DESCONCIERTO
introduction
Sociology had never been Kagome's strong point.
Of course, that might have had something to do with the amount of time she spent traipsing about the feudal era in search of enchanted jewel shards rather than being at home with her nose buried in a book. Despite her protests, algebra truly was her best subject -- even if she was receiving only average marks.
In retrospect, it would have paid to put more effort into her social science classes. History, psychology, sociology… all of it would have benefited her at some point in her journey.
For nearly two years and counting, Kagome was completely immersed in what could have been a foreign culture. From the sense of fashion to gender roles to even different races, the teenager was stuck in a nightmarish version of Japan.
She was downright stupid for not brushing up on her history, really.
Ginta and Hakkaku blinked at each other, trading puzzled glances, before looking back at their adopted sister. "Uh… Kagome-sama? Did you hear us?"
The raven-haired girl sat down. Hard. Her blue eyes slowly traveled up to the faces of the two wolves, squinting through the harsh sunlight to take in their expressions. There was an intangible sadness hovering just behind their worry for her, a hidden ball of pain that would probably remain curled up in their hearts for a very long time.
"Yeah," she said slowly. "Yeah, I did."
They looked at her expectantly, clearly waiting for some sort of verbal acceptance.
Inuyasha was just beginning to work out of his own stupor. "What… what the hell! No way! Kagome can't be your --"
"Sit."
The command tumbled from her lips without thought. She barely noticed as the half-demon was yanked face first into the dirt, snarling curses at her the entire way down. The situation was too much to comprehend without Inuyasha barking in her ear.
"Ginta…." Sango asked hesitantly. "Are you sure? Is there… anyone else?"
"Indeed," Miroku added, stepping forward. "Certainly Koga named an heir?"
Both of the wolves shook their heads fervently. Dust flew from their hair, reminding Kagome of a wet dog. Her brow furrowed as she tried to process the small conversation. She knew nothing about lordships or samurai or anything remotely close to royalty. She was just a girl, after all, just a girl from a time when everybody was special and everybody was common and normal people didn't have to deal with being named rulers, damn it!
Kagome's shoulders sagged as she realized everyone's eyes were focused on her. She restrained herself from nervously wringing her hands and licked her suddenly too-dry lips. "I didn't mean to say that out loud. Heh."
"No, nobody," Ginta said as he averted his eyes. "Koga was always adamant to have you, Kagome-sama. There was nobody else. No next of kin. As his claimed mate, you are… the new lord."
"Bullshit!" Inuyasha growled. He pulled himself off the ground with a rigorous shake of his body. "Kagome doesn't know nothing about being a lord! She's a mortal woman, for fuck's sake!"
"Oh, so just because I'm a girl, I can't do it! Huh, Inuyasha?"
Before he could blink, she had rounded on him with a storm brewing in those deep baby blues. He faltered for the slightest of moments before recovering. "N-no, that's not what I meant, Kagome! It's just… you're a human… and what do you know about being a demon lord, anyway?"
"I think your grave's deep enough, Inuyasha," Shippo murmured into his ear. The fox kit quivered from his place on his shoulder, green eyes wide with a mix of fear and bewilderment.
Inuyasha did not listen to the boy's advice. He grabbed the proverbial shovel and kept on digging.
"Besides, you weren't even his woman! Mangy wolf had no right to claim you, and --"
"Oh, that's right, because I belong to you! How could I forget? My sole purpose is to serve you as a shard detector --"
"No, that's not what I --"
Shippo took the moment to leap from his shoulder and scurry over to Miroku.
"SIT!"
Inuyasha cringed as the prayer beads hanging from his neck activated with a sharp burn of power against his flesh. Not quite a moment later, he was intimately re-acquainted with the ground.
Kagome turned away from the half-demon and folded her arms over her chest. Shippo flinched at the look of absolute frustration on the young woman's face, sliding further behind Miroku's ankles. Baiting Inuyasha was always fun, but the fox kit hated it when the two of them fought so seriously; it made Kagome incurably sad, and the stress caused Inuyasha to need only the slightest excuse to take out any frustrations on him.
The wolves took it all in stride, not showing the least bit surprise at the heated exchange. It was no secret Kagome and Inuyasha had their occasional spats. Indeed, it always made them wonder why Kagome seemed to prefer the gruff half-breed to their obviously smitten leader.
"I acknowledge this news and accept the position of pack leader," Kagome said crisply, her voice laced with a dangerous undertone. She glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye, daring him to start another argument.
Both Ginta and Hakkaku knelt down and bowed deeply to her. Momentarily taken aback, her memory rewound to the first handful of days she had spent in the feudal era; the villagers, convinced she was Lady Kikyo reborn, prayed to and worshipped her wherever she went.
"We pledge our loyalties solely to you, Kagome-sama," they chorused.
And all it once, her world unexpectedly faded into darkness.
originally posted on: 3.29.09
Disclaimer: The author of this fan fiction claims no ownership whatsoever over any and all copyrighted or trademarked materials that may appear within this fan fiction, including but not limited to the series Inuyasha as it was created by Rumiko Takahashi. No profit from either the production or publication of this fan fiction was made. This disclaimer shall stand for all installments of this fan fiction and will not be repeated unless requested.
Notes: This fic is second priority -- meaning, don't expect regular updates. It was just an idea that occurred to me; I don't know exactly where it will go, but if enough people show interest in it, I'll put some more thought into developing a plot. I should be working on L'Addestratore...