Summary: Kagome had always imagined him, Lord Inuyasha Takahashi, and his quiet strength and dashing good looks. She wondered what it would be like to be wrapped up in his muscular arms sharing things she could never speak of. All women he came across were all like this except one, the quiet beauty that he came upon sometimes while riding. Why did she look so relieved to be in her own world? Did she also suffer from agonizing social constructs and pressures of a family?

Author's note: This is a mature story with mature themes such as language, sexual situations (lemons), and violence.

Also if you have read my other story Resort Romance, it is on a temporary hiatus until I get more inspiration for it. I may take it down and rewrite it.

CHAPTER 1

In the soft green hillsides there was a small English village nestled in a collection of hills and forests. The vast sky kissed the edges of the hills in a bright hue waking the village in the distance. Picturesque in its simplicity, little houses and manors decorated the vast green fields. Cobblestone houses and businesses littered the center square where the small town held their festivals like a grey spec among the colorful houses near the hills and forests.

The small community was spread out over a vast amount of land. Though still sectioned by class and social status some of the Ton preferred the center square of the town while others, such as Lord Inuyasha Takahashi, preferred their giant quiet manors on large plot of land surrounded by large meadows and forests to ride in.

The Inu Youkai clan used to rule these lands and Lord Takahashi was the son of The Great Inutashio. His rule led people into acceptance of all races with his unexpected marriage to a human daughter of the village headman. His hope was to create an accepting society for all races and species for good.

The War of Freedom was a movement of Youkai of all races pushing for equality and voting rights to Youkai clans around England early in the century. Inutashio had petitioned other clans to gain rights for every human and Youkai to be free and accepted in all communities. Even though he was a powerful politician he had also been a powerful member of the Ton, the social society of England. In order to make sure both species were able to live in peace but also to make sure his family could live in peace.

His half-brother Sesshomaru had just become old enough to join in the ranks with his father in marches for peace around the land. Unfortunately that dream came with a price. After the signing of new laws in parliament adding Youkai clan representation and the rights to vote, Sesshomaru and his father planned to celebrate with other leaders of their party when a team of snipers sent to control the movement for freedom and voting rights had been lurking around their inn. Sesshomaru was out fetching their meal for the night while his father had been murdered in their room. Ever since that day he had shut off his emotions and feelings towards everyone but especially to the human race blaming them for his father's death.

His mother was pregnant at the time and Lord Takahashi never met his father but kept his portrait hung in the study above the mahogany desk that he currently sat at. When he was a little boy his mother would sit with him in the olive chair under the painting and tell him wonderful stories of his courage and strength. How they fell in love despite the feelings of her parents retelling their love story over and over until he began to recite it by memory.

Sesshomaru opted to live with Inutashio's first wife who was in fact his mother until he was old enough to make his own way into the British Royal Navy. Now captain of his own ship he had little to do with Inuyasha other than the obligation of family affairs and the estate.

Inuyasha did not wish to bother with his half-brother's affairs and even as a child he had everything he needed of family in his mother. She taught him to read, ride, and swim through the lake beyond their hilly tree lines.

In his early youth he had befriended a boy named Miroku whose Uncle Moushin had taught him to fish on the lake, shoot a gun, and rough social protocols. His mother attempted to teach him to be a gentleman to the best of her ability, but his social graces were rough at best and did not improve when she had become ill.

After his mother had died she had left him with this big house and enough money for a life time, but she left emptiness in his heart that he was convinced would fade but never fully dissipated. Miroku moved in with him to help him run the stables to avoid him joining the navy with his half-brother.

Miroku was a gentle soul and loved taking care of the animals on the property and flirting with the ladies in the tavern in the next village over. His loyalty to his friend helped him through the dark period grieving over his mother. So when he had approached Inuyasha with the idea to go to vet school to learn to care for equestrians Inuyasha funded his endeavors while they attended Cambridge.

Now Miroku was a prominent equestrian trainer. He owned large amounts of property with stables for all the wealthy villagers' horses. He had become a society man in his own right and won the heart of his wife almost a year ago. He had since moved from Inuyasha's manor and paid him back for his schooling but often visited his friend. Although lately he had a matchmaking glint in his eye and despite his best efforts Inuyasha could not get his most trusted friend off of his back.

The way he lived his life he did not need a wife. He had his friend, riding, social obligations, trips to the University, and his translating work for the Cambridge University Manuscripts Department. If he felt the need for physical intimacy he could always visit the tavern they used to frequent in the next village. What he wanted most was adventure.

Once he had enough work done with the University he wanted to see the world. England was a fine place but he often wondered how the cultures he read about in his manuscripts actually lived. No woman would ever understand his want to leave behind his old dusty memories for new ones. What socially respectable woman would wish to leave behind a life of society to traipse through the world of the unknown? Although he was comfortable Inuyasha had started feeling more and more complacent over the last few years. A woman would not want to travel the world so he had no need for a wife. Women were fascinating but troublesome and he was not interested in pirates as he told Miroku.

Yes, to him women were just blood thirsty voyagers skillfully navigating society in search of their golden treasure of happiness. The thought of someone pursuing him for money to shop of frivolous things constantly and using her body to get what she wanted was not appealing to him at all.

