Total Eclipse of the Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic.

Author's Note:

Wow, as many of you have mentioned in either a review or message to me...it has been a full year since I last updated this story. For this, I can only apologize and thank those who have waited for this chapter! I'm currently working on the next one and should have it up before the end of the weekend..but don't hold me to that.

I want you guys to understand the situation as to why it took so long for this chapter to appear:

The most important reason - my father passed away last November. In previous chapters, you may have seen me mention about him being sick...but I am sad to report that he is no longer here anymore. I am doing well...for those who are concerned...but I whole-heartedly ask you to please be even more patient with me. I am trying to get these chapters done to the best of my abilities and I refuse to post a new chapter up until it meets my expectations.

The other reason that it took so long for this update is due to my extremely busy schedule. I am a college student and have had very little time to be near my computer to read, write, review, etc fanfics. It is now the end of another semester and though I have 4 weeks left, I am finding few time on weekends to spend on this fanfic.

I wish to thank my betas Inc and Ali. I really appreciate all their help!

This chapter is dedicated in memory to my father. RIP Dad.

Chapter Eleven: The Miko's Refusal

"No," Kagome's firm voice echoed in the room and all the lords and ladies turned to her.

"What?" Lord Kazuhiro asked in a bit of a shocked tone, his hand continuing to scribe on the piece of paper while his eyes turned to the young miko.

"I said no," she repeated. "I won't allow you to dictate my life."

"Pf, you have no choice human," Lord Masanori spat and smirked at her.

"Oh yes I do," she took a step forward and ignored the way Sesshomaru moved towards her. "I'm human, not youkai and therefore do not fit under your laws and judgment. I came here with little expectations; for the most part, praise and thanks for me saving your sorry asses. I won't allow you to tell me, command me, how I will now live out the rest of my life. I am to be Inuyasha's mate; I will marry him, we will have children, and we will live happily in the small village near the Bone Eater's Well. You do not dictate what I do or how I am going to do things. These are my decisions alone and if saving youkai and humans from the destruction of Naraku and the Shikon no Tama isn't proof enough that I would do nothing to harm anyone, then you are just going to have to deal with it because I am not going along with your stupid plan."

Many of the lords and ladies were on their feet in a heartbeat, their youki began filling the air and causing a lot of tension amongst one another. Sesshomaru was in front of Kagome, staring down at her with eyes that seemed angry yet there was some sort of amusement behind the anger.

"Foolish miko," he mumbled under his breath; it was low enough for her to hear, and when she did, she simply glared back up at him. She was slightly taken aback as she turned to him and saw a small smirk on his face.

"How dare you?" Lord Masanori sneered as he nearly jumped over the table, though luckily, Hisao was there to hold him back. "You stupid bitch, we're doing you a favor! How dare you speak to us when not spoken to?"

"I will speak my mind freely if I want to!" Kagome argued, her miko powers slowly beginning to surface. Sesshomaru glared her down and she glared right back. "I am NOT going to do this, Sesshomaru." She was seething through her teeth, but her words were low, thankfully, and could only reach his ears.

"Lord Sesshomaru, was she not made aware of the traditions she was to uphold while in our presence?" Lord Kazuhiro quickly questioned as he too was out of his seat and a bit steamed about this "rule-breaking."

"She was," Sesshomaru retorted, his burning gaze never leaving the miko's. "However," he turned to the council, surprising Kagome slightly, "this Sesshomaru believes that we should allow this miko a break. While we contemplate on the choice of mate for her, she should be allowed some time alone where she can gather her wits. This Sesshomaru has seen this miko in similar situations, and while it is unfortunate that she likes to speak her mind, she can just as easily relax when she has had some time to herself."

Oh what the hell would you know about that, Sesshomaru? Kagome thought furiously but suddenly blinked. Actually, he's right. He's RIGHT? "No!"

Her outburst was somewhat ignored as the room started to cool down and Lord Kazuhiro nodded his head. "Very well, Osamu!" A young tanuki warrior immediately appeared in the room beside Kagome and Sesshomaru in a cloud of glitter.

"What would you have of me, my lord?" Osamu questioned while posed in a low bow.

"Escort Miko Kagome out to the northern garden," he ordered, sitting down in his seat and pulling out another scroll. "Have either Usagi or Yoko bring her out a nice lunch, then please see to it that she is brought back to us."

