Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters involved in the anime.
A/N: I'm baaaaaack…..Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews.
GLADIATOR
Chapter 4
A few days later…
Here she was once again, down in the cell block, tending to the youkai. Kagome couldn't keep her mind off the fact that she would be married in two days…
She would do anything not to be stuck in a half-hearted relationship with that madman Naraku, but it seems that is what fate has in store for her. The wedding arrangements were going off without a hitch, much to her disappointment…
Ugh, this means she would have to kiss that foul man, in front of everyone no less…
"Hey, Kagome, you there?! Oi!" she looked at Inuyasha leaning against his cell bars in his casual manner like always.
"Really now Inuyasha, there's no need to yell…I was just thinking to myself. Now, how about those wounds…?" she asked as she made her way over to him with her supplies.
He just grunted in reply, like usual…it seems he would never truly warm up to her, which was also, much to her disappointment…she began working on his wounds, and as predicted, the jewel around his neck began to turn a bright pink.
It was about time he said something to her about it. Kagome made a small sound of protest as he propped himself up against one of the closer walls, reopening some of the wounds she was applying salve to.
"Inuyasha, don't move anymore, now I'll have to redo some of these…" she clucked her tongue in pretend annoyance.
"Kagome..?" he began, not really knowing how to say what he had to say…well…now the balls rolling, might as well keep pushing it eh? She made a small mew sound at the back of her throat to acknowledge she had heard him.
The sound was very pleasant to him…very, sensual in a sense…wait, he had to get his mind back on track!
"I know this is crazy, but umm, whenever you're around, my jewel shard seems to be purifying itself…and I feel like myself again…" he started off slowly. She immediately looked up at him, seemingly very satisfied.
"I suppose I was right then, I was going to ask you about that myself, but I wasn't sure…now I'm positive I could help you escape from here!" her excitement was just bubbling over, and it seemed to be spilling onto him, to his dismay, but it just felt so contagious… he would never let her see it though, of course.
She was back to working on his wounds, but now her brows were knitted together and her lips pursed as she was in deep thought. He couldn't help but adore the way she looked at the moment. He was snapped back to reality when she suddenly looked up at him.
"Tomorrow night Inuyasha," her expression was clearly very serious, all his attention was on her, "tomorrow night I will sneak into the cell block again and get you out of here…I'm sure if I just hold onto your shard until its completely purified, I can remove it, and then you'll be free!" she grinned, practically ear-to-ear.
He was a little shocked; she really wanted to set him free? Just one more day…and he would be free! "Kagome…"
But what about Kagome?
What would she do then? She would be married to that bastard while he was off frolicking around being free he supposed… it was like a trade…his freedom, for her captivity, as in being trapped in an ugly matrimony from hell…
"I'll free the others as well, the guards will be gone, dealing with last preparations for the…" she visibly shuddered, "…wedding…so I can get down here no problem with the help of my maid, Sango. I'm sure that when your powers return to you, you will be able to escape without any problems at all, right?"
He nodded quite forcefully, making her giggle at the sight. She explained to him the extent of her plans as she continued to work on his wounds.
She figured, Naraku would be too busy with the wedding to notice their escape, and maybe even after the ceremony, when he finds out the demons were missing, he might not care anymore altogether. The guards would definitely be away from their posts, and the hand maids will think she is asleep, she needs her beauty rest for the big day, well, that's what they thought….
If she freed him tonight, chances of him being discovered or spotted were very high…so they had to wait…
"I will be here no later than the ninth stroke of the bell tower, if I do not show up, then something must have happened, but I can almost guarantee you that I will be here, and then I will purify all of your shards, and set you free. I will obtain the keys to your cells with the help of a man named Miroku, I will ask him to guide you all out of here until the coast is clear, do you understand?"
Inuyasha once again nodded furiously, after silence overtook them for a bit, he couldn't help but to ask… "What about you?..."
All of her movements came to a screeching halt, and he heard her sharp intake of breath. She then slowly looked up at him, right into his eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'm sure all will be fine. I'm doing what I believe is right…that's all that matters. You deserve to be free, it is your god-given right. If I can help you in any way, then ill do it…gladly.."
They just stared at each other in silence for what seemed like forever until Kagome finally managed to look away, hiding the blush beginning to rise on her cheeks. She quickly managed to bandage her up, and repeat the instructions one last time, before heading out.
Everyone bid their good nights and thank-you's as she walked by, telling them of her plans as she went down the line.
Once he couldn't hear her voice anymore, Inuyasha realized he was holding his breath.
By god…tomorrow night he would be free…he would never come back to this fucking hell-hole ever again…just one more day…it would be perfect…tomorrow there will be no match since the wedding is well underway, so he should be completely healed by then just in case something happened…
The corner of his mouth drew up into a smirk, yes, tomorrow will be his day. Naraku would finally pay. That bastard….