He had only one serious romantic tryst in his past and he did not wish to repeat his youthful mistakes. Tainted by his mother's wistful romantic stories he had dreamed of finding his one true mate. Despite the equality his father had achieved there was still prejudice against those of mixed heritage. This girl seemed different at first. Her name was Kikyo and when she first met him in Cambridge at a party for an older professor who happened to be her father he was entranced by her cunning looks and flirty banter. She always showed disdain towards his youkai and thrived on his new moon human nights.

Kikyo seemed to enjoy conversations with him in accompanied outings but when he had refused to talk of an engagement so quickly in their relationship. She started to show malicious intent by trying to trap him with her virgin ruin and pregnancy rumors to ensnare his hand in marriage. Luckily nothing was proven and he left the university knowing how sneaky women were and vowed to never involve himself again.

All women he came across were all like this except one, the quiet beauty that he came across sometimes while riding. She never appeared at social events and only saw him around the lake where he rode his horse. Sometimes he would recall her in his mind before he drifted to sleep how nice it would be to have her in bed next to him or under him at night and peaceful in the morning.

Sometimes he watched her from his mount on the hillside as she swam in the lake. Graceful in her movements as the cool water dripped delicately from her porcelain skin. Her lips would curl in a wistful smile and he would ponder about what created that uninhibited freedom in actions. Why did she look so relieved to be in her own world? Did she also suffer from agonizing social constructs and pressures of a family?

Her petite frame and her delicious curves showed as her thin gowns clung to her while she lay in the grass reading in the bright sunlight. How easy it would be to toss her book aside and pin her down with his body. Breast to chest her eyes flickering with passion as he tasted the pulse point of her neck, his fingers tweaking her peaks as she raked her nails into his toned back writhing in that sweet frustrating agony….

No! Do not think of her, he commanded his mind. It did not matter if he saw her only there by the glorious lake he had never noticed her in town. Inuyasha suspected his lonely mind had conjured up his fantasy woman and that she did not in fact exist. It was easier to pretend he was crazy then to admit he wanted to see if she was real. Feel if she was real.

Ignoring his perverted thoughts of this fictional girl his mind had conjured up he turned to the tasks at hand. Correspondence was not something he enjoyed but it was highly necessary to his work with the University. Using his black letter opener he ripped open an envelope without bothering to look at the seal first.

He had received a letter of correspondence from his half-brother Sesshomaru and its manifestation had ruined this beautiful morning. He hardly heard from his brother after his mother had died and the letter was an unwelcome site. None the less he began to read the unwanted interruption.

The pleasure of your company is requested at the marriage uniting
Lord Sesshomaru Takahashi
and
Miss Kagura Windham
Saturday, the twenty-eighth of July
at half past five o'clock in the evening
Aboard The Sea Serpent

London, England

Please respond to the letter with your RSVP at the bottom.

Inuyasha threw the letter down in laughter at first. His stone cold brother had been roped into marriage. He would have to tell Miroku immediately about the present situation. Though he was surprised to receive an invitation it would mean a new female joining the pack and an ill-fated trip to London would be in his future. Suddenly his mood soured at the thought of his brother finding the happiness he shut out of his life so abruptly.

I think I need a good ride to the lake to clear my head of this nonsense marriage. He pondered as he strolled out the door and made his way to the stable to retrieve his horse.

The morning dew was still sparkling on the ground and the birds still singing their melodic songs but one sound interrupted the natural morning, a booming voice that echoed through the hills.

"Get out of my sight you unsuitable wench!" A grey haired old man bellowed at a young girl from across the yard. The disappointment of another failed bargain for her marriage to a horrid man had once again flopped as it always did when they realized who they would be marrying.

She stomped off to her small horse stall and began to prepare for her morning ride. How dare he think I would marry this man who groped me in front of my own mother for heaven's sake! She readied her saddle on the horse and gave her a quick pat on the nose before leading her across the yard.

Kagome had yet to meet a man who cared for more than himself and his money. What ever happened to the romantic men of Shakespeare? Men who would risk it all for love, prove themselves worthy or unworthy of women's affections, the men who had a cause behind them. It was not her fault these men were old and bald just wanting some young lass to bear their children and fetch their slippers.

The idea of consummating a marriage with any such boorish man would be hard to bear. Though this century was not accustomed to the ideals of marrying for love she did not want to marry just anyone. Love was just lust for a long period of time until children were born, and then that feeling slowed a bit she had decided to believe. The truth was she did not want to marry at all.

Kagome was not a suitable woman for society's idea of marriage. Her beauty was natural and not as obvious as her two older sisters Sango and Kikyo who had no trouble finding suitors let alone husbands. That suited her just fine. Her interests were never about trying to fit in with the girls of the season who trolled the Ton for men of good breeding and title to hopefully ensnare into a marriage contract.

Kagome was an awkward girl for 21. She was not interested in fripperies like ribbons and balls. Let her sisters be married and carry on the family name so that she can continue her research with her little brother. Her true passion was science. She liked trying to figure out how things worked and how she could make it work better. She shared this passion for science with her younger brother Souta. He had even built them a small barn on the far side of the property to use as a makeshift work space out by the existing stable for the family horses. They were so close to a breakthrough in their experiments you could practically feel it.

