A/N I'm sorry for long wait everyone I still do not have a beta reader so please excuse the spelling and grammar I DON'T OWN INUYASHA OR EVER AFTER
Kagura, Sango and Kikyo where up in the Kikyo' s room looking for the perfect dress for Kikyo to where at the mask.
Kagura picks a beautiful blue dress for her and turns to Kikyo and asks her "What about this one?"
"Mother its blue!" she replies with an disappointed look on her face
Kagura looks at the dress "Kouga loves blue" Kikyo gives her mother a knowing look "And every women knows that and will be wearing the same thing" "I knew where a clever girl Kikyo"
Sango walks in the room with a beautiful green drees, she was trying to reach around the back to finish doing up her dress
"Well this one is too small"
Kagura looks over to Sango with disappointment on her face "We shall just have to get you a tighter cinch"
Sango looks over to her mother in shock "Its tight as it is, I cannot even breathe"
Kagura had a small smirk on her face "If one cannot breathe one can not eat" Kikyo smirks at this and Sango looks down at her feet.
Kikyo looks at the dress and throughs them on the bed "Mother focus, please!" Kagura goes over to Kikyo and tries to claim down her daughter "Perhaps if I know what you are looking for"
"Something fit for a queen" Kikyo says as falls onto the bed, just then Kagura remembered something from her room "Ladies I have just the thing, but we must speak of this to no one"
Kagura then leaves Kikyo' s room to go to her room, Kikyo gets a big smile on her face as she gets up and leaves, Sango also follows as they both enter their mother's room they see her open a chest at the end of her bed, Kagura starts to move different objects out of her chest, she then finds a box and a beautiful pair of glass shoes with blue grinds on them, Kagura then places them aside and opens the box, inside is a beautiful white dress. Kagura slowly gets this dress out to show her children "Waste what… Want not"
Both Kikyo and Sango gasp at the dress, Kikyo goes over to her mother to have a better look at the dress "Oh, mother its perfect!" she says as she feels the fabric, Sango picks up the shoes "I love the shoes, where did you get them"
Kagura and Kikyo place the dress near Kikyo to see if it would look good on her Kagura turns to Sango "It's Kagome's dowry, for her wedding"
Kikyo got a smile on her face "What Cinderella? Married? (She and Kagura laugh little) to whom the chimney sweep?"
Sango looks to her mother and sister with a confused look on her face "If it is Kagome's dress wouldn't she want to wear it to the mask?'
Kikyo looked over to her sister "since when do royal balls invite commers?"
"Well never, but she is our stepsister…and the invitation did say "To the ladies of the house"
Kagura replied "She is not of noble blood, and who would notice, nobody honestly, Sango, whose side are you on?" as she goes back to looking at the dress with Kikyo.
As the three women were looking at the dress and shoes, Kagome walks in with different items in her hand, she sees the women holding the dress and shoes.
"What are you doing?" she asks them in a stand voice
Kagura was quick to replay "Airing out your dress… for the masque"
Sango looks confused "Her dress? But you just said…"
Kikyo interprets her "I suppose for a commoner, it'll have to. I mean, look at it. It's practically an antique"
Kagome looks to her sister and then to her Kagura with a small smile on her face "You wish me…. To go to a masque?"
"Of course," says Kagura
"I don't know what to say" replies Kagome
"Say? Honestly, Kagome it hurts me that you do not feel like one of my daughters, I thought we could all go as one big happy family, that is if you complete your chores in time, mind your manners till then."
Kagome is so shocked all she could do is nod and smile at this news, Sango became so angry at what her mother said that she through the shoes onto the bed and leaves the room.
Kagome and the others watch this "What is wrong with Sango?" she asks
"Oh, she does not want you to go" says Kikyo with a small smirk on her face.
With Kouga and Jinenji, they were both at a riverbank, Kouga was throwing stones into the river hopping to talk to Jinenji about what is troubling him.
Kouga calls back to Jinenji "Do you really think there is only one perfect mate?"
Jinenji looks to Kouga with a smile "As a matter of fact, I do"
"How can you be certain to find them? And if you find them, are they really the one for you… (he stops to think) or do you think they are? What if the person you're meant to be with never appears? (Kouga starts to though stones into the lake again) or if she does, but you don't notice?"
"You learn to pay attention" Jinenji interrupts, but Kouga does not listen so he continues his endless questions "Then, let's say… the kami's put two people on earth… and they are lucky enough to find one another. But something trouble happens to one of them then what happens then? Is that it? Or perchance you meet someone new and marry again, is that the lady you should be with? Or was it the first? Or is everything just chance… or are some things meant to be?"
Jinenji gets something out of a trunk that they had brought along "You cannot leave everything to fate, boy. She has a lot to do, sometimes you must give her a hand."
