InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Almost Perfect ❯ One of a Kind ( Chapter 1 )

One of a kind

 

Hello all! ^-^ after reading fanfics for almost a year, I decided to try my luck writing one. Hopefully it won't turn out too disastrous, enjoy!

 

Disclaimer: Do you think I would be here writing a fanfiction if I own Inuyasha? Thought so ^-^.

 

…

 

Every person had heard of the land where rice fields spread out further than the eye could see, where small streams and large lakes sparkled beneath the golden sun, where the king and queen ruled fair and just over their land with their beautiful young daughter, princess Kagome. But then again, the young princess was usually what caught most of the attention of peasants and nobles alike.

Slowly the kingdom prospered like no other, yet there were always problems that came with a fair place such as this one. Many have kept their eyes on the kingdom, silently waiting for the day when they would take the land by force...or marriage. Thus, when the princess came to the marrying age, a stampede of suitors soon followed…and with it, came only the beginning of troubles for the fair young princess.


…

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, the young princess perfected her stance, and drew a single arrow from her quiver, notching it expertly. Slowly drawing back the string, Kagome took care not to ruffle the feathers that she spent such laborious hours making in secrecy.

She was only thirteen when she had first discovered the joys of archery, and had surprised her sensei when she had hit the bull's-eye on her first shot. Ever since, she had been interested in swordsmanship and skills of such. Of course, she knew that her parents would not approve of her learning `unladylike skills'. So she kept it a secret from them, and whenever she had to chance, she would sneak out of the palace as a maid running an errand, and run off to her semi-official sensei's small cottage in the Great Forest towards the East of the palace.

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Kagome slowly pulled her arrow back even further, aiming at the painted red target placed 40 ft away. But she never had the chance when she saw a maid run up to her.

“Your Highness, the King and Queen require your presence at the throne room. Three more suitors has come to ask you hand in marriage!” exclaimed the maid excitedly.

“Again?” asked the princess, as she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, but all the suitors are all quite handsome this time! Your Highness is so lucky to be blessed with such striking features. I only wish that I myself was half as pretty and talented as you are,” replied the maid as Kagome shuddered at the memory of the last suitor.

“Ha…you wouldn't think so, if you had to deal with all these suitors on a daily basis!” the princess replied irritably, as she stepped before the door to the throne room.

“Presenting Princess Kagome!” announced the guard in a large booming voice.

Stepping inside the oversized throne room, Kagome quickly noted her mother's disapproving glance at the `dress' she had picked for the occasion.

“Ah! Kagome, greet Prince Akihito, Yoritomo, and Yoshimitsu.” Said the king in a joyous tone.

Kagome mentally rolled her eyes at her father's obvious excitement. “Greetings, Prince Akihito, Yoritomo, and Yoshimitsu. I hope you will enjoy your stay at castle. May I suggest touring the gardens? The roses are blooming exceptionally well this year,” said Kagome, giving the princes a forced smile.

But what she really meant to say was: how long are you going to stay at our castle? Go see the roses while jumping around like the blank minded butterflies you are and scram!

While the three slightly dim-witted princes had no idea as to what she really meant, the Queen shot her daughter a warning glare. “What a splendid idea! Why don't you take these three charming young men on a tour of the gardens, Kagome?”

“I-I'm afraid I have dancing lessons this afternoon, and will not have the opportunity to get to know you better.” Kagome replied quickly, knowing she has already been trapped hook, line, and sinker.

“Nonsense. I have already canceled your dancing lessons today Kagome, now take these charming young men to the gardens, and you can have your dancing lesson time doubled tomorrow!” chirped the queen.

Eyes blazing, Kagome turned to glare at the reasons for her demise. “Gardens eh? Of course mother, I assure our guests will have the most unforgettable time.” Kagome said good-naturedly, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

Though the three princes were unaware of what awaited them, the king had not missed the flicker in his daughter's eyes. Yup, the three royal guests are really in for it, and they could only blame themselves for crossing his daughter at the wrong time of day.

 

…


Once in the garden, Kagome forced another fake smile onto her face, and looked each `royal butterfly' in the eye.