Right now she and her brother had been working on creating a honey based formula that had warming properties to soothe aches and pains. The local beekeepers had promised to supply her with honey if she would promise them some cream after each experiment. So far the cream soothed aches but only warmed half of the time. Now that she had figured out the formula required for it to warm the only thing yet to be successful was to make it consistently perfect. This accomplishment was only appreciated by Kagome's spinster great aunt Kaede.

Kaede suffered from a broken heart, being ruined by an officer passing through the village many decades ago. Though no one remembered her ruin she decided to keep to herself and dedicated herself to learning about the sciences. When Kagome was a little girl she would go to her Aunt who accepted her odd interests in science and learning and spent hours browsing through her library. She spent her early childhood reading about everything from traveler's journals to epic romances like Wuthering Heights until etiquette school.

Science was not considered an accomplishment in most of her immediate circles including her family other than "Crazy Aunt Kaede". Despite her sisters trying to fuss and prim her for any social event they could drag or trick her into going to her lack of beauty was not the only thing that counted against her. She also had terrible skills at piano, could not paint a picture to save her life, and her French was appalling. All the skills required of any good mannered girl she could not claim as accomplishments. The only claim to fame she had was her proficiency in riding.

The wind whipping through her hair as she scattered the pins of her restrictive bun while she was mounted on her equestrian Kirara, was to her, the best feeling in the entire world. Often she would day dream during her rides on the chestnut mare about cantering deep into the forest and escaping the pressures of her stuffy life to pursue adventures.

Traveling the continent and visiting the eastern nations with their medicinal healing and meditative lifestyle. No matter how much she yearns to be calm and free from corsets and the husband hunting women, she could not leave her youngest brother to deal with the mess she would undoubtedly leave in her wake.

Her pale green chiffon dress with light pink embroidered flowers that accented her bosom had begun bunching around her waist and Kirara had started to slow down in hopes of a nearby spring. The big clearing near the lake had come into view and they both sighed with relief.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him, Lord Takahashi the mysterious viscount that kept mostly to himself and avoided social gatherings as well. Not for the same reasons as her. Unlike her, he had almost a cult following popularity with the ladies of the season, not to mention husband plotting mothers of the Tons most eligible suitors. For some reason he wanted no part of the process, it confused and intrigued her more than she was willing to admit.

His silver locks that accented his honey colored eyes drew her into an attraction as most girls in the village had fallen into. He was impeccably well dressed and well-mannered, the sort of fellow that her family would always dream for her to marry but even they knew it would impossible for her to catch such a magnificent man.

Magnificent he always is she mused. Although she always considered herself a scientist first she could not deny her womanly instincts and her longing for the passions of a man. Knowing she could never be happy with a brute, but would never deserve a gentleman, meant never experiencing the adventure of being intimate with a man. This was an ache in her heart that she had strived to shut away and be more practical with rather than wasting away dreaming of what could never be in her life. The mornings spent swimming in the lake, riding her horse, or lying in the sun reading managed to make her mind wander to what it would be like to feel someone's lips against hers or to be held.

Many village girls who were married shared their stories of intimacy with her sisters who were also married but tried not to indulge Kagome's inquiries of what it was like. Kagome had long since stopped asking and just imagined it for herself.

Most of the time she always imagined him, Lord Takahashi and his quiet strength and dashing good looks. She wondered what it would be like to be wrapped up in his muscular arms sharing things she could never speak of.

He spent his morning free time riding as well. Sometimes their horses crossed the same path but other than a tip of his hat and quiet nod from her they stayed out of each other's way. It was almost an unspoken bond of escaping the pressures of life through an exhilarating riding experience that they acknowledged each other at all. Otherwise being in such close proximity without a chaperone was seen as scandalous.

Inuyasha came upon the clearing of trees in the forest. The lake water shimmered in the distance and he was tempted to take a long swim in it to release the frustrations of his mind.

His horse had been acting so strangely all morning. Usually controllable and tolerant to his changing of direction had worked for the pair in the past but today the horse was on a mission. He wanted to take the lead. Inuyasha was so wrapped up in his head about his own troubles he barely noticed when his horse decided to charge at a mare across the clearing until he felt as though he was being thrown back by the wind.

Kagome tried to arrange the flowing dress in a fashion that would not be so uncomfortable. While shifting around in the saddle arranging the dress her foot swung back hard into the mare and she gave a grumpy sigh as Kagome patted the horse's neck in apology and Kirara dipped her head down to take a drink of water.

In desperate attempts to stop his horse he tried pulling at the reigns and though it bit hard but it only spurred him on faster.

That's when he saw his lake goddess. Not sure if she was real or not he knew he must warn her away from his horse heading straight toward her.

"Hurry and move! I can't stop him! Move before it's too late!"

Nothing slowed the horse until it had come to a complete stop in front of the mare tossing him into the female rider and into the lake water below them.

When their bodies collided a strange heat passed between them. Inuyasha's musing of whether she was real was quickly put to rest.