pulled her inside. The glamorous entrance way was just as beautiful as the outside of the house. It was old and classical. All of her friends thought she was a little weird for fancying the old American style of building but it wasn't something she could help much. It was an unconditional love.
Kagome was hauled from the room by her father as he followed the small toad butler. He lead her to a small parlor where there seemed to be hundreds of girls all gathered together with their fathers. In Kagome's humble opinion it was sheer madness. But then again, she was never a fan of crowds. Wandering around aimlessly, Kagome caught glimpses of girls with silver hair, with brown hair and some with black. She caught a brief glimpse of Kikyou talking to a pretty brown haired girl with a clip board but other than that there was no one in the room she knew. No one even seemed to be slightly inclined to acknowledge her.
Bored seconds stretched into bored minutes as Kagome lounged against a wall, her father off talking to one man or another. She watched as the girls around her talked and laughed and generally had a good time. They had probably been getting together all their lives. The woman who had been talking to Kikyou earlier stood up on a chair beside a beautifully carved door frame. She started waving her hands around and jumping up and down trying to get everyone's attention. Finally she gave up and whistled loudly. Most people flinched and they all fell silent, staring at her.
"Okay, thank you!" She sighed. "As you all probably know by now, my name is Sango. I'll be coordinating the lot of you over the next couple days. If you could all line up please, you'll be escorted by a butler in groups of ten to a specified dorm room. Thank you and please make a line in single file." She climbed down from her chair and stood next to the door, waiting.
Everyone in the room started to form a line. Kagome snuck in to any random spot and waited. The line moved at a fairly steady pase forward. It took close to five minutes before Kagome reached the door. The woman with the clip board was shaking hands with each girl and then writing down their names on her clip board. She wrote the name of the girl in front of her and then was distracted when a large man with silver hair and sparkling amber eyes came up to her and asked her a question. Kagome waited for a couple seconds and then just continued on. Sango turned back around to greet the girl behind her.
Kagome was the last to join a group of ten girls and was quietly led by a maid away from the door. They walked down a dimly lit corridor, Kagome admiring the decor all the while.
He sniffed the air delicately, pausing mid sentence in a heated argument with his brother. He was distinctly aware that the front of his pants had grown much tighter then they had been moments before. He sniffed again and nearly drooled. That delicious smell was wandering past in the corridor. He could hear girls talking and giggling through the walls, but none of them sounded like the smell. He started toward the door, panting slightly.
"Brother." He half-brother's icy voice brought him back to reality.
"She's here." He said quietly, not really thinking about what he was saying; staring at the door, longing to follow the scent that was growing fainter by the second.
"Hmm. You can wait until tomorrow. Besides, Father wants to talk to you before hand. Warn you about birds and bees and the like." He smirked mockingly.
"You stupid jackass." But there wasn't really any conviction behind his retort. He was far to distracted.
Kagome was shown into and enormous room. The walls were papered in a shimmering and yet delicate beige wall paper, patterned with discreet doves. The ten beds in the immediate room were arranged in a semi circle. Even though they were single beds, they looked extraordinarily comfortable. With silky looking quilts and fluffed pillows Kagome wanted to go to sleep. To bad it was only five thirty. The girls all claimed their beds and Kagome got which ever one was left. It was on the end, the farthest one to the left.
The maid bowed and then called all the girls attention to her. "Excuse me ladies. If you will sign the clip board on the outside of your door, your luggage will be brought to you shortly. You will all be dining in your room tonight. If you write your preferred flavor of pizza beside your name it will be delivered as well. Thank you and good night." She bowed once more and left. All the girls giggled and got up to sign their names.
Kagome was the last one to sign the clip bored. She signed it with her full name and then wrote 'cheese' beside her name. She glanced up and noticed that not a single name had 'cheese' beside it. There was hawaiian, pepperoni and even a vegetarian or two. Kagome felt like the black sheep that was wearing face paint. She sighed and went back inside the 'dorm' room to sit on her bed and admire the wall paper some more. You can imagine how quickly that got boring.
The luggage arrived about twenty minutes later accompanied by their pizzas. Kagome gratefully placed her luggage beside her bed and pulled out her pajamas. She laid them out on her bed and then looked over at what had been a pizza feeding frenzy. She saw her own little personalized box of plain cheese pizza.
Her pizza finished, her clothes changed and her face washed, Kagome pulled her book out of her bag and settled down to read, trying to tune out the sounds of the other girls giggling and chatting loudly. They were jabbering on about some guy named Inuyasha. Apparently every girl was in agreeance that he was as handsome as sin and they all wanted to be his mate. Then the scene of heated passion came and Kagome tuned then all out successfully.
She read for a long time. It was only when she yawned that she noticed that the voices around her had stopped. She looked up and realized that one by one they had turned out their bedside lights and drifted off to sleep. Kagome felt a bit sheepish as she finished reading her paragraph and then put her book down and turned out her light. She wished she hadn't slept so much in the car. But it was really her own fault. She knew it irritated her step-father when she whined consistently. But honestly, who can be cooped up in a car all day long and not have something to wine about.
With a blissful sigh, Kagome drifted off to sleep.
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