InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Gypsy Princess ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter Five

Her feet slowed as her heart pounded, finally stumbling to a stop. Dropping to the ground, Kagome panted heavily while glancing at her surroundings. She smiled in relief as her mind recognized this place. She couldn't be safer anywhere else. Standing on betraying wobbly legs, Kagome slowly made her way to the tallest tree in the area: her tree. Goshinboku.

When she was a toddler, and was in her mother's arms at the time, she had spotted a pebble on the stone floor.

"Kagome!" her mother had exclaimed. "That isn't a pretty pebble, that's a seed. Do you wish to plant it dearest?" Kagome had nodded, and she had lead her mother and a beckoned handmaiden through the forest.

After trekking through the wood for quite some time, the little girl had finally stopped a small clearing in the forest.

"Here, Mama!" Kagome had squealed, and had quickly dug a small hole with a stick. Forcing the pebble inside gently, she had smoothed the dirt over it and leaped up. The three of them had then turned back towards their home with Kagome skipping ahead. Unknown to them, the handmaiden had quickly turned around, winked at the dirt-covered seed, and had turned back so fast neither of them noticed. Kagome did, but she didn't say anything. She knew that Kikyo would get her back if she did.

Before they were two steps into their home, a little twig had sprouted, with a single leaf on the side.

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Kagome sighed, remembering. Tears of mixed emotions flowed down her cheeks: joy, lost, alone, happiness, and mourning. Suddenly, she rose from the ground, glancing wildly around her, searching for the eyes she knew watched her. Not finding anyone and deciding that the ground was not safe, she turned and began to climb the massive trunk.

She gasped in shock as she reached the huge branches. For there, in a red haori, was the prince himself, staring at her.

"What are you doing up here? You scared me to death."

"So why aren't you dead yet?" Kagome glared at him.

"It's a phrase, baka. Even children know that."

"Feh."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Why should I? It's none of your business."

"Just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought him back."

"Feh."

"…"

Kagome sighed when he didn't say anything else and moved to go back down the tree.

"I was thinking." His voice stopped her, and she turned back to face him.

"Oh?" She cut off the smart reply that was aching to be used. She wanted to know what he was thinking about. "What were you thinking about?"

"…How you told Naraku off in there." Kagome couldn't help but grin proudly as she remembered her little speech. But it quickly faded as she thought of all that she said. Oh, crap. He heard all of that? How? Oh...yeah. His hearing aids, she thought. If he did ask me to tell him, would I? … Yes. I would. I will, if he wants to know. I will tell him, and he'll know. And it's strange, because I trust him, for some reason. Hmm…

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to know?"

"…"

"It was seven years ago. I was eight. Sango, who was and still is my best friend, was ten. We were outside playing in the branches of this very tree. It had grown so much in the four years since I planted it. We were trying to build a secret place for just the two of us. One of my mother's handmaidens, Kikyo was with us. She was fifteen. We looked exactly alike, even if she was seven years older than me. She had just threatened to put frogs in our beds for a week when I saw them."

Inuyasha sat very still; listening to this woman he had just met only days ago tell her past to him.

"You don't have to tell me, Kagome," he began but she shook her head rapidly.

"No. I have to tell you. I trust you. For some reason; I don't know why myself. But I feel safe now, and whenever I'm with you. Please just let me tell it. It needs to come out so bad, and you're the person who's here, so I guess you'll just have to listen." He smiled at her and nodded. She returned the smile and continued.

"It was a whole army. I didn't see all of them until I climbed up higher. They were carrying torches and weapons; there must have been hundreds. I didn't know it then, but I soon realized that they were after my family. Me too.

"But as soon as I saw the horde of warriors, I screamed. I lost my balance and grabbed onto the nearest thing: Sango. Unfortunately, she fell with me too, and we tumbled down into Kikyo's arms. She rushed into the palace with us, yelling for my parents. We finally bumped into them in the great hall.

"'My Lord and Lady,' Kikyo had said, `we are soon to be under attack, with hundreds of soldiers marching this way.' She said it so calmly; she still amazes me. My father quickly ran down toward the battlements and the soldiers to defend our peaceful home. I wouldn't see him afterward.

"Kikyo, me, and Sango, along with Mama, rushed into the library. We found one of the secret spots in the wall and hid. These were all around the palace, so that in case of attack, the servants, women and children would be safe while the fighting went on. We hid. We waited. Father had said to be brave, and he would be so proud of me if I did. I tried, honest I did. It was too much to take in at once, though. We all sat huddled together in the farthest corner from the entrance door and waited, all of us not daring to breathe louder than we possibly could. So we waited.

"Screams. Screams from the servants were the first hints that our defense had failed us and we were under attack. Screams echoed through every hall, corridor, and room. We heard everything. We heard the `thud' as a body hit the ground. We heard the `clang' of weapons as they collided. We heard the stomping and the hated marching of the warriors.