Kouga and Jinenji both have a small laugh at this remark, Kouga looks at the objects that Jinenji had brought as he brings out two wooden objects that look like big shoes.
"What is this project?" Kouga asks an amusement.
Jinenji gives Kouga a big smile "Would you like to see if it works? Come help me put these on"
Both Kouga and Jinenji sit down and start to place these objects on Jinenji on his feet.
Back with Kagome, she is in the woods looking for mushrooms and other fungi with a pig, Kagome remembered what Kikyo had said about her smell she sniffs her self and does agree with what has been said, Kagome knows that there is a river nearby so she decides to go for swim to get herself clean, as she swimming on her back she hears a voice above her.
"It looks like rain"
Kagome screams and then Jinenji as he falls into the water. Kagome and Jinenji both walk out of the river, Kouga notices Jinenji first and goes over to him. "Jinenji are you, all right?" as Kouga tries to help Jinenji out of the water. "I am alright, but I don't think I'll be doing this again, fortunately, I tripped over an angel"
"Rumiko!" Kouga said in a happy but surprise voice as looks over towards her.
"Your Highness (Kagome acting on instant goes to her knees, but she also forgot whom she was pretending to be and where she was as she fall in the river again) Oh! Carful there are rocks here and they are slippery" she says trying to cover up what she had done. As she and Jinenji both are now out of the river, Kouga gives Kagome his coat to cover her to warm her up "Here, please. Allow me"
"Oh! Thank you"
Kouga looks around "Where are your attendants?"
"I decided to give them the day off" Kouga laughs "A day off? What from life?"
"Don't you tire of people waiting on you all the time?"
"Yes, but it's what they are meant to do… I mean they are servants"
"Oh, I wish I could dismiss mine as easily as you do yours"
"I must go" she says as she gives Kouga back his coat, at this Kouga looks confused at this.
"You are angry with me?"
"No" she replies as she starts to walk off
"Admit it" Kagome turns back to Kouga
"Well if must know…. yes"
"Why?"
"Because you are trying to bait me with your snobbery" Kouga takes Kagome hands and looks deep into her eyes "I'm afraid, Rumiko you are a walking contradiction… and I find that rather fascinating" he says with a smile on his face.
"Me?" Kagome asks with a smile on her face
"Yes, you"
"You spout the ideas of a different society, yet you live the life of a courtier."
Kagome gasps shocked at this "You own all the land there is, yet you take no pride in working it, is that not also a contradiction?"
Kouga lets go off her hands "First I'm arrogant, and now I have no pride? However, do I manage that?"
"You have everything and still the world holds no joy, yet you make fun of those who would see the greatness that can come out of it"
"How do you do it?" Kouga ask's "What?" "Live each day with this kind of passion? Don't you find it exhausting?"
Kagome laughs "Only when I'm around you? Why do you like to irritate me so?"
Kagome both sees and hears Sango calling out her name luckily Kouga did not. "Forgive me, your highness, I've lost track of the time, I must go" Kagome starts to leave as she leaves Kouga calls out to her "I'm playing tennis tomorrow, will you come?"
Kagome waves one of hands behind her and says "I must go"
That night bac at Kagomes house Kagura, Kikyo and Sango are sitting at the table eating their dinner as Kagome and the other servants are on the edge of the room waiting to see if those eating needed anything.
Kagura looks at the table "Kaede where are the candlesticks? We can hardly see out plates?"
"I don't know my lady; I have looked everywhere for them"
"There painting missing as well, it seems we have a thief in our midst" said Kikyo looking at the servants. "Hmm… so this is how I'm treated after all of our years together, my husband's prize possessions! (Kagura yells and looks at the servants as well) well, I shall just garnish your wages until the pilfered items are returned… is that understood?" said Kagura
"Yes ma'am"
"Perhaps, I shall ship you all to the Americas, with all the other thieves" Kagura finishes looking quite pleased
Sango then remembers something that she heard "Oh, didn't you hear? The Prince asked the King to release all those men"
Kagome could not help herself "He didn't" Kagura looks over to her wandering why she would say anything Kagome looks down on to her feet as if to say sorry. Sango clears her throat to get back to what she was saying.
"Mm…now by royal decree, any man who sails must be compensated"
"Compensated! Honestly, what is the world coming to?" Kagura said to the girls, Kikyo reaches for her cup and indicates she wants more, Kagome gets the jag that had something to drink inside and starts to walk over to her.
"What I want to know who this what was is it countess Makahashi? Lakahashi? either way everyone is talking about her" said Kikyo
"Yes, I heard that the Prince fell all over himself" said Sango
Kagome looks to Kanna and Kade with a smile on her face as she starts to fill up Kikyo's cup.
"Well who ever she is we will find out and burry her" said Kagura, as she said this Kagome knocks over the cup, she then starts to clean up the mess that has been made.