-LAST TIME ON Beast and the Beauty-

A man, in a baboon fur cloak and baboon mask, crouched down asked, "Inuyasha… You must loath him, do you not? I have a special offer for you. Something that can help you win back your woman. You want that, don't you?"

Koga felt his mouth go dry, "I can… Win back… Kagome?"

"My, Lord! My Lord! Why are we going this way?" A rather small green ogre asked his tall master.

"Jaken," spoke his lord, "Shut up, won't you."

"Y-yes, my Lord!"

A pair of thin, grim lips slowly turned into an infamous smile, "I think that it's time for me to pay my little brother a visit."

Beast and the Beauty
Chapter 8
My Sword

"I mean, we could always try another wedding right? Why not try it inside instead? Ayame? Ayame!" Sango momentarily stopped folding the clothing that she was assigned to as she turned to stare at the female wolf demon, who ,at the moment, stared dreamily out the window with a large pile of crumpled clothing next to her. "You haven't even started your chores?"

"Did you see that wolf hunk?" She asked, as if she hadn't even heard the head maid yell her name. "Oh, and his eyes! They were the prettiest blue!"

"Ayame!"

"Hmm? Oh, Sango, when did you get here?" The love-sick girl asked.

The maid sighed. "I was talking about the wedding, where, hopefully, we wouldn't have any more interruptions."

Ayame was silent for a moment, giving Sango the idea that she was thinking very hard. When she never answered Sango snapped her fingers to get the girls attention.

Ayame smiled.

"You have an idea?" Sango tried.

Ayame looked out the window again and asked dazedly like she hadn't heard Sango, "I wonder what his name was."

Sango slapped her forehead, "I give up!"

Kagome hummed a little tune to herself as she and Rin walked through the large garden. "I like it here," said Kagome, "this place is nice."

"The Master's deceased father had made this garden for his mother," replied the cheerful little girl.

'Deceased?' Kagome wondered to herself, 'does that mean Inuyasha is meant to be king?' "Where is his mother?"

Rin opened her mouth to answer, "She-"

"She died a long time ago," the human child was cut off.

The two girls turned around. "Master!" Rin realized. "Forgive me, it was not my place to speak of her."

"Rin," said Inuyasha as he kept his gaze on Kagome, who looked at the ground, "go ahead and have some lunch inside."

"Yes, Master," she bowed and quickly walked off towards the castle.

Silent Kagome walked away, not looking at the prince. He was quick to grab her elbow, but she didn't dare meet his eyes. "Kagome," Inuyasha whispered.

Kagome turned her head further away from him as he leaned forward towards her. "Look at me."

"I think that I should go eat something," Kagome whispered, her voice quavered. She yanked her arm away from him and stalked off.

Inuyasha felt his eyes narrow at her back. What on earth did he do to deserve the cold shoulder?

Inuyasha sat there, silently as he stared at where Kagome sat. Her head bowed, respectively. Inuyasha crossed his arms, he just couldn't figure this girl out.

He shifted closer to her, making the girl's muscles tense dramatically. Soon, the prince was within arm reach of her.

The two were silent. Inuyasha glanced over at her. "Coin for your thoughts?"

Kagome blinked a few times, forgetting tradition and looked up at him, "W-what?"

Inuyasha smirked as he held up a small coin and held it in front of her nose, "Coin for your thoughts?"

Greedily, Kagome reached up her hand to snatch it, but soon saw that Inuyasha yanked it back. "Thoughts first, then coin."

Kagome bowed her head again and went into silence.

Inuyasha frowned.

"C'mon, Inuyasha," Shippo whispered to himself as he watched the two through the crack in the wall that connected the kitchen to the dining room.

"Shippo," Miroku asked as he approached the small fox demon, "Are you spying? You should be ashamed of yourself."

Sango and Kaede both walked in, talking about what they could do for the, hopefully, un-interrupted wedding.

The two woman came to a stop as they stared at what was before them.

"Move over! I can't see," Miroku told the red headed child.

"I was here first!" Shippo argued.

This would be the second time that Sango's palm and forehead had made contact.

"Kagome, you can't continue to ignore me," Inuyasha growled at her. "Look… I-" Just then a loud like rumbling sound emitted from outside of the castle.

The two stood up, "What is that?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha began to growl. Instinctively, he put an arm around the surprised miko.

Moving forward, taking the girl with him, Inuyasha walked towards the large entrance door.

"Master!" Miroku, Sango, Kaede, and Shippo all stood there with stern faces.

Inuyasha tightened his grip on Kagome, "Get your weapons." The four bowed, but Inuyasha then called, "Miroku."

The young monk turned around, "Yes, Master?"

Inuyasha's angry face soon lightened into a smirk, "Get my sword."

"Your… sword?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha turned to look at her, ignoring the minor earthquake as the rumbling became louder, smiling at her gently, "Yeah my sword."

To Be Continued!

wow! It's been awhile! Sorry about that...I hope you all enjoyed and had a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!