"But the most frightening sound of all was the leader's voice. He yelled to his men to kill everyone, destroy everything, and leave nothing. I started to shake with fear when I first heard him.

"We were all frightened for our lives. But we had hope. It had not abandoned us. That particular room we were in was Sango's and my current secret spot. My many bows and arrow-filled quivers were there, along with Sango's boomerang bone. I had specialized in purity arrows, since I come from a long and powerful miko line. Sango is the last of demon exterminators, and prized her weapon. Kikyo was also skilled at the bow and picked one along with a quiver. I did also. Sango immediately snatched her polished Hiraikotsu from its stand.

"Mama, to my surprise, also plucked a bow from my large pile and strung it while placing a quiver on her shoulder. She saw me gape at her and she chuckled. `Though I don't specialize in warrior magic like you, love,' she told me, `I do know how to defend myself. Your father insisted it long ago.' She stood along side us.

"So, we opened the hidden door quietly. The library was untouched. No one had entered after us. We spread out, taking places behind furniture in all corners of the room. Mama and Kikyo were nearest to the door. Sango and I were on the other ends.

"The first man who entered was the leader himself. The warriors had called him `Sir', or `Lord'; even `Master' rang out in the halls. `Come out,' he called to us. `I know you're here, because my men have searched the rest of this miserable excuse for a castle already, and haven't found you. Your man is dead, look.' And he held up the severed head of my father."

Kagome sniffled and she brushed the tears out of her eyes. Inuyasha caught her hand and held it. She felt him squeeze it, and she gathered the courage to continue. Cry more after you've finished. You can't stop in the middle for him when it didn't for you. Come on, Kag!

"I could see my mother from where I crouched. I saw mirroring tears on her face as they were on mine also. It was hard not to just kill that man and get it over with. So hard.

"Then I saw Mama start to stand, and I shook my head, fearful of what would happen to her. But she ignored the warning, and sent me a tearful smile with a blown kiss. I caught it and put it over my heart. She nodded and stood. Moving so that she was only a few yards in front of the monster, she started to speak.

"'Why have you come? What is it that you want?' she asked him. I couldn't breathe. I thought they would surely hear me if I did. `Will you leave us if we give you what you want?' she tried to reason with him; for us, no doubt. He nodded, and said, `I want you and your brat dead.' And then he…he thrust his sword through her heart…and…and…"

Kagome couldn't say anything more because she was reduced to tears. Inuyasha gathered her up in his arms and held her tightly. She clung to him, balling the fabric of his haori into her fists while she cried into his shirt.

"You need to stop, Kagome. This is going nowhere except to succeed in making you bawl your eyes out. I'm taking you back inside," Inuyasha spoke softly. He wanted to make her safe. He wanted to help her. He was attracted to her, and he knew it well. Damned if he knew why. He wanted to protect her even more now that he knew most of her past. But she didn't move, and her sobs gradually reduced to sniffles, and she started talking again. She talked softly, and he had to strain his ears a little to hear her.

"I saw. I saw her hit the ground and not move. I saw the gap in her breast. I saw the blood pouring and spreading everywhere. I saw everything. And it is a horrid, a horrid thing to witness when so young. But it also hardened my resolve to kill that monster. The monster that lead the murderers through our peaceful and happy castle. Those who killed my family. I was now an orphan, and I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill him. The monster. The monster they called Naraku."

What the fuck?! She's been living here ever since then? With HIM?! What the hell? So, that means, this is her home. This is where she lived before and after that happened. Seven years?! Seven fucking years with that bastard?! He is so dead right now. But Kagome hadn't finished talking and Inuyasha's thoughts were pushed back while he listened.

"That was the last straw for me. He would not harm another person I cared about. I shot him. I simply stood up and shot him. My arrow was enflamed in a bright pink, glowing as it went straight through his forearm. He has a scar now, and I'm quite proud of it. But I was disappointed then. `I should kill him,' I thought. `Kill him and get revenge.' But then I realized that I would only sink to his level and I couldn't afford to do that.

"Even so, I struggled and fought when his men brought me in front of Naraku. `Well well well,' he said. `If it isn't the little Kagome. I think you will find it happy here. With me ruling of course. Now, come along.' His men started to drag me forward and I started to shriek. Kikyo wouldn't let them. Sango yelled `Boomerang Bone!' and threw it into the soldiers who held me out cold. That thing is hard. I tried to run toward them, but one of the soldiers who weren't knocked out grabbed me and hoisted me on his shoulder.