“I hear that you are here to ask my hand in marriage…but…since there is more then one of you, I will have to give you each a test. Of course, that depends on how keen you are in winning my hand in marriage.” said Kagome slowly, sounding serious.

“But I will not force you, and those that do not feel up to it can leave without the shame of cowardice,” said Kagome, setting the trap.

It seemed that the word cowardice really struck a note with the three princes, and all of them looked more determined then ever. `Hah! The idiots actually took the bait!' Hiding a smirk, she continued. “Now, first I will test you in bravery.”

Running over to a nearby apple tree, Kagome managed to swipe three ripe apples off a low-hanging branch, giving one to each prince.

“Now, lean against a tree and place the apple on your head.” Dumb, dumber, and dumbest looked slightly lost for a second, but they all obeyed anyways.

Picking up her bow and quiver from where she had last left it, Kagome smiled evilly, turning to the three clueless princes.

 

“Now, in order to hit those apples, you must stay still. I am actually pretty good at archery, so there is nothing for you to worry about.”

Smirking at the fear that suddenly appeared in the eyes of her `targets', Kagome slowly drew back the bow and pretended to decide which apple she should aim at.

After antagonizing moments of waiting, the three princes began to sweat furiously. Releasing the arrow suddenly, she pinned the fabrics of Prince Yoritomo's Hakama.

Smirking, she said excitedly “Wow! That was a pretty great shot. I was only around 1.5 meters off the mark! I wonder if I can hit it this time though.”

 

Biting back her laughter, she purposely raised her hand-carved bow, so that it aimed directly at the prince's face.

The three stared at her in horror for a moment, and two of them cried simultaneously “I can't do this anymore!” and ran off, while Prince Yoritomo made whimpering noises and desperately tried to free himself from the arrow that was stuck to his Hakama.

After the last of the suitors ran off screaming mommy, Kagome doubled over with laughter, while pounding the ground until her stomach began to hurt. After a few moments of laughing hysterically, Kagome picked herself up from the ground, and soothed her now wrinkled and dirt-stained kimono.

After a few minutes of trying to straighten her elaborate kimono in vain, she gave up. Knowing she had a few hours left to kill before her parents found out about the sudden `departure' of the three suitors, she decided to do what she loved best— other than visiting her dear old sensei, of course.

Mingling with the commoners…



…


The town was busy as usual, as Kagome made her way through the marketplace. Rows and rows of stalls selling foreign goods lined the streets, while storytellers caught the attentions of younger children.

A bunch of young women brushed past Kagome, fussing over an arrangement of jewelries and make-up at one of the stalls, while a fisherman tried to sell his day's catch at another.

Kagome wore a simple black and gray kimono, the katana that hung from her sash bumping against her legs with each step she took. Fingering the pouch of gold coins that also hung from her sash, she reached up, making sure that the traveler's hat that she wore was still in place. Rearranging the veil that covered her face, she strode down the street, a travel-stained cloak billowing out behind her.

Stopping at a random food bar to breathe in the wonderful aroma of various foods, Kagome suddenly realized how hungry she was. Scanning her surroundings, she picked a nice shaded area to sit down. Within seconds, a jolly looking waiter with oil stains splattered over his apron walked over towards her.

“May I help you, ma'am?” The waiter asked politely.

“Bring me some tea and the house special, please.” Kagome replied in her cultured voice.

”Coming right up!” yelled the waiter enthusiastically as he left to give her order to the chefs.

Moments later, Kagome was sipping her tea in contentment and enjoying her Yakisoba, when she heard a feminine scream.

Kagome quickly stood up and threw down some gold, her right hand gripping the hilt of her katana as she used her left thumb to flick the weapon out of its sheathe.

“Let go of me! W-What do you want?! Please! Help! Someone please help me!” screamed a young girl who was trapped in between three other men.

“Aw, come on, just go with us for a little while, love. If you behave, no one will have to get hurt.” Said a large, burly man with a gruff voice who was obviously the leader. The other two men grinned, one showing off his obvious tooth decay.

Kagome watched disbelievingly as a few people stopped to watch for a few seconds before walking away. Others seemingly pretended not see what was happening.