The next day...
"Miroku, please! My lady needs this to be done by tonight, I'll do anything!" Sango cried, gripping the forearms of a young man with his hair tied back into a tiny ponytail at the base of his neck.
For the briefest moments a certain look crossed over his features, but it was gone as quick as it had come… "Then, you wouldn't refuse me if I asked you…" he got down on his knee as he clasped his hands together over hers.
Her breath caught in her throat…could he be…is he going to ask her to…? Her cheeks began to glow bright red, as she stood there in shock, looking down at him.
He looked into her eyes, "Sango…would you do me the honor of…." She gasped, "…bearing my child?"
He was on the floor before he knew what hit him.
"You lecher! No more nice lady, you either do what I asked you to do, or you wont be able to ask anyone to bear your child ever again, seeing as how it wouldn't be quite possible, if you know what I mean…" she glared down at him rather darkly.
He audibly gulped as he nodded his head up and down so furiously that it appeared as if his head would fall off. "Y-Yes Sango dear…anything for you and the lady Kagome!" he exalted.
Sango dusted her hands off as well as smoothed some imaginary wrinkles in her yukata, and with a curt nod of her head she turned and marched away, leaving the man named Miroku to stare at her back in wonder. "That woman sure can pack a punch…"
Later that afternoon…
"Ugh, Sango, this is all so tiring! I never knew that getting married would be this crazy!" Kagome complained, after having batted away those pesky hand maids, bantering her into picking the color of the napkins that would be used in the reception hall.
Really now, was there even a difference in the colors cream or eggshell?!! She didn't think so, but the maids insisted that there was…she must be color-blind or something…but she highly doubted that was the case.
"No wonder they say I need my beauty sleep…I don't think I could ever wake up after enduring this chaos!!"
Sango giggled at her Lady as she began to pull at her hair in frustration. "Now now Kagome…no need to pull your hair out, you don't want to go bald now do you?"
Kagome let out a huff, "You know, I suppose maybe I should pull my hair out more, and go completely bald, so then Naraku wouldn't want to marry me anymore…what do you say? Sounds like a plan to me…"
Sango laughed harder, but this time Kagome joined in. The maids began filtering out of her bedroom chambers, it was time for her to sleep.
An anxious feeling was beginning to build itself in the corners of her gut as she thought of what was soon to take place… what if she got caught?
At this point, she didn't really care…she looked out of her window to the great bell tower that stood some ways away. She had heard the eighth bell stroke some time ago…
As if on cue, there was a knock on her door, Sango opened it to reveal none other than Miroku.
"My lady, I am here to escort you…" he bowed his head in respect before presenting to her the cell keys.
She gasped in excitement, "Miroku-sama… you have no idea how much this means to me…thank you…I owe you so much…"
He just shook his head at this, "No no my lady, you owe this servant nothing. Let us be going now, the night is young and everyone else is in their chambers. Now is our chance to go unseen…"
Both of the women nodded and followed the servant as he made his way down to the cell block, making sure to check the hallways before turning this way and that.
Just when the sound of the great bell reached their ears, they had arrived at their destination. The youkai were becoming restless, but said their greetings just the same as always.
Kagome started with the first cell, the old demon made his way over to her as she entered his cell, and placed her hand over his shard. It didn't take that long, seeing as how it wasn't that big, until the shard simply came off.
The youkai's eyes widened as he felt himself gain his own power back, and couldn't keep himself from engaging the lady in a heartfelt hug of gratitude. Kagome could do nothing more than smile and return the gesture, before making her way down the cell block, repeating the same process.
Finally, she had reached the end of the cells, the already freed youkai watched and waited as she opened the last cell, Inuyasha's cell…
There he was, propped up against the wall as usual, as if nothing was happening out of the ordinary. She made her way over to him and as he looked up at her, she gave him her warmest smile, before reaching for his shard.
It took a lot longer than it had the others; his shard was bigger and seemed to carry more negative energy within it. It had actually begun to hurt her arm, she felt the negative energy pulsing in her forearm, and grimaced at the painful sensations that it began inflicting on her.
She felt something warm on her arm and she cracked her eyes open to see Inuyasha's hand resting on the arm she was using to purify his shard. That was all the encouragement she needed as she continued to endure the pain until the shard finally fell off with a great crackle of energy. She picked it up at once and placed it in a small pouch she had brought and contained all the other shards in it.
"I- I'm…actually free…" the hanyou stammered.
Kagome was a little spent on her energy, but managed a small smile at his revelation. "Yes Inuyasha, your free…now go with the others and Miroku will guide you safely off the grounds. He is the man dressed in purple with the staff up there…" she pointed to the young man that was talking with a few of the demons.
He nodded as he stood up with her and walked out towards the group of demons.