"Kikyo drew an arrow and pointed it directly towards Naraku's heart. `Let her go. Let us go. All we want is to live peacefully. If you don't, I will have to take drastic measures to make you leave, and you do not wish to see those measures. Trust me,' she said. Her voice was full of sadness, hatred, and fear. Which was really something because she never, ever showed fear in front of people; except me.

"Naraku just laughed. He signaled to what was left of his men and before I knew it, Sango was caught, and we were bound, tied, and gagged. Not to mention being carried over a man's shoulder. However, Kikyo just stood in the middle of the room, arrow taut and ready to be released. But before she could do so, a warrior came up behind her and knocked her out with Sango's Hiraikotsu. Hard. I thought she was dead for sure, and I started to scream and cry. Sango was being a handful for the other man who carried her, and eventually, they had to drug her. Blood was trickling down through Kikyo's hair, and I thought the worst. But when we were about to leave, I saw her move her hand ever so slightly, and I sent some of my powers into her.

"I don't know how, or why, so don't ask." True enough, Inuyasha's mouth was open and he looked as it he was going to question her to death. He shut his mouth and opted to smiling gently at her.

"What happened after that?" he asked. His arms were still around her small form, wrapping her in his embrace. `I wish I could do something for her. Wish I could help her, or protect her, or whatever she needs. I want to do it. And I don't know where the hell these thoughts come from. It sure isn't Youkai, it might be Human. It could be Hanyou for all I know. That's one of my main problems. Dammit. She already trusts me. Why?'

"We stayed here. This has always been my home, before and after." Kagome freed one of her hands and swept the forest and the castle into view. "He allowed for us to live and serve him. Either that or death. Except he's been giving me leeway when he won't give it to anyone else. He'd let me have anything I want, except freedom. I don't ask for much, honest. The biggest thing that I've ever asked for was Shippo's and a few other peoples' lives. Oh, and a horse. I got that too. She's a beauty.

"Other than that, I grew up here with Sango as my role model. Mother. Older sister. Friend. She's more than a friend, and is everything a friend should be. I wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for her.

"And Kikyo is on my mind. A lot nowadays. Probably since we're nearing the `Celebration of Naraku's Rule' as he likes to call it. That's in a week.

"And you're probably wondering why I haven't tried to run away, right?" Inuyasha nodded. That was one of the first questions he was going to get an answer to whether she wanted to tell him or not. "Well, all the servants are under a spell. Mine is still intact, but it grows weaker as my powers grow. Soon, perhaps in a couple of years, or even sooner, I'll be able to break free and help others escape.

"The spell allows us to go into the forest, into the town, but not out of the village. We can't cross onto the road; the spell will kill us otherwise. I can go farther, out onto the road and to the Crane River. That's as far as I can go. Sango and a few others can come with me if I wish. I usually have them come along so we can carry water back to the village. It's always in a drought and they desperately need help, so I try to reach them every week.

"But, enough of that. You've heard more than my sorry tale of my sad excuse for a life. You've also lent me your shirt, which I've made good use of, by the way, so…thank you." Kagome's cheeks were a pink shade as she thanked him. "Thank you for letting me cry, and rave, holding me and soothing me…" The pink immediately turned a couple shades darker. "S-sorry, I haven't been held by a man since I was 8."

Inuyasha chuckled and drew her back into his arms as she started to pull away.

"Sometimes, you just need to held, hugged, loved. The same gender or opposite. Doesn't really matter. Point is, you feel a lot damn better than you did before. True?"

"Mmmhmm."

"See? I'm not stupid."

"In some areas."

"Feh." Kagome giggled. His smiled widened. She sighed and snuggled closer. Soon, she was asleep.

"Silly girl," Inuyasha muttered. "You need to rest up for your big show tomorrow night. I promise that I will be in that one-seat front row with me, myself, and I." She smiled in her sleep as he lifted her. He sighed. Females were so confusing. But this one was to the extreme confusion. He wanted more answers, and she would give them…soon. Maybe they could meet in the tree again…As he thought on this, Inuyasha gently leaped down from Goshinboku's great branches with Kagome held bridal style in his strong arms. He bounded across the grass and sniffed the air. Spotting the small tower she lived in, he hopped into the room through the open window. Sango wasn't there. It was empty.

Softly, gently, and almost lovingly he set Kagome down onto what he picked to be her bed and drew the sheets over her. The nights were getting colder, a bit.

"Inu…yasha…" his ears caught her murmur and glanced back at her from his position. Currently, he was about to jump out her window: feet on the sill, and hands on the walls. Kagome's eyes were the clear blue of a river. Her smile widened sleepily.

"Thank you." Those two words brought him crouch down in front of her and say,

"Go to sleep, stupid. You're going to need all the rest you can get to amaze me. And I don't amaze easy. Got it?" Her smile just grew and he went back to the window.

"Yes, Mother," was the last thing he heard from her that night as he was swallowed by the blackness.