"Hai," Osamu stated and immediately stood, turning to Kagome and giving her a short bow. Kagome simply rolled her eyes, her eyes darting to Sesshomaru in a glare before following the young warrior out the door. Both were thinking the same thing:

This is FAR from over.

"That was not a wise decision, my lady," Osamu stated as he walked, and somewhat forced, Kagome away from the gathering. "The Youkai Court is not known to be of the forgiving kind."

"I don't really care," Kagome growled, her miko powers – although bound by the collar around her throat – were trying to flare. "They have no right to dictate me!"

"They are the highest ranking youkai lords in this world." Osamu raised an eyebrow to this woman. "They can dictate the lives of who they wish and it truly matters not if they be hanyou, human, or youkai." He sighed and stopped, turning to her. "If I may speak freely, my lady; they are afraid of you. We all are."

"Afraid?" Kagome repeated. "I would never do anything to hurt anyone. That's against everything I've ever been taught, how I've been raised, what it means to be a miko."

"It matters not," he continued. "The power is still there."

"But I'm not Midoriko!" Kagome exclaimed. "I keep getting compared to others and that's not really fair! I am Kagome! Ka-go-me!"

"Kagome!" Kagome and Osamu turned their heads to see Kouga running towards them; within moments, he was standing in front of the young miko and pulling her hands into his. She looked at the wolf lord with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want Kouga?"

"My lord," Osamu quickly interjected and bowed low to the wolf. "Forgive my questioning but are you not suppose to be debating with the other lords and ladies?" The tanuki had never seen a lord leave during a meeting before.

"I don't care what those bakas argue about," Kouga replied angrily then his face became gentler as he turned to Kagome again. "Kagome, I agree with you. I don't think they have a right to dictate your life like that but you are not in the right either in this situation. At this point, the court is really not going to have a choice but to go along with their decision and force this decree upon you." Kagome was about to protest but Kouga quickly put a finger to her lips to stop her. "You can't argue with this Kagome; trust me. Please, you have to go along with what they say. If you don't, the only other option will be death."

"How dare you?" Kagome seethed. "You know better than tell me these things Kouga. You know my heart only belongs to Inuyasha and no matter what, I will refuse this. Neither you nor the court change my mind."

"Hn."

Osamu bowed once more as Sesshomaru came out of the shadows; both Kouga and Kagome narrowed their eyes as he neared them. Out of instinct, Kouga immediately jumped in front of "his woman" however, Kagome was slightly annoyed by this impulse.

"Stay away from her," Kouga warned and Sesshomaru simply retorted with another "hn."

"That was a very foolish thing you did in there, miko," Sesshomaru stated, completely ignoring Kouga. "Why do you refuse to accept this fate?"

"Why? WHY?" Kagome exploded.

"The youkai court will be more than sure to pair you with a suitable mate."

"I disagree," she seethed. "Knowing my luck, I'll end up with someone who hates humans." She threw a pointing look at Sesshomaru as if to say "someone like you."

"Though this Sesshomaru has no desire to be around you humans, I have never stated that I hate your kind," he stated calmly. His sentence, the fact that he used "I" when referring to himself shocked both Kouga and Kagome.

"You sure showed that you do," Kagome said, her temper cooling slowly. "How many times did you try to kill me and my friends? Not to mention how many times you insulted Inuyasha for his human blood." She sighed and came out from behind Kouga to stand in front of Sesshomaru. "Regardless of what either of you try to tell me to do, the fact is I love Inuyasha and I want to marry him; to have his children." She shook her head. "No matter what the youkai court decides to do with me, I obviously have no choice." Her voice turned into a barely a whisper and yet both youkai picked up the last comment. "I'd rather die."

Sesshomaru turned from them and started to walk away; Kagome's eyes were frosted with tears as she looked up to see his leaving form. The taiyoukai suddenly paused in his steps but did not turn back to face them.

"This Sesshomaru has seen a miko deal with a great many of things yet has never considered her to be a weak human. She has surprised this Sesshomaru over and over with her courage, her wisdom, her dense personality, and her overall love for any and all creatures. I admire the miko that I have seen in the past and the one that was just stood for her beliefs before the youkai court. That miko does not deserve a worthless death." And with that, he disappeared.

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