Kagome gave a curt nod to Miroku, signaling that she was finished. "Alright then, everyone follow me, don't stray, and try to be as quiet as possible!" he ordered.
The group of demons and the few humans made their way out of the cell block and out into the night. They were growing restless, they're absolute freedom was imminent, they could feel it.
Once they had reached the point of safety, the demons said their goodbyes to Kagome and the other two humans, and dashed off at blinding speeds into the night.
Inuyasha was the last one to go. He seemed unsure of himself as he approached Kagome, but managed to stutter a few words. "Umm…I guess this is goodbye…"
She made that cute little mew sound again, and this time he couldn't keep himself from purring his contentment at hearing it. She giggled at the sound; it was more like a cat than a dog if you asked her.
She took a step towards him and stuck out her hand for a goodbye handshake. After a moment of silence he also stepped forward and took her outstretched hand.
That's when he took her by surprise.
He quickly pulled her into a hug, and her eyes widened with pleasure at the gesture of affection coming from the seemingly cold hanyou…
She could definitely get used to this…too bad she would never see him again after this.
He slowly pulled back, much to her dismay, "Goodbye Kagome…thanks…" he began to back away.
"Anytime Inuyasha…stay out of trouble for me, and be sure to follow your heart, especially since now you have the option of choosing to do so or not…" she answered back, waving goodbye.
He gave her one of his signature smirks as he turned around and began bounding off to kami knows where.
That's it…
It's done…
They're free.
Then why does she feel sad inside?
Kagome sighed as she turned around and motioned for her friends to follow. She supposed now was the time to get that famed beauty rest all of the maids were talking about….
The next day…
She was mere milliseconds away from backhanding the woman that kept on fussing with her hair, it looked just fine!! Why must she continue to torture her?!!
"Kagome!" her head snapped up and around to focus on the voice of Sango, who had just walked into the preparation room.
She glared dagger at all of the other maids in the room, until they all finally took the hint and filed out on their own accord. Once they were gone Sango focused once again on her best friend. "Kagome….you look absolutely beautiful…" she exclaimed as she took in the pearl adorned wedding dress that ornamented the soon-to-be queen's figure.
Her makeup was light, but very tasteful. The sapphires in her tiara made her eyes stand out quite boldly against the cream of her dress, which showed a modest amount of her bosom at the neckline made of pearls.
She was absolutely stunning.
"Sango…I don't want to go through with this…" Kagome sighed, letting her shoulders slump a little in defeat.
Her mind kept going back to last night when Inuyasha had hugged her.
"I'm sorry Kagome…but its time for you to go now…he's waiting at the altar." She replied regretfully as she pulled the veil of Kagome's tiara over her face.
Kagome could feel the sting of tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, but quickly wiped them away as she made her way out and onto the aisle.
The aisle…the road to her doom. Within minutes she would be trapped within an agreement to stand by this man at all times. To do as he wished…to be his…wife…oh how cruel fate was.
She kept telling herself to look at the bright side…she would be queen after this. She could possibly make an impact on how the kingdom is run, and help those misfortunate families out there…
She held her head up high, and began to make her way down the aisle. All eyes were on her, captivated by her grace and beauty as her fluid movements led her to the platform next to her husband-to-be.
Everything was fast becoming a blur as the priest began talking. She could see the lust forming on Naraku's countenance as he took in the sight of her from the corner of his eyes.
The priest politely coughed. She looked up, wondering what could be the matter. He looked down at her expectantly, it was her turn to say her vows…to pledge herself to this man indefinitely…
Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink at her embarrassment at being caught not paying attention to her own wedding. She nodded her head at the priest and turned to look at her imminent husband.
After a second of searching her mind for what she had practiced saying to him, she opened her mouth to begin her share of the vows.
That's when it happened.
The wall to her left exploded and in came a furious wind, flinging things about. Kagome raised her arm in front of her face to shield her from the debris of the explosion. Most of the nobles that happened to be sitting next to that particular wall didn't quite make it…
All she heard was something akin to a growl before she was swept up into a pair of strong arms. Then she not only heard it, but felt it, the growl that is. It was beginning to vibrate the very frame of her body.
Within mere seconds, the rest of the sanctuary lay in ruins, Naraku was nowhere to be found when she finally cracked her eyes open.
As soon as she was about to look up at her savior she watched the world begin to blur around her, then she realized she was moving, really, really, really fast….
She forced her head up against the wind pushing down on her as her veil flew away from her face.
She audibly gasped at the sight.
Inuyasha…
He had come for her…
She watched as he continued to look ahead, clearly focused on getting to his destination, wherever that may be…
All she could do was sit back and enjoy the ride…
A/N: Yes yes, I know…I have been gone for a while. But hopefully this lengthy chapter makes up for it, ne? Read and review please, the more you review, the more likely I'll update. I need to know if this story is even worth your time.
Until next time!
-Jinju-