Chapter Three:

The Dinner Party and the Unveiling, Along with Some Distressing News

The pig was roasted perfectly, as was the chicken and the beef…and the peacock and the duck…and even the quail…but Sesshomaru could taste none of it. He was too busy scowling. The cause of his scowling sat next to him, chatting amiably with his younger sisters, Shiori and Ikana, whilst he could hardly concentrate on what Lord Hatsuharu was saying next to him. His scowl deepened, if that was at all possible and his eyes darkened to an almost amber color.

The evil girl looked at him with something akin to nonchalance. "Stop your growling, you big stuffed puppy. People are watching us," she chided, putting a hand on his arm. A low growl rumbled from his throat. She backed off immediately. "If you do not cease this horrendous behavior, I will have to physically restrain you."

He scoffed. "I am much stronger than you, wench."

She smirked. "My physical body cannot hurt you, yes, I agree, but not my Hama no reiryoku certainly can, my dear husband-to-be, so shut your mouth before I make it disappear." Her eyes glittered in malice behind her white mask. His breath caught. He knew those eyes.

He straightened his shoulders, threateningly. "I wish to know your name," he ground out, trying to be as polite as possible, even through his veins were pulsing and his brain was foundling, trying to place a name to those eyes and that voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Not yet; we have to wait until the feast has ended. It's tradition, just as you cannot see my face until then: only my eyes and mouth." She picked up a pork roll with her chopsticks and stuck it in her mouth, chewing slowly. "Just be patient, Sesshomaru-sama." Then, satisfied with his silence, she turned back to his sisters,

"Ikana-chan, is your brother always like this?" she queried, looking at the brooding Prince over her shoulder.

Ikana shook her head. "No, he's not. He normally is very polite and respectful. Something has his fur standing up though."

Shiori, the younger of the two, tapped her sister's arm. "Ana-chan!" she squeaked. Ikana looked at the younger girl with an adoring expression.

"Yes, Shi-chan?"

"Ru-chan fell in love!" she chirped, causing Sesshomaru's head to swivel in her direction. He growled and Shiori scooted away, lowering her voice to nearly a whisper. "He's been going into the village to see a very pretty lady. Jaken-san told me so."

Ikana's eyes widened as she turned to look at Sesshomaru's bride-to-be. "How unfortunate. This could make problems for your marriage, and it hasn't even started yet." She chanced a venomous glare at her brother. "Why would he be so stupid as to fall in love now—when he knew he had to get married?"

The other girl shrugged, looking at her future husband with a pitying expression. "Love hits at the most inconvenient of times. I should know from experience."

Ikana gasped. "You are also in love?"

"Yes; very much so, I'm afraid. But I refuse to make a fool of myself. I will be a devoted wife. Sesshomaru will have everything but my heart. And, maybe, with time, I shall forget my beloved Maru and learn to love Sesshomaru instead."

Ikana nodded. "That's the spirit. And that's how Sesshomaru should be acting. He's only making this worse by treating you badly. He knows that mother would take your side; and so would I."

Shiori raised her hand. "And me!"

The bride-to-be smiled warmly. "Well, then, I guess I shouldn't worry too much. Besides, once I remove my mask, he may fall desperately in love with my beauty." She fluttered her eyelashes and pouted, while the two sisters giggled furiously.

Sesshomaru growled again. "You will cease this chatter at once, wife," he snarled, putting a clawed hand on the small of her back. "Or I will rip this dress from your body and feast upon your entrails—here, before everyone else."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Now let go. The feast is finally ending."

Sure enough, the King was standing from his seat at the end of the table. "Ladies, and Gentleman, I do believe this feast is just about done with. Do you agree?" There were several loud cheers from the party-goers. InuTashio smiled. "Then we shall do the unveiling!" With a wave of his hand, servants appeared behind every person at the table. Then with another wave, they pulled the masks from everyone—except for the engaged couple. "Now, the couple must remove each other's masks in order for the ritual to be complete."

Both Sesshomaru and his bride nodded and placed their hands to the opposite person's face. The girl flinched when his icy nails touched her ear on their way to the tie of the mask. He, too flinched, when her shaking hands brushed against his lips in passing. Then, with a sense of urgency, they pulled off the masks—and Sesshomaru couldn't stop his jaw from falling.

"Kagome-chan?" he whispered, his eyes widening.

Kagome's eyes filled with tears—angry tears. She swiped at him, causing a bright red welt to appear on his left cheek. "You're a bastard." She wiped at her eyes. "You said you were a servant here. Not the Prince."

She scooted out her chair, nearly knocking over a servant, and ran from the hall, sobbing. Her mother followed behind. After that, came his two sisters and his mother. And there, at the end of the running procession, was Sesshomaru, mentally berating himself as his eyes watered and he chased the object of his affection.

They found her in the garden, curled into the fetal position beneath a magnolia tree, her dress crumpled and her hair askew. She looked up when they approached, her eyes puffy and red. "Go away."

Kagome's mother bent and took her daughter into her arms. "What is wrong, Kagome-koi?" She smoothed her daughter's hair, her eyes beseeching.

"I cannot marry him, mama. He's evil," she rasped, dissolving into sobs again. Yoshii shook her head, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"Kagome, you must. You've already agreed. And you're already engaged. There's no going back. This isn't like a human wedding. This is a demon engagement and mating ceremony. You can't take it back. The two of you are already bound halfway."

At that moment, Sesshomaru appeared in the clearing, his eyes filled with tears. "Kagome, I am so sorry…" he breathed, looking at her with adoration.

She scoffed. "No you're not. You were taking advantage of me. You wanted your future bride to be complacent so you pretended to woo her—her knight in shining armor." She flipped her tangled hair over her shoulder. "Well, I'm not so easily fooled." She spat at the ground. "I hate you," she growled, with menace.

He hung his head. "You do not love me anymore."

"I loved an illusion, Sesshomaru." She shook her head, standing on shaky knees. "But, despite that, I will honor my commitment to your family. I will rule by your side—stoic and unforgiving. And I will bear the heirs to the Western line." She flinched when her mother gasped audibly and grabbed her arm.

"Kagome, you cannot promise such things."

Sesshomaru's eyebrows shot up. "It is a simple thing to promise; an easy thing. Why can she not?" he asked, his voice lowering in octave and his eyes darkening.

Kagome steeled herself. "Apparently I cannot beat around the bush any longer with this." Her eyes glinted with tears. "I cannot bear you children, my Lord. I am infertile.

REALLY SHORT!! I'm sorry, my dears, but this is where this chapter needed to be ended. I will update as soon as I can with a better, longer chapter. Also, sorry for the cliffie.

Read and Review please!!

-Darkness-