Sapphire eyes blazing at the bold attempt of the three men, Kagome used her running start as momentum and kicked the man who seemed to be the leader square on the right side of his head with a side run kick, knocking off her hat in the process.

Panting slightly, Kagome stood only meters from the two still standing men who looked at her in utter horror. Finally letting the information sink in their thick skull, they ran to their leader and started to fuss over his condition.

“Boss, are you ok!?” yelled a tall, skinny man with a pockmarked face.

The leader ignored the concerned questions of his followers and turned to glare at Kagome with cat-like eyes. A grin slowly twisted itself onto his scarred face.

“So you came to offer yourself too huh? I like feisty woman.” The brut said, slowly licking his lips.

Kagome tried not to shudder in disgust.

“Over my dead body!” She spat, silently challenging them to dare come forward.

“Get her!” yelled the large men with a scowl on his face.

All three men charged at her simultaneously. Kagome smirked and dodged their clumsy attacks, elbowing the rookie next to her in the stomach before kneeing the boss.

Unable to comprehend how a young girl could knock out his comrades, the first thug charged, and tried to grab her from behind. Sighing in annoyance, Kagome effortlessly executed a reverse kick throw that sent him flying into a nearby fabric stall. But the attack had made her momentarily vulnerable, and the leader took that chance to cut her air off with his arms from behind.

Kagome struggled to breathe as she saw the other followers starting to limp towards her, bending back her right elbow. A wickedly sharp knife came into view, slicing through the fabric of her kimono. Swiping it backwards, she caught the leader unaware and managed to slice him across his abdomen.

Clutching his bleeding stomach, the leader began to charge at her with a vengeance. Seeing her chance, Kagome preformed one of her personal favorite attacks that she named `Lariat'. Which using the man's neck as a pivot, she swung herself in an arch before brutally kicking the faces of the men surrounding her.

Landing lightly on her feet, she grinned over her shoulder, just in time to see the man grip his neck as if in extreme agony.

Satisfied with her work as all three men lay on the ground moaning in pain, Kagome picked up her hat and tipped it slightly to cover her face once more. Turning around, she arched an eyebrow at the sight of the young woman staring at her in awe.

“You're a woman…” The girl managed, gasping suddenly, before kneeling on her hands and knees, head bent.

“Err…­What's wrong?” asked Kagome with concern.

“F-Forgive me! I did not recognize you at first, your highness.” The girl gasped, bending her head even closer to the ground.

 

“Please, how can I ever repay you?” asked the girl sincerely.

“Nonsense.” Kagome waved her hand casually. “Protecting my people is my job, and as for repayment…Kagome drawled slowly.

 

“Just don't tell anyone that your princess is mingling among commoners.” Kagome said, winking at the girl.

Offering the young woman a warm smile, Kagome offered her hand to help the girl get up.

The girl bowed to her and said. “I will keep your identity secret, but I think that it's quite unnecessary already. We are honored to have such a princess as our future ruler. You are already legendary in your kingdom, and many others.”

“I-I am?” Kagome asked, surprise etched onto her pretty features.

“Yes, your highness. Many have been touched by your kindness. Us common folk all know of your identity, but each one of us will promise to take the secrets to our graves. No amount of torture will ever make us lose our loyalty to you!” The girl blurted out, before blushing at her outburst.

“I-I had no idea…” Said the princess, pondering.

“S-So…please take this pendant as a small token of appreciation on behalf of us commoners…” The young woman said, fidgeting.

Seeing the importance in the simple gift, Kagome nodded grimly and accepted the small red pendant.

Turning on her heel, she looked backwards and called out to the still-kneeling girl. “Oh, sorry, but I think I better return to the castle now. If you ever run into trouble again, don't hesitate to ask for my help.”

Walking over to the over turned fabric stall, Kagome took out some gold and gave it to the sputtering vendor.

“I'm sorry about your goods. I hope this makes up for it.” She said apologetically before walking away.

As she left, heading back towards the palace, Kagome couldn't resist adding a final dramatic twirl of her cloak.

 

 

…

 

A.N. - Hey, I'm sorry that the first chapter lacks much of excitement, but I promise this story will get more exciting later on. Please drop off a review on your way out.