Laugh or Cry

"I refuse."

Kagome's mother turned pleading eyes on the tall male that sat stiffly next to her on the settee.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb. He stated, "That is not an option."

"Why?" Kagome asked, offended feminine sensibilities evident in her clenched fists and fierce scowl. She would have been deeply perturbed to know she looked about as threatening as a drowned puppy.

The Inu No Taisho, Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru's esteemed father, looked to the other male in the room.

"It is a high honor," Kagome's grandfather tried to reason with the stubborn girl. "Not only will you be presented to the Council, you will be allowed to select from the eligible First Sons without a claiming voucher. All four of the current sons are for your selection. None can refuse."

Kagome snorted. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave her grandfather a gimlet stare. "Aside from the fact that the mere idea of hitching myself off to a male that does not want me gives me a serious case of the marital hives, that still does not tell me why I have been selected for this dubious honor, let alone why I am not allowed to refuse."

Inu No Tashio growled low in his throat. He turned to Kagome's mother and, clawed hand waving in Kagome's direction, demanded, "Take charge of your daughter, Higurashi. You know the consequences we are facing."

Kagome's mother twisted her hands together. She once more attempted to make her daughter see reason by begging, "Kagome, please! We cannot tell you why this is necessary. Have I ever led you astray? Trust me in this. You will need the protection that only a First Son can grant you."

Kagome latched onto her mother's words. "Protection? Protection from what?" The only thing she was aware she needed protection from was a geriatric Council that clearly had allowed their wits to go begging.

That and a homicidal Daiyoukai named Sesshomaru. Waking up, still next to his morning table, she had been rather vocal in her lack of appreciation for his stoic decision to continue on with breakfast whilst she lay there collecting ant bites.

Rude did not even begin to describe that particular male. The Council expected her to mate a male like that? Or Kouga. She shuddered. He would just love to sink his claws into her miko flesh.

She was not acquainted with the other two males, but she knew there were only four. Though, technically, she considered one of them out of the running already. He was not out of primary school! Shippo, or something, was his name.

"You cannot force me. I am in my majority now. Also, as a human, I am not under youkai rule. Period. End of story. Thank you for the offer. No, thank you," she ended. Kagome left the chair she had been forced into by her mother when their visitor had arrived to inform her that her vehement denial to his son was not acceptable.

"Miko Kagome," Inu No Tashio intoned darkly, standing to tower over her, "you will heed me. You are correct in that you are not under youkai rule as a human. However, as the last miko of the Higurashi line, the protection of your family's provenance entrusted to me many centuries ago due to a debt incurred by your ancestress, you are required to obey my commands."

Kagome's mouth dropped open then closed with a snap. What? Since when had her family been under this dubious protection? Was that not something her mother should have slipped into a conversation somewhere? A simple, 'Oh, by the way, you know the boy you are friends with? We are indebted to his father. Sometime in the future he could come forward and completely upend your life.' Or something similar.

Then anger hit. The power she never had a problem containing surged and threatened to overcome her better nature. "This is not the feudal era! I will not be put through a shotgun mating because some idiot woman made a devil's bargain with you!" she growled out in an impressive imitation of his.

The great Daiyoukai threw his hands in the air. "Stubborn girl! If you will not present yourself to the Council and choose your mate, then they will be brought forth to you!"

She huffed. "They will be sent right back to you," she said with a regal tilt to her head. "So, if you want to waste their time, that is on you and your precious Council."

"Young lady, you do not make the decisions for this household," her grandfather lectured. "Right, Daughter?" he asked.

Kagome's mother shook her head and sighed. She turned to the tall Daiyoukai. "If we must do this, then we must."

"Do what?" Kagome inquired, fear beginning to curdle the pocky and miso she had eaten too quickly for lunch while trying to get to her friend's house for a movie. A movie she would not see thanks to the unexpected arrival of the Daiyoukai in front of her.

Kagome's mother ignored her to tell the Daiyoukai, "We will prepare rooms for their arrival. I am sure she will select the best one for her protection. Her time of choosing is almost here. I regret that it has come to this. I suppose I have allowed her too much freedom. But with the death of her father, I simply could not refuse her."

"I will go stay with Sango," Kagome threatened. "Besides, there isn't enough room in the entire shrine to contain all three egos!" She scoffed, "You really expect Sesshomaru to stay in a room he would consider subpar? Who will serve him his Darjeeling tea stirred three times with the twig of a peach tree that only blooms once every hundred years or whatever it is that he drinks that he spends so much time mooning over?"

The younger Daiyoukai was serious about his tea. Inuyasha had stolen some one time and they had tried it. Unfortunately, it had proven to be horrible. The. Most. Disgusting. Thing. Ever. She would rather eat the grapes left over after being stomped into wine by dirty feet. It was that bad.

Sesshomaru had found out. She did not know which was worse. The tea or knowing Inuyasha had taken a beating for stealing the wretched beverage that had been punishment in itself to drink.

"You will not, young lady! Do I need to call Sango's parents?" her mother threatened. "You know they are even more traditional than we are, and we live in a shrine!"

Kagome groaned. Sango's father could give a youkai male lessons on machismo. Her friend's mother, a gentle little thing, was so quiet sometimes Kagome forgot she was there, and the woman could be in the same room! They would not countenance sheltering her from what they would see as her duty.

Inuyasha was her only other friend she knew who would take her in. Given she was trying to avoid that particular family line, he was out. She did not fancy hitting the streets. Life was so not fair. Had she been that bad as a former incarnation?

Stuck and knowing it did not prevent Kagome from mulishly declaring, "If any of them sneak into my bedroom, they will be leaving with less than what they came with. If you take my meaning."

Relieved, though Kagome had no idea why, since her capitulation to their demented plan to foist the males on her was in no way, shape, or form an agreement to the Council's decision, Kagome's mother smiled at the Daiyoukai. "It will all be fine. Just, fine."

He sighed. "Now to get them here."

Kagome snorted. "Good luck with your son. Tell him to bring his chess set. If he gets bored trying to behead Kouga, he can lose to me some more."

Kagome did not miss the pained look he sent her mother. She inwardly crowed. The Council could order all they wanted. That did not mean she would obey. A chuckle broke free and all three turned to her with varying degrees of alarm. She grinned widely.

She could handle a few males, even handsy Kouga. Gloves were off to any who dared cross the line of her shrine steps. This Miko was all bite and no bark.