Dealings of the Heart

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Dealings of the Heart
By: ChibiInuTai

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Chapter 2: Ayame's Words

It was midday the next day when golden eyes fluttered open slowly as he awoke. Inuyasha winced and brought a hand up to his throbbing head, 'what the hell happened?' Inuyasha sat up and looked around to find himself in his room. 'How did I get back here?'

~ % ~ Flashback - Inuyasha's POV ~ % ~

"Unless who is a spy?" Sesshomaru's cold voice asked from behind me

I spun around to see my brother sitting on my bed. 'Damnit, I didn't even sense him!' I turned back to my window and looked out on the courtyard. "Did you know the girl, Kagome, who you hired two years ago goes into the forest?" I asked him

"She always goes into the forest," Sesshomaru answered me and after a short pause he asked, "why?"

In the corner of my eye I spotted the door, it was open. I couldn't believe my brother would be so naïve as to leave the door open like that. 'This is my chance,' I came up with a quick plan in my head to escape. "Even at night?" I asked him as I slowly inched towards the open door

"At night? When was this?" Sesshomaru asked rather quickly. I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head but I paid no mind for my goal was set up and ready

"I just saw it tonight..." I told him. I felt Sesshomaru's eyes leave me and knew it was now or never. I bolted out the door quickly before Sesshomaru had time to react I was running down the stone hallways. As I ran through the halls I couldn't hear my brother but I knew he wasn't far behind

"Yes!" I yelled in triumph as I spotted the door to the courtyard. I threw open the doors and ran across the courtyard. 'Im going to make it...' I thought happily. I was just about across the courtyard when I heard a faint whistling of wind. As I was about to jump up on to the roof of the castle when something cold and hard connected with the back of my head and my world went black

~ % ~ End Flashback ~ % ~

"That bastard!" Inuyasha growled as he through off the covers that covered his...nude body? "What the fuck?" Inuyasha looked around his room for something to wear. First he checked the drawers of his clothes chest, under his bead, in the closet but couldn't find a single scrap of clothing. Inuyasha's eyes settled on the bathroom door, 'bathroom!' he thought as he rushed in. "Ah ha!" he yelled triumphantly when he spotted a pile of clean clothes on the counter. Inuyasha picked up a piece of paper on top of the clothes and found a note from Sesshomaru written on it

'Dear little brother,'

Inuyasha snorted in amusement, 'Dear little brother my ass!'

'I have taken the liberty of removing the very few items you own from your room and packed them for you since I figured you would be reluctant to do so. Each day I expect you to wear the clothes I leave for you AFTER you have taken a bath.'

'I'm not that unclean!' Inuyasha thought indignantly

'At the end of each day I will expect to be the worn clothes in a pile in front of the door. If you have any problems with this I will forcefully make you obey my request. Just because I promised father I would not kill you does not mean I will not hurt you

Sesshomaru'

"Keh! What a bastard," Inuyasha muttered as he made his way to the bathing tub. The castle had a very expensive plumbing system installed a few years ago so hot and cold water could be brought up to each room in the castle. Only the very rich and the lords of the land could afford such luxuries as this. Inuyasha always preferred bathing in the spring just a little ways away from the castle but it didn't look like he was getting his way today. Inuyasha grumbled under his breath as he adjusted the hot and cold of the water until he got it just right

When the tub was full he turned the water off and slipped his nude body into the steaming water. He allowed himself to relax as he thought about yesterdays events, 'I don't want to be some guy's mate. I don't even know who he is!' Inuyasha sunk into the water so only his head was above, 'I mean why should I be his mate? There has got to be a way out of this!'

Inuyasha grabbed the cloth from beside the tub and began scrubbing himself off. 'Maybe I could give him a chance...NO! What am I thinking! I will not mate another man!' Inuyasha shook his head, 'He only wants me because I can carry pups, and he wouldn't love me...would he?' No matter how much Inuyasha didn't want to admit it, he could be wrong. 'Kouga could be a good guy,' Inuyasha thought and then snorted, "Fat chance!"

Inuyasha finished cleaning himself, stood up and stepped out of the bathing tub. Grabbing the towel he wrapped it around his waist, emptied the tub, and made his way out of the steamy bathroom. Inuyasha dried himself off, and then cursed himself for not grabbing the clothes. He made his way back into the bathroom and got changed. It was a fine red silken hakama and haori along with a white silk undershirt, one of his favorite outfits

"At least he knows what I like to wear," Inuyasha said bitterly as he made his way back out of the bathroom. "Not like he knows or cares what else I want or like," Inuyasha sat down cross-legged on his bed and stared at the wall in front of him. 'Maybe that's the answer to all this,' Inuyasha lay back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, 'I could give Lord Kouga a chance and if I don't like him then I make my escape. Or I could not give him a chance and just bolt the minute I get there.'

Inuyasha smirked as he thought about the look on his brothers' face if he found out his 'dear little brother' ran from the place as soon as he got there. 'Hah! I'd love to see that!' Inuyasha snickered gleefully. Inuyasha was so caught up in his thought he failed to notice someone had entered his room and only noticed when they sat themselves on his bed

"Well I'm glad someone is enjoying himself," came Ayame's feminine voce from beside him. Inuyasha's ears twitched and he tilted his head so he could look up at Ayame

"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked

Ayame couldn't help but smile at how boyish he looked at the moment. "I just came to keep you company since your brother wont let you leave the room and I had nothing better to do."

Inuyasha sat up and started at her. She seemed like a nice person and she didn't seem bothered by his rudeness. 'Probably used to it,' Inuyasha thought and he scowled at the mental image in his head of Kouga. He imagined Kouga as a very fat old man, who just sat on his fat ass all day and ordered everyone around

"Inuyasha," Ayame said carefully, "are you afraid of meeting my brother, Kouga?"

"Why would I be afraid of meeting him?" Inuyasha gave Ayame a look that could freeze hell

Ayame sighed, "You should give my brother a chance, Inuyasha. I know your brother did not tell you about the arrangement made but that doesn't mean you should give up the opportunity." Ayame place a hand over his mouth as he was about to speak, "Kouga is a nice guy and you should get to know him before you judge him." Ayame removed her hand from his mouth and allowed him to speak again

"Keh! It's not like I care!" Inuyasha huffed

"I think you do, Inuyasha. I can clearly see you aren't as cold-hearted as you pretend to be and all I'm asking is that you give my brother a chance." Ayame brought his face to make him look her in the eyes. His eyes held stubbornness, anger and…fear? "What are you afraid of Inuyasha?"

"I..." Inuyasha lowered his head and stared at the bed, 'should I tell her?' Inuyasha sat in silence, debating whether or not to tell the wolf demon girl in front of him. Sensing his inner conflict Ayame pulled Inuyasha into a comforting hug. Inuyasha stiffened at the close contact but soon relaxed. 'I can trust her,' Inuyasha smiled, 'she'll listen to me...'

"Ayame, I...I'm afraid he will just want me because I can bear his pups. I'm afraid that he wouldn't love me and force himself on me." The smile faded from his face and was replaced by a frown, "I'm afraid that he will use me and then throw me away like some used rag. I'm also afraid of...mating with another man." Inuyasha lowered his head sheepishly

'I didn't think he'd actually tell me,' Ayame thought happily, 'does this mean he trusts me? Yes, he must if he's telling me this.' Ayame smiled down at the man in her arms, 'maybe he and my brother aren't so different.' Ayame released him from the hug and made him look her in the eye again, "Inuyasha, my brother isn't like that. Kouga is a kind ruler and will not force anything that you don't want. If you didn't know wolves mate for life and once they take a mate they can have no other so you need not be afraid of him throwing you away." Ayame smiled as he seemingly relaxed, "I know my brother and I don't think he will want you just for pups either. If I know my brother he would mate for love and love alone."

Inuyasha smiled back at her and let out a sigh, "Thanks Ayame, you have no idea how much it helped to get that off my chest. Although I still don't want to mate with him, I feel much better about it."

"Anytime, if you ever need to talk about anything don't be afraid to come to me." Ayame smiled at him, "just so long as you don't try and run off again I'll try and see if Sesshomaru will let up on you staying in your room."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked hopefully

"I can try," Ayame giggled

"Thanks Ayame! You're the best!" Inuyasha hugged her, "I hate being stuck up in this stuffy room anyway."

"Just like Kouga," Ayame laughed as she got up to leave to find Sesshomaru, "Kouga doesn't like staying in one place for more than ten seconds! He's rather quick on his feet too."

"Thanks again Ayame," Inuyasha flopped back on to his bed

"No problem Inuyasha," Ayame replied as she left the room. 'I think they'll get along great,' Ayame thought about her brother and Inuyasha. A mental picture of Inuyasha laying in her brothers arms underneath the large oak tree in the forest near the castle made her giggle. 'They'd look so cute together! Now, to find Sesshomaru!' Ayame trudged off to find the lord of the castle.

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Kagome sat down on the bench in the courtyard and wipe the back of her dirtied hand across her forehead. She hated having to pretend to be a servant for her mortal enemy but she endured it knowing one day he would fall to Naraku. She smirked at the thought of having Sesshomaru as one of the slaves under her foot. 'I'd just love to crack the whip over his back for once!'

"Kagome, get back to work!" head supervisor Nuriko called to her from the main doors. She liked Nuriko, she was like a slave driver and could put the work ethic into any under her control and boy was she good at it

"Yes, Nuriko! I just had to cool off for a second!" Kagome called back with a fake smile plastered on her face. Kagome went back to weeding the garden in the courtyard and frowned as she spotted the amount of weeds she still had to pull out. 'Damn I wish Naraku would just take out this damn fool!' She scowled at the ground in front of her. 'Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!' She continued weeding the gardens and nearly jumped in surprise when Sesshomaru's cold voice sounded from behind her

"Kagome," Kagome turned around and bowed in false respect at the lord of the castle

"How may I be of service my lord?" Kagome asked. 'Lord of nothing but a pile of big old stinky shit, I hope you burn in hell you stupid bastard!' Kagome cursed him in her head

"My brother saw you leaving the forest lat night." Sesshomaru said bluntly, "would you mind explaining why?"

Kagome mentally slapped and cursed herself for being caught and quickly made up a lie in her head. "My lord, I..." she covered her face with her hands as if to hide embarrassment, "I met a demon and I...he and I are...well, we were..." Kagome stuttered out falsely and inwardly hoped he bought this little lie. "We mated." Kagome finally blurted out, 'Good thing Sesshomaru never actually met Naraku or I would be dead by now.'

Sesshomaru looked down at the embarrassed girl before him. She did smell like sex, yet, she also smelled of something very familiar that he couldn't quite place. Sesshomaru know she was lying by decided to leave it for now and keep an eye on her for a while. "Very well," Sesshomaru replied and left her to her work once again

Kagome stared until the demon lord had left her sight. 'That was close, too close.' Kagome thought as she went back to her work, 'but I think he bought it.' Kagome inwardly smirked as she went about her work

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Naraku sat on is throne staring at the throne room doors with a bored expression on his face. His only source of information at the moment was his lover Kagome, 'I need more ways of seeing what's going on in the western lands.' Naraku pondered ways to do this, 'the northern lands will fall easily once my plan comes in to play but the western lands will cause me trouble.' Naraku closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He wracked his brains for ways to get more information when the throne room doors burst open. A woman walked in with long black hair tied up by a silk band. She wore her usual red and white silk Kimono and had two feathers in her hair

"Naraku!" the woman's blood red eyes glared up at him

"Kagura, what do you want now?" Naraku asked. Kagura was the only person that did not fear him and the only person who would dare disobey him. Kagura was quite a pain in his ass but he tolerated her because she was useful to have around at times. Kagura was also one of the few demons that he had created from his own flesh and blood

"I need something to do! I can't stand standing around here with nothing to do!" Kagura stomped her foot in frustration

"Do as you please, I have things to think about." Naraku waved her off and stood to leave for his personal chambers where even Kagura would not dare go. Naraku watched out of the corner of his eye as Kagura stomped of angrily. 'Maybe I could create a new demon that can see things at a great distance?'

Naraku entered his chambers and quietly closed the doors behind him. He made his way over to his feather soft bed and lay down on it, staring blankly at the ceiling. 'It's possible I suppose.' Naraku couldn't help but smirk, 'time to get to work.'

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Ayame finally found Sesshomaru sitting in his study reading a book called 'The Art of Sword Making'. She had talked to him about Inuyasha but had not told him any of the things that Inuyasha had told her. After a lot of coaxing she finally got Sesshomaru to agree to remove the spell from Inuyasha's room but on the condition that she would be at fault if he ran off again. She happily walked up to the door of Inuyasha's room with the anti-spell scroll Sesshomaru had given her in hand.

'You owe me for this Inuyasha.' Ayame thought as she placed the scroll on the door. The spell scroll glowed a bright green before turning black and turning into a pile of ash at the base of the door. She swept the pile of ash aside and opened the door to Inuyasha's room. Ayame couldn't help but gawk at the sight of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stood in the middle of his room shirtless, punching and kicking mid-air. His well-muscled chest and arms flexed with each movement and his silver hair swirled around him while his body glistened with sweat. 'Damn, too bad I already have a mate.' Ayame shook her head and walked over to Inuyasha's bed and grabbed the towel he had placed there

"Put some clothes on before I jump you!" Ayame said jokingly as she whipped him in the ass with the towel in her hands. Inuyasha turned around with a mischievous glint in his eye. He struck a pose, which showed his well-defined chest and stomach. "Your such a tease!" Ayame laughed as she threw the towel at his head

Inuyasha took the towel off his head and draped it around his shoulders, "so what brings you to my humble prison, Ayame?"

"To tell you that this,” she indicated the room with a sweep of her hand, “is no longer your 'prison'. You are free to roam around, but don't go running away or it will be on my head." Ayame ran a clawed finger across her throat in a mocking way

"Yes!" Inuyasha whooped and brought Ayame into a friendly hug

"Get off me you sweaty dog!" Ayame joked as she punched him playfully in the chest

Inuyasha let go and grabbed his haori and undershirt from off the bed. "I'm going to the springs, I'll be back in a couple hours." Inuyasha informed her as he made his way towards the door

"Don't take too long or I might have to come and find you!" Ayame called after him in a tone of mock severity

"Yes master!" Inuyasha threw back over his shoulder

"Silly dog," Ayame chuckled as she watched Inuyasha bound over the outer wall from the window in his room. Ayame made her way out of the room and towards the kitchen in hopes of getting something to eat for a quick snack.

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AN - Ayame is acting all sisterly towards Inuyasha. Could this be a sign of things to come? Of course it is! This is an InuKou fic after all!

Reviews are